Slightly Scarlet

Starring:John Payne, Rhonda Fleming, Arlene Dahl, Kent Taylor, Ted de Corsia, Lance Fuller, Buddy Baer, Ellen Corby, Myron Healey, Roy Gordon, George E. Stone, Frank Gerstle, Frank Jenks
Director: Allan Dwan
Studio: Vci/Ffi
Product Type: DVD

Average customer rating:

Two Torrid Redheads
Great Acting, So-So Story
BRAVO BRAVAAAA ARLENE DAHL
The Film That Should Have Been Noir But Isn't.
"A dame is a dame. There's bound to be something to nail her on."

Slightly Scarlet
Starring: John Payne , Rhonda Fleming , Arlene Dahl , Kent Taylor , and Ted de Corsia
Director: Allan Dwan
Manufacturer: Vci Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00005Y70Q
Release Date: 2002-02-26

Description

Based on James M. Cain's novel LOVE'S LOVELY COUNTERFEIT and a brilliant follow up to his 1940s successes DOUBLE INDEMNITY and POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE. Driven by blind ambition, fast-talking publicity man Ben Grace (John Payne) has found a way to smear the reputation of "reform" mayoral candidate Frank Jansen (Kent Taylor). He will do so by exposing Jansen's red-haired girlfriend, June (Rhonda Fleming), with her man-hungry kleptomaniac sister, Dorothy (Arlene Dahl), who also happens to be a convict out on parole. In the process however, Ben finds himself falling for June and seduced by Dorothy, while crime boss Solly Caspar (Ted de Corsia) is breathing down his neck, expecting him to deliver on his promise. John Alton, the legendary noir director of photography, really shows his prowess here in blazing Technicolor. Bonus Features: Anamorphic Widescreen Enhanced for 16x9 monitors| Commentary by Award Winning mystery writer and filmmaker Max Allan Collins| Original Theatrical Trailer| Widescreen. Specs: DVD9; Dolby Digital Mono; 99 minutes; Color; 1.77:1 Aspect Ratio; MPAA - NR: Year - 1956; SRP - $9.99.

Customer Reviews:

Two Torrid Redheads.......2007-02-24

"Slightly Scarlet" was released in 1956. This was a period when the film industry had been rocked on its heels by what Hollywood insiders referred to sarcastically as that "little black box" that we call television.

Since this was the period before color television or wide screens the idea was to exploit the advantage that the film medium had by supplying viewers with what television lacked. They sought to motivate television viewers out of their living room easy chairs and back into theaters by providing luscious color and wide screen entertainment.

The trailer for "Slightly Scarlet" revealed the marketing strategy of producer Benedict Bogeaus. To use the quote that football coach Paul Brown of the Cleveland Browns used to describe the impact of his superstar fullback Jim Brown in the days before both of them reached the Hall of Fame in their respective categories, "If you've got a cannon you shoot it."

What was revealed in the trailer was the emphasis on the two female stars. They were referred to as "the two most beautiful redheads" in films. There could be little doubt that the torrid redheads starring in "Slightly Scarlet" deserved the accolade. The only injustice was that the other two redhead beauties of the period, Susan Hayward and Maureen O'Hara, were left out of the equation, but because they were not in the film the omission was therefore understandable.

Rhonda Fleming, who had been discovered in her teens by Henry Willson, who would as an agent guide the careers of Rock Hudson, Tab Hunter and Guy Madison, and who was then casting director for David O. Selznick, made an eye catching debut playing a psychopath with nymphomaniacal tendencies who also likes to physically hurt men in the great Alfred Hitchcock hit, "Spellbound."

So impressive was Fleming's beauty that on one occasion a director and his cinematographer tried diligently on one occasion to photograph her at every conceivable angle to see if they could make her look bad in at least one shot. They were impressed to discover that they could not. Fleming's natural beauty prevailed in every instance.

Fleming in "Slightly Scarlet" plays an executive secretary to a man seeking to reform a city riddled with gangland corruption. Fleming's life becomes complicated when her sister gets out of jail and moves in with her.

The devastating Arlene Dahl, one of the few women who could hold her own against Fleming, the actress who was called "The queen of Technicolor" for good reason, is cast as Fleming's sister. She is both a nymphomaniac and a kleptomaniac, so Fleming is naturally kept busy looking after her.

John Payne, after having a falling out with mob boss Ted de Corsia, seeks help from Fleming and quickly falls in love with her. Dahl complicates things by making a move of her own.

Dahl does such a job of investing her part with gusto, performing in a manner reminiscent of Carol Baker in "Baby Doll," that Leonard Maltin in his review of "Slightly Scarlet" credits the Minnesota born beauty with "stealing the film."

