Macao (1952)

Director:

Josef von Sternberg

Writers:

Stanley Rubin (writer)
Bernard C. Schoenfeld (writer)

Release Date:

30 April 1952 (USA)

Genre:

Film-Noir | Adventure

Tagline:

A sultry chanteuse, a hunk on the lam and a fortune in stolen gems.

Plot:

A sultry night club singer, a man who has also traveled to many exotic ports and a salesman meet aboard...

Plot Keywords:

Killer | Beautiful Woman | Adventurer | Macau | Gangster

Cast

Robert Mitchum	...	Nick Cochran
Jane Russell	...	Julie Benson
William Bendix	...	Lawrence C. Trumble
Thomas Gomez	...	Lt. Sebastian
Gloria Grahame	...	Margie
Brad Dexter	...	Vincent Halloran
Edward Ashley	...	Martin Stewart
Philip Ahn	...	Itzumi
Vladimir Sokoloff	...	Kwan Sum Tang
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Everett Glass	...	Garcia (unconfirmed)

Runtime:

81 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Cantonese | Japanese

Colour:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | Spain:T | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Hong Kong, China

Company:

RKO Radio Pictures

Trivia:

Both Joyce Mackenzie and Jane Greer were considered for the part eventually played by Gloria Grahame, wife of uncredited co-director Nicholas Ray.

Quotes:

Julie Benson: Well you annoyed me a little when you belted me with that blonde!

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Private Screenings: Robert Mitchum and Jane Russell" (1996)

Soundtrack:

Ocean Breeze

Murky Melodramatic Macao

When the haphazardly put together His Kind of Women turned into a big hit for RKO, Howard Hughes decided to team Robert Mitchum and Jane Russell again. This time instead of a resort in Baja California, the location was to be the orient, in the Portugese colony of Macao.

Like in His Kind of Woman, Howard Hughes couldn't keep his hand off the day to day production and even more so after the film was finished in the editing. As it was the film runs barely over 80 minutes and if Lee Server's biography of Mitchum is to be believed it was supposed to be a whole lot longer.

Macao within the last decade reverted from being a Portugese enclave back to China. I'm not sure what it's like now, but back in the day it was a legendarily corrupt place as typified by the corrupt police inspector Thomas Gomez.

Gomez is doing custom duty and he reports to gambling kingpin Brad Dexter of the arrival of Robert Mitchum without money or passport. That to him means he's the law. Dexter's real interested in the law, especially the United States law. Though it's never specified exactly what he did, the cops in New York want him real bad and have tried to get him outside Macao which has no extradition treaty.

The film when you think about is starting to bear some resemblance to Algiers. But Dexter ain't half as charming as Charles Boyer as Pepe LeMoko.

Mitchum's without money or identification because light fingered Jane's lifted them from him. That's a grand way to begin a romance, but this is Hollywood.

Mitchum and Russell both give out a lot of heat here and Russell has some competition in Gloria Grahame. One of the criticisms of Macao is that Grahame ain't on the screen often enough. She's Dexter's girl and she don't like Jane and those weapons of mass destruction she's sporting.

William Bendix is here as a traveling salesman with a line of nylons and snappy patter. He's not around often enough in Macao and he's welcome in any film.

Lots of atmosphere and melodrama permeate Macao. Best scene in Macao is Mitchum eluding Dexter's knife wielding henchmen, Philip Ahn and Vladimir Sokoloff. They chase him through the dock area in and out of shadows in the best noir tradition.

The original director Josef Von Sternberg got canned by Hughes and Gloria Grahame's then husband Nicholas Ray finished the film. Macao's not bad, not half as good as His Kind of Woman.

Maybe if Howard Hughes had resisted interference. Just like playing for George Steinbrenner.