Mediocre.
This is another of the films that Errol Flynn made during the 50s, a decade that corresponds to the physical and artistic decline of the actor. Increasingly sidelined by American studios, he settled in Europe. This film was filmed in France, and is the result of a partnership between Flynn and director William Marshall, with much of the script written by Flynn himself.
The story is a romantic drama set in New Orleans, during the years preceding the American Civil War, and shows the downfall of an important and wealthy family in the city. It all begins with the discreet romance between the Creole maid Lea Mariotte and her young boss George Brissac, an amoral bourgeois who plans to inherit his uncle's fortune and marry a young woman from a good family. After an incident where she kills a man, she is saved from the gallows by Fabian, a ship's captain, who has personal reasons for antagonizing the Brissacs. He takes care of her and falls in love with her, but doesn't tell her. She, in turn, takes the opportunity to return to her lover Brissac's arms, forcing him to marry her after seeing him murder his uncle. Of course, she's a smart, ambitious woman, and none of the men realized that.
The script has some good aspects, but overall it is very weak. The basic idea is good: a cunning woman, who uses various tricks to get where she wants, climbing an arduous social ladder dictated by money and family prestige. The character building also works decently: the three central characters (Lea, George and Fabian) are rich and psychologically elaborate. But the virtues of Flynn's text end there. His writing is excessively erratic, failing to create a uniform thread of logic. For example, it makes no sense for Lea to return to George after him, for fear of accusing himself, almost letting her be hanged, and it makes even less sense for her to say she is so in love with Fabian. His actions are also illogical: we never understand why he is angry with the Brissacs, or why he buys the tavern.
The cast features well-known names. Personally, I think Micheline Presle is the actress who deserves the most applause here, with a very consistent and intense interpretation of her character. In addition, she has a pleasant French accent that fits well in a film that takes place in a former French colony like Louisiana. Vincent Price also delivers a good dramatic performance, albeit a relatively restrained one. Agnes Moorehead barely appears on the scene. As for Flynn… if he had the idea of being the protagonist, he ended up becoming, in practice, a mere supporting actor in his own film.
Technically, the film has fairly regular cinematography and some good sets. The costumes are equally interesting, if not really remarkable. The characterization work is mediocre, though, and aside from some fire and explosions, there aren't any major effects to consider. The soundtrack is also very weak and the film's title is wrong.
