The Films of Rita Hayworth [5 Discs]

"Rita Hayworth (1918-87) - one of the most iconic screen sirens of Golden Age Hollywood - toplines this collection of five classic features, initially produced between 1944 and 1953. The set begins in the World War II era, with Cover Girl, from director Charles Vidor - a musical comedy-romance that launched Hayworth and co-star Gene Kelly to superstardom, with its tale of a chorus girl who gets the opportunity to establish herself as a top model, but doesn't want to forsake the job that lets her stay connected to the man she loves. The box then moves ahead to 1945's Tonight and Every Night, from director Victor Sarville - another wartime musical, this one with Hayworth as an American entertainer, performing in a British musica hall during the blitz. Arguably Hayworth's best known movie, the 1946 Gilda unites Hayworth and director Charles Vidor, in a seminal film noir about a new bride torn between her husband and an ex-lover, both involved in an illegal gambling operation in South America. Next up are the 1953 Miss Sadie Thompson, with Rita as a temptress entangled with a preacher who wants to save her soul, and the same year's Salome, with Rita in a heavily laundered version of the story about the infamous titular Biblical dancer. Martin Scorsese, Baz Luhrmann and Patricia Clarkson turn up to provide introductions."