Director Allan Dwan, a veteran of films who began in the silents after a stint as an assistant football coach at his alma mater, Notre Dame, knew about the "twin cannons" he had to shoot in this film, the devastating beauty of two torrid redheads. Considering it was the fifties with the Breen Office very much a factor, the film is daring in the manner that Fleming and Dahl are portrayed as well as attired.

Dwan wisely opts for colorful cinema over realism in a film moving in that direction. For instance, when Fleming springs Dahl from jail the sister who has just been released is attired in the manner of a rich man's wife ready to go shopping on Rodeo Drive.

Great Acting, So-So Story.......2006-08-09

This is a movie that you will enjoy while watching but will also easily forget. If you like crime films from the classic movie era, this is one you'll enjoy. Rhonda Fleming and Arlene Dahl are great as the good sister/bad sister team, even if Dahl isn't always believeable as the tough chick she's playing. John Payne is also quite effective as the man torn between the two sisters, and also torn between the two sides of the law. Rhonda Fleming is a raving beauty in her prime here, and the force of her looks and personality are the main strength behind the film. This is not The Big Sleep or The Maltese Falcon, but in the world of dime-a-dozen crime thrillers, this gets a place in the top-to-middle of the pack.

BRAVO BRAVAAAA ARLENE DAHL.......2006-01-22

This is a fastmoving filmnoir in blazing TECHNICOLOR - and the better for it. The photography by John Alton is spectacular as are the set design and costumes(with Arlene Dahl having a finger in even that)...

John Payne(from SUN VALLEY SERENADE-fame) is quite good as the worldweary guy who take what croms that are offered... Unlike Bogart or Cagney he is a believable character with no high drama or over the top macho stuff. Ted deCorsia is brilliant as Sully the hoodlum - the best I`ve seen really...

But it is ARLENE DAHL who steals the show. At first she is just glamour, but she emerges to what surely is a performance of Oscar material.

Her performance is a beauty to behold - as critic Alison DeWytt in the 20th Century-Fox film "All About Eve" would say: "What a PERFORMANCE... Full of FIRE and music....!"

It`s regrettable that this film has little reputation, because it is 90 minutes of excitement, of fun and intrigue.

I have come to love Arlene Dahl over the years. Posterity names her only as a decorative plant, but with other Norwegian girls in US and UK films - GRETA GYNT, SIGRID GURIE and VERA ZORINA - she remains sadly underrated...

At home I have a collection of films starring these women. I call it the "Susan Dahl collection" hehehe - which includes THE GOLDWYN FOLLIES, ALGIERS, THE ADVENTURES OF MARCO POLO(all 1938), THE DARK EYES OF LONDON 1939, THREE FACES WEST, I WAS AN ADVENTURESS(both 1940), LOUISIANA PURCHASE 1941, TAKE MY LIFE, DEAR MURDERER(both 1947), THE OUTRIDERS, THREE LITTLE WORDS(both 1950), SLIGHTLY SCARLET of course - THE VIKINGS(filmed in Norway)1958 and JOURNEY TO THE CENTRE OF THE EARTH 1959.

These films showcase these underrated Norwegian girls and themes THAT SHOULD N O T be neglected or forgotten...

The Rhonda Fleming/Arlene Dahl chemistry is good and they seem indeed to be the source of many a trash-book cover of any detective story....

I hope SLIGHTLY SCARLET will find the vast audience it deserves with the likes of LAURA, DOUBLE INDEMNITY and TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT.

The Film That Should Have Been Noir But Isn't........2005-11-21

"Slightly Scarlet" was adapted from James M. Cain's novel "Love's Lovely Counterfeit". Cain's novels were fodder for some of the 1940s most memorable film noirs, and this one should have been too. But instead of a 1940s hard-boiled, cynical, nuanced film noir in black-and-white, we have a very colorful, sentimental, over-the-top 1950s mishmash. Dorothy Lyons (Arlene Dahl), kleptomaniac, has been released from prison into the waiting arms of her loving, affluent sister June (Rhonda Fleming). June is secretary and girlfriend to Mr. Frank Jansen (Kent Taylor), who is running for mayor on promises to clean up corruption in the city government. Solly Caspar (Ted de Corsia), "the leader of all that is vile and corrupt" in Bay City, employs a man named Ben Grace (John Payne) to dig up dirt on Jansen. When that fails, Caspar kills Jansen's supporter, publisher Norman Marlowe. Ben Grace offers June proof of the crime to tip the mayoral election in Jansen's favor, and June transfers her affections to Ben. But uncontrollable Dorothy wants Ben too. And Ben's murky motives become clear.

