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It is not as bad as it sounds, and although not a classic noir nor even a noir much discussed, nor a classic of any kind of noir not even non-noir or faux-Caribbean noir, for anyone in the swing of the full film noir journey much of the usual enjoyment is found here, in both the slightly angrier than usual performance from mug in the tropics, Glenn Ford, and the constant soft-focus camera lingering on the multiply costume changed gorgeousness of Rita Hayworth.
This very all encompassing raison-d'etre styled gorgeousness is addressed in fact in a drunken fashion by co-star Valerie Bettis who has the misfortune to be another female star in this mix.
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Within the studio and speedy location style camera-work of this movie a type of Trinidad is evoked, and this is where Chris Emery played by Rita Hayworth croons the blues away in a smoky nightclub, flinging her dress from side to side as she gives it that chic-a-boom, her voice a balm for the weary souls. But the night’s melody turns to a dirge when she’s dealt a hand of sorrow—her husband Neil, found dead, a bullet his silent confessor.
The coppers of Trinidad, Smythe and Anderson, they peg this as a suicide, but the tune changes when murder plays its hand. Nobody for a second buys a suicide in film noir. Neil’s dinghy, adrift by Fabian’s fortress of secrets, whispers of treachery. Fabian, a viper dealing in deceit, might’ve snuffed Neil out for knowing too much about a plot thick with Nazis and rockets aimed at Uncle Sam’s heart.
Enter Steve Emery, Neil’s kin, chasing ghosts and a job that’s now just an echo. The inquest’s gavel falls, and amidst the aftermath, Chris finds herself waltzing with Steve, a dance of danger and desire, her heart a traitor to her mission to seduce truths from Fabian’s lips.
A soiree at Fabian’s lair, and Steve’s eyes catch a familiar shadow—Walters, a man with secrets now buried under the wheels of fate. Fabian’s empire, built on bones and whispers, starts to crumble.
The final act, a crescendo of revelations and lead, finds Fabian bleeding out his sins. The law encircles, a noose of justice drawing tight. Steve, avenger and brother, delivers the last full stop with a bang. And as the smoke clears, Chris, no longer a pawn in this deadly game, takes Steve’s hand, their next stage set in Chicago’s embrace, leaving behind the tropical tempest of Trinidad.
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| Rita Hayworth in Affair in Trinidad (1952) |
Rita Hayworth’s captivating performance is reason enough to watch the entire film. The black and white cinematography is also outstanding. While the plot may be simple, it remains compelling and is executed skillfully. The supporting cast, including Juanita Moore, delivers remarkable performances that prove to be crucial to the film. As for Glenn Ford, some might criticize his acting as stiff, but that’s far from the truth. Ford’s ability to convey deep emotions through subtle facial expressions alone is a testament to his acting prowess.
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The song Trinidad Lady is not the most memorable number despite the super flouncy erotic skirt flinging hair swinging leg kicking body bending flavour of its mad calypso sexuality. The lyrics run as follows:
A chic-a-chic boom chic boomA chic-a-chic boom chic boomAnnounces you're in the roomwith the Trinidad ladyA chic-a-chic boom chic boomA chic-a-chic boom chic boomYour ticker goes boom, boom, boomfor the Trinidad ladyIt's only that I do what I loveand love what I doCan't help the mad desirethat's deep inside of youYou realize the fault isn't mine,that you are to blameYou want what you can't haveand you're all the same
In the rainy, steamy tropical Caribbean heat and anxiety of Trinidad there is elbow room for sarcasm in every conversation
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This film, reminiscent of the 1946 classic Gilda, marks Rita Hayworth’s return to the silver screen after a four-year hiatus. Following her divorce from Aly Khan and facing financial difficulties, Rita rejoined Columbia Studios under the infamous Harry Cohn.
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| Steven Geray in Affair in Trinidad (1952) |
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| Rough attraction in Affair in Trinidad (1952) |
Complications arise when her brother-in-law and secret love, Steve Emery (Glenn Ford), arrives to investigate the murder, risking Chris’s covert operation. Despite suspicions of her involvement with spies, Steve’s affection for Chris remains steadfast.
Affair in Trinidad weaves a tale with a noir touch, yet it leans more towards sincerity than skepticism. Max and his cohorts, resembling displaced Nazis running a makeshift science operation, contrast with Steve’s fiery demeanor, which seems out of place for a would-be hero.
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Harry Cohn of Columbia Pictures had a keen eye for talent that resonated with the masses, and Glenn Ford was the epitome of the relatable everyman. His pairing with Rita Hayworth in Gilda post-WWII, where Ford had served with honor, propelled his career to new heights. Gilda captivated the nation’s men, who fantasized about a chance with Hayworth, inspired by Ford’s on-screen charm.
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| Juanita Moore in Affair in Trinidad (1952) |
Vincent Sherman sets the stage well, capturing the relaxed yet charged atmosphere of island life, where secrets simmer beneath the surface. The tangled emotions of a love quadrangle—Chris torn between the impulsive Steve, the suave Max, and memories of Neil—stir a pot of emotional turmoil.
The lead actors anchor the film with solid performances. Hayworth, in particular, radiates a conflicted charm, though her potential remains untapped despite her stunning wardrobe. Ford embodies Steve’s seething rage, while Scourby’s portrayal of Max is self-assured and slick.
