ARHT1003: Detailed Film Annotation on Charles Vidor's Gilda (1946)

This assignment is a film annotation of Charles Vidor's 1946 film, 'Gilda,' analyzing its significance within the Hollywood studio system. The annotation delves into the film's plot, characters, and themes, with a particular focus on Rita Hayworth's iconic performance and the portrayal of the femme fatale archetype. It examines the film's noir elements, including its use of shadows, voiceovers, and complex relationships between characters. The analysis also considers the film's visual style, costume design, and cinematography, highlighting its impact on cinematic history. Furthermore, the annotation discusses the film's critical reception, referencing scholarly works and the film's cultural impact, including its influence on later films and its reflection of societal anxieties. The annotation also explores the film's exploration of themes of love, betrayal, and identity, placing it within the context of post-war American cinema and the evolution of the studio system.

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Film Annotation
Gilda
There are still certain movies that can sizzle the audience, no matter how often they have seen
them. One such movie is "Gilda". This 1946 film of Charles Vidor has been set in Argentina at
the end of the Second World War. In the center stage, there is a woman who is caught in a love
triangle with a gambler (Glenn Ford), his ex-lover and his boss (George Macready), who is our
husband now. The characters in the movie are so full of tension that it is always an exceptional
experience to watch the movie. One party to reason is Rita Hayworth. It appears that the role of
femme fatale has been custom-made for her. This role provided a secure place to Rita among the
stars (Doane, 1991). As an actress, she has always been very talented, but she achieved success
only after custom building changes made over the years. Rita was born as Margarita Cansino.
Rita and her father were professional dancers. Although they used to perform, but later was not
immediately liked by the audiences. 20th Century Fox was her first studio, but they decided to
drop Rita only after a few movies. However, her first husband, who was also her manager,
encouraged her to undergo a painful electrolysis for changing her hair color and hairline in order
to change her image. Indeed, it changed and Margarita Cansino returned as Rita Hayworth, and
entered into a contract with Columbia (Mahar, 2006).
Everything was aligned in the making of Gilda. Due to this reason, the team off the movie could
not be more stronger. Two great talents associated with the blue River cinematographer Rudolph
Mate and the costume designer, Jean Louis (Balio, 1993). These two persons can be held
primarily responsible for the success of Rita. Mate is known for large cinematography. A
particular depth can be seen in black and white of Mate. That has remained unmatched (Dyer,
1993).

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Gilda has one of the greatest movie wardrobes. Therefore it is not surprising that the movie is
known for its glamour. As the popularity of Rita was growing, the studio decided to invest
thousands of dollars for dressing the "Love Godess" of the film. However the film is best known
for the gowns worn by Rita. One gown, in particular has become iconic. The strapless black satin
gown that she wears while singing "Put the Blame on Mame" was inspired by the famous
painting, Madam X by John Singer Sargent. The gown was also considered a piece of
engineering, apart from its beauty. The audiences were amazed as it defied gravity.
However, even if the movie was a spectacular hit among the viewers and Rita immediately
became a star, the reviews given by American critics were only slightly encouraging or even
indifferent. On the other hand, the French critics realized early that it was part of something
important taking place in American films (Grossberg, 1997). Among others, Gilda was,
presented to the French audiences in 1946, after they had remained cut off from the American
releases as a result of the World War II. There was a feeling of something novel with these films,
a mood skeptical, thrilling and pessimistic. However, Gilda can also be described as confusing.
In the movie, hatred is more powerful than allow. The husband of Gilda off one or two days,
Ballin Mundson makes a confession to Gilda Penny says that it can be very thrilling sentiment,
haven't you noticed that? This role has been played by George Macready with beautiful and
disturbing mixture of insecurity and impotence. Later on, Gilda also echoes these words into
Johnny's ears. But it needs to be noted that Gilda was not intended to be clear. The purpose
appears to plunge the audience into such an emotionally claustrophobic ambiance that even
Johnny's voice-over cannot provide enlightenment or escape (Higham and Greenberg. 1968). In
fact, the voiceover drops away in the last section, and the result is that his feelings about Gilda in
the concluding scenes cannot be disclosed.

