Thursday, June 9, 2011

The Thief of Venice (1950)


I saw this in a slightly choppy print (it ran about 89 minutes, IMDB says it should run several more) but it I don't think anything was really missing.

The plot has the Grand Inquisitor and some others scheming to take control of the city state of Venice. They poison the ruler and take control. When a well loved admiral returns from battle, having promised his crew of galley slaves freedom, and for whom evidence of the coup has been left, the Inquisitor and his men conspire to discredit the admiral and his men. The admiral is killed and his next in command survives an assassination attempt. Falling in with some of the freed galley slaves, he plots to take down the usurpers while trying to balance a romance with the admiral's daughter and a bar girl.

Epic costume drama is a great deal of fun. Far from being a truly great film (it's too much of a romantic potboiler at times) the film moves along at a good clip and keeps you interested simply because it never lets up. It's a film that grabs you from the first frame and forcibly drags you all the way to the last. I put the film on to watch while doing somethings around the house and instead ended up watching the film straight on to the end.

Definitely worth a look especially if you're in a non-think sort of mood.

Currently out on DVD from Sinister Cinema.

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