{"id":48936,"date":"2020-05-30T22:06:57","date_gmt":"2020-05-31T05:06:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=48936"},"modified":"2021-01-23T11:41:27","modified_gmt":"2021-01-23T18:41:27","slug":"specter-of-the-rose-1946","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=48936","title":{"rendered":"Specter of the Rose (1946)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;He is not a man; Andre is a shadow on the wall that flickers when the music plays.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Specter-of-the-Rose-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Specter-of-the-Rose-Poster-200x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-48938\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Specter-of-the-Rose-Poster-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Specter-of-the-Rose-Poster-85x128.jpg 85w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Specter-of-the-Rose-Poster.jpg 313w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nWhile a poet (Lionel Stander) shadows a mentally unstable ballet dancer (Ivan Kirov) suspected of killing his wife, a smitten ingenue (Viola Essen) falls in love with Kirov despite the warnings of her stern ballet instructor (Judith Anderson).\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Ballet<\/li>\n<li>Detectives and Private Eyes<\/li>\n<li>Mental Illness<\/li>\n<li>Murder Mystery<\/li>\n<li>Newlyweds<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nAlthough best known as a prolific screenwriter, <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Ben_Hecht\">Ben Hecht<\/a> (co)directed a number of interesting titles, such as <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=5230\"><em>Crime Without Passion<\/em> (1934)<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=3388\"><em>The Scoundrel<\/em> (1935)<\/a>, and <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=47904\"><em>Angels Over Broadway<\/em> (1940)<\/a>. Unfortunately, this later effort is much more of a mixed bag, coming across as an intentionally stylized dramatic extension of a dance (per the careers of the main characters) punctuated by overly literate dialogue (Standing&#8217;s gravelly-voiced character &#8212; what is he doing here, exactly?: <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Specter-of-the-Rose-Standing.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Specter-of-the-Rose-Standing-1024x638.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"399\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-65347\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Specter-of-the-Rose-Standing-1024x638.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Specter-of-the-Rose-Standing-300x187.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Specter-of-the-Rose-Standing-128x80.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Specter-of-the-Rose-Standing-768x478.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Specter-of-the-Rose-Standing-433x270.png 433w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Specter-of-the-Rose-Standing.png 1501w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8212; is the worst culprit; &#8220;And my heart&#8230; performed a minuet&#8230; in an ashcan&#8221;) and odd strains of humor &#8212; viz. a flamboyantly fey producer (Michael Chekhov) with a <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Bob's_Big_Boy\">Bob&#8217;s Big Boy-esque<\/a> pompadour who <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Specter-of-the-Rose-Painting.png\">swoons over Kirov&#8217;s bare chest<\/a> and is constantly avoiding payments to his set designer and musicians. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Specter-of-the-Rose-Painting.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Specter-of-the-Rose-Painting-1024x624.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"390\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-48965\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Specter-of-the-Rose-Painting-1024x624.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Specter-of-the-Rose-Painting-300x183.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Specter-of-the-Rose-Painting-128x78.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Specter-of-the-Rose-Painting-768x468.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Specter-of-the-Rose-Painting-1536x936.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Specter-of-the-Rose-Painting.png 1655w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, Anderson plays it straight as a dour <em>grand dame<\/em> of dance, but one wonders what kind of movie she thinks she&#8217;s acting in. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Specter-of-the-Rose-Anderson2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Specter-of-the-Rose-Anderson2-1024x646.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"404\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-65346\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Specter-of-the-Rose-Anderson2-1024x646.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Specter-of-the-Rose-Anderson2-300x189.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Specter-of-the-Rose-Anderson2-128x81.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Specter-of-the-Rose-Anderson2-768x485.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Specter-of-the-Rose-Anderson2-428x270.png 428w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Specter-of-the-Rose-Anderson2.png 1481w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The strengths of this low-budget film lie in its visuals (Hecht worked with DP Lee Garmes as usual) and the unexpectedly humorous earnestness of its lead characters; during a particularly noteworthy scene, Kirov and Essen make love to each other with and through their eyes: &#8220;Hug me with your eyes&#8230; Harder.&#8221; <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Specter-of-the-Rose-Hug-Me2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Specter-of-the-Rose-Hug-Me2-1024x664.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"415\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-65349\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Specter-of-the-Rose-Hug-Me2-1024x664.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Specter-of-the-Rose-Hug-Me2-300x195.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Specter-of-the-Rose-Hug-Me2-128x83.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Specter-of-the-Rose-Hug-Me2-768x498.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Specter-of-the-Rose-Hug-Me2-416x270.png 416w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Specter-of-the-Rose-Hug-Me2.png 1451w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Specter-of-the-Rose-Hug-Me1.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Specter-of-the-Rose-Hug-Me1-1024x662.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"414\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-65350\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Specter-of-the-Rose-Hug-Me1-1024x662.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Specter-of-the-Rose-Hug-Me1-300x194.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Specter-of-the-Rose-Hug-Me1-128x83.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Specter-of-the-Rose-Hug-Me1-768x497.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Specter-of-the-Rose-Hug-Me1-417x270.png 417w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Specter-of-the-Rose-Hug-Me1.png 1455w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/George_Antheil\">George Antheil&#8217;s<\/a> unique score is also worth a mention. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Numerous unusual sequences and lines (&#8220;You&#8217;ve got wonderful knees. Most girls&#8217; knees look like plumbers&#8217; fittings.&#8221;)<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Specter-of-the-Rose-Still3.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Specter-of-the-Rose-Still3-1024x648.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"405\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-48941\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Specter-of-the-Rose-Still3-1024x648.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Specter-of-the-Rose-Still3-300x190.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Specter-of-the-Rose-Still3-128x81.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Specter-of-the-Rose-Still3-768x486.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Specter-of-the-Rose-Still3-1536x972.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Specter-of-the-Rose-Still3.png 1601w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Lee Garmes&#8217; cinematography<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Specter-of-the-Rose-Cinematography.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Specter-of-the-Rose-Cinematography-1024x653.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"408\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-48939\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Specter-of-the-Rose-Cinematography-1024x653.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Specter-of-the-Rose-Cinematography-300x191.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Specter-of-the-Rose-Cinematography-128x82.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Specter-of-the-Rose-Cinematography-768x489.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Specter-of-the-Rose-Cinematography-1536x979.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Specter-of-the-Rose-Cinematography.png 1599w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>George Antheil&#8217;s score<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nNo, though it&#8217;s worth a look. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0038973\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/catalog.afi.com\/Catalog\/moviedetails\/24975\">AFI Catalog Entry<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;He is not a man; Andre is a shadow on the wall that flickers when the music plays.&#8221; Synopsis: While a poet (Lionel Stander) shadows a mentally unstable ballet dancer (Ivan Kirov) suspected of killing his wife, a smitten ingenue (Viola Essen) falls in love with Kirov despite the warnings of her stern ballet instructor (Judith Anderson). Genres: Ballet Detectives and Private Eyes Mental Illness Murder Mystery Newlyweds Review: Although best known as a prolific screenwriter, Ben Hecht (co)directed a&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=48936\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-48936","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48936","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=48936"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48936\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":65351,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48936\/revisions\/65351"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=48936"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=48936"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=48936"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}