Affair in Trinidad
Affair in Trinidad
NR | 29 July 1952 (USA)
Affair in Trinidad Trailers

A nightclub singer enlists her brother-in-law to track down her husband's killer.

Reviews
JohnHowardReid

Although the 80-minute TV version leaves a few holes in the script and omits a couple of minor characters (I didn't notice any refugees), it is a considerable improvement on the original – and this will please just about everybody except Mr. Ford's most rabid fans. Mr. Ford makes a late entrance and disappears from the film altogether during most of the climax, but his absence is not missed all that much. He is less indulgently photographed than Rita Hayworth and his mannerisms seem even more theatrical than usual.On the other hand, Miss Hayworth is very kindly treated by Joseph Walker's soft-focus lighting and is stunningly gowned. She also has the lion's share of the action and acquits herself so effectively in the dramatic sections that the climactic sequences will have most viewers on the edges of their seats. Vincent Sherman's direction shows his customary skill in the handling of action and his usual efficiency in dialogue scenes. Joseph Walker's atmospheric photography is also a big help in creating suspense.Alexander Scourby is delightfully sinister as Max Fabian. Surprising to see dance choreographer Valerie Bettis as one of his confederates (she has the inside gag line, "Maybe I ought to learn to dance!" which was no doubt penned on the set) and essaying a scene in which she is slightly whiffed most effectively too! Torin Thatcher plays a police inspector with his usual air of forthright efficiency, whilst Howard Wendell does rather better as the American consul here than he does as the police commissioner in "The Big Heat". Steven Geray tries a part right off his usual track and is most effective as a corrupt night club proprietor. The other roles are comparatively small, but are well cast and played.Production values leave nothing to be desired — with the exception of the songs which are pedestrian and the dances which contrive to be both distasteful and unexciting.

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SnoopyStyle

In the British colony of Trinidad, American Neil Emery is found dead in an apparent suicide. His nightclub performer wife Chris (Rita Hayworth) is informed by Anderson from the American consulate and policeman Inspector Smythe. Neil's brother Steve (Glenn Ford) arrives expecting to see Neil. The police discovers Neil was actually murdered and suspects Neil's rich powerful friend Max Fabian. They recruit Chris to investigate the mysterious Fabian but she can't tell Steve.Rita Hayworth returns to Hollywood after about four years married to a prince. This is trying to return to the glory of Gilda reuniting with Glenn Ford and recycling the plot of Notorious. She is a bit older and not quite the same powerful bombshell in her heyday. Everything feels like a mere shadow of former glory. With a lot more imagination, that could have been used to the movie's advantage. This one is pass its prime before it started. This may not be a classic but it is reminiscent of past greatness.

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Flak_Magnet

Glenn Ford and Rita Hayworth pretty much epitomized classic Hollywood glamour, and "Affair in Trinidad" shows the chiseled pair reunited after the success of "Gilda." By most measures, "Trinidad" is a solid, big budget topliner, but the film's hurried ending and blunted racial archetyping dock it some points. Nonetheless, the performances are good ones, and the picture's murder mystery, at least until the stumbling climax, is consistently interesting and believable. Rita Hayworth is older here, but still stunning, and Glenn Ford is solid in the lead, providing plenty of romantic sensibility, as well as good ol' tough guy moments. The story involves Ford traveling to Trinidad after receiving a letter from his brother, only to find him dead and presumably murdered. What follows is a story of international intrigue, with Ford working to unravel the reasons for his brother's murder, as well as the identity of his killer(s). Meanwhile, his brother's widow (Hayworth) may hold the key to exposing the killer(s), but her cooperation with the British counsel prevents her from telling Ford important secrets. Predictably, there is a love story subplot, with Ford and a nefarious businessman vying for Hayworth's hand, and some of the exchanges are terrific. Again, however, the climax is hurried and disquieting, ending the picture on an unbalanced and underwhelming note, but not so much as to spoil the experience. There are a lot of good moments in this one, and fans of 40's Hollywood should be pleased. ---|--- Was this review helpful?

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Robert Gold

It's ironic that Rita's 1952 return to the screen was shot in black and white when her film in 1948 "The Loves of Carmen" was filmed in color. For her comeback film, you would have thought Harry Cohn would have given everything to the film to make it appealing: Rita, Glenn Ford, a similar film to "Gilda" in plot and style, and some songs (dubbed as usual) and dances for Rita.It's an okay film, but it's a bit unbelievable in spots. For example, Rita is trying to sneak around late at night in someone's house to uncover information while she is wearing her high heeled shoes. Wouldn't she have taken the shoes off to avoid making a sound so as not to be heard? She danced barefoot in one number, so it's not like the studio didn't want to show her shoeless. Another thing is how can her brother in law fall madly in love with her after a mere three days after discovering his brother has died? I enjoyed it, but to appreciate Hayworth's talent, there are better movies to see. Ironically, this movie made much more money than "Gilda" did!

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