"Slightly Scarlet" should have been film noir, but it tries very hard not to be. This is understandable, as the popularity of hard-boiled crime and staccato dialogue had nearly passed by 1956. And it's never quite fair to ask a film to be a different film. But, as I was watching it, I couldn't help thinking that "Slightly Scarlet" has all the material for a good film but entirely the wrong attitude. It would have benefited considerably from being less sentimental, more understated, and adopting a less patronizing attitude toward its female characters. Two of the main characters are women, yet they can't be interesting in ridiculous costumes, cone bras, and a world that thinks "A lovely girl like you, you shouldn't have to worry about a thing -except looking beautiful. And running a home for a man who loves you." Attempts to make June look like a post-war pinup result in some comical wardrobe choices and weak writing. Promiscuous, alcoholic, kleptomaniac Dorothy is underutilized as source of conflict. Ted de Corsia plays Solly Caspar with such over-the-top swagger that he's a parody of a gangster.

And the colors. Low key specialist John Alton filmed "Slightly Scarlet" in Technicolor. To his credit, Alton is able to disguise the film's limited budget with color and light. But it's garish. I never got used to June and Dorothy's fluorescent orange hair. The film's palette is a swirl of 1950s oranges, blues, teals, and pinks. Alton does make use of his trademark shadows, but it doesn't produce the subtle tonality that it would in black-and-white, because the color film doesn't have enough tonal range. So I don't think the low key lighting looks very good. "Slightly Scarlet" isn't a bad film. It just doesn't have the depth that its begging for. Get rid of the ridiculous costumes; hard-boil the gangsters; strengthen Ben and June's characters and delineate them better; use Dorothy as a real threat instead of a joke; let June become a tragic character and the emotional center of the film....and you have an interesting film noir about people who fall victim to their own weaknesses. As it is, "Slightly Scarlet"'s over-the-top approach doesn't suit the subject. It borders on camp.

The DVD (VCI Entertainment 2002): This print of the film is generally good but does have a few instances of white vertical lines and one instance of some dark distortion. Bonus features include a good audio commentary by mystery writer Max Collins. Collins frequently compares the novel to the film, discusses characters, themes, visual style, James Cain's work, and the people involved in the film. Other bonus features are: A "Photo Gallery" (1 ½ min) slide show of b&w stills. The "James Cain Bio"(2 min) is rolling text and includes and selective filmography. "James Cain Book Gallery" (3 ½ min) is a slideshow of original book jacket covers. There are trailers for "Slightly Scarlet", "The Postman Always Rings Twice" (1946), and "Double Indemnity" (1947).

"A dame is a dame. There's bound to be something to nail her on.".......2005-06-28

Ben Grace (John Payne) is hired by Bay City crime boss, Solly Casper (Ted de Corsia) to get the dirt on mayoral candidate Frank Jansen (Kent Taylor). Frank Jansen--the "Boy Scout" reform candidate--is squeaky clean--but his girlfriend, June Lyons (Rhonda Fleming) isn't. June brings her man-hungry, kleptomaniac sister Dorothy (Arlene Dahl) back home from jail. Ben Grace discovers this tawdry little secret, but hides it from Solly.

Ben Grace falls from favour with Solly who dismisses him with a whack across the face and various slurs about Grace being a "college boy." Ben Grace immediately forms an alliance with June Lyons, and tells her "I'm not a nice man. I know how to win elections. It takes a little dirt." With no way to destroy Frank Jansen, Solly desperately threatens a newspaper editor. When things go wrong, Solly hides out in Mexico until things cool down. In his absence, Ben Grace takes over where Solly left off.

"Slightly Scarlet" is splendid 50s noir. Based on a James Cain novel, the action flows non-stop. While Frank Jansen forms the moral center of the film, Ben Grace is a much more difficult character to read. At first, he seems out of place with Solly's gang, and his motives aren't clear. June is a girl who's trying to clean up her act, and she hovers on the brink of respectability. She knows that Frank is a good catch, and she's willing to play a role to get him. Dorothy, the wild sister, is a degenerate who cannot be reformed, and her behaviour threatens June's plans for a nice quiet, respectable marriage.

"Slightly Scarlet" is a colour film, and the quality is perfect. The sets in the film are striking--the interior scenes are shot in huge open rooms. June's ranch style home, and Solly's mansion both have the same open stage-like style. There are some good minor roles found in Solly's gang, but Arlene Dahl's performance steals the film--Dorothy is vulnerable and disruptive, trouble waiting to happen, and Dahl plays all of Dorothy's flawed angles with confident, competent style. Rhonda Fleming as June wears outrageous mini-mini shorts and tight sweaters at home, and classy business suits for work in the office (this adds a slight camp element to the film). Film extras include: trailers, commentary, photo gallery, a James Cain bio and a James Cain book gallery. Noir fans ... don't miss this one--displacedhuman.

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