Own the rights?
8 out of 11 people found the following review useful: Elements of film noir in a melodrama, 10 February 2008 Author: David (Handlinghandel) from NY, NY
There's plenty of crime in this Lippert picture. It opens with a well shot killing that is not clear till well into the movie. Dane Clark is the star. He was a staple of film noir. Here, we also see him in a top hat!Yes, the subject is more class than crime. Clark is the gambler of the tile. (The female title character doesn't appear till almost half an hour into the movie.) He's an American but he wants to fit in in England. He's taking lessons in deportment from a caricature of a British lady.He has a Scottish pal (Meredith Edwards) who is put forward as his butler. He longs to become accepted by nobility.The supporting cast is good. The woman he falls for is not particularly charismatic but she's attractive. The more conventionally low-life types are plausible.The dialog contains a lot of blatant exposition: "It's hard to believe that X years ago I was in Y with Z and while A B were ..."It's well shot and holds the attention. But it's nothing to write (back) home about.
2 out of 2 people found the following review useful: A Gamble with modest returns, 16 May 2009 Author: FilmFlaneur from London
In 1950, American producer Robert Lippert formed a business alliance with Hammer studios. Under the agreement, Lippert would provide American acting talent - frequently shop-worn stars or just supporting actors who fancied a profitable trip out of the country - while Hammer would supply the rest of the cast and the production facilities. Together they would split the profits. Famous for his concern with the bottom line, Lippert produced over 140 films between 1946 and 1955, characteristically genre pieces such as I Shot Jesse James or Rocketship XM. For the British deal, most of the films were noir-ish thrillers - and include this title.Dane Clark, who appeared in several of these productions, plays the doomed gambler in question: a self made man, running a profitable London set up into which rudely intrudes his aspirational love life and the aggressive ambitions of some Italian gangster interlopers. His social climbing ultimately proves the straw that breaks the camel's back. Many of the British noirs interestingly import class considerations into the dramatic mix, concerns that are usually absent in the American model, and they are seen most strongly in this title. The gambler's end is ultimately determined by the suckering in of social mobility as much as the machinations of fate - but not before there is some effective sniping at the rudeness and untrustworthiness of the British ruling classes. Clark cuts a suitably doomed and somewhat pathetic figure as he struggle to gain acceptance.
1 out of 1 people found the following review useful: Dull Dane Clark Misses a Lovely Chance!, 17 April 2009 Author: JohnHowardReid
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
The good folk at IMDb don't seem to be aware that "Patrick Jenkins" is a pseudonym for Pat Jackson who also helped out around this period on "Scotland Yard Inspector", "Bad Blonde" and "The Saint's Return". Anyway, one can understand the wish for anonymity, as "The Gambler and the Lady" is not terribly interesting. True, the script has all the makings for classic film noir, but it doesn't come off, mainly because it wastes too much time on the dull Dane Clark character and his equally dull buddy, and fails to develop Kathleen Byron's role. Some attempts at humor are also misplaced. True, the climactic action has a bit of impact -- unbelievable though it is -- but by that time our interest has dissipated past the point of no return.
Add another review
