The Blue Gardenia (1953)

Plenty to Like, Plenty to Dislike

Film Perfection

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

It's a movie as timely as it is provocative and amazingly, for much of its running time, it is weirdly funny.

The Blue Gardenia is directed by Fritz Lang and adapted to screenplay by Charles Hoffman from the short story "Gardenia" written by Vera Caspary. It stars Anne Baxter, Richard Conte, Ann Sothern, Raymond Burr and George Reeves. Music is by Raoul Kraushaar and cinematography by Nicholas Musuraca.Norah Larkin (Baxter), after receiving some horrible news, ends up drunk and at the mercy of a Lothario in his apartment. The next morning she wakes up with the distinct feeling she may have committed murder.More solid than anything spectacular, this minor Lang is never less than interesting. The Blue Gardenia of the title is a nightclub, one where Nat King Cole no less, sings the title song. However, it's the local newspaper that is the key element of the story, the place of work of ace journalist Casey Mayo (Conte), who gets in deep with the story and of course that means Norah as well.There's some sparky dialogue as the story ticks away, with Sothern (sadly underused) wonderfully waspish, the murder mystery element remains strong enough, while there's dark at work as well (Burr is effectively on a mission to date rape). However, the pairing of Lang and Musuraca should be a dream team, but although there's the odd flash of noir visualisations during night sequences, you can't help but lament more wasn't provided for Musuraca to weave his magic.A good show from the cast helps ease the pain of the script's inadequacies, especially as regards the not very clever final revelations. So all in all, it's more a case of a mystery melodrama with noir touches than anything thrilling, and really it's one for Lang fans to tick off their to see lists, not to be visited again. 6.5/10

Based on a short story written by Vera Caspary (who also wrote "Laura", which was adapted into a highly acclaimed film noir by Otto Preminger), this film-noir flavored melodrama tells the story of Norah Larkin (Anne Baxter), who works as a switchboard operator, lives in a Los Angeles apartment with her roommates, Crystal Carpenter (Ann Sothern) and Sally Ellis (Jeff Donnell). On her birthday, after her friends have gone out, Norah celebrates herself with a candlelight dinner beside the picture of his beloved fiancée, a soldier serving in the Korean War. She finally reads the awaited letter only to discover he is engaged with a Japanese nurse. Emotionally distraught, Norah accepts a blind date with Harry Prebble (Raymond Burr) over the phone at the Blue Gardenia restaurant. There, Norah consumes six strong Polynesian Pearl Divers cocktails becoming terribly drunk when she arrives at Harry's studio apartment. After Harry attempts to sedate her with coffee, he makes a sexual advance on her, and is knocked unconscious when Norah strikes him with a fire iron in self-defense and flees.The next morning, she suffers a blackout, as well as discovers Harry is dead. Naming the murder case "The Blue Gardenia Murderess" by newspaper columnist Casey Mayo (Richard Conte), Norah tries to remember the details of her ill-fated night, and must team up with newspaper man to help solve the mystery.The cast is remarkably well in their parts. Anne Baxter puts on a convincing emotionally afflicted and vulnerable performance, and holds my attention throughout the picture. Raymond Burr (well-known for playing Perry Mason) with his size, height, and strength, leads to the fact that he is physically powerful over the women he attempts to womanize. Playing the hard-boiled detective character, Richard Conte adds a bit of romance to the gloomy story. Relegated into supporting stock character territory, Ann Sothern almost overcomes it with snappy wisecracks, and being a more straightforward, matured woman opposite to Jeff Donnell's Sally Ellis who loves pulp fiction and quite quirky. Although for a cameo, Nat King Cole sings the haunting title song with his absorbing soft baritone voice.Establishing the noir atmosphere, the picture is helped by some intriguing touches by cinematographer Nicholas Musuraca. Examples of this is the ominous rain drops on the apartment window at the time of the murder, the breaking of the mirror glass when Norah strikes Harry, and the fog firmly establish the characters' troubled state of mind. Other examples are full close-up shots in times of accusation and figures emerging from the mysterious dark at the wrong time help create suspension. This is without mention the use of low-key neon lights, deep focus photography, and deep shadows especially in the scene with Mayo invites Norah over to his newspaper office.However, it falls short with the story and its styles. The film starts out light-hearted and promising, though it falls into a weak ending with an arbitrary plot twist you may not see coming. The movie ends too quick with it, and doesn't develop it any further than a personal confession leaving the ending contrived and slightly rushed. In addition to this, the story of an unconscious bystander who is framed in a murder has become quite clichéd since the film's initial release, and this picture follows the usual by-the-number plot points.The theme of newspaper sensationalism, which this movie is critiquing, is explored quite well within the time frame of the movie and director Fritz Lang followed upon on it in "While the City Sleeps" and "Beyond a Reasonable Doubt" (both released three years later) making this film an installment of a "newspaper noir" trilogy. Given this film is set in the 1950s, there's a bit of a McCarthyism aspect in this film with Norah serving as the suspected Communist with the police on their trail by the day definitely creates a sense of a paranoia, melancholy atmosphere.In the end, this is an enjoyable solid murder mystery with well-rounded performances to boot along with Lang's direction and Musuraca's cinematography making up for a slightly flawed script.

Blue Gardenia (1953)The likable Richard Conte makes a great news reporter here, and Anne Baxter as the woman in trouble is pitch perfect. In fact, Baxter's two sidekicks are also right on, Jeff Donnell (a woman, really sharp) and Ann Southern. It's a good story, a little forced, but with lots of atmosphere at the right times (including a scene with the real Nat King Cole playing and singing). What holds the movie back is a mixture of basic story line, which lacks velocity and credibility equally, and direction, which doesn't heighten what is really strong here. That is, a great cast, and some great situations (including murder). Fritz Lang, the director, is accountable, of course, for some judgements that let things loosen up too much, and for the cute but abrupt ending. There are some characters that got developed in the beginning that don't get a chance to blossom. If we just focus on the two leads (no counting Raymond Burr, who has a brief and different kind of presence), there is a chemistry not quite clicking. Nice, regular guy Conte and slightly sophisticated Baxter don't quite match up, even though both are convincing individually.There is some talent behind the scenes here worth mention, especially cinematographer Nicholas Musuraca, who has done a whole slew of great small movies with astonishing visuals. Lang uses him well, though with a studied restraint that almost implies this was a throwaway effort. It comes between two of his greatest American movies, however: Clash by Night and The Big Heat. It's worth a look, a good movie not quite a noir by usual measures, but filled with intrigue and a little touch of welcome romance.

It is fascinating to see Raymond Burr (Ironside, Perry Mason) as a lounge lizard trying to pick up every women he sees. We see him working on the Oscar-nominated Ann Sothern (The Whales of August) in the opening, but she was having none of his charm.Director Fritz Lang and writers Vera Caspary (Laura) and Charles Hoffman (The Green Hornet, "Batman") give us an enjoyable film that has noirish elements, but is lighthearted at the same time.Just seeing and hearing Nat King Cole singing the title song is worth the time spent here.Crystal (Sothern) gets herself into trouble and turns to newspaperman Casey Mayo (Richard Conte). She needs help before Superman, I mean Police Capt. Haynes (George Reeves) finds her.