I thought this was going to be a film noir. It's from RKO in 1951. stars Robert Mitchum and has a vaguely salacious title. I was wrong. Oh, how I just despise thouse three words. Especially in this case, as My Forbidden Past is your run-of-the-mill melodrama, complete with a last-minute courtroom revelation. Oh, I'm so
titillated. I'm not even going to bother describing the plot because I stopped paying attention about 30 minutes in. Robert Mitchum and Ava Gardner were both sexy and performed well enough, but I got the sense that they cared about the plot about as much as I did (think The Little Foxes only in New Orleans and without anything interesting). Third-billed was Melvyn Douglas and he's always just bugged the shit out of me. He comes off as smug and self-satisfied in every single movie. The only thing I've ever liked him in is Ninotchka, because...actually, come to think of it, I like Ninotchka despite his presence.
July 14, 2004
