One Girl’s Confession (1953)

 ☆ ☆ ☆

One Girl’s Confession (1953) – H. Haas

Hugo Haas was a Czech actor who fled the Nazis to the US and became a minor league B-movie writer and director, often starring in his films in supporting roles to his female stars. (Apparently, he was a much bigger star in the 1930s before moving to Hollywood). The films he wrote and directed are known as the Fate and Irony cycle – they seem to have a biggish following. This one, often cited as the best, stars Cleo Moore, a blonde bombshell ogled by other characters and the camera alike (her career does not seem to have taken off and she died young, of a heart attack).  Here, she plays a waitress who steals 25 G’s from her employer (because he had exploited her father in business) and promptly turns herself in to the police (after hiding the money).  After her release from prison (good behaviour), she meets up with Haas, who plays a seedy and sleazy gambler who owns a café/bar.  She agrees to work for him (after fending off his advances) while laying low awaiting her chance to retrieve the money from its hiding place.  A local fisherman woos her but she holds back.  After this, things take a turn for the worse, partly due to Cleo/Mary’s misperceptions – hence the “fate and irony” label. Overall, the acting is pretty flat (apart from Haas himself who is charismatic, if sleazy), the sets are low budget, and the plot feels far too leisurely for a 75-minute feature. I’m not sure I understand the appeal… but perhaps, for the 1950s, there is a sense of female empowerment here?