In Boldon, the corrupt Sheriff Titus Semple (Sydney Greenstreet) rules the town and elects whoever he wants with the support of the powerful group led by the constructor Dan Reynolds (David Brian). Now he wants to elect his deputy Fielding Carlisle (Zachary Scott), who is the son of a former judge, to the Senate. When a carnival is forced to leave Boldon, the dancer Lane Bellamy (Joan Crawford) has no place to go and stays in a tent. Titus sends Fielding to the carnival and he helps Lane to find a job as waitress in a diner and a place to stay. They have a romantic relationship, but Titus sees Lane as a liability to the political career of his protégé. So he forces her boss to fire Lane; he does not let Lane get a job; and he frames Lane to send her to prison. When she is released, she finds a job working for Lute Mae Sanders (Gladys George) in her roadhouse. She meets Dan and soon they get married and move to the fancy Flamingo Road. But the ambitious Titus has different political plans from Dan and his group and wants to elect Fielding as Governor. Dan refuses the request and Titus uses blackmail to force Dan and his group to support Fielding. Dan does not accept and Titus decides to destroy Dan and Lane. Will he succeed?"Flamingo Road" is a 1949 film that shows how politicians and corruption are a timeless combination. The story holds the attention but the conclusion is deceptive, with the situation being resolved too easily. My vote is seven.Title (Brazil): "Caminho da Redenção" ("Path to Redemption")

Flamingo Road (1949)A true Warner Bros ensemble effort with some familiar names from the time, including the star, Joan Crawford and the director, Michael Curtiz. There are even familiar sets (in style) and moments (including the splayed dead body of one actor who appeared splayed and dead in "Mildred Pierce," starring Crawford and directed by Curtiz, just a few years before.And all of this is good. Whatever the movie lacks in originality it makes up for in style and drama. It's high drama for sure, ranging from a traveling circus to a corrupt sheriff, including murder and gambling and cross loves, and sweeping through lots of great night and interior photography. It's a noir, more or less (the alienated lead character is a woman in this case, and not a soldier adjusting to civilian life), and it redeems sufficiently by the end. Look for lots of great bit actors and wonderful photography throughout.So why isn't this a great classic? Partly it's the story, which turns to well-used devices and characters all along. Partly it's actually the use of Sydney Greenstreet as the heavy—he's quirky and wonderful but not quite convincing as a terrible power- playing thug. Crawford is really at her usual best here (some scenes she really emotes, which isn't always her preference), and she holds up some scenes that are otherwise more routine. Curtiz, to be sure, is brilliant at creating rich scenes with a lot going on (picture the interior shots in "Casablanca" for example). He does that again here, and you can just watch this movie for its feeling. It isn't as dark or brooding a film noir as the best of them, and the villains here don't exude evil or dread the way the genre needs. But there is a steady tension and curiosity as events turn and turn.In the end, this is a "Mildred Pierce" wannabe, and it seems the studio and the director both knew that. So the story line lacks some clear momentum and the characters in general lack basic development. Watch for some pure Warner Bros pleasure—there is a lot here to just sit back and enjoy.

Here is Joan Crawford, Sydney Greenstreet, Director Michael Curtiz, and Composer Max Steiner in a Watchable Mishmash of Politics and Sociology Combined with Soap Opera and Intrigue. There is some Snappy Dialog and the Film Looks Stunning in the Director's Usual Visual Style. Crawford, still Hanging On to a Mid-Twenties Role, Effortlessly Throws Barbs while Mesmerizing any Men Within Range (call it suspension of disbelief). With Greenstreet at His Slimy Best as the most Corrupt of Sheriffs there is a lot of Backstabbing and Blackmail. But by the End the Political Positioning gets so Convoluted it Hardly Matters and the Movie Collapses Under the Weight of all that Stuff that was Thrown Up there On the Screen.But Overall, there is Enough Entertainment Value to Keep Things Interesting and it is Worth a Watch for Joan Crawford Fans as this was a Transition Period where She Soon would Give In and Play Roles at Least Closed to Her Own Age and Accept that She was not Ageless and it Took More than Sheer Will to make it Work.

Lurid, over the top melodrama with Crawford giving a tough, spirited performance against wonderful opponent Sydney Greenstreet, theirs is a terrificly malevolent chemistry. They pretty much wipe everybody else off the screen except for Gladys George in a sharp cameo. Joan is right on the cusp here between true A pictures, which this is, and a series of films that would be Joan Crawford Vehicles with little room for anything or anybody else. From this point on there would be few forays outside a clearly defined formula, but one that worked for her for many years. So enjoy her as a tough carny girl before she calcified into the grand lady.