Boring

A different way of telling a story

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

"Blonde Ice" is a tight, taut film noir that does not waste a moment of time in telling the story of an ambitious and passionate beauty. Leslie Brooks does an excellent job of depicting an ambitious, ruthless, psychopathic character. Claire is not a sympathetic figure but we want to watch her machinations, partly because Brooks is so beautiful and glamorously decked out and partly because the script and direction build and hold suspense.The film begins and ends powerfully and sustains interest all the way through. It is hard to imagine a more startling beginning: Clare and Carl take their wedding vows. Then Claire immediately goes to the balcony to assure an old beau, "I love you and you love me." She tells him, "I'll think about you on my honeymoon." Wow! And pow!Inevitably, Claire gets caught in her own web and murder becomes her way out. It is well-acted and well-directed and more than worth a viewer's time.

Leslie Brooks stars in "Blonde Ice" from 1948. She plays a reporter, Claire, who is ambitious, not for her career, but for a man who can give her the money and social standing she wants.She has a boyfriend, Les (Robert Paige) but dumps him for a wealthy man, all the while declaring her devotion to poor Les. She promises to write; unfortunately, while still on the honeymoon, her husband sees the letter and decides to dump her.Desperate, Claire hires a pilot (Russ Vincent) and pays him extra to keep his mouth shut. She flies to Los Angeles to find her husband. The next day he is dead of an apparent suicide. The police figure out that it is murder, but try as they might, they can't pin it on Claire since she was not in town.Needing someone to help with probating her husband's estate quickly, Claire wangles a meeting with attorney turned politician, Stanley Mason (James Whalen). He of course is attracted to her, and the two become secretly engaged (meaning without Les knowing about it), their impending marriage to be announced the night of the election.Then the pilot, who has seen Claire's picture in the paper, shows up and attempts to blackmail her.This is a fairly routine noir, without much acting going on. These films were made in a few days' times, and there wasn't an opportunity for nuance or probably much rehearsal. Brooks does an okay job, coming off as cold and not very sincere, so it's a surprise anyone believed her. Everyone else was all right -- Paige reminded me of Zachary Scott after living in the Bowery a few weeks.Leslie Brooks might have had a more major career, but she retired to make a go of her second marriage, which, by the way, was to that sleazy pilot in the film, Russ Vincent. Vincent acted for many years and then became a land developer. I would have liked to have seen this film with better direction.

Much as I love the film noir genre, a lot of so called noir do turn out to be little more than 'B' movie filler. Every now and again though one turns up to surprise you. This is nothing incredible but is very watchable indeed with a fantastic ice cool blonde central performance from Leslie Brooks. She seems to have had a decent career but I don't recall her taking the lead in anything else I've seen - gangster's moll more like. Based on the book by Whitman Chambers ('Once Too Often', although interestingly, 'Manhandled' on my own copy, which is a bit misleading because this lady doesn't get manhandled by anyone). The film lacks those deep dark shadows and night time location shooting, it even lacks any real baddies, unless you count the aspiring politician, but it does have a femme fatale. And what a performance Leslie Brooks gives as the most convincing ruthless ice maiden who does all the killing herself. Bit slow to start and seems to be slipping into screwball territory at one point but once on track this smokes.

When I tell my friends the title of this movie, most of them say "Oh,is that with Sonia What's-Her-Name?" No, it's not an ice skatingmovie. The blonde in the title is one of the most chilling FemmeFatales you'll ever see on screen. Leslie Brooks is excellent as awoman with a strong hatred of men, based on her fatherÕsdesertion, which made her mother a Òhard workingÓ lady. Thereare times in the film when I wanted to feel sorry for her, but thatemotion quickly turned to fear & dislike. Good all-aroundperformances from a group of familiar faces whose names arejust on the other side of familiar. Russ Vincent could be mistakenfor Lash LaRue, & in a moment of darkness might have beenBogie himself. Fast paced, interesting, & plenty of ice make this awinning suspense film. I believe Blonde Ice has some elementsof Film Noir, but not enough emphasis on darkness & shadows &a lack of snappy dialog (except for about three spots where it getspretty vicious) make it more of a suspense melodrama than a trueFilm Noir. DoesnÕt matter though, try to find it. I rate it 8/10.