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(SeaPRwire) –   A casino proprietor enters his new wife’s quarters, accompanied by his right-hand man. “Gilda, are you decent?” he asks. “Me?” she responds playfully, emerging into view while tossing her hair in what remains one of cinema’s most iconic character debuts. It is easy to see why one man was so captivated he married her shortly after meeting, while the other, despite their distance, remains haunted by her memory. Within this tense love triangle, one couple is married but lacks a genuine connection, while the other pair masks their mutual animosity with a bond of kindred spirits.

The radiant Gilda (Rita Hayworth) moves through the Buenos Aires establishment, stirring desire and envy in her husband, Ballin Mundson (George Macready), and her former flame, Johnny Farrell (Glenn Ford). She toys with the patrons, fully conscious of her allure. Nevertheless, Charles Vidor’s 1946 noir film reveals her underlying isolation amidst the glitz of the casino and its opulent surroundings.

Now available in a new Criterion 4K UHD + Blu-Ray release, Gilda has never appeared more visually stunning.

How was Gilda received upon release?

Given Gilda’s lasting impact on contemporary culture, it is surprising that initial critical reception was lukewarm. New York Times reviewer Bosley Crowther described it as “slow, opaque, unexciting,” adding, “Indeed, one is likely to wonder whether the waters of this expensive film have not been deliberately muddied in order to disguise its shallowness.”

While the subplot involving a tungsten cartel adds little to the narrative, Hayworth’s charisma and the volatile chemistry between her and the two men are compelling. Gilda repeatedly challenges the constraints of her gilded cage, only to find herself trapped once more upon escaping. The Variety critic was similarly unimpressed, labeling the plot “a confusion,” though they acknowledged that “Hayworth is photographed most beguilingly.”

Why is Gilda important to see now?

Decades later, the film’s characters are not the only ones mesmerized by Gilda’s charm. “I saw this when I was 10 or 11, I had some sort of funny reaction to her, I tell you. Me and my friends didn’t know what to do about Rita Hayworth,” remarked Martin Scorsese, who considers Gilda the “peak of film noir.” The film’s influence is evident in his crime epic Casino (1995), where a wealthy casino boss (Robert De Niro) recognizes that the showgirl he has married (Sharon Stone) does not love him, yet he accepts the arrangement regardless.

In the 1994 adaptation of Stephen King’s 1982 novella Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption, inmates gather to watch Vidor’s classic. Watching the screen with rapt attention, contraband smuggler Ellis Redding (Morgan Freeman) silences his peer Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) just before Gilda’s entrance. “This is the part I really like. This is when she does that shit with her hair,” he notes. “I know. I’ve seen it three times this month,” his companion replies. The subsequent cheers from the room highlight how a viewing of Gilda represents a moment of pure joy.

The character’s iconic curls also inspired director Baz Luhrmann, who modeled the hairstyle of his courtesan Satine (Nicole Kidman) in the 2001 musical Moulin Rouge! after her. He has also credited the film’s heightened dramatic style as a major influence on his own work. “That intense, impossible love and the drama of that… It’s the kind of life…I tend to put myself in and am looking for, even as a filmmaker,” he noted in a featurette.

However, while many men were enchanted by Gilda over the years, the role brought only frustration to the actress herself. Hayworth grew resentful of how the character distorted her public image. “Men go to bed with Gilda, but wake up with me,” she famously lamented regarding the gap between the public’s fantasy and her true self—a sentiment later echoed by Julia Roberts’ character, Anna Scott, in the 1999 romantic comedy Notting Hill.

What new features does the Gilda Blu-ray have?

• A new 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
• One 4K UHD disc of the film presented in Dolby Vision HDR and one Blu-ray with the film and special features
• An audio commentary by film critic Richard Schickel
• An interview with film-noir historian Eddie Muller
• A program featuring filmmakers Martin Scorsese and Baz Luhrmann discussing their appreciation for Gilda
• The Odyssey of Rita Hayworth, a 1964 episode of the television show Hollywood and the Stars
• The film’s trailer
• English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• An essay by critic Sheila O’Malley