The Flame (1947) User Reviews

an old plot but atmospheric

[blanche-2 · 6/10 · 24 October 2021]

"The Flame" from 1947 is a B film starring John Carroll, Vera Ralston, Robert Paige, Broderick Crawford, and Victor Sen Yung.

In the beginning of the story, George McAllister (John Carroll) shoots someone. He goes home, calls the cops to report it, and then, while waiting to be arrested, reads a letter sent to him by Carlotta (Ralston).

The film dissolves into flashback. Carlotta is a nurse in the home of Barry McAllister (Paige). He apparently has some disease and not a tremendous amount of time to live. On this particular evening, Carlotta has some harsh words for Barry. However, the next day, he proposes, and she accepts.

Turns out the harsh words were to express her discontent with living there and force him into a proposal. Carlotta is actually in love with Barry's brother George. Since George is not in Barry's will, having Carlotta marry him is the way to get to his money.

Things - no surprise - don't go as planned. First of all, Carlotta begins to realize that all the stories George has told her about Barry aren't true, and that he does care about his brother.

Then, Broderick Crawford enters the scene and blackmails George.

Vera Ralston was Czech; here she's supposed to be French, though she has a Czech accent. Though limited as an actress, she is okay in this role. Victor Sen Yung has a small part, but he is effective. Carroll is a good bad guy, and Paige is a good nice guy.

Barry's big house lends some neat atmosphere.

Is This The Dame Who Is Known As 'The Flame'?

[boblipton · 6/10 · 25 May 2020]

John Carroll has spent all his inherited money and lives on what his brother, Robert Paige gives him. He's a good egg, and when Carroll fell ill, Paige hired nurse Vera Ralston for him. They fell in love and were going to be married, until she changed her mind and married Paige. Now here's Broderick Crawford, blackmailing Carroll lest he Tell All.

Under director John Auer, this one hits almost all the Film Noir tags: movie told mostly in flashback, femme fatale -- although Mrs. Herbert Yates, as she was known when the credits weren't rolling, is one of those inadvertent types who changes her mind more or less honestly, perhaps -- quirky angles, dark lighting...... except no Venetian blinds, for some reason. It's also well acted, except for Mrs. Yates, who is typically wooden and whining in her performance. Republic was quite capable of footing the bill on a pretty good movie, and did so, except for the female lead. Her husband wanted to make her a star, despite a lack of interest in anyone not on his payroll. THe result is pretty good anyway.

mainly routine melodrama

[goblinhairedguy · 5/10 · 6 November 2005]

"The Flame" is a dark but disappointingly routine melodrama of the seen-it-a-million-times-before variety. A French nurse, in cahoots with her sleazy American lover, agrees to marry his ailing half-brother in order to gain his wealth. Guess what -- she begins to fall for the bore (who whiles away the hours playing dirges on his Hammond organ).

John Auer was one of the more talented directors working in the B-movie mill of the 40s, and he injects the picture with enough visual panache to give it a professional veneer and subtle moodiness. But what can you do with this cast from hell -- particularly Vera Ralston, at her most wooden (her voice-over narration is practically indecipherable).

A couple of reels into the film, things briefly perk up when a young Broderick Crawford unexpectedly slides into the narrative as a dour potential blackmailer who gets wise to the scam. Even better, his sometime girlfriend is a sexy cabaret performer played by the always fascinating Constance Dowling -- her Gilda-style song and dance routine gives Auer a chance to show his licks. But the brittleness all dissolves pretty quickly into some very unwelcome sentimentality towards the end.

Melodramatic noir at its finest

[jarrodmcdonald-1 · 5 April 2022]

This was a lavish production that Republic Pictures boss Herbert Yates assembled for his leading lady Vera Ralston. Previously, she had starred in ice skating musicals, horror-suspense dramas and westerns. But now she would be showcased, alongside frequent leading man John Carroll, in a prestigious postwar noir.

Two things draw us into the story during the initial sequence. First, the art direction is amazing- elaborate sets with high ceilings, huge staircases and wide hallways. Second, the acting is at once engaging. Nobody plays a world-weary rogue the way Mr. Carroll does. He kills a blackmailer (Broderick Crawford) on New Year's Eve with considerable ease, like getting rid of a pesky housefly.

Only the blackmailer gets a shot in, too- and now Carroll has taken one in the back. Returning to his swanky penthouse apartment, he's greeted by his asian houseboy (Victor Sen Yung) and fails to mention the fact he's dying. He will bleed to death and recall the events that led up this fateful night. Cue the flashbacks, and there are plenty.

This is when we meet the other main characters which include Carroll's brother (Robert Paige) and the brother's nurse (Ralston). We learn that Carroll resented his well-to-do brother, whom he was forced to depend on for handouts. As a result, he brought Miss Ralston into the mix as a caregiver/swindler.

