It must be a mass hypnosis thing where Rita Hayworth's sex appeal/beauty makes men suspend critical judgement, and the fact so many stars such as Glenn Ford and Frank Sinatra loved her so much also caused people to suspend critical thinking.
First of all, a correction - Frank Sinatra was in love with Ava Gardner, who was his second wife. Sinatra and Rita Hayworth made one film together,
Pal Joey (1958). While they seemed to have liked and respected each other, they were not, to my knowledge, ever romantically linked. Glenn Ford was in love with Rita; he was one of the few men in her life who loved her for herself, rather than her star image. Victor Mature was another. Rita Hayworth, was by all accounts, a very shy, insecure, but gentle person who went out of her way to do the best work she could and get along with others. She did lack formal education, but that was not her doing; her controlling and abusive father made her the family breadwinner by making her his dancing partner when she was just 12 years old. It left her with a sense of insecurity and this, coupled with her traumatic childhood, made her vulnerable to other abusive and controlling men. People who knew her well felt sympathy for her and felt protective towards her. She was also, when in the company of people she trusted, very humorous. Yes, she was beautiful, but she was also very talented and a very caring person. I don't think it's hard to figure out why she was adored by so many people, including most of her leading men.
Hawkinssouth has fleshed the plot of this film out very well. While I agree with the assertions in other threads of this board that there was a homosexual and/or homoerotic vibe to the dynamic between Johnny and Ballin early in the film, I disagree with the notion that some on this board (although not in this particular thread) think that it is the driving force of the narrative or the overall story. It isn't.
The reason why Ballin is not developed much as a character is because he's not intended to be - he is the villain of the story, and it is revealed soon after Gilda arrives on the scene. While he is possessive of his wife, he does get a perverse pleasure out of the fact that she and Johnny have a volatile history, but he never really expects anything to happen between them. But when it gets right down to it, Ballin has no genuine, caring or loving feelings toward Gilda or Johnny. His agenda to rule the world and the power he anticipates it will bring is paramount to him. Johnny, while trying to remain "loyal" to his boss has strong, unresolved feelings for Gilda and this threatens to impair his judgement. He spends most of the movie fighting himself, even though Gilda calls him on it and he gives in once they are truly alone (in her bedroom, no less) and hates himself for it. Not just for the betrayal of his boss (and Gilda's husband) but for the fact that he allowed himself to kiss her and that it could have gone further. He's still attracted to her and despises himself for it. His need to control her is also a need to control himself. While his main motive was to punish her for what he perceived as her carrying on with other men, he clearly doesn't trust himself around her and feels that he may end up falling for her again. He probably never stopped loving her but the anger and hurt that transpired between them in the past motivates his actions.
Gilda was trying to get Johnny back, and also to hurt him in the way that he hurt her. While Gilda puts on an act, the love she feels for Johnny is still evident. She may have followed Johnny to Argentina, or found out some other way where he was and what he was doing so she used Ballin as a way to be near Johnny again.
Trivia:
Gilda was Glenn Ford's personal favorite of all his films. Not really difficult to figure out why. He loved working with Rita Hayworth, but this movie was very special to him. Their chemistry in all their films was apparently very real.
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hawkinssouth
8 years ago
Interesting information! Do you happen to know anything about her relationship with Orson Welles? I think they had a child together ....
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Noirdame79
8 years ago
Rita's relationship with Orson Welles started on a positive note; he was in a career slump and he had a lot of time to spend with her. After their marriage, Welles became increasing distracted by work and this left Rita feeling very neglected. He also wasn't much of a father to their daughter, Rebecca. By the time she made Gilda she and Welles were headed toward separation. Glenn Ford could sense that she was unhappy and she turned to him for comfort and support. Welles was also unfaithful and Rita knew it. Rita and Glenn ended their affair as soon as filming was over (and it would not be the last time they were romantically involved, unfortunately, the timing was never right for them to be together), but Orson found out about it later and showed up at Ford's house waving a gun, demanding that Glenn come outside. Luckily, that incident passed quickly when the police were called. When Orson was preparing The Lady From Shanghai he was told by Harry Cohn that Rita should be in the picture, and he agreed, as he owed Cohn money. Although the divorce papers had been drawn up, Rita didn't sign them because during filming she and Welles were briefly reconciled, but when he began fooling around with other women (again) she went through with the divorce. However, she always spoke of him with kindness, and he did the same where she was concerned. Welles always maintained that he loved her, but his work came first.
That's pretty much the gist of it.
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