Unlimitedia
Sick Product of a Sick System
Adeel Hail
Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.
Kien Navarro
Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.
edwagreen
Nice to see that David Opatoshu and Lee J. Cobb were in this film. 2 years later they would star as brothers on a different path in the wonderful "Exodus."Eleven years before, Kent Smith and John Ireland both gave wonderful support in the winning "All the King's Men." In this one, Ireland is a hard-nosed gangster under Cobb's thumb and Smith is a prosecuting attorney, very much different from his usual bland roles.The film stars Robert Taylor and Syd Charisse as two people caught up with gangster Rico, Cobb. Taylor is his mouth piece and Charisse, the dancer with whom Taylor links up and they eventually try to rid themselves of Rico, but are caught up by threats, intimidation and general violence, conducive for the 1930s Chicago setting.It's basically the old story of trying to reform and start anew, and it is done quite well.
bob the moo
I was watching some films classed as "noirs" recently and I had become accustom to any drama from a certain period being called a "noir" whether it is or not; but when I started Party Girl I assumed someone had got it really wrong as the bright colors and opening musical number clearly suggested it was anything but a noir or a tough drama. When the plot settles in though we find that mob lawyer Thomas Farrell is falling for showgirl Vicki Gaye to the point that he starts changing his life and ultimately looks to step back from his work with the mob. That decision though, is not one that mobster Rico Angelo can support.Although it is a tougher film than it looks, I won't say that I ever totally got over the light, the color and the sense of hope that some of the characters had – these things are not really noir qualities but of course it can still have these things and work as a film, which this one does. The plot builds nicely with the central relationship not moving too quickly but going well. The sense of hope that the pair have does draw the viewer in but at the same time I felt like the scale and reach of their hope (holidaying across Europe for example) was too much and I would have preferred a more low-key aspiration to do the job narratively without rising too far from the violent reality of their situation. That said the threat is always there and the menace is kept simmering in the background and starts being clearer in the final third. The film lets the violence and consequences show and the sense of threat is well portrayed by the very specific items used (eg the acid). The dance numbers looked like filler but, although tame by modern standards, they do add spice and heat with their sexual nature, which again helps the atmosphere of the film.The cast are generally good. Taylor is solid and reliable in the lead role, providing a good dramatic presence that isn't ever too soft to do the job. Charisse is better as she adds sexuality but is more than an equal for Taylor's character – to describe her as a showgirl is a disservice to the character she ultimately delivers. Cobb, Ireland, Allen and others add menace to their villains – Cobb in particular is a tough presence. Generally the cast do well with the material to add toughness and grit that perhaps the cinematography does not.The color, light etc may put you off the film if you come expecting an atypical gritty noir, but it is worth staying because this is essentially a tough crime drama with some solidly violent suggestions and a good atmosphere of threat and menace underlying the story of two people in a relationship.
writers_reign
Given the talent involved Party Girl is something of a damp squib that falls between several stools - gangster, musical, thriller, romance - and fails to satisfy in any. Looking at the cast prior to seeing the thing it was clear that the best actor by a country mile was Lee J. Cobb but he is strangely ineffectual here despite being allowed the odd bellow and snarl. John Ireland who showed some promise in All The King's Men in 1949 was phoning it in by 1958 which leaves the two leads. Robert Taylor was always slightly wooden but he makes a decent stab and whilst Cyd Charisse would never have claimed to be anything more than a fine dancer she too turns in a half-decent performance. On the whole Nicholas Ray fails to pull the strands together though it's quite possible that MGM, cognizant of their success three years earlier with Love Me Or Leave Me which blended singing and shooting albeit in a real life bio-pic of Ruth Etting, thought they might get lucky again if they threw in some production dance numbers midway through a gangster movie. Alas, lightning doesn't strike twice.
Spikeopath
Crippled Lawyer Thomas Farrell (Robert Taylor) has made a career defending crooks in trials, so much so he's now the front line defender for the Chicago mob. But into his life comes dancer Vicki Gayle (Cyd Charisse), who as he starts to fall in love with her, makes him see that his life is worth so much more than that. However, mob king Rico Angelo (Lee J. Cobb) is keen to retain Farrell's services, at any price it seems.There's no getting away from it, Party Girl (a euphemism for a prostitute) features a very standard formulaic plot. It's also a very misleading title in that it doesn't scream out this is a crime picture. Directed by Nicholas Ray for MGM (his last for one of the big hitting studios), it's adapted by George Wells from a story by Leo Katcher. Supporting the three principal actors are John Ireland & Kent Smith. Robert J. Bronner (Jailhouse Rock) provides photography and the film is a CinemaScope/Metrocolor production.Set as it is in prohibition Chicago, it allows Ray to rise above its simple formula and blend his knack for visual touches with interesting characterisations. If we really are going to cement this in the film noir genre? Then it's more down to the director than anything in the story. Yes there's themes such as alienation, vulnerability and the core essence potential for tragi-love-born out of two characters stuck in differing forms of prostitution. But the script is so weak it needed Ray to put an almost surreal sheen over it. There's exotic dancing featuring prominently, some what a given with the weak Charisse starring (in fairness to her it's one hell of a cliché riddled role), but again Ray crafts in such a way it doesn't let the film feel too sprightly. Something that this lush production is in danger of being at times. Yet line those dance numbers alongside scenes such as a portrait of Jean Harlow being shot to pieces, or of Charisse being questioned by a policeman's Silhouette; and you get an oddity. But a very enjoyable one.This was Taylor's last contract film for MGM, and fittingly it's one of his very best performances. Again one tends to think this is probably down to Ray's coaxing, but regardless, Taylor plays Farrell with vulnerable elegance and a steely eyed determination that carries Charisse along with him. Thus the romance is believable, and yes, engaging. Cobb does another in his long line of larger than life characters. Chewing the scenery as much as his Rico character chews on his cigars. While Ireland is a by the numbers thug for hire and Kent Smith a talking prop. There's a fleeting performance from Corey Allen as baby faced psychopath Cookie La Motte, a character that the film could have definitely done with more of. Here's the main problem with Party Girl, it's just not edgy or dangerous enough. Which in a film involving gangsters, murders and crooked court cases, is an issue is it not? But thanks to Ray and Taylor the film overcomes its many flaws to wind up being a very enjoyable crime-love story based picture. But film noir? Well that's debatable really. But lets not get into that... 7/10
