Black Widow (1954)

★ 6.3 1h 35m IMDb

Drama Mystery

When a young stage hopeful is found dead, suspicion falls on her mentor, a successful Broadway producer.

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Cast

Van Heflin as Peter Denver Died 1971 · Walters, Oklahoma, USA Emmett Evan “Van” Heflin Jr. (December 13, 1908 – July 23, 1971) was an American stage, radio, film, and television actor whose steady craftsmanship and versatility made him a respected character play...

Reginald Gardiner as Brian Mullen Died 1980 · London, England, UK Reginald Gardiner (27 February 1903 - 7 July 1980) was an English-born actor in film and television and a graduate of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in Britain. He made his film debut in 1926 in t...

Gene Tierney as Iris Denver Died 1991 · Brooklyn, New York, USA Gene Eliza Tierney (November 19, 1920 – November 6, 1991) was an American film and stage actress. Acclaimed as one of the great beauties of her day, she is best-remembered for her performance in the t...

Peggy Ann Garner as Nancy Ordway Died 1984 · Canton, Ohio, USA Peggy Ann Garner (February 3, 1932 – October 16, 1984) was an American actress. As a child actress, Garner had her first film role in 1938. She won the Academy Juvenile Award for her work in A Tree Gr...

Ginger Rogers as Carlotta Marin Died 1995 · Independence, Missouri, USA Ginger Rogers (July 16, 1911 – April 25, 1995) was an American actress, dancer, and singer who appeared in film, and on stage, radio, and television throughout much of the twentieth century. During h...

George Raft as Detective Bruce Died 1980 · Los Angeles, California, USA George Raft (born George Ranft; September 26, 1901 – November 24, 1980) was an American film actor and dancer identified with portrayals of gangsters in crime melodramas of the 1930s and 1940s. A styl...

Director Nunnally Johnson

Cast Van Heflin, Reginald Gardiner, Gene Tierney, Peggy Ann Garner, Ginger Rogers, George Raft, Virginia Leith, Otto Kruger, Cathleen Nesbitt, Skip Homeier

John Chard 7/10 Jun 09, 2019

The Black Widow, deadliest of all spiders, earned its dark title through its deplorable practice of devouring its mate.

The Black Widow, deadliest of all spiders, earned its dark title through its deplorable practice of devouring its mate.

Black Widow is written and directed by Nunally Johnson. It stars Ginger Rogers, Van Heflin, Gene Tierney, George Raft, Peggy Ann Garner and Reginald Gardiner. Music is by Leigh Harline and cinematograpgy by Charles G. Clarke.
A young writer insinuates herself into the life of a Broadway producer – with dire consequences…

A CinemaScope/De Luxe colour production out of 20th Century Fox, Black Widow flirts with the boundaries of colour film noir. Heflin is the Broadway producer who has his world turned upside by what at first we think is a femme fatale, only the pic isn’t as straight forward as that. In fact, the title is a bit of a bum steer for this is not about some male murdering femme fatale, quite the opposite in fact, so expectation of that will only cause disappointment.

Essentially this ends up as a who and why done it? And for the most part the pic holds the attention as the narrative pitches Peter Denver (Heflin) as the Broadway producer frantically trying to prove himself innocent of a murder. Cards are kept close to the chest as Johnson’s screenplay drips suspicion into the play at various points. We the audience are forced into questioning the manoeuvres of the lead protagonists, which gains momentum once Raft’s Detective Bruce starts investigating the case. However, some have cried out that the revelation was too easy to spot, maybe so if one is so desperate to do so, but of course we do hear this a lot from folk not happy with the film they have watched. Personally, I didn’t see it coming, but conversely, I was personally disappointed with the reveal. So, there you go, roll the dice and take a chance with it really.

Tech aspects are hit and miss. The CinemaScope format doesn’t quite work here, given that most of the play is performed in apartments. When it comes to the cityscapes of New York – and the framing of characters within them – it’s a treat, especially as Clarke’s colour lenses are splendid, but Johnson the director doesn’t appear to get a handle on the format. Acting is also an interesting parade. Heflin is great, draws you into his “on the run to clear my name” malarkey with conviction, while Rogers is having a blast as the waspish lead lady with delusions of grandeur. Raft is a one note let down in a “for the money” role, and Tierney (sadly getting closer to succumbing to her mental health problems) is poorly written and Gardiner likewise. Garner (stepping in when Maggie McNamara fell ill) is fine, slinky and suspiciously delicate, but the course of the story leaves us short of more from her.

As a whole? it’s a mixed bag, but definitely it’s on the good side of good, particularly for Heflin and Rogers fans and for those of a noir persuasion. 7/10