Vashirdfel Simply A Masterpiece

Platicsco Good story, Not enough for a whole film

Ezmae Chang This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

Scarlet The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Prismark10 The Velvet Touch is a crime melodrama with Rosalind Russell as Valerie Stanton, a celebrated actress known for comedies whose career has been built up by producer Gordon Dunning.Dunning gets upset and chides Stanton when she tells him that she is going to marry Michael Morrell, an architect and by taking a break from comedies and tackle Hedda Gabler with another producer. Stanton ends up killing Dunning in a fit of anger with an award statue and another actress falls under suspicion for his death.The film is rather underwhelming and talkative almost like a stage play. Once Durning is killed early on in the film, we have flashbacks as to how Dunning and Stanton met and how later Stanton go involved with Morrell.The film livens up a bit when Sydney Greenstreet enters as a detective investigating the killing. However the acting is a bit starch, there is no mystery to the film as to even if the killer will get justice as it was made during the Hays Code era.

seymourblack-1 The star of this movie (Rosalind Russell) and its producer (who was also Russell's husband), created "Independent Artists Ltd" and for their first production, selected a story about a murder that was committed because of the conflict that existed between a top actress and her producer!! Fortunately, this wasn't autobiographical and provided the basis for an entertaining melodrama that features a colourful collection of characters, a wonderfully witty script and an on-going sense of tension that's created because of the circumstances of the murder and its unexpected repercussions. Guilt, jealousy and bitterness are just a few of the emotions that fuel the passions of the story's main characters and ensure that what takes place behind the scenes at a Broadway theatre, is every bit as the dramatic as anything that takes place on stage.For the last ten years, top Broadway star Valerie Stanton (Rosalind Russell) and her producer, Gordon Dunning (Leon Ames) have worked together on a series of light comedies that have all been highly successful. Problems arise, however, when their latest hit comes to the end of its run and Valerie decides that she wants to develop her career by taking on more serious roles. In Gordon's office, the two ex-lovers get into a heated argument because he doesn't want to end their relationship (personally or professionally). In his desperation, he also threatens to reveal some unflattering information about her past which would undoubtedly threaten her current relationship with Michael Morrell (Leo Genn) who's a well-respected architect. As their argument starts to become more physical, Valerie picks up a statuette from Gordon's desk and hits him over the head with it and then, recognising that she's killed him, leaves the theatre shortly after.Marian Webster (Claire Trevor), who had regularly been one of Valerie's co-stars during her association with Gordon, discovers the producer's dead body and is heartbroken because she'd been his lover until Valerie came along and had remained in love with him ever since. Her distress is so great that she immediately falls into a deep state of shock and has to be hospitalised. When the police investigation begins, Captain Danbury (Sydney Greenstreet) is assigned to the case and Marian Webster becomes the prime suspect because her fingerprints are the only ones found on the statuette. Unfortunately, because of her condition, Marian isn't well enough to be questioned by the police and so Danbury pursues his investigation by calling the whole theatre group together to discuss what they knew about what had transpired in Gordon's office. Nothing new seems to emerge from this process and so Marian Webster remains under suspicion and it seems that Valerie's going to get away with murder.During the weeks that follow, Valerie becomes increasingly tormented by the guilt she feels about what's happened to Marian (despite the fact that the two women hate each other) and is also fearful about whether the police will discover that she's Gordon's killer. This makes her rehearsals for Ibsen's "Hedda Gabler" extremely challenging and also makes it uncertain whether she'll ever be able to achieve her ultimate ambition and prove herself as a serious actress.Rosalind Russell and Claire Trevor are both superb in their roles with Russell doing a great job of making her character's anguish recognisable whilst still conducting herself with her usual confidence. Leon Ames is brilliantly cast as the shrewd producer who has some cynical attitudes to the whole notion of love and Leo Genn is incredibly smug as the architect who patronises Valerie from the very first time he meets her. The outstanding performance, however, comes from Sydney Greenstreet who illuminates every scene he's in with his offbeat humour and his ability to convey non-verbally that he consistently knows more than he outwardly acknowledges.

GManfred Great story, great script, great cast. Until it appeared on TCM the other day I had never heard of "The Velvet Touch". It was released through RKO and was produced by comparatively unknown Independent Artists, and then presumably dropped out of sight - you can't find this picture in any format nowadays, but it deserves to be seen.The script is the thing here, reminiscent of 'All About Eve" with the same type of crackling dialogue and one-line zingers. Can't find any fault with the cast as all fit perfectly into their parts, especially Rosalind Russell in the lead role and Leon Ames as her Svengali-like producer/nemesis. I thought Sidney Greenstreet as the Police Captain was a neat bit of off-beat casting and I hardly noticed his upper class British accent. Saving the best for last, as Claire Trevor put out another outstanding performance as 'the other woman'. She was one of our most underrated actresses and I can't think of one bad job ever turned in by this Westchester,NY native.Can't think of a single flaw in 'The Velvet Touch". Nearly perfect filmmaking, which hardly ever happens anymore. This sort of Hollywood product was once the norm and is now the exception, in a medium which, sadly, has become form over substance.

Bucs1960 When the opening credits come up, you think that this film is going to be a musical as a chorus serenades us with "The Velvet Touch", a thoroughly forgettable song. It's an extremely strange beginning for a murder drama; however, it swings into the story in short order and is off and running.Roz plays an established Broadway star partnered with Leon Ames, her producer and long-time paramour. She falls for the rather bland Leo Genn and seeks to break off her collaboration, both professional and personal with Ames. He's not having it and she clubs him over the head. Exit Mr. Ames. Claire Trevor, looking a bit frumpy here, is the long suffering and rejected lover of Ames. She is blamed for the murder and commits suicide. Will Roz confess, kill herself out of guilt on stage while appearing in "Hedda Gabler" or get away with murder? That is the question. Add the excellent Sidney Greenstreet as a New York police detective (who came up with that casting?)and some good character parts with Frank McHugh and Esther Howard and you should have a winner. But the story, partly told in flashback, while satisfactory, is not particularly spell binding. The film really begins to drag after the opening murder scenes and doesn't seem to have that extra punch/suspense/plot twist necessary to fully hold your interest. It's not bad, it's just not that good.