The idea was for Ralston to help bilk the brother out of his fortune, then she and Carroll would run off together. But of course, things haven't gone according to the original plan. She's fallen for the brother and has married the brother for love not money. She finds his organ playing somewhat endearing, if not his disapproving aunt (Blanche Yurka), who is anything but endearing.

The brother's seaside residence is also home to a talkative maid (Hattie McDaniel) and features house calls from a good doctor (Henry Travers). Later there is a visit from a singer "friend" of Ralston's (Constance Dowling) who has gotten chummy with Carroll and Crawford in town.

Mr. Crawford has some of the film's best moments. He plays a cad who gloms on to the scheme that Carroll and Ralston cooked up. He threatens exposure if Carroll doesn't come up with some serious dough. In the best noir tradition, blackmailers live short lives and this, as we saw during the opening sequence, is no exception.

In addition to the strong performances, the film benefits from a huge budget. That makes it a certain hit with audiences but not profitable, due to Yates' overspending. At every turn there are ornate furnishings, artistic camera angles and zoom shots (before those were fashionable in Hollywood) that show off the film's rich design. Also, because this is melodramatic noir, director John Auer and cinematographer Reggie Lanning indulge in chiaroscuro techniques that accentuate both the light and shadow in these framed compositions.

The title concentrates on the aspects of light in the story. While Ralston and Carroll may have been old flames, a new flame now burns for the brother. This is brought into focus during a key scene inside the family chapel, where Ralston has a heart-to-heart talk with the doctor. The organ music and religious tones that permeate the narrative provide an intended holiness, as a crooked nurse turns angel and becomes the best wife a man could have.

Can style triumph over substance?

[michaelprescott-00547 · 6/10 · 2 May 2023]

The Flame is an interesting test of the theory that in cinematic art, style matters more than story. If it does, The Flame should be a near masterpiece. Graced with a generous budget despite its Poverty Row origins, the movie offers complex camera moves (starting with its impressive opening shot), elegant lighting, slick art design, and first-rate cinematography. So it's a winner, right?

Meh, not so much. All that eye candy can't make up for a slow-paced, listless, overly familiar story, which generates no dramatic tension and little emotion of any kind, other than a quasi-religious sentimentality that seems weirdly out of place in a film of this genre.

The performances are okay, with Crawford the standout and the much-maligned Vera Ralston doing a capable job. But given the decent cast, high production value, and stylistic razzle-dazzle, The Flame should be a lot better than it is.

Cain's plan, while acceptable in his own eyes, was not acceptable to the Lord.

[ulicknormanowen · 7/10 · 4 October 2020]

Another variation on the Cain and Abel tale , the movie has biblical accents , particularly in the church where thanks to what one can call a divine intervention,the fortune-hunter fiancee has a revelation , which reawakens her scruples ,and brings her back on the straight and narrow.Like the men ,this woman has a double ,a cabaret artist.

The Christian side of the movie finds an unexpected echo in Chang's confucius-inspired wise philosophies ;not exactly a film noir,but a movie of redemption ,well acted.

FILM-NOIR BY WAY OF GOTHIC ROMANCE...HEAVY-HANDED RELIGIOSITY

[LeonLouisRicci · 7/10 · 11 August 2021]

One of Martin Scorsesse's Picks, while Combing the "Republic" Archives, Destined for Restoration, and Therefore Reconsideration.

The Film Impresses with Luscious Visuals, a Proven Stalwart Plot of Brother Against Brother (Cain & Able) and a Jump-Starting Broderick Crawford in Act II.

A Good Sleazy and Slimy Lead with John Carrol and a Spunky Slippery "Tramp-Singer" Constance Dowling Add the Dark-Side Duo to the Mix of Good v Evil Melodrama.

There's a Heavy-Handedness to some Religiosity like a Church-Beam of Light Announcing a Revelation and a Prayer Redemption Asked of the Cross.

Dirges on the Hammond from the "Diagnosed a Death Sentence" Good -Guy Accompanies the Doomed Situation of a Dying Man.

Soon to be Dead-Guy is the Victim of a Plot to Inherit His Millions by His Brother in Cahoots with His Lover to Collect the Dough.

His Lover is Played by Vera Ralston, Once Rumored to be the "Worst Actress in Hollywood", but She's Not All That, just Burdened with a Heavy Czech Accent.

The Movie is Better than Average of its Type with a Sumptuous Visual Palette and some Good, if Cliched Characters.

Note...Constance Dowling's night-club Rip-Off, complete with a black satin clinging dress, of Rita Hayworth in "Gilda" (1946) is a high-light.

Blackmailing the blackmailer.

[planktonrules · 8/10 · 14 December 2019]

"The Flame" stars John Carroll, a second-tier actor who made a living mostly playing sleazy or cocky guys. In many ways, he's Republic studio's answer to Dan Duryea. In the second lead is Vera Ralston, the girlfriend of the head of the studio that made the picture. While her Czech accent was problematic, she was pretty good in this movie...although she has a reputation as a terrible actress who only got to where she did because of her connections. Regardless, she's good in this picture.

