Slightly better than average yet engaging mystery/film noir about a telephone operator opening a Dear Jane letter then deciding to go out with a wolf(Raymond Burr of all people) only to return home not knowing what happened and hearing about the wolf's ugly homicide. Anne Baxter plays Nora the lead role as the Blue Gardenia - a name given to the murderess by a famous reporter from the local newspaper. In fact, the script, while maybe not overly imaginative in the conclusion of the film, has some snappy dialog and interesting points. The Blue Gardenia actually means at least four things in the movie: the murderess's newspaper's title, the name of the night club where Burr and Baxter go that fatal evening, a hit" song by Nat King Cole(who sings it in person at the club), and lastly as the flower of the night club sold by a blind woman. The film was directed by Fritz Lang and though effective in many ways - not up to what one might expect from that legendary director. Lang has some marvelous scenes. Two particularly jump out when Nora was at Burr's apartment and then when Baxter starts to feel pressure from all over - over her possible guilt. Lang manages to bring some real angst to these scenes, but more often than not - much of the film seems pedestrian by his standards. Nonetheless, The Blue Gardenia is entertaining. Baxter, Burr, Richard Conte as the newspaperman, George Reeves as a cop, and Ann Sothern all do good jobs acting and bringing their characters some depth. The ending is decidedly weak as some solution to the film's problems comes way too readily and unconvincingly ala deus ex machina.
Review of The Blue Gardenia
