1941 film by Jean Negulesco
Singapore Woman is a 1941 American romantic drama film directed by Jean Negulesco and starring Brenda Marshall, David Bruce and Virginia Field.[1] The Warner Bros. B picture is a remake of Dangerous (1935) using leftover sets from The Letter (1940). The story was based on Laird Doyle's short Hard Luck Dame. At one point both Ida Lupino and Jeffrey Lynn were attracted to the project and the latter received a suspension from the studio after refusing to do the role.[2] Although Negulesco was the sole-credited director, he left the production and the film was completed by producer Harlan Thompson.[3]
Synopsis
In Singapore troubled heiress Vicki Moore believes she has a jinx on her due to the curse hurled at her by the widow of a man she supposedly drove to suicide after playing with his emotions leading to the collapse soon afterwards of her own father's business. One night David Ritchie, a former associate of her father, encounters her drunk on gin in a waterfront bar. He takes her back to his rubber plantation and tries to give her a fresh start in life.
Cast
Critical reception
A review in trade magazine The Hollywood Reporter described it as "melodramatic to the point of narrowly escaping absurdity" and felt that "Negulesco's artistic pretensions are labored, and the histrionics he inspires, empty".[4]
References
Bibliography
- Capua, Michelangelo. Jean Negulesco: The Life and Films. McFarland 2017.
- Fetrow, Alan G. Feature Films, 1940-1949: a United States Filmography. McFarland, 1994.
External links
