Ragged Wearing

tedg

Several commentors over the years have remarked on the folding between what's in this movie regarding Rita and her life outside the film.

It barely needs mentioning here. She was a lovely woman with little talent. Appeal outstripped reach and produced much the same frustrated resignation in her that her character has here. She's too old to carry the charms she's used. Here, it is all explained as from "bad men," but its a question of striving toward failure — something we recognize as viewers more than the Disney business of some transcendent realization of self and possibility.

It matters here and in life because she is one of our anchor redheads. The one that got us through the war, perhaps denoting what got us into it (so far as the Pacific). She's the redhead that entangled the greatest filmmaker of the era and wove a confusion that cost us plenty.

(Suppose she had been a real partner or muse to Orson? Suppose he had resolved to actually FINISH films? Suppose he embodied what he thought he sought in a redheaded dancer? Suppose it had worked, and we didn't end with two broken souls.)

Anyway, that's half of the story. The other half is about two men fighting for possession of the virtual corpse. It was a powerful thing in its day, I think because of the cinematic centrality of the setup: a ship with Lemmon trapped in the front and a seething firebomb in the back. Men trying to free him and giving up. His hated rival, saving him (did we EVER doubt this would happen?). A wise black observer.

Also in its day, the ending was considered "mature." A crisis unresolved. The tragedy in the walking wounded.

I think this is worth watching because of the history of film it gives us.

(I suggest that you follow this with "Calypso is Like So" for a continuation on the theme. It gets what this movie means.)

Ted's Evaluation -- 3 of 3: Worth watching.

score /10

tedg 11 July 2007

Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw1691131/