Black Hand (1950)

Sandwiched between On the Town and Summer Stock, this film represented a radical change of vehicle for Gene Kelly. According to MGM's publicity, he requested the role himself. As it turned out, it did his career no harm. In tact, it boosted his macho image and was surprisingly successful at the box office, returning a handsome dividend for a modest investment.Apart from the dialogue scenes, it is difficult to credit the film to director Richard Thorpe, as the action footage is brilliant in every way. The script is exciting too (we like the character of the bodyguard assigned to Naish), although it is not as well constructed as the later version, Pay Or Die (which starred Ernest Borgnine in the Naish role). For this one, MGM's art department have constructed some marvelous sets, which are superbly lit by cinematographer Paul C. Vogel. The performances are also better than we might expect. Kelly is capable enough in a fight and reasonably convincing as an Italian. J. Carroll Naish plays without his usual hammy mannerisms and Teresa Celli is also impressive in what transpired to be her first and only starring role. She made her film debut as the Mexican wife in Border Incident, and subsequently appeared in Nancy Goes to Rio, The Asphalt Jungle, Crisis, Right Cross and The Great Caruso after which she disappeared briefly into TV. Black Hand also marks the only film appearance of stage actress Eleonora Mendelssohn, a former star for producer Max Reinhardt in Berlin and a great-great-granddaughter of composer Felix Mendelssohn.All in all, suspenseful, well-produced entertainment. (Even Bosley Crowther agrees with us.) The whole idea doesn't sound all that appealing or even workable, but MGM have brought it off with honors.

...panned it as being a "wee bit theatrical." If he were alive today, I'd remind him: "Truth, sir, is stranger (and, quite often, _more_ theatrical) than fiction."The Mafia--and other crime syndicates, regardless of ethnicity--might be leery of murdering incorruptible public servants. But, that doesn't mean they're completely averse to it. For example: roughly sixty years before this film came out, a certain Irish-American police captain was murdered along the New Orleans waterfront while investigating certain crimes attributed to the Sicilian immigrants working there. The local citizenry were so enraged, they actually stormed the jail house where the arrested suspects were being held and lynched them there (almost leading to war between America and Italy)!Much more recently, the Old School Mafia in Sicily, itself, has taken to murdering police officers and judges, who won't kowtow to them, more often than they used to.Gene Kelly is surprisingly adept at playing just such a public servant. It's the finest non-song-and-dance role he ever had since 1948's THE THREE MUSKETEERS! So as a one-quarter Italian-American, I have nothing but shamelessly high praise for the gritty realism (for its time) depicted in this criminally under-rated classic. Because, that's the way things were back then, where organized crime is concerned.And, in some respects, they still are...if not worse.

I know this film since more than thirty years now. But I saw it again last Sunday. And I must admit that this movie is very similar to Richard Wilson's PAY OR DIE about mafia, the real one, the genuine organisation at the turn of the century, shot with very realism. Far better than other films, with gunshots every two minutes and lots of clichés; i don't speak of the GODFATHER films, although. The story is very close to PAY OR DIE, made ten years later, starring Ernest Borgnine, a real masterpiece.That's all I wanted to point out about this one. The other users have done it very well.

Being a big fan of crime/gangster/mafia movies the Black Hand title really got my attention.Having never watched a musical from beginning to end it was a downer to see the main star was Gene Kelly.Gene Kelly? The singing in the rain person?That much about him is known to me only because of his exhibit at the movie land wax museum in Buena Park.He's OK in this movie,J.C.Naish is better but the production gives the most entertainment.The Italian neighborhood street scenes do give the viewer the impression that's actually what they are seeing.Many of the lesser players are Italien and are used well to portray an Italien community.A favorite scene is the run down bar where poor hard working men go to have a drink and sing,the private conversation between Johnny Colombo(Kelly) and the bartender there seems so realistic.The overall dark look of this movie reminds of the TV show "the untouchables" which I enjoyed very much,this movie is a notch above that show. The first killing in the movie is such a surprise I wouldn't want to give away any part of it. There may not be one real strong performance in the movie but many small quality contributions come together to be entertaining.Amongst all the beautiful Italian language and culture there is a scene in an Italien home where an adult reminds a child to speak English.In another movie a similar scene was repeated.Although not Italien I find it strange to treat the speaking of that language as doing something wrong,it seems to be a reflection of life.Sometimes I speak or listen to more than five languages a day but no Italien,such a sad lose.