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Sadly Over-hyped

Fresh and Exciting

Don't listen to the negative reviews

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

This British mystery thriller (not a Foreign Legion adventure, as I had anticipated!) owes an obvious debt to CASABLANCA (1942), but the end result – despite having the usually reliable Mate' at the helm – is unquestionably a disappointment. It was wrong to start off with a title song, followed by female star Pier Angeli performing another tune at the inevitable café, so that the expected noir-ish mood seemed almost like an afterthought! That said, the colour scheme throughout (courtesy of cinematographer Wilkie Cooper, not forgetting that Mate' had himself cut his teeth in that department) was occasionally striking. While the plot is no great shakes either, it is peopled by offbeat characters that keeps one somewhat interested: crippled WWII veteran Philip Carey returns home to his wife – who is said to abhor imperfection! – only to find her dead from an apparent suicide. Soon, however, it transpires that this in fact was a case of murder – not to mention that the victim had not quite been the dutiful spouse. Typically, a number of suspects are on hand: Angeli herself (who had somehow become the woman's permanent guest), shady café owner James Hayter (Angeli's "keeper", who apparently came into money overnight, having previously served as the local beachcomber!), a rather wasted Dennis Price as Carey's business partner, and even painter Christopher Lee (who admits in his one scene to having had a dalliance with the deceased). To be fair, though, the identity of the killer was a surprise here – not that the investigation had elicited much in the way of suspense or action! Besides, the requisite romance between the protagonists barely gets going during the trim 87-minute duration (though the TV-sourced print I watched seemed obliged to pause for commercials after every reel!)…but they get the obligatory fade-out clinch regardless! Also among the cast are Eugene Deckers as the military official in charge who knows far more than he lets on and Anthony Newley (still not having fully attained his adult look) as an animated Portuguese airline pilot who becomes chummy with Carey. As often happens to me when watching routine fare, something in the narrative sets me off wandering on the actors' careers or private lives; here it was the fact that Lee had already played a dubious painter in his first notable film role, PENNY AND THE POWNALL CASE (1948); Angeli would herself commit suicide in 1971; and, irony of ironies, up-and-coming star Price would have his career destroyed by alcoholism and homosexuality but, in this film, his character not only berates his wife for drinking but was on the point of eloping with Carey's philandering spouse!!

PORT AFRIQUE – 1956 A nice looking, but rather hollow murder mystery set in French Morocco. This Technicolor film was another attempt to showcase European import Pier Angeli for North American audiences.The story revolves around American pilot, Phil Carey. Carey was rather badly wounded during the war and is just returning to Port Afrique. Carey, and his partner, Dennis Price, had run a lumber company based in Morocco before the war. Carey had gone off to do his duty, leaving Price in charge of the business, as well as keeping an eye on Carey's wife, Marie Hanson.Carey has returned from a rather long spell in a military hospital recovering from wounds received in the war. He is met at the dock by old friend, Eugene Deckers, who is also the local Police Commander. Deckers, tries to let Carey know that perhaps his wife might not like to see him. She has been stepping out with various male "friends".Carey does not believe it and heads home for what he hopes is a grand reunion. What he finds is his wife, Hanson, dead from what looks like a self-inflicted gunshot. The Police are summoned and the local coroner calls it a suicide.Of course Carey does not buy the suicide angle and goes digging. A whole gaggle of possible suspects are now thrown at the audience. Was it Carey's partner, Price, a painter Hanson was seeing, Christopher Lee, the local nightclub owner and smuggler James Hayter, or maybe the club singer, Pier Angeli? Carey knows he is on the right track when there are several attempts made on his life. Needless to say he falls for the drop dead gorgeous Angeli. The real culprit is soon flushed out and handed over to the authorities.There was some real potential to make a top flight mystery thriller here, but the writer dropped the ball. This is too bad, as the look of the film is first rate with former cinematographer Rudolph Mate at the directing controls.Mate, was nominated five times for an Oscar as a cinematographer. These include the films, GILDA, SAHARA, THE LADY FROM SHANGHAI and FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT. He then moved over to directing and scored with an excellent set of film noir. These include D.O.A. THE DARK PAST and UNION STATION.Miss Angeli never really became a big star, but she did manage a few roles opposite Paul Newman. She also had a fling with up and comer, James Dean. She died of a drug overdose at age 39.

POSSIBLE SPOILER AHEAD. This Technicolour mystery-thriller opens with a short sequence in a night club, scant of people and atmosphere. An awkward Pier Angeli (Anna Maria Pierangeli), seems to be the main attraction. Swathed in unflattering dark green satin, she attempts a stiff sort of undulation as she moves and sings a tepid song in Spanish and English. Her expression is strained, uncertain, and that little girl innocence that so charmed audiences in 'Teresa', seems to have been replaced by caginess. Perhaps, the audience thinks, this is part of the story which will unfold, or perhaps it's the unlikely casting of Pier as a 'sultry nightclub entertainer'; it's an ungainly start. However, when she's not required to be sultry, she's capable and likable and well photographed by Wilkie Collins. I never believed her character might be murderer, because when she isn't performing at the night-club, she wears the better tailored soft blues and demure white collars of a nice girl. It's a pleasant change to see James Hayter playing a sleazy crook, although he's not threateningly villainous. No-one else is worth mentioning, not even Dennis Price, (who is better suited to monochrome); they're all victims of Xerox storytelling. The plot has a whiff of Casablanca, among others, but the most agreeable aspect of the film is the colour. The print I saw was lovely and subtle, particularly in the interiors. I suspect the director, a former cameraman of great ability, concentrated on the look, because the script offers little.

I loved this movie very much. I bought it just to hear Pier Angeli sing. I give her 10 stars just for her voice alone. She captures your attention from the moment she enters the picture till the very end. I do remember that the film has Pier Angeli portraying a singer who is wrongly convicted of murder. I loved her conviction in the scene where she pleads with one gentlemen who is an authoritative figure in the film that she didn't kill the woman. I believed her.This movie should be sold in large quantities on Amazon.com and other websites that sell old movies. It is a shame that I had to buy it off someone on Ebay.This is definitely one of Pier Angeli's best roles. It is my favorite without a doubt.