Gilda: Me? [long pause] Sure. I'm decent.
Gilda is a 1946
Film Noir about the epynomous
Femme Fatale, a nightclub singer named Gilda, starring
Rita Hayworth,
Glenn Ford and George Macready. The film is notable for its excellent cinematography, music and particularly Hayworth's stunningly sexy performance.
The story takes place in Argentina where a dice gambler called
Johnny Farrell ends up becoming the right-hand man of
Ballin Mundson, the owner of an illegal casino, who is constantly under the watchful eye of local authorities. The situation becomes more complicated when Johnny meets Ballin's wife, the nightclub singer Gilda, who was once his lover.
Struggling between his loyalty to Ballin and his hatred for Gilda, Johnny grows increasingly conflicted, which isn't helped when on the night he kisses Gilda, the event is witnessed by Ballin who flees only to seemingly plummet to his death in an exploding airplane. Saddened by his friend's demise, Johnny begins controlling Gilda's goings even more rigorously while the local authorities question him about details of certain cartel plans which Ballin has presumably been involved with.
Despite all of this, Johnny can't forget what he once felt for Gilda, but he can't be sure if Gilda shares his feelings. To make things worse, a shadow of the past still looms over them...
Gilda provides examples of:
- Affably Evil: Ballin Mundson.
- Anti-Hero: Johnny Farrell.
- Character Title
- Deadpan Snarker: Johnny. Ballin has his moments as well.
- Destructive Romance: Johnny and Gilda. SO MUCH.
- Everyone Can See It
- Everything's Sparkly with Jewelry: The clip Ballin buys for Gilda.
- Faking the Dead: Ballin Mundson.
- Femme Fatale: Gilda, Gilda, Gilda.
- Fiery Redhead: Gilda, according to the film poster.
- Film Noir
- Getting Crap Past the Radar: And how! This might have gotten more past the radar than any other Hollywood movie from the 40's.
- Hair Flip: Gilda in her famous introduction scene.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: Ballin gets back stabbed by his Sword Cane.
- Have a Gay Old Time: See quote in the YMMV tab.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Johnny Farrell.
- The Love Slap Of Epiphany
- The Masochism Tango: Johnny and Gilda.
- Masquerade Ball: Gilda throws one in the casino.
- Meaningful Echo: Pio calling Johnny a "Peasant."
- Opera Gloves: Gilda removes her glove while singing.
- Pass the Popcorn: Many characters remark to this effect.
- The Philosopher: Uncle Pio. Lampshaded by Johnny.
- Pretty in Mink: Gilda has a few furs, including a chinchilla jacket, a mink coat, and an ermine coat that she carries in the first part of "Put the Blame on Mame".
- Self-Made Man: Ballin.
- She's Got Legs: Gilda.
- Slap-Slap-Kiss: Johnny and Gilda. Their only on-screen kiss is preceded by them professing their mutual hate for one another.
- Gilda also slaps Johnny three times in succession, and Johnny slaps her once; however, both scenes are played extremely seriously and are not followed by a kiss or anything else remotely romantic.
- Sword Cane: Ballin has a switchblade cane.
- Tall, Dark and Handsome: Johnny was played by Glenn Ford, after all.
- Those Two Actors: Gilda is the second of the five films starring Rita Hayworth and Glenn Ford.
- With Great Power Comes Great Insanity: Mundson near the end.
- Woman in Black: Gilda.
- Would Hit a Girl: Johnny hit Gilda after she performed her striptease.
- You Can Leave Your Hat On: Gilda's glove-removing scene (she would've gone further but Johnny stopped her).
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