The off-screen saga of Rita Hayworth and Glenn Ford is indeed the stuff of a noir narrative, steeped in the smoky allure of Hollywood’s golden era. Their intermittent romance, spanning years, mirrors the very essence of the film noir genre—intense, shadowed with complexity, and tinged with a sense of longing.
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Hayworth’s return to the cinematic frame, intertwined with her tumultuous rapport with Ford, could very well be the plot of a lost classic, where the lines between the silver screen and reality blur into a captivating dance of light and dark. It’s a tale of two stars caught in the spotlight’s glare, their lives a screenplay written in the stars,
Despite these strengths, the film’s momentum is hampered by its lackluster villains and a plot that fizzles out, leaving a trail of unresolved threads in its wake, like so many kites lost in the Caribbean breeze.
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| Rita Hayworth in Affair in Trinidad (1952) |
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| Affair in Trinidad (1952) |
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| Performative romantic film noir with Rita Hayworth and Glenn Ford in Affair in Trinidad (1952) |
One of the definitive noir musicals that emerged during this period was Blues in the Night which mixed up a melodic melodrama with jazz music, setting a precedent for innovative musical dramas, of which there were not many, making of Blues in the Night a mini-miracle of the style, and the first and rarest of the film noir musicals.
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| Alexander Scourby in Affair in Trinidad (1952) |
The wartime years had a certain influence on the film noir musical style. The films of this era reflected the violence and changing sexual norms that were prevalent during the war. Budget constraints, due to rationing and blackouts, led to even darker and more shadowy noir films. But it was a shadowy time, and cinema wad the media of the moment, just alone in that decade, superseding the ever ready wireless and pre-dating the terrible telly of the 1950s TV boom.
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The decline of the studio system also marked a pivotal moment for the noir musical genre. After Hollywood's classical era, the industry faced several threats, including Cold War tensions, antitrust regulations, and increasing competition from television.
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These factors collectively contributed to the decline of the studio system, which had been instrumental in the production of many classic noir musicals. Films such as Kiss Me Deadly and Touch of Evil which for the main critics in the space, or the simply lazy, or indeed for anyone that follows the panorama model, which is that described in the super-classic A Panorama of American Film Noir, the end of the classic noir period, as ever indicated by these two films, bringing to a close a significant chapter in film history.
Whether this is the end or not is moot and tryer film worriers, those who spend constant days defining the limits of each era, find that a few years' grace, up to 1960, does benefit the full noir analysis.
Affair in Trinidad (1952) reunited Gilda’s Rita Hayworth and Glenn Ford as American lovers in another exotic locale. Directed and produced by Vincent Sherman and released through Columbia, this Beckworth production was written by Oscar Saul and James Gunn, adapting a story by Berne Giler and Virginia Van Upp. The film also featured choreographer Valerie Bettis, with Van Upp as associate producer and Viola Lawrence as editor.
In this black-and-white film, World War II veteran Steve Emery (Ford) receives an urgent message from his brother in Trinidad. However, upon arrival, he finds his brother dead. Steve spars with his widowed sister-in-law Chris (Hayworth), a nightclub singer who mingles with dubious characters.
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Motor murder in
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Filmed from January through March 1952 by Joseph Walker, Affair in Trinidad was released in late July. The film's publicity mirrored that of Gilda, with ads depicting Ford slapping Hayworth as she performs in a strapless gown. Taglines included:
She’s Back! With that man from Gilda!
and
Don’t tell me I’m just one more!
The film, which cost over $1 million to produce, earned $7 million in the United States alone, outgrossing Gilda. Despite its financial success, Affair in Trinidad was considered pale compared to Gilda, with lighter black-and-white cinematography compared to the shadowy style of its 1946 predecessor.
Following Affair in Trinidad, Hayworth returned to color pictures, starring as the sultry siren Sadie in the musical melodrama Miss Sadie Thompson, opposite José Ferrer as a zealot missionary in a tropical paradise. Her performance of The Blue Pacific Blues, written by Lester Lee and Allan Roberts, was nominated for an Academy Award. Miss Sadie Thompson (1953) was released in 3-D through Columbia in February 1954 and this goes to show how wild the show was, keen to show how these shows could be better shown.
After 1953, film noir style declined as Hollywood studios shifted to producing more colour films. To differentiate their products from small-screen television, studios began using widescreen technologies and stereophonic sound, relying heavily on colour films to attract audiences away from their black-and-white home media-vision consumption devices.
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Rita Hayworth major reprise in
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The noir musical genre adapted to wartime constraints, technological changes, and shifting cultural norms, leaving a lasting impact on the moving picture industry.
Film noir very often had a musical component, and this is virtually always in a night club setting, as here.
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The decline of the studio system and the end of the classic noir period marked the conclusion of a significant era in film history, but the influence of the noir musical continues to be felt in contemporary cinema.
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Affair in Trinidad (1952)
Directed by Vincent Sherman
Genres - Crime, Drama, Mystery-Suspense, Romance, Thriller, Film Noir | Release Date - Jul 29, 1952 | Run Time - 98 min. | Wikipedia for Affair in Trinidad (1952)
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