Ian
(Flash Review)Not sure if the poor quality Amazon picture transfer degraded or distracted my enjoyment of this as the picture was far from sharp. Anyway, this has a clever little plot for a Film Noir. The film opens with the heroine standing over a man she has just shot and then wishes she could rewind the past. Poof, the story rewinds back one full year yet she can remember what will happen in the future year. Will she be able to avoid last year's life choices that lead her down the path of murder? I may need to try a Netflix DVD for a rewatch but at first pass the film didn't have enough suspense to feel gripping and the pacing felt slower without enough tension to keep me fully engaged.
blanche-2
Joan Leslie stars with Louis Hayward, Tom Conway, Richard Basehart, and Virginia Field in "Repeat Performance" from 1947.I actually saw what I thought was a very good TV movie version of this - "Turn Back the Clock" with Connie Selleca, David Dukes, Jere Burns, Gene Barry, and Dina Merrill. Leslie plays a stage actress, Sheila Page who, at the very beginning of the film, on New Year's Eve, shoots her husband. Panicked, she meets up with a close friend, William, and heads for a New Year's party at her producer's (Tom Conway) apartment. She says she wishes she could do the whole year over. When she turns to her friend, he's gone, she's in last year's gown, and the New Year's Eve party is for the previous year. She's gotten her wish.Well, we know how these things usually turn out -- but the way it turns out is interesting, to say the least.This is a noirish film, and everyone is very good - Leslie is glammed-up and appropriately confused. Hayward is effective as an obnoxious drunk, Field an arch femme fatale, and Basehart as a good friend. I have to admit, in "Turn Black the Clock," things are a little more fleshed out, especially the Basehart and Field roles, and I actually liked that aspect better.Nevertheless, this is a fascinating film from the '40s.
hpssahni-1
I watched the very first screening of 35 mm restoration of this movie at Noir city film festival at San Francisco and I am glad, i did that.This is a story of Broadway actress Sheila Page, who gets to live one year of her life on new year eve of 1947 in the roaring city of New York to correct a mistake she just committed. Movie depicts the misery of a failed writer, who lives under the shadow of his famous actress wife and the efforts that actress does to save her marriage. Director beautifully captured the night life, party culture of New York city enjoyed by high society of late 40s era. One scene makes it quite obvious that women were still considered a second class citizen in front of men during that period of time. Also, There are many one liner funny dialogs in the movie that keeps viewer entertained along with well paced movie plot. Overall, this is a funny, entertaining and quite well made mystery movie.
dolytuov
The beginning scene was the only thing that I remembered about this film when I first saw it 40+ years ago. When recently scouring through EPIX and saw the synopsis for it, I watched it. It's and interesting movie, not great, but considering the trip Hollywood is producing today, it is entertaining.The scene is New Year's Eve and Joan Leslie plays a Broadway star, married to Louis Hayward, who has been unsuccessful in writing another Broadway smash. He is an alcoholic brute who is having an affair with Virginia Fields. Joan's wish is to relieve the year and avoid certain events hoping for a different outcome.
AD
