Vita rubata

This movie is rarely seen in the United States. This is a shame. This film is filled with suspense, atmosphere and poetry, from its visuals to its score.

There is a hint of German Expressionism here, as in all Noir movies of the forties and fifties. (This was made in 1946 by a studio in Mexico City.) Del Rio is statuesque and, at the same time, vulnerable. Her work in the silent era informs this performance. I have a feeling Billy Wilder had a glance at this. It preceded SUNSET BOULEVARD by a few years, and Del Rio could very easily have played Norma Desmond.

The other actors here are solid, and they each have doppelgängers. (Del Rio plays twins.) There is a good guy who courts the protagonist and there's a bad guy doing the same.

There is a mood of regret bordering on a fear of damnation and Del Rio conveys this mood with her face. Mexico City looks holy, haunted and hard, what with the monumental stonework in every shot.

1946 may have been the best time to film this, and Mexico the best place. Nothing is overt, but it is a daring, dramatic look at a life lived under the surface.