THE LOVES OF CARMEN (1948) – Directed by Charles Vidor, starring Rita Hayworth & Glenn Ford

The good news is Glenn and Rita are back together for the third time in THE LOVES OF CARMEN.

The bad news is it’s their worst pairing. It’s a beautiful colour production, produced by Rita Hayworth’s own company, Beckworth.

THE LOVES OF CARMEN is a melodramatic tale, which is why it is suited to its most famous incantation, Bizet’s opera. As a period drama it is a bit too top-heavy to succeed. But boy is there fun along the way!

Ford, with wavy hair and dark complexion, tries hard as Don Jose, Carmen’s doomed lover, but he seems uncomfortable under the burdens of unfamiliar makeup and costume. It’s almost as if he did the film to be with Rita rather than to stretch himself as an actor.

Ford has often said he ‘always played himself’ which must be interpreted as ‘played extensions of himself’, (unless we are to dismiss the comment as mere self-deprecation). Don Jose, apart from the volcanic attraction to Rita Hayworth, is simply not Glenn Ford.

And Hayworth is a bit too Westernized to be authentic as a Spanish gypsy, but she is stunning to look at and it must be said she was a better actress than she is often given credit for. She’s no Vanessa Redgrave, but in this type of role she is utterly beguiling.

Ford’s awkwardness in the part has more to do with the story’s period and the Hallowe’en-ish orange/red uniform he is stuck with. His flat accent also plays against his believability in the role, although in some scenes he appears to be trying to sound more ‘Mediterranean’. Give him a D for accent consistency! Admittedly this was a common fault in period films from this era in Hollywood, though some actors fared better than Ford does here.

THE LOVES OF CARMEN is built around Rita Hayworth’s beauty, which is the raison d’etre for the production. Ford is often called upon simply to react to Carmen’s outlandish behaviour and then to smolder with jealousy. Ford himself considers this one of his worst performances, probably because he can be caught ‘acting’ (and not ‘being’) now and then.

The emotions run high, which only serves to point up how much better this story works as an opera! Ford is so immediately smitten with Carmen that his jealous scowl begins to tire even within the film’s first half hour. He is virtually emasculated by Hayworth, which leaves him little alternative but to either brood or beg.

Mind you, any film where Rita Hayworth gets to dance can’t be all bad!

And as a side note, the superb actor Luther Adler has a decent supporting role as one of Carmen’s cohorts. Victor Jory, another brilliant character actor when a strong director could trim the fat off his tendency to over-play, also appears. And while modern standards might see more of Chico Marx than an authentic portrayal of a ruthless Spanish bandit in Jory’s performance, it could also be argued that both Jory and Adler understood the melodramatic style of the story they were telling. There is nothing subtle about the hot-blooded story of Carmen.

Ford’s one-note performance has more to do with the limitations of his role as written. Don Jose is not a well-developed part. Fortunately Glenn Ford was by now a well-established star and respected actor. His failure in THE LOVES OF CARMEN did not diminish his career. Perhaps it even helped keep him grounded.

The most amusing feature of this film is the assortment of odd hats Glenn is forced to wear. The most satisfying aspect of the film, apart from observing Glenn and Rita together, is seeing Ford given the opportunity to play a man driven by love to obsession and even sadism. This extreme portrayal of bitterness is not beyond Ford’s talent, it’s the strange mixture of Ford’s realism and Americanism with the exotic melodrama of the script that seems at odds.

Ford deems THE LOVES OF CARMEN an awful film (as well as his worst performance). It’s not as bad as John Wayne’s misguided turkey THE CONQUEROR. It would be interesting to know if Ford at least initially relished the stretch, acting-wise, or if, as suggested earlier, he did it just to please his friend Rita.

The final shot, with the red flower petals strewn about like drops of blood, coupled with the reappearance of the black cat Carmen knew forebode tragedy, is pure opera. Perhaps the opera house is where this story should have stayed.