The story begins with George (John Carroll) shooting someone to death. In the process, he himself is shot. Soon, he phones the police to report the killing...and then the film goes into flashback mode where it stays most of the picture. Oddly, occasionally the viewpoint changes from his to his ex-girlfriend (Ralston)...something that seems sloppy when they both address the camera. In other words, is it his story to tell or hers? Regardless, the tale is about blackmail and it's an odd case where another blackmailer discovers the blackmail and begins to blackmail the original blackmailer! What exactly is going on here? Watch the film.

Despite the changing narration and Ralston's odd accent (she's supposed to be French...but just sounds Czech), the plot is quite engaging and the film is very well written considering it comes from Republic...a studio mostly known for B-movies...and mostly with cowboys. It is a very unique film...one that is excellent for folks who want to see something gritty and different.

By the way, although Victor Sen Yung was not a big-time actor, mostly assigned to secondary roles such as playing sons for Charlie Chan, here he really showed his talents in a scene late in the movie. A tiny scene...but an amazingly well acted one.

Lavish staircase but no tension

[garryscarff · 4/10 · 23 January 2023]

So dull I spent the middle part of the action re-casting the lead roles to James Stewart as Barry, Ingrid Bergman as Carlotta and Clark Gable as George, Broderick Crawford escaped the cull. The plot starts brightly, the house, the amazing staircase and the uninspiring Barry's organ playing are so 'Dracula's Castle' but the middle thirty or so minutes is so heavily padded with superficial and insincere romantic interludes it becomes mind numbingly dull. How do the characters manage to afford an appartment with designer furniture, modern lighting and curtains (if they bother to ever draw them) when they are scraping around for ten bucks ?

Underrated little film noir

[searchanddestroy-1 · 8/10 · 28 October 2020]

John H Auer was a major director at Republic Pictures and gave some good films, with the major star of the studio, John Carroll, who also served under Allan Dwann's direction. In this film noir, he is not brilliant but good enough to face Broderick Crawford, whom I did not expect in a Republic film. A classic story for a film noir, with a tepid Vera Ralston performance. Only the ending is very interesting, dark, gloomy and reminds me the end of LE DOULOS, from film maker Jean-Pierre Melville.

A sow's ear

[jean-suchard · 1/10 · 11 October 2020]

I could not believe how this script could have been accepted by Republic for a movie until I read that the female lead was a favorite of the studio's founder and owner. He actually married her a few years later. Need I write more? It is one of the worst scripts ever to make it to celluloid. Here are a few lines:The doctor says, "You see, I watched him grow up in this world and now I'm faced with the unhappy task of supervising his departure from it." or the brother saying, "Her smile when she gives it is an instant of complete happiness. The touch of her hands is a lifetime of pleasure. Make her my wife will be achievement of all the beautiful dreams I've ever known." The Chinese servant opines on love, "The better she is, the harder to lose. ... Some day everybody lose everybody. That is why Chang never fall in love with girl again. If she mean all the world to you and you lose her, then you have lost the whole world world. If she mean more than life to you and you lose her, then you have lost all of life. But if she mean more than your soul to you and you lose her, then you have lost your own soul." And as a final example, the females exchange words, "You mean George McAllister? -- I don't mean George Washington." No-one ever talked like these people.

The plot is convoluted with Broderick Crawford in a trench coat looking like wandered in off a different sound stage as if he were in another movie, just to complicate matters. It is difficult to care about any of the characters because they appear so unreal. They are all saying lines that are stupid and none of them are acting much as there is no call for them to show much emotion. How could they? They story is too bizarre. You cannot make a silk purse from a sow's ear, as the Chinaman might say.

Great intriguing expectations turning into a sordid nightmare

[clanciai · 9/10 · 14 July 2022]

Surprisingly interesting and fascinating for being branded as a B-feature, this is a fascinating web of relationships and how they get disturbed. John Carroll is a better actor than his reputation, and here he smears his part with a suavity which greatly enhances the general intriguing character of the plot. Robert Paige is his half brother, who apparently suffers from some incurable and mortal disease and constantly plays the organ in his rich millionaire's mansion by the sea - the settings here are extremely romantic and luxurious, like in "Rebecca". It appears that the brothers are in love with the same girl, Vera Ralston, who is engaged as a nurse for Paige, who falls in love with her and wants to marry her, strongly against his aunt's wishes, who rules the house. The fact that Carroll hasn't given up on Ralston is observed by a blackmailer, Broderick Crawford, as nasty as ever, which complicates things. He on his side has another girl, Constance Dowling, who makes a spectacular performance in a night club - this film is made in the "Gilda" year - which could be seen as the highlight of the film. The rhythm of the film is dead slow, you don't understand much of the intrigue to begin with, until gradually the skies are clearing and the clouds lifting, and the plot appears as gloomy and fatal as you could well wish for any classical noir. This is definitely underrated and should deserve a place in the canon of the best noirs.