Kattiera Nana I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

KnotMissPriceless Why so much hype?

Dynamixor The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

Cristal The movie really just wants to entertain people.

weezeralfalfa Certainly, a classic portrayal of the gentleman riverboat gambler who excels at playing cards when no trickery is involved. He is also an expert swordsman, taught by his father. Along with dancing, these seem to be his main skills, but should be sufficient to support a wife and children, in the right environment. We might contrast Mark with Gaylord Ravinal, of "Showboat", also a riverboat gambler. After marrying Magnolia, his gambling luck turns sour, and he leaves Magnolia. Her father says "Ï told you so". In contrast to the aristocratic Leia in the present film, who tried to deny her attraction to this social underling, Magnolia practically threw herself at Gaylord, who was handsome, dressed as a gentleman, and was an excellent singer, besides apparently skilled at gambling. Gaylord left Magnolia, but eventually came crawling back to her. In contrast, in the present film, it's Leia who comes running to Mark, asking forgiveness for all her putdowns.John McIntire, as John Polly, serves as Mark's sidekick, sharing Mark's dream of creating a no-cheating gambling establishment. Ralph Dunke, as Caldwell, tries to prevent the two from accomplishing this goal, as he has made his fortune cheating at gambling. His goons try to rough up and dump overboard Mark and Pool. The two manage to beat their opponents and dive overboard in a shallow stretch, to take another boat the rest of the way to N.O.. Surprisingly, the pair don't seem to encounter Caldwell in N.O..Another villain is Laurent(John Baer): Leia's brother, and the son of Edmond Dureau(Paul Cavanagh), who runs a fencing club in N.O., and knew Mark's father in Paris. Both Laurent and Edmond are marked for death in the near future. Laurent considers Mark an unqualified upstart in the quest to win the hand of Leia. He challenges Mark to a formal duel. Surprisingly, Mark chooses pistols instead of rapiers as the weapons. Laurent cheats by firing his pistol before the count is finished. He misses, in his haste, leaving Mark to spare his life. However, Laurent was ostracized for his cheating. Why did Mark choose pistols rather than rapiers, which he was sure to win with? Apparently, he wanted to be seen as giving Laurent a sporting chance. Laurent would later again attempt to kill Mark, but only succeeded in killing himself. Laurent's father was mortally wounded in another duel. His death symbolically opened the way for Mark to become his successor as the champion swordsman of N.O..Yet another villain is George Elwood(Ron Randell). He is a banker and becomes Leia's husband. Some rumors are spread about what he does with the bank's money, causing a run on the bank. He absconds with the remaining money, and Leia has the marriage annulled.Piper Laurie, as Leia, isn't exactly a pleasant character. If I were Mark, I would have chosen the non-aristocratic Ann(Julie Adams)over her. Apparently, Mark preferred aristocratic breeding over personality and usefulness. Tyrone Power isn't my favorite actor, and I find many of his films dull. However, this one is OK, although he can look menacing when he scowls, at this age.In the middle, the acclaimed Gwen Verdon stars dancing to ""Haitian Devil Song". It's pretty long and ornate. See all at YouTube

MartinHafer While I am a fan of Tyrone Power's film, I gotta admit that this is not one of his finer moments. The story is about a very, very successful riverboat gambler, Mark Fallon (Power) and the weird infatuation he has with a very screwy young lady (Piper Laurie). Throughout the course of the film, the lady's brother is a shiftless jerk--gambling away their money and behaving VERY impulsively. He also seems to blame Fallon for everything and tries to kill him a couple times. As for Fallon, he's practically perfect in every way and repeatedly lets the bother off the hook for his own awful behavior. Ultimately, however, the jerk brother tries (again) to murder Fallon and Fallon kills him while trying to protect himself...and the stupid sister STILL acts like Fallon is the Antichrist! As for the father of the two dopes, he knows what's going on and likes Fallon. Can all this get straightened out by the end of the film AND can anyone tell me why Fallon wants to marry this flaky lady? Sure, she's gorgeous but the guy could easily find another lady who apparently isn't totally stupid.While my summary might sound a bit flippant, it IS essentially the story and this all gets tiresome after a while. Not terrible...the film has its moments, but it suffers from a silly cliché-ridden script. Not one of Power's finer endeavors.By the way, look for Dennie Weaver in a small role as an even stupider gambler...the guy who offs himself after gambling away his company's funds.

blanche-2 "The Mississippi Gambler" is largely responsible for the downfall of Tyrone Power's marriage to Linda Christian. The film was originally developed as a vehicle for the two of them, but Universal Pictures prevailed and Piper Laurie was cast. As Laurie herself put it, "When I did the test, my competition was Mrs. Power!" Christian never forgave her husband. Add to that his affair with Anita Ekberg (who is uncredited in this movie), and you've got a recipe for divorce.Needless to say, the role was tailor-made for Power - that of a handsome, honorable, gentleman-gambler who's in love with one woman, Angelique (Laurie) and has the love of another, Ann (Julia Adams). Power is magnificently handsome, if maybe a little too old for this part. He is meticulously dressed and has the opportunity to show off his sword play. It's an excellent role for him, and one he does beautifully.The production values are sumptuous, including the sets, costumes, and a marvelous supporting cast which includes John McIntyre, Ron Randell, and John Baer, and the wonderful Paul Cavanagh, who plays Angelique's father. Laurie, once the President of her local Tyrone Power Fan Club, is exquisite in the ingénue role. The beautiful Julia Adams (who looks eerily like Connie Selleca in this film) does a great job of suffering from unrequited love.Nearly twenty years of working at Twentieth Century Fox had taught Power a lot. This film was a huge hit and, with a percentage of the gross, made a ton of money for him. He needed it for the divorce settlement.

silverscreen888 Seton I. Miller's script for the "Mississippi Gambler" is his masterwork. Ther film is beautifully directed, and for once at UniversalStudios, it even looks like an "A" budget effort much of the time. The costumes are stunning, the storyline continually enthralling and the characters frankly unforgettable. Tyrone Power is a few years too old for the part of Mark Fallon, prototype of many a later gambler in westerns; but his acting in my professional judgment in this film is the best he ever did. Lovely young Piper Laurie's and intelligence both serve her in her portrayal of a skittish young Southern belle running away from her attraction to Fallon. Others in the stellar cast include John McIntire as Mr. Polly, Ron Randell as Fallon's rival, Ralph Dumke, King Donovan, Julie Adams, Dennis Weaver and first and foremost veteran Cavanagh as Ms. Dureaux, notorious rake in his time who sees his sins visited on his uncontrollable son and daughter. The theme of the film is honesty; Power wants to be an honest gambler on the Mississippi where a jackal's code is the norm. Bue Fallon has one weapon on his side in his unequal battle,; he is the best swordsman in the world. He sets out to build a life with only those two weapons. Ther film's action sequences are unusually fine, and the dialogue is frequently superb, and the characters unforgettable. This film out of nowhere became a top ten hit in the busy film year of 1953, helped by Gwen Verdon's choreography, the serviceable music by Frank Skinner and the production values of sets, lighting and art direction that make the feature seem even more expensive that it was to create. A minor masterpiece, and a memorable romance; it is also that rarity, an historical film of ideas as well as sparkling adventures. One of the great movies by any standard.