JohnHowardReid Despite extensive location lensing on actual French locations, this movie emerges as a somewhat tepid chase thriller when viewed in a theatre. On the Payless DVD, however, it comes across like gang busters. Set against a backdrop of thrilling natural backgrounds, the script rouses the interest right from the start. Admittedly, the green glove itself is not much to get excited over, but what does stir the soul are the rugged mountainous exteriors which are all utilized most effectively for plenty of action thrills by director Rudolph Maté and ace cinematographer Claude Renoir. Admittedly, both photography and direction look dull on a cinema screen, but on the home screen they are both transformed and come across most effectively. True, Glenn Ford has turned in better and far more charismatic portrayals than his somewhat listless, ex-G.I. hero who seems outclassed by both the feminine lead, Geraldine Brooks, and by villainous George Macready. Alas, the unconvincing parish priest, Sir Cedric Hardwicke, poses no threat in the acting stakes. He is also somewhat undone (1) by the fact that he is obviously not French and (2) because the script forces him to play his scenes twice!

blanche-2 The amazing locations are the real stars of "The Gauntlet" from 1952. Rudy Mate directs Glenn Ford, Geraldine Brooks, George MacCready, and Cedric Hardwicke in this film, which takes place during and after World War II.Filmed in black and white in Monte Carlo and Paris, the scenery is eye-popping, particularly the mountain on which a church stands. It's a shame this movie wasn't in color.The story concerns Michael Blake (Ford) who captures a Nazi collaborator, who has in his possession a relic from a church - a jewel-encrusted long glove. Michael leaves it with the family who rescued him, due to the fact that he was injured and couldn't bring it back to the states.Mike's luck after the war isn't good, so he returns to France to retrieve the glove. He has people following him, a dead guy who turns up, and his flirtation with a tour guide (Brooks) causes a problem when her apartment is searched. Then the Nazi collaborator (MacCready) turns up.Other than the scenery, this isn't much of a movie. The plot isn't skillfully put together and it's convoluted, so it was hard to follow.For some reason, Sir Cedric Hardwicke is in this film playing a priest and he has absolutely nothing to do. George MacCready is an effective villain. Geraldine Brooks' performance can only be described as frantic. One thing about Glenn Ford - he was never frantic. They make an odd match. Ford to me anyway is always likable, but it was hard to relate to these characters in this disjointed film.Disappointing.

ksneath Being a fan of Glenn Ford, I sought out this unknown little film on DVD. I was hoping for at least a mediocre wrapping around which to view Ford. The comments here seem to be mostly lackluster and quick to point out detracting qualities of the film.However, after viewing, I am happy to say that I was pleasantly surprised. It's not an Oscar winner, but it is good entertainment. I enjoyed the scenario in which we see the end of the story playing out at the beginning, and then jump back in time to discover how we arrived at this end, and indeed, the truth of what we have witnessed.Early in the morning at a little mountain village in France, a priest is startled by the toll of bells coming from the church tower. The bells have not rung for centuries, since the gauntlet (the green glove) of a war hero to whom the church is dedicated had been stolen. They must only ring again when the gauntlet is returned. The priest runs into the church to find the gauntlet still missing. Wondering of the reason for the tolling, he runs up the tower, where he finds the body of a dead man. Proceeding up to the bells themselves, he finds them tolling vigorously but the tower empty. Puzzled and disturbed, the priest proceeds back down the tower, only to find the gauntlet safely in its place! What has happened here... why and how did the bells toll and the gauntlet reappear? Who is the dead man, and why is he dead? Is there a plausible explanation, or was it a mystical occurrence? As we watch the rest of the film, we will find out.While some have thought that the characters were shallow and uninvolved, I thought that the interaction between Ford and Brooks was entertaining, if not philosophically deep. This is a smart little suspense flick, and the plot provides enough curves and dips that my interest was easily held. I for one enjoyed the character of Geraldine Brooks -- the bubbly, energetic young lady who is attracted to Ford but unaware of the reasons for the events surrounding her. I also enjoyed the little hiatus at the secluded inn, where our protagonists play the parts of newlyweds.The things that I enjoyed the least while viewing were the print of the film on the DVD itself, and the rather intrusive and cheap score. Of course, the film is not to be blamed for the print (Alpha Video), but the viewing does suffer somewhat, as it is not a studio release. It is watchable, but both video and audio are rather murky. The score, however, I felt was overbearing at times and reminded me of a the dramatic score of a cheap 30's B western.All-in-all, however, very worth viewing. Particularly if you are a fan of suspense or Glenn Ford, and can bear a less-than-perfect print. Recommended.

djensen1 Occasionally charming foreign adventure/romance with Glenn Ford as a down-on-his-luck American returning to post-war France to retrieve the title treasure he found during the war and becoming entangled with cops, bad guys, and tour guide Geraldine Brooks. Lovely Brooks has a wonderful girl-next-door quality, but the 50s priggishness makes the romance tiresome at times.The whole affair has a nice Hitchcockian feel, altho Hitch would never have been so priggish--with either with the sex or the violence. Director Rudolph Mate was the cinematographer for Hitch on Foreign Correspondent and other A-list directors in the 40s but had already directed several films himself by the time he did The Green Glove, including the classic DOA in 1950, with Edmund O'Brien.Still, something is missing. Ford remains a cipher thruout; we don't get the feel of desperation that Hitch (or his leading men) was so good at conveying. Ford was a battle-hardened lieutenant in the war, yet it doesn't seem to help him much against the bad guys. Brooks is clingy, yet coy. A European dame, sexier and more independent, might have been a more interesting choice. (This is one of those stories where the leads have to pretend to be married at one point, thereby forcing them to be titillatingly intimate, right? Wrong: Mate blows it by having them demand separate rooms anyway!) The climax is good, if a bit predictable. But the exciting mountain chase down a goat trail feels a bit like a setting in search of a story, since we know from the opening scene that the story doesn't end there. Overall, it's a good A-picture adventure that could have benefited from a bit of B-picture sex and violence.