Flamingo Road (Movie Review)

Flamingo Road is a major east-to-west arterial street that connects numerous existing and planned commercial and residential developments to the center of the Resort Corridor and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. The route serves high volume of commuter traffic, and RTC transit service operates on the road.

Joan Crawford stars in this sleazy melodrama about a carnival dancer who lands a job in Boldon City, where she becomes involved with the town and state’s sordid political machinery run by Sidney Greenstreet and David Brian. Joan does not look as young and sexy here as she did in Mildred Pierce but still gives a solid performance. She is surrounded by paper-thin supporting characters, but she does well to hold the film together and to stand up against the corrupt forces that surround her.

The film noir elements are heightened by director Michael Curtiz’s use of almost impenetrable shadows. He also creates a sense of claustrophobia in the film, and the oppressive heat of the southern United States. This is not a pretty picture, but it is a compelling one and it has the earmarks of a great movie.

Titus Semple (Greenstreet) is a truly nasty character who is a force of nature in the film. He has his finger on the pulse of the entire state and he manipulates everyone he can to further his own nefarious agenda. It is hard to imagine anyone else in this role, and his gleeful braying laugh adds to the overall sense of evil in the film.

Despite the fact that most of the more salacious elements of the original novel were toned down for production reasons, this is a fairly sleazy film. It also is not a good picture to watch if you are pregnant or breastfeeding as the story revolves around sexual assault and prostitution.

It is a shame that Joan Crawford did not get to make more films like Flamingo Road. This was her last bona fide hit for Warner Brothers, and after this year she began to slip into a series of shady pictures that were not very good.

While Joan does her best here, she really was getting a bit old for the part of Lane Bellamy. She should have been cast with a younger, more alluring actress. Her attempts to appear sexy here by lightening her hair and wearing a few slinky outfits are not enough to carry the film. She does give a solid performance though and she is backed up by some excellent supporting players, especially Gladys George as Lute.