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I'm not sure that the Hayes Code is to blame for this cheesy, sappy, and overly sentimental finale, but I'm quite sure that this ending helped make Gilda a movie known only for its sultry star, not because it's actually a movie worth remembering. Hayworth, to her credit, is quite good in her first major starring role. She makes Gilda a fierce and feisty woman; we know exactly why Mundson falls head over heels for her and we know exactly why Farrell can't stand her half the time. She's prone to some flights of fancy, her tone changes on the turn of a dime, but Gilda is at all times vivacious and entrancing; the lengthy scene where she sings "Put The Blame on Mame," slow and melancholy, is equally as memorable as her introduction scene.

Unfortunately, the most interesting character in the film is Mundson, and he steps away to the sidelines for the majority of the action. His real interest is helping out the fallen Nazis who survived the carnage of World War II, making sure they survive in Argentina as long as they help him control a tungsten monopoly. His interest in Gilda is, at best, carnal; however, with George Macready's purposely vague performance, you have to wonder if it even reaches that level. Mundson may very well be putting on appearances, realizing that his benefactors wouldn't be thrilled with the idea of this man gallivanting with another man. Mundson is not only selfish, he's vicious. In the first scene, he saves Johnny with the help of a cane that turns into a dagger, something he considers his first "friend." That leads me to the question that's never answered: who is this guy? What kind of issues does Ballin Mundson have? Unfortunately, the filmmakers decided to focus a little more on the other relationships he has as opposed to something close to an answer.

The movie that we get is intriguing and often baffling, never fully able to follow towards a logical conclusion. The logical finale isn't happy in Gilda, which really made the illogical happy ending more annoying. Why are these people getting a happy ending? Why do they deserve it? What makes them so much better, more moral than Mundson or any of the other characters in this movie? At the end of the day, Gilda should really be best known for missed opportunities and the fame Rita Hayworth never fully reached, as she remained typecast for the rest of her career as a bombshell. Oh, and for that infamous poster from Shawshank.

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