Gilda vs. Notorious

nclysander

on 7/8/2012

Loose women, love triangles, barbed zingers, secret organizations, and suspense in South American settings. The more I think about Gilda, the more I like it. All the major players are excellent in their roles, Rita is smokin', and the love triangle may actually be more complicated and interesting than the one in Notorious (as there may be an attraction between the Ford and Macready characters as well). What kills it is the ending. Just sort of dumb, I'd say. Notorious, on the other hand, has one of the most perfect final scenes in film, not letting the tension diffuse until the very last moment, and its happy ending does not feel contrived. It wins.