Jeanskynebu the audience applauded

Exoticalot People are voting emotionally.

Hayden Kane There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

Zandra The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

ampetersen-24645 Many appropriately appreciative reviews appear for this surprisingly successful film noir. Most of them can be agreed with. The film, however, is not without a few disappointing flaws. Some scenes run out of steam, a couple are painfully obvious in their attempts to manipulate perception, and a couple just don't work. But the other 85% of the film turns as well as the spirals of a heavy-duty spring in doing what it's supposed to do to contribute to the film. One of many scenes that worked very well is when Connie tries to make up her mind about whether or not to be mercenary. A woman on a dark street has two ways to go, and she's pulled effectively in both. Not clear until the last is which direction she will take. ... Much is said about the dialogue. The NYTimes reviewer at the time was soured by it, but others here mostly don't mind it or like it. Surely, the dialogue is one of the film's assets, fitting inquiring thought to visual mood and an often darkly naturalistic tenor. ... You think you know noir, and then along comes a nice surprise like this one.

dougdoepke The opening scene at the turkey farm between grizzled old Ezra (Barton) and asylum escapee Barrington (Ireland) made me think this would be a special movie. Unfortunately, the remainder doesn't reach that level. Barrington's fled an insane asylum because he's going through the same trauma as when he strangled a girl. His recollection of the earlier act is clouded, and now he seeks a better understanding on the outside. Even his self-identity seems at stake. Gruff old Ezra befriends him and helps. Along the way, he meets down-and- out waitress Connie (McCambridge) who doesn't know what to make of his strange behavior. The story's remainder is an attempt to clear up the mystery.Too bad that the script soon bogs down after the opening scene into lots of talk and murky developments. Plus, the barroom brawl comes across as a clumsy action interlude amid the talk. On the actors' side, McCambridge gets an Ida Lupino type role, namely as a working girl with both edge and heart. It's an unusual leading lady part for the usually mannish actress. Still, she does well enough, and dare I say it, is almost sexy at times. To me, Barton is the big surprise, a really enlivening presence, without going over the top. His Ezra is a bit like Walter Huston's feisty old codger in Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948). At the same time, Ireland gets a non-villainous role for a change. Too bad he lacked leading man good looks since he had the required screen talents. All in all, the cast is superior to the clumsy script, especially the awkward reveal part. The end result is a mediocre movie clearly in need of a rewrite.

indipixflix If you've read this far, you know what "The Scarf" is about, so I'll only add that after a not-so-promising start it gets wonderfully weird in so many ways that I stuck with it to the rather silly ending. Worth seeing for the actors involved and the priceless and sometimes witless dialog. John Ireland is surprisingly good in a lead role for a change and Mercedes McCambridge is wonderfully cast against type as something of a good-time girl/waitress/singer of sultry songs. John Barton has a chance to really shine in this film during a career consisting of mainly bit parts on television. You can see "The Scarf" on the Netflix instant service, as of 5/14/12.

secondtake The Scarf (1951)A peculiar but sometimes charming movie, filled with empty moments, people sitting and talking, the wind whistling through trees in the desert, and a possible killer on the loose. The best parts for me were the odd pairing of a loner woman played by Mercedes McCambridge and the leading man on the run, John Barrington (John Ireland). Later, both of these characters appear in different places, sometimes crossing paths. McCambridge is a sharp, funny, slightly tragic actress, and Ireland is a super sweet guy. They make a surprising pair.The setting for all this is a nice little village on the edge of the desert, and a dry turkey farm out of town. As Barrington suffers with his guilt and doubts about having committed a murder (strangling someone with a scarf), he bounces from place to place, just barely avoiding trouble. People are rough and Barrington can't get his head together, but he plugs along, butting against McCambridge at times, and the tensions grows before you realize it.It isn't quite a Hitchcockian innocent man on the loose. We doubt him, too. We are unravelling the problem as they go. It isn't always a remarkable unfolding of events, but it has remarkable moments, and a strange, spare mood that is possessing. At first I almost stopped watching it because it was a bit clumsy and raw, but that becomes smoother and more essential over time. Eventually it becomes downright idiosyncratic in the best ways, just on the happy edge of weird. There's even a barroom scene with McCambridge singing a simple blues song, pretty amazingly.The plot takes on some forced twists toward the end, but they are still dramatic ones. "The doctor is allergic to irrelevant laughter."