Tue 28 Jun 2016
A Movie Review by Jonathan Lewis: THE GOLDEN SALAMANDER (1950).
Posted by Steve under Crime Films , Reviews[3] Comments
THE GOLDEN SALAMANDER. General Film Distributors, UK, 1950. Eagle-Lion Classics, US, 1951. Trevor Howard, Anouk, Herbert Lom, Walter Rilla, Miles Malleson, Jacques Sernas, Wilfrid Hyde-White. Based on the book by Victor Canning. Director: Ronald Neame.
Despite the occasionally languid pacing, The Golden Salamander is overall an enjoyably cerebral British thriller. Directed by Ronald Neame, the movie features Trevor Howard as David Redfern, an English archaeologist dispatched to Tunisia to recover Etruscan antiquities and bring them back to the United Kingdom. While in the exotic confines of North Africa, Redfern stumbles both into love with Anna, a local French girl (Anouk Ameee) and upon a criminal gun running enterprise.
Much of the film deals with the ethical question of what is a man’s responsibility in the face of evil. Indeed, the titular golden salamander, albeit not a live one, has a prominent role in the movie. One of the antiquities Redfern (Howard) is meant to transport back to England is a statue of a salamander, and on the statue’s base is engraved a Greek aphorism about the necessity of not turning one’s eyes away from evil.
This has an indelible impact on Redfern’s psyche. It propels him into a life-altering decision. He’s simply not going to pretend that he isn’t aware of the illicit gun running taking place around him. Rather, he’s going to confront it head on, danger be damned. This course of action will affect not just him, however. It will also impact the burgeoning romantic relationship between him and Anna.
He’s also going to have to physically take on the cartel’s enforcer, a thuggish man by the name of Rankl (Herbert Lom). Corruption and murder envelop the couple as they make their way in and out of danger, ultimately forcing a showdown with the head of the crime syndicate whose identity may or may not surprise you.
Although packaged as part of a Kino Classics British Noir box set, The Golden Salamander isn’t really what one would think typically think of as a film noir. There’s really no doomed protagonist and the setting is a small village in Tunisia and not the post-war neon-lit American urban landscape. It’s simply a darn good British crime film/thriller, one that’s by no means a classic, but is nevertheless worth your time.
June 28th, 2016 at 4:44 pm
I was more enthusiastic when I reviewed this here, but agree to some extent. It isn’t noir despite some nourish touches (Wilfrid Hyde-White in what may be called the Hoagy Carmichael role), but an intelligent and well written British mystery film.
It suffers the longueurs a few times, but builds to a nice tense climax, and the quality of the acting, especially lead actor Trevor Howard and bad guys Lom and Rilla elevate this considerably.
June 28th, 2016 at 8:35 pm
David
Here’s the link to your earlier review:
https://mysteryfile.com/blog/?p=24347
I’ll quote your last line, which I think sums up your opinion of the movie quite nicely:
“This is a fine example of the British thriller at its near best, and a fine adaptation of one of Victor Canning’s best.”
June 28th, 2016 at 8:41 pm
I’m sure I have a copy of the same box set of of DVDs that Jon owns. When I get back home from my current long stay in beautiful downtown Burbank, I am really going to have to sit down and watch this one.