THE MAN FROM COLORADO (1948) – Directed by Henry Levin, starring Glenn Ford, William Holden & Edgar Buchanan

Peter Ford describes THE MAN FROM COLORADO as an oddball production. For an explanation of that we’ll have to wait for Peter’s book (with Christopher Nickens) GLENN FORD: A LIFE IN FILM to come out. In the meantime we must watch this film and decide for ourselves what makes it ‘odd’.

Certainly Ford’s villain role is complex and frightening. As Judge Owen Devereaux, Ford’s naturally dark features are emphasized, albeit with greyed temples. He is even more brooding than Don Jose in THE LOVES OF CARMEN, if that is possible. In fact he begins the film with a look so intense he looks deranged. The one-time ‘character juvenile’ has definitely grown up!

William Holden, Glenn’s off-screen close friend, plays his nemesis, beginning the film under Ford’s command as they fight one last battle against the Confederates before the end of the Civil War. Ford has a scene shortly after ordering a massacre where he writes in his diary and questions his own sanity—so you know he is playing a psychopath (not quite full-blown yet, as he is still able to consider his behaviour). He manages to convey real sensitivity in this scene, avoiding the cliché of playing his villainous role on one note.

Glenn’s skill as a horseman is put to good use when he and Holden ride into town as part of a victory parade. Ford falls behind Holden in order to cross behind him. His horse rears for a moment but Ford maintains complete control, as if he is glued to the saddle. It’s a graceful moment of ease, the like of which is common to many top stars who always made it look simple.

Ellen Drew plays the love interest to both Ford and Holden. The incomparable Edgar Buchanan plays Doc Merriam, who is sympathetic to both of them.

At the heart of this film lies a profound message. In 1948 thousands of servicemen returned home from experiencing the horrors of war. These men were forever changed by this experience. Glenn Ford was once asked in an interview what he experienced and he simply said ‘I don’t want to talk about the war’. His reply speaks volumes.

Ford’s character is so deeply scarred, even traumatized, by the Civil War that his proclivity for killing is accelerated. Holden plays a man who is sincerely trying to put his lost years behind him. Their characters are bound to conflict. When Ford guns down a man on the street, Holden asks Buchanan if is possible for war to affect a man in such a way that he might enjoy killing. Buchanan replies that war affects men in different ways. This is a timeless bit of dialogue that renders this film as immediate today as when it was made. This central question must have resonated particularly deeply with audiences in 1948.

One of the pleasures of watching Glenn Ford in a Western is his unique riding style: elbows out, hands raised. It’s a classic trait and during an extended chase sequence it is on full display.

Another plus in this film is seeing Ford work with his pal Edgar Buchanan. While Ford and Holden were close, Edgar Buchanan was something of a father figure to Ford. While not as colourful in this particular part as in, say, TEXAS, Buchanan was such a fine actor he is always fun to watch.

As the conflict between Holden’s good marshal and Ford’s evil judge grows, Glenn has a few scenes that require fiery intensity. Few of his films provide him with such a ripe opportunity to use his eyes to such glaring effect. They positively blaze.

Ford’s portrayal is so intense it’s almost too much at times. In 1948, Western bad guys were bad guys, not outright psychopaths. Mentally troubled villains, especially in Westerns, did not come into acceptance until a few years later. Perhaps it is this premature element that prompted Peter Ford to label THE MAN FROM COLORADO ‘an oddball production’.

Nor is this a typical Ford performance, his emotions being more on the surface than his usual subdued style that was to really find its groove a few years later in the 1950s. Nonetheless, Ford still gives a good performance, as is to be expected. Somehow, though, despite working with friends Holden and Buchanan, I doubt Glenn Ford holds his performance in THE MAN FROM COLORADO in high regard.

THE UNDERCOVER MAN (1949) – Directed by Joseph H. Lewis, starring Glenn Ford & Nina Foch

Glenn Ford gets solo billing above the title in this black and white classic, produced by Robert (THE HUSTLER) Rossen.

