One Touch of Venus (1948)

Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

hyped garbage

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

"Eddie Hatch" (Robert Walker) is a well-meaning young man who just happens to be a low paid window dresser working at a large department store. One day he is given the job of fixing the drapes that surround a recently acquired--but very expensive--statue of Venus and after drinking some champagne he innocently kisses it prior to getting back to his work. Sure enough, the statue becomes the actual "Goddess of Love" (played by Ava Gardner) who takes an instant liking to the bumbling employee. Unfortunately, when Venus comes to life the priceless statue disappears and the rich owner "Whitfield Savory" (Tom Conway) automatically suspects Eddie of stealing it and has him immediately apprehended. But things get even worse for Eddie when Whitfield encounters Venus and falls madly in love with her. Now rather than reveal any more of the movie and risk spoiling it for those who haven't seen it I will just say that this was a cute musical-comedy which was tailor-made for such a gorgeous actress like Ava Gardner. Also worth mentioning are the performances of both Eve Arden (as "Molly Stewart") and Robert Walker who played their parts quite nicely as well. That said, while it is certainly dated it still remains a fun little movie and I rate it as slightly above average.

Kissing an elegant statue on a whim, nit - witted store clerk Eddie unintentionally unravels a sensual and chaotic entity in the form of Ava Gardner's Venus, making romance and farce abound.Considering my take on the general storyline is that it lacks strength, in lesser hands One Touch of Venus could have been a farce of a completely different kind. However the talent which was a part of this feature played a major role in raising its standard. This is mainly due to the leads Ava Gardner and Robert Walker. Being naturally beautiful there is little cause for explanation concerning Ava Gardner in the role as a Goddess of love, but she applied more than just her looks. She gave Venus a sensuality which oozed through every moment emphasising her presence to a greater extent. Despite Eddie being nitwit, Robert Walker makes him a likable fellow whose whimsical reactions to his bizarre situation resulted in numerous laughs. The development of Venus and Eddie's relationship began chaos and misunderstandings slightly reminiscent of the screwball genre.Constantly on the run for being accused of stealing Venus, Eddie finds himself in various situations avoiding arrest. With the help of Venus these situations contain visual and physical gags that work well, the most vivid in my mind was Venus turning Eddie's arrest warrant into a paper chain and temporarily suspending the pursuing detective by turning him into an owl. In spite of this sounding peculiar it worked well for comic purposes. The musical sequences were equally executed in effect for the sake of the feature's primary theme of romance. Singing "That's Him" the principal female characters convey their romance for the man they love whilst not losing their individual characteristics adding the perfect light to the sequence. Particularly from Molly, played brilliantly by Eve Arden who sticks to her heavy – hearted vocal tone throughout "That's Him" and is constantly witty. "I wish she reminded me of me" upon her first sight of Venus, keeping together her quick humour with a sense of longing for her Boss Whitfield, whose own sighting of Venus makes him crazy for her and continues the saga that was Venus and Eddie's relationship.From my viewpoint it can not be said One Touch of Venus is a perfect feature, though it is satisfactory in the majority of its scene thanks to the principle actors along with witty writing from Harry Kurnitz and Frank Tashlin, whose dialogue serves the pinnacle of One Touch of Venus' smart and charming humour.

Semi-musical romantic-comedy "One Touch of Venus" is rather one-dimensional, and looks like an old episode of "Playhouse 90" to boot. Robert Walker is a tough actor to get a hold on in this early role: striking a boyish, diminutive figure, his nebbish voice doesn't reveal anything deep, and there's no core of tension in his work (he tries hard, but he's a nervously self-conscious amateur); worse yet is a young Ava Gardner, not quite the dazzling Goddess of Love she's supposed to be. Based on the book "The Tinted Venus", film about a statue coming to life was previously done as a musical play and could actually use more singing to give it some lift (despite comedy vet Frank Tashlin as one of the screenwriters). It's cheaply-produced (even for 1948) and has little vitality. Only Eve Arden, as a sarcastic working girl, spices things up. ** from ****

One Touch of Venus has one thing going for it--the extraordinary beauty of Ava Gardner in her prime. Other than that, an interesting idea is mostly wasted. The premise is this: if a mortal kisses the statue of Venus, the goddess will come to life as a lovely, sensuous, real woman. Robert Walker is good in a comic turn as a confused mortal who accidentally awakens the statue. Needless to say, other comic complications ensue. However, Ava's voice is obviously dubbed, which thereby destroys some of the delicate fantasy quality of the material. Overall, this would have been better handled by Albert Lewin, a unique director famed for his odd, moderately successful dreamlike films (Saadia, the Picture of Dorian Gray, the Moon and Sixpence). A diverting but ultimately uninspiring film, which required a lighter directorial touch.