Hot Blood

Unbelievable that director Nicholas Ray is attached to this turkey. Even Russell and Wilde look embarrassed. The technicolor is vibrant, but the whole enterprise looks cheap.

Jane Russell in one they NEVER show.... Hot Blood. Russell is Annie Caldash, who tricks Stephano ( Cornell Wilde) into marriage. things are NOT off to a good start. some pretty offensive stuff going on, by todays' standards. and keep an eye out for Richard Deacon, who may or may not hire Stephano. Deacon was "Mel" in the Dick van Dyke show. Some scenes just go on way too long. The "whip scene" goes on and on. and the tap dancing on the sidewalk (really!) goes on too long. Steve leaves. but will he come back? family interactions. respect for the family and parents. trickery. arranged marriages. Directed by Nicholas Ray, who had made some incredible films! Ray was nominated for "Rebel", but didn't win. Russell only made 33 films, but this wasn't her best film. i recommend Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, which she had made a couple years before.

It seems a film made for actors , the story remaining a pretext for songs, dance, fight and for a fake exploration of Gipsies life style. But , after decades, knowing the admirable titles from Nicholas Ray filmography, admiring Jane Russell and Cornelius Wilde careers, it is easy to be more than indulgent, especially if you do not ignore the nostalgia about old movies. So, in large perspective, decent.

There is a lot of talent here, but it doesn't show. Perhaps the biggest problem is the Hollywood treatment of gypsies which is so ludicrous this might be mistaken for a satire. Don't waste your time,

Marco Torino is the King of the gypsies. He keeps telling his people that he's taking them to the Promised Land. He's dying and wants his younger brother Stephano Torino (Cornel Wilde) to succeed him. The families try to trick Stephano to marry Annie Caldash (Jane Russell), but the couple has other ideas.

The two leads can be hot blooded. I guess they could play gypsies especially in the 50's. It's all rather fake. They flooded the screen with Technicolor red. It is a muddle. I don't care that much about these people although I do like the general party atmosphere. It's really about the leads and how little I care about them.