Posted by darkdave
Penny Edwards (Claudia), John Alvin (Eddie), James Millican (Hans),
Directed by Philip Ford
"When vicious criminals cross THIS bad-ass bride's threshold - it's time to settle the score!" So might read the lurid poster for a trashy 70s remake of 'Missing Women' - an engrossing and likable 'B' thriller that though misleadingly titled represents a refreshing twist on the 'undercover peril' noir sub-sub-genre.
Married just an hour, young Claudia and Philip Rankin's blessed bond
is violently severed when they are jumped by car thieves along a dark roadside. Suffering both an unwanted kiss and subsequent sucker-punch to the face by vile thug 'Hans', a dazed Claudia enlists a passerby to send help for Philip who lay dying nearby from the gunshot wound he sustained while attempting to defend his new bride.
Seemingly disinterested in sitting idly by or in letting the authorities do what they're paid to, Claudia chooses to navigate the dangerous
waters of the underworld on her own - insinuating herself into 'the life' with an alias, a dye job, some vampy clothes, and a couple contact names remembered from police files she was shown. Locating and coming face to face with Hans and co. will be risky, but Claudia is now single-minded of purpose.
Not unlike the 'Kansas' character in Siodmak's Phantom Lady ('44), Claudia Rankin morphs from girl-next-door into intrepid justice-seeker - in the name of love, and with nary the bat of an eyelash. Lingering close-ups of her face as she tosses and turns in bed - the notion of launching her own amateur investigation weighing heavily upon her mind - would've fleshed things out nicely, but simply aren't included. Low budgets mean streamlined screenplays, and 'Missing Women' wastes no time in setting the stage for no frills-thrills - it's fresh-faced, soft-spoken leading lady bringing an endearing blend of pluck and vulnerability to the role of a shell-shocked widow who vanishes from society (hence the title) to re-invent herself as pre-Charles Bronson avenging angel.
Monday, October 22, 2007
Missing Women (1951)
Labels: Republic Pictures
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5 comments:
Wow. This sounds like a fun little cheapy. Does anyone know where I could get my hands on a copy of this one?
I agree with Frank. I want to ask Steve to ensure that every article, no matter who writes it, indicate clearly whether the film in question is available and in what format(s), but I don't see how to contact him.
I don't even have a copy of this one... so I'm not sure where to get it except from Mr. darkdave. Can't wait to see it, though.
Some of these NOTW's are very hard to find and are written by various people. If the film is available on commercial DVD or VHS, I will usually add a link to buy it. If you don't see a link it's probably not available. I recommend you look at sites like Yammering Mag Pie, ebay or Ioffer.com which sell most of the titles mentioned- the quality of these vary greatly however.
Anonymous,
I don't feel it's the reviewers responsibility to make mention of a film's availability. One can very easily Google a title adding vhs or dvd to the search to determine that.
Dave
Dave,
I'm the individual who anonymously wished that every article indicate whether the film is available and in which format(s). Yes, one could Google under the title, but this isn't always a reliable way to find out. (For example, if the title doesn't appear in such a search, is it because it was never available or that it was at one time but is now out of print?) It may not be the reviewer's responsibility, as you wrote, but if he does know, he should provide such information as a public service. Sharing such information is a generous act that helps the community of noir lovers.
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