Robert Mitchum and Ava Gardner make for handsome leads in this drama, but both seem out of place in this costume drama set a post-Civil War New Orleans. Gardner is spurned by Mitchum, but when she suddenly comes into wealth, she decides to use her money to win back Mitchum and exact her revenge. Mitchum is one of my favorite actors, but this is not his sort of picture. Gardner too for that matter. The leads make this film worth watching, but just barely.

This film stars Ava Gardner, Robert Mitchum and Melvyn Douglas, so you'd certainly expect this to be a very good movie. Well, if that is the case, you'd be dead wrong. That's because no matter the talents of these folks, you can't overcome a terrible script...and the one for "My Forbidden Past" is pretty bad.The film begins with Mitchum and Gardner preparing to run off to sea to be with each other. However, her family interferes and she never receives a letter from him saying he will return for her. And, since their paths don't cross for some time, when they do meet again, Mitchum is married! And, Gardner is intent on some bizarre sort of revenge--as well as to break up this marriage and have him for herself.The biggest problem about the film is that it never is believable and the story is awfully hard to believe--and overly complicated. The bad dialog doesn't help, either. It's very hard to believe that they were able to hook good actors into being in this film--but somehow they did. Was it the money or did they hold various loved ones prisoner to force the actors to be in this bilge? I have no idea....all I know is that the film is pretty bad.

While the story meanders and wavers,and at times seems like a quick spin off of "Gone with the Wind", some of the scenes and closeups with Ava Gardner are lovely and amazing.Robert Mitchum as a research physician studying at Tulane;Gardner the unrequited love who delivers a letter to him before he leaves to go up north. Mitchum returns to New Orleans with a new brassy blonde in tow. She is clearly an opportunist who wants Mitchum for his future fortune, unlike Ava who claims to truly love him.She uses an ill-gotten inheritance to tempt him, there is a scandal and she indeed reminds us of Scarlett O'Hara.This film also reminds one of "Raintree County" another imitation of "Gone with the Wind" with Elizabeth Taylor as the set-piece.ThIs film though has several nice sets of Old New Orleans,the manners and customs and varied cultures,and with the lovely Gardner in several memorable shots, is well worth a look.

Like Saratoga Trunk another New Orleans set Melodrama this flick has a good looking star couple, with the heroine just having a flavoring of "exotic Blood". But at least there is the hint of an action sequence in that Warner Bros. misstep,this flick makes you wish some pirates, Redcoats, Union cavalry on a rampage were in this one to wake it up.