Sunday, September 16, 2012

Appointments Kept in a Fist!

Do not fuck with Glenn Ford. Especially not when he's got thousands of dollars strapped to his waist as he moves through a dangerous jungle in politically hostile territory to find that country's president, in hiding from the dictator currently in control of the country. Ford's got some pretty striking gorilla moments in 1953's Appointment in Honduras, a colour Jacques Tourneur adventure film, a nice little tale of survival in the jungle, of a manly man and the womanly woman who ditches her husband for him.

Despite the fact that he takes them as hostages, and doesn't seem to care very much about leaving them in the hands of violent Honduran criminals, the sturdy, sophisticated broad Ann Sheridan soon realises Ford can do for her what her weaselly, civilised husband can never do.

Ford knows what he wants and takes it, and if someone tries to stop him, he smacks him down. Doesn't matter if Ford's unarmed and his opponent is five bandits with shotguns and rifles. It doesn't matter because Glenn Ford is the shit.

I was rather surprised to see a film in the Breen era show a woman openly kissing another man in front of her husband and we're clearly meant to agree with her. Not to mention all the guys openly leering at Sheridan as she wears less and less clothing.

The film features a lot of what appear to be location shots and Tourneur in colour maintains his ability to effectively use shadow. An impression comes vividly across of a hot, sticky, insect infested dangerous environment, combined with a plot that logically flows, Ford's larger than life character manages to come off rather effectively.

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