Affair in Trinidad was a hit of its day, but it suffers from a lukewarm reputation as a late rehash of Gilda.
The plot is reminiscent of Notorious: a girl 'with a past' infiltrates a group of wealthy and amoral expatriates who are planning a terrorist attack on the US. The girl is doing so undercover, helping the good guys following the death of her father (Notorious) or her in-name-only husband (Affair).
Glenn Ford has little to do: we always know more than he does, which is one of the plot weaknesses. Alexander Scourby is excellent as the enamored magnate (the Claude Rains role in Notorious). In smaller roles, Juanita Moore is striking as an omniscient maid with a great island wardrobe: the role is a stereotype, but Moore is magnificent. Obscure Valerie Bettis is also noticeable as a sarcastic lush (she was, in addition, the choreographer for Rita Hayworth's borderline-sleazy dance numbers).
Rita Hayworth is at the pinnacle of her beauty. There is not one angle under which she is less than gorgeous (which cannot be said of some of her earlier hits like Cover Girl, for instance). However, she is also a bit vacant, a bit sad, a bit extinguished. Her performance would appear stronger if the character had been clearly written as a complex girl (like Bergman in Notorious), instead of also making her the hootchy-kootchy queen of the local cabaret. It is a writing problem, not an acting problem. The contrast between the character's inner turmoil and her torrid dance numbers is unmanageable.
Still, this is a very enjoyable movie of its time, and probably Vincent Sherman's best alongside Nora Prentiss. Watch it if you know Notorious well (and you will also notice some similarities with the later North by Northwest towards the end).
The plot is reminiscent of Notorious: a girl 'with a past' infiltrates a group of wealthy and amoral expatriates who are planning a terrorist attack on the US. The girl is doing so undercover, helping the good guys following the death of her father (Notorious) or her in-name-only husband (Affair).
Glenn Ford has little to do: we always know more than he does, which is one of the plot weaknesses. Alexander Scourby is excellent as the enamored magnate (the Claude Rains role in Notorious). In smaller roles, Juanita Moore is striking as an omniscient maid with a great island wardrobe: the role is a stereotype, but Moore is magnificent. Obscure Valerie Bettis is also noticeable as a sarcastic lush (she was, in addition, the choreographer for Rita Hayworth's borderline-sleazy dance numbers).
Rita Hayworth is at the pinnacle of her beauty. There is not one angle under which she is less than gorgeous (which cannot be said of some of her earlier hits like Cover Girl, for instance). However, she is also a bit vacant, a bit sad, a bit extinguished. Her performance would appear stronger if the character had been clearly written as a complex girl (like Bergman in Notorious), instead of also making her the hootchy-kootchy queen of the local cabaret. It is a writing problem, not an acting problem. The contrast between the character's inner turmoil and her torrid dance numbers is unmanageable.
Still, this is a very enjoyable movie of its time, and probably Vincent Sherman's best alongside Nora Prentiss. Watch it if you know Notorious well (and you will also notice some similarities with the later North by Northwest towards the end).
Tell Your Friends