It's all about that sixty-thousand-some dollars - not hers - that she's determined to hold onto. Money that's been - literally - tossed into her back seat, and which her husband wants to turn in to the police. So, after lovely - unfulfilled and greedy - Jane Palmer (Lizabeth Scott) shoots her husband-with-scruples, Alan (Arthur Kennedy), and then poisons deliciously slimy Danny Fuller (deliciously slimy Dan Duryea), who's very determined to claim the money himself, she escapes to Mexico City.
Installed in the penthouse of the swank Reforma Hotel, resplendent in furs and diamonds, with a suitcase brimming full of cash, she's finally happy; who wouldn't be? But it too quickly goes sour, as all that murdering and theft catches up with her.
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| With Don DeFore. |
And trying to hold off the inevitable with a gun, backing away from justice in her heavy - and gorgeous - lace gown, she trips over that suitcase of cash and jackknifes over the balcony railing, falling to her death. Oh, sorry... SPOILER ALERT!
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| "Wait, he's lying; the money's mine!... no, I tell you he's lying!" |
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| Diamonds and lace, a gun and a fistful of cash; the gigs up, Jane! The balcony awaits.... |
I suppose she had it coming; something about the "wages of sin", yada yada. Honestly, though, I feel sort of bad for her. She had it all - she worked for it - and didn't get to enjoy it. ; )
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| Noir Queen. |
Gosh, it's been years since I've seen this. Thank you for the reminder. I was kind of rooting for her, too.
ReplyDeleteI mean, who wouldn't want a big bag of cash thrown into their back seat...?
DeleteLOVE! Fantastic landing (oops, no pun intended. I mean, of the post.).
ReplyDeleteHehe! : )
DeleteShe looked great, but who wore a floor length lace dress, furs and heaps of diamonds inside their lounge room? Even in a swank hotel.
ReplyDeleteShe'd just arrived home after being out on the town. : )
DeleteI wrote a post on Facebook awhile back about Lizabeth Scott. Quite an interesting lady. She's sometimes dismissed as a sort of "Grade B" Lauren Bacall, but in fact her screen image (as in this film) is much harder-edged than Bacall's. On screen, Scott often played a true femme fatale, using and discarding men. Critics and audiences in her day didn't really warm to her but in recent years her career has been re-evaluated. After she left the screen, Scott studied art and philosophy and became a successful real estate developer. Incidentally, her birth name was Emma Matzo!
ReplyDeleteOh, yes, Miss Matso! Both my wife and I are fascinated by her. Even though her screen persona was usually wedged into the Noir femme fatale mold, there was something very particular about her. And, yeah, the comparison the Lauren Bacall is unfortunate. Bacall always seems rock steady; you get the feeling that nothing could really break her smokey calm. Scott usually displays a cool control, too, but you get the sense that the wheels are always spinning underneath, emotions churning, like she could go berserk at any moment. Love that!
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