The Bribe (1949)

Federal agent Rigby, in Central America to trace stolen plane engines, falls for the gorgeous wife of the chief suspect.

Directors:

Robert Z. Leonard, Vincente Minnelli (uncredited)

Writers:

Marguerite Roberts (screen play), Frederick Nebel (short story)

Stars:

Robert Taylor, Ava Gardner, Charles Laughton

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Robert Taylor	...	Rigby
Ava Gardner	...	Elizabeth Hintten
Charles Laughton	...	J.J. Bealer
Vincent Price	...	Carwood
John Hodiak	...	Tug Hintten
Samuel S. Hinds	...	Dr. Warren
John Hoyt	...	Gibbs
Tito Renaldo	...	Emilio Gomez
Martin Garralaga	...	Pablo Gomez

Storyline

In pursuit of stolen aircraft engines on a Central American island, federal agent Rigby meets chief suspect Hintten and his wife Elizabeth, a sultry cafe singer; and is watched by Bealer, a "pie-shaped man" with sore feet. Rigby knows he's on the right track when Bealer offers him money to leave Carlota. When Rigby and Elizabeth are drawn to each other, the gang realizes there's more than one kind of bribe. Everybody sweats.

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Plot Keywords:

psychotronic film | federal agent | cafe singer | island | bribe | 

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Taglines:

5 Great Stars in a Daring Drama of Love and Adventure !

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Film-Noir | Thriller

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

25 August 1949 (Australia)

Also Known As:

Geheimaktion Carlotta

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,984,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$1,559,000, 31 December 1949

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$2,510,000, 31 December 1949

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In response from preview audiences, MGM ordered three days of additional filming to bolster the love relationship between Elizabeth and Rigby.

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Quotes

Elizabeth Hintten: [singing] Situation wanted, Young and fancy free, Want to meet a someone, I want him just for me, I'm not a saint nor sinner, I walk the middle ground, I'll stay right on the level, Too smart to play around...

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Connections

Edited into Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (1982)

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Soundtracks

Fiesta
(uncredited)
Music by Miklós Rózsa
Lyrics by William Katz
[Sung by extras in fiesta scenes]

User Reviews

Latin-intrigue noir saved by 5 principals, pyrotechnic climax

The reflective voice-over narration was a staple of film noir, but here it boasts the conceit of Robert Taylor addressing it to himself in the second person ("You..."). That curious choice informs the first half of The Bribe, told in flashback; midway, we catch up to the present and the droning ceases. Starting as a routine foreign-intrigue drama -- something about surplus airplane motors, but who cares -- set in an island off Central America called Carlota (or sometimes Carlotta; the film can't quite decide), the film boasts a top-notch cast: Taylor, Ava Gardner, John Hodiak, Vincent Price and Charles Laughton, who could be either the most actorly of hams or the hammiest of actors but here opts for the latter. Most of the way through it's not bad, but in its second half the tone darkens noticeably, when director Leonard decides to treat us to some stylistic flourishes. The over-the-top, Wellsian-Hitchcockian climax is (literally) pyrotechnic, and actually stands as one of the more memorable sound-and-light shows in the whole noir cycle.