An opening scroll sets the tone of this noirish drama, advising us that behind the newspaper headlines stating the capture of big-time criminals there are numerous ordinary men and women who play a vital role in the pursuit of justice. The story of THE UNDERCOVER MAN concerns one of them.

Of course the ‘ordinary’ man in question is Glenn Ford—which means he’s not ordinary! Nonetheless Ford plays just about anything believably and his performance as Special Agent Frank Warren is no exception.

Glenn Ford had aged past the ingénue stage by this time, matured by marriage and service in WWII. He fits the noir genre like a glove. That is why THE UNDERCOVER MAN is so exciting to watch as we know it is just the beginning of a long line of mature leading man performances that will come to absolute fruition in the 1950s and 1960s.

James (‘I look like Spencer Tracy’s little brother’) Whitmore plays a supporting role and the lovely, classy-looking Nina Foch plays Ford’s wife.

Imaginatively shot and full of striking images, THE UNDERCOVER MAN deserves rediscovery today. Ford gives perhaps his most grounded performance to date. Gone are the melodramatic requirements of THE LOVES OF CARMEN and even THE MAN FROM COLORADO.

And Ford looks good in a fedora—almost as good as he does in a cowboy hat or navy cap.

The Everyman quality Ford projects, along with his by now solidified film acting technique, guarantees a watchable performance. With a good script and artful direction, as in this film, one is left to marvel how, under the assembly-line mundanity of the studio system where artists were usually not free to selectively choose their roles, Glenn Ford managed to appear in an almost uninterrupted number of quality films that are enjoyable to watch today.

As Ford became comfortable in front of the camera he developed physical characteristics that he knew worked for him, like the way he crosses his arms with one hand visible and resting above the elbow. These traits begin to appear about this time in his career. Experienced actors always learn what ‘works’ for them on camera and what doesn’t. For example, all of John Wayne’s physical and vocal mannerisms didn’t just happen, they evolved and were cultivated after much trial and error. Even Wayne’s famous walk was acquired. Similarly, Ford began to develop gestures and movements he was comfortable with and which fit his ‘image’. The crossed arms are a good example of this.

Likewise, the ‘Ford scratch’ became one of Glenn’s stock gestures and is seen briefly here for the first time. Anyone who has seen it will recognize it when pointed out: the thoughtful light scratch on the forehead, the cheek, the back of the neck, etc. Such stock gestures are one way a star with a certain perceived image maintains the continuity of his/her persona in different roles.

Anthony Caruso also gives a sensitive supporting performance. His scenes with his little girl are touching and honest, belying the tough-guy image he inspires.

Another distinguishing feature of Ford’s performances that begins to creep into his work at this point in his career is Ford’s effectiveness in non-dialogue moments. The way he enters a hallway, hesitant to interrupt a widow’s grieving, for example, shows how effortlessly Ford could convey mood and subtlety, without speaking.

There is a scene where Ford puffs casually on a pipe. This is not the first time he is seen smoking a pipe. The only other actor from this period who immediately comes to my mind using a pipe as a prop, is Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes (though that wonderful 14-film series ended in 1946, a few years prior to THE UNDERCOVER MAN). Ford’s choice to smoke a pipe on camera is another example of the ‘personal gesture’.

THE UNDERCOVER MAN is a good crime film with a mature Glenn Ford performance. Chances are if you’re reading this retrospective, those are sufficient reasons to watch this film.

GLENN FORD RETROSPECTIVE PART ONE LINKS:
INTRODUCTION
FILMS OF THE 1930s
FILMS OF 1940
FILMS OF 1941
FILMS OF 1942-43

GLENN FORD RETROSPECTIVE PART TWO LINKS:
INTRODUCTION & A STOLEN LIFE
FILMS OF 1946
FILMS OF 1947-48
FILMS OF 1948-49
FILMS OF 1949
FILMS OF 1950

Jon Ted Wynne