Affair in Trinidad

Director: Vincent Sherman Vincent Sherman

Overview

In this romantic spy thriller, a nightclub performer plys her trade in her husband's Trinidad bar. He is murdered by a notorious spy. Soon afterward, the police ask the widow to try to get close to the killer and gather information. Her work is nearly thwarted when her bumbling brother-in-law appears, looking to bring the killer to justice himself. This film marked the return of bombshell Rita Hayworth who had retired from movies during her marriage to Prince Aly Khan.

Product Details

Release Date:	01/07/2014
UPC:	0043396435810
Original Release:	1952
Rating:	NR
Source:	SONY PICTURES HOME ENTERTAINMT
Language:	English
Sales rank:	35,424

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Rita Hayworth	Chris Emery
Glenn Ford	Steve Emery
Alexander Scourby	Max Fabian
Valerie Bettis	Veronica
Torin Thatcher	Inspector Smythe
Howard Wendell	Anderson
Karel Stepanek	Walters
George Voskovec	Dr. Franz Huebling
Steven Geray	Wittol
Walter Kohler	Peter Bronec,Mr. Peters
Juanita Moore	Dominique
Gregg Martell	Olaf
Mort Mills	Martin
Robert Boon	Pilot
Ralph Moody	Coroner
Ross Elliott	Neal Emery
Franz Roehn	Refugee
Kathleen O'Malley	Stewardess
Fred Baker	Airport Clerk
Don Blackman	Bobby
Ivan Browning	Fisherman
Roy E. Glenn Sr.	Fisherman
Joel Fluellen	Fisherman
John Sherman	Englishman

Technical Credits

James Gunn

Vincent Sherman	Director,Producer
James Gunn	Screenwriter

Editorial Reviews

When released in 1952, the ads for Affair in Trinidad trumpeted "She's back!" -- indicating that the powers that be realized that the lure for potential Trinidad viewers was clearly Rita Hayworth, returning to the screen after a four-year absence. True, Glenn Ford was also on board, and he's a worthy addition, but Trinidad was made because Columbia suddenly had Hayworth on hand and needed to use her as soon as possible. As might be expected under the rushed circumstances, the resulting film is a bit of a mess; the quartet of credited screenwriters came up with no more than a tepid rehash of Gilda with a very healthy helping of Notorious thrown in, but without any character of its own. The screenplay veers all over the place, the plot is unnecessarily confusing and the characters behave in unrealistic ways simply to keep the plot moving. Director Vincent Sherman is not in top form, and the direction comes off as unfocused and unsure. That pretty much leaves things up to the cast. Hayworth's overall performance is fine, but except for the two dance sequences is unexceptional. Those musical numbers, however, more than compensate: rarely has the screen witnessed such torrid, erotic dancing. The star tears the roof off, demonstrating how in the right hands, even something as unplanned as a stray twirling of hair can be imbued with an amazing sensuality. Hayworth also enjoys chemistry with Ford, who for his part does more than adequately with a role that calls for too much superficial posturing. The supporting cast is solid, with Valerie Bettis earning very high marks.

All Movie Guide - Craig Butler