Main Cast: Ginger Rogers, Van Heflin, Gene Tierney, George Raft, Peggy Ann Garner
Release Year: 1954
Country: US
Run Time: 95 minutes
Plot
Broadway producer Peter Denver (Van Heflin) takes in young actress Nanny Ordway (Peggy Ann Garner) while his wife (Gene Tierney) is out of town. When Nancy is found murdered in his penthouse apartment, the two prime suspects are Peter and the neglected husband (Reginald Gardiner) of temperamental Broadway star Ginger Rogers, who had also been dallying with the dead girl. Detective Bruce (George Raft) figures out the true identity of the killer, but the audience may be well ahead of him. Despite its resplendant color photography, Black Widow is a "film noir" at heart. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
Black Widow is an entertaining near miss of a murder mystery. It fiddles with a lot of film noir characteristics, but doesn't fully commit to them, and while its cinematography is frequently stunning (with plenty of gorgeous panoramas of the New York skyline), its lush Technicolor feels out of place in the circumstances -- it's pretty when what is called for is a bit of grittiness. Widow also doesn't play fair; pieces of information are withheld from the audience for too long, and the mystery plot itself comes across a trifle forced at times. That said, Nunnally Johnson has provided some marvelous dialogue, the film moves along at a nice, steady clip, and it's enough fun that most viewers will overlook these flaws. Most of the cast is very solid, with the exception of George Raft, who is sadly miscast. Gene Tierney is underutilized, but looks sensational, and Van Heflin plays the patsy role to perfection. Peggy Ann Garner is surprisingly good -- and frequently just plain surprising. But the standout performance belongs to Ginger Rogers. Not necessarily a natural for the part (her screen persona tends to be a bit more working class than the role calls for), she overcomes that seeming handicap by sheer force of will. Rogers' steely determination and selfish strength make the character vivid and memorable, and her bitchiness is a delight. It's a scene-stealing role, and Rogers turns out to be the perfect thief for it. Widow's elements don't congeal into a classic noir, but it's a very worthy minor effort. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
Nancy Ordway (Peggy Ann Garner) is an aspiring writer hoping to make it big in New York at the expense of everyone around her, including Broadway producer Peter Denver (Van Heflin), who reluctantly lets her use his apartment to work during the day. When Peter's wife Iris (Gene Tierney) comes home from a trip to find Nancy dead in the bathroom, the assigned detective, Lt. Bruce (George Raft), soon realizes this assumed suicide is more likely a murder. Everyone Ordway knew is suddenly a suspect while a series of flashbacks reveal the plan she was weaving to climb the social ladder.
