Customer Reviews

Love Has Many Faces

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Really enjoyed this film. Saw it in theather went first released and it was great to find it again years later. I have looked for it for years. The acting was great, especially liked Hugh O'Brian in his role.

By today's standards this movie is a bit cliche-ridden and over-acted. But I really enjoyed it. It's a portrait of beach boys and rich women in Acapulco. Lana Turner plays Kit Jordan a wealthy older woman married to Pete (Cliff Robertson) a former beach boy who caught her eye.

The movie starts with the death of one beach boy (Will) who was involved with Kit at one point. Another beach boy, Hank Walker (Hugh O'Brian), keeps feeding the police tips that will lead back to the Jordans. It soon becomes apparent that he hopes to lure Kit away from Pete.

There are also two subplots. One involves Stephanie Powers as the former girlfriend of the dead beach boy who is seeking the truth about his death. The other involves Ruth Roman and Virginia Grey as two American women looking for some fun with the beach boys. Ruth Roman's character has some great lines, I wish she'd had a larger part.

It is entertaining to watch characters that are supposed to be "over the hill" (the rich women) claiming to be in their late 30s/early 40s but looking as if they're in their late 40s (mostly due to the hairstyles and makeup of the day). And the so called beach boys (who I'm guessing are supposed to be in their 20s) looking 30-something and referring to the women as "old".

There are plot elements that you can see coming a mile away. However the ending was a bit of a surprise. Overall the movie was very enjoyable and I'd watch it again.

Lana Turner was undeniably one of the most glamourous ladies of the cinema that ever lived. She was also a terrific actress whose acting aplomb was overshadowed by her great beauty. Although this movie is a trifle compared to her work in "The Postman Always Rings Twice" (her personal favorite), and it also pales beside her super work in "The Bad And The Beautiful," Lana rose above her material here and gives the viewer a sound cinematic experience. Lana, never lovelier in a sea of costume changes, in a love story about a privileged woman whose marriage to a younger man is at a crossroads. What will happen? You will just have to watch. Its a shame this has not yet been released on DVD, especially in light of the junk that has preceded it to DVD.