mitchflorida says > I didn't see much of it on-screen. Hedy was hot to trot, but Clark Gable was a bit of a cold fish.
I get frustrated when people make comments that, in my opinion, show they were either not paying attention or they failed to understand the plot and didn't pick up on the actors' nuanced performances.
The characters in the movie, Mac and Theodore, were not supposed to have a lot of chemistry between them. That's not what brought them together. They were thrown into a situation neither of them expected or wanted to be in.
Mac did find Theodore to be a beautiful woman but he wasn't particularly fond of her or her political beliefs. In fact, he had been working against the kind of ideology she supported. He complimented her and pretended he agreed in order to convince her to leave the country with him.
It was pretty much the same for Theodore. She may have found Mac attractive but her only focus was spreading her Communist views. She played along with him saying she was willing to go to the U.S. but it was only a ruse. She wasn't going to do anything until she had him checked out.
They were both doing whatever was necessary to get what they wanted. Mac, a confirmed bachelor and lady's man, got married. Theodore, believing she could spread Communism to the much-hated U.S., was willing to move there - after her mentor, Bastakoff, approved, of course. Still, once she learned Mac did not share her beliefs, she was willing to have him arrested and jailed.
Theirs was not a romance, so it had to be played that way. The two characters only started caring about each other as a result of spending time together, escaping death, and fleeing their would-be captors. Even then it would never have amounted to anything if Theodore hadn't come to see the hypocrisy of her mentor and his philosophy.
Woman, man! That's the way it should be Tarzan. [Tarzan and his mate]
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korevette
8 years ago
Your analysis was correct. I read a lot in some of the comments made by fans or critics when they are viewing a movie and almost immediately condemn it cause the leading actors had no chemistry. I still say, its up to the writers to give the actors the words and the scenes to make that chemistry to happen.
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mdonln
8 years ago
korevette says > Your analysis was correct. I read a lot in some of the comments made by fans or critics when they are viewing a movie and almost immediately condemn it cause the leading actors had no chemistry.
Thanks! I get the impression a lot of the comments come from people who take things completely out of context. When they don't understand the movie, they bash it. I do the same thing some times.
I still say, its up to the writers to give the actors the words and the scenes to make that chemistry to happen.
If chemistry is required, maybe the script could help but I think it starts with casting. In this movie the chemistry would not have worked. Early on they're not supposed to even like each other so both the script and the casting was fine.
Woman, man! That's the way it should be Tarzan. [Tarzan and his mate]
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