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Generally the noir voiceovers offer explanation and back story. But this is not the case with
Johnny's voiceovers. Certain things are hidden too deep. Therefore the lead characters of the
movie do not have any viewpoint; the only characters of the movie who have any perspective are
police detective and washroom attendant (McLean, 2004). After seeing Gilda, the movie appears
to be a destabilized hybrid of pitch black noir and a polished studio musical. The movie has a
cadre of eccentrics and also a pair of drifting, remaining Nazis. As is the case with other movies
like the Notorious and the earlier films, Gilda also features an exotic setting and the characters
who may not be permitted to go back home. Therefore the casinos and ports of Argentina that
have been shown in the movie symbolize the end of line. The temper of the movie can be
described as chaotic, violent and sexual. Often, Rita Hayworth has been shot in complete
darkness (Wayne, 2003). There is not even a ray of light across her eyes. The shadows of the
characters present on the walls are so elongated that they look like separate conscious beings.
There is a scene in the movie where Ballin is standing in the foreground and there is a
threatening black figure on the right side of the frame and Gilda and Johnny are completely lit in
the lobby. In the end of the scene, Ballin turns his head and a flat, black silhouette is placed over
on the above scenery. In this way, we can see psychosexual noir effects as the movie tips into the
muck.
In this movie, the attack can be described as a pledge among two men who appears to be more
interested in each other as compared to Gilda. The script of the movie, that has been adapted by
Jo Eisinger and had been put in writing by Marion Parsonnet, is based on the story of E.A.
Ellington added explicit regarding this point. There is the phallic cane of Ballin that has been
named as his 'little friend'. There is a point in the movie where Ballin says, "wait. Johnny. I will
need both my little friends tonight". There is also another scene where Ballin is slowly climbing

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the stairs and Johnny is a few steps at the back. The black tuxedoed figures can be seen against
marble. It appears to be a climb to the bedroom. Johnny is fanatically worried over Bailin. When
he gets married to Gilda after the 'death' of Ballin, he scorns in voiceover, "she was not faithful
to him when he was alive but she will be painful when he was dead". There is also another scene
in the movie by the elevator after "put the blame on the mane" has been performed that can be
described as shocking, and mutual hatred can be seen on both the sides. Gilda is trapped between
two men who want her, user and also want to punish her.
In the end of the movie, Gilda and Johnny are exiting together. These can be described as a relic
from the times of cathartic "The End" in the musicals, but at the same time, it also leaves an
uneasy impression on the audience. This impression is alike the concluding scene of the movie
Notorious. In both these endings, it does not feel that love is triumphed. On the other hand it
appears to be like a criminal getaway. This confusion in the movie is so tormented, so surreal
and so rich that it can be described as a major part of the fascinating and endearing draw of
Gilda.
It also needs to be mentioned that in the movie, Hayworth used her dancing ability in this movie
in a completely dissimilar way as he had done before. The result is a astonishing comparison. In
this regard, some credit also needs to be given to Vidor (in addition to the gowns and Jean Louis
designed for Rita) but most of the credit needs to be given to return herself. There are two
numbers in the movie, 'Put the blame on Mame' and "Amada mio' where all gestures, bumps,
wild hair and knowing smile still give an electric impression to the audiences. Although Rita had
already done all this with kelly and Astaire in the earlier movies, but in Gilda, she had ordained
into a desperate and ferocious container.

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Another thing that needs to be noted that the musical numbers of the movie are not a split in
action, but there are the action itself. At the end of "put the blame on Mame", return invites men
from viewers to come on the stage and take off her costume, the misapprehension breaks and
reality shoots in, which is brutal and ruthless. It is an astonishing movement. It is also one of the
most famous moments of the film and second only to Rita's first appearance in the movie.
The shadow of Rita Hayworth in Gilda can still be seen even after seventy years. The entrance of
Rita Hayworth in Gilda is familiar to every persons who are not seen the film. She does not
appear from shadows, smoking a cigarette, and she is not revealed in room staring out of the
windowpane. Instead, Rita emerges in the empty space in a well lit room. Such a moment cannot
be found even in some very good films. Such movements become iconic in themselves and are
separated from all that surrounds it.

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References
Doane, Mary Anne. 1991. Femmes Fatales: Feminism, Film Theory, Psychoanalysis. New York:
Routledge
Dyer, Richard. 1993. The Matter of Images: Essays on Representations. London: Routledge
Grossberg, Lawrence. 1997. Bringing it all Back Home: Essays on Cultural Studies. Durham:
Duke University Press
Higham, Charles and Joel Greenberg. 1968. Hollywood in the Forties. London: Tantivy
Press/New York: AS Barnes
Karen Ward Mahar, 2006, Doing A MAn's Work" The Rise of the Studio System And the
Remasculinization of Filmmaking rpt in The Classical Hollywood Reader, ed Steve Neale
(New York) Routledge 2012.
McLean, Adrienne L. 2004. Being Rita Hayworth: Labor, Identity, and Hollywood Stardom.
New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press
Tino Balio, 1993, “Columbia Pictures: The Making of a Motion Picture Major, 1930–1943,” in
Post-Theory: Reconstructing Film Studies, ed. David Bordwell and Noel
Wayne, Michael. 2003. “Post-Fordism, Monopoly Capitalism, and Hollywood’s Media Industrial
Complex.” International Journal of Cultural Studies 6, no. 1: 82-103