SmugKitZine Tied for the best movie I have ever seen

Afouotos Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

Bob This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

Cody One of the best movies of the year! Incredible from the beginning to the end.

mark.waltz Growing up, I knew Joan Bennett as the strong matriarch of the gothic soap opera "Dark Shadows", but in studying classic film, I have suddenly been drawn to her incredible career which seemed to constantly reinvent itself. This forgotten gem is one of the key moments in her career. After a decade of being a blonde and sometimes cast in bland heroine roles, Bennett got to change her look on screen and go from long suffering to femme fatale, here believing that she has killed Sidney Blackmer who badly disrespected her sister, causing the unseen woman to kill herself. The San Francisco police are instantly on her trail, following her to Hawaii and pretty much all over the world, searching for a blonde woman rather than the dark haired mysterious woman she has transformed herself into. With the dimwitted Ralph Bellamy initially on the case (and completely screwing it up by believing that she has driven into the sea to escape capture), head detective Thomas Mitchell brings the much craftier Frederic March (whom he had previously fired) onto the case. March's "Girl Friday" (Ann Sothern in a scene stealing supporting part) follows him all over, hoping to collect on the reward, and in a very funny sequence, is confused by Bellamy to be Bennett and handcuffed in order to be taken back to San Francisco.As the romance blooms between Bennett and March, it becomes unclear whether he is simply using romance to get her back to face justice so HE can collect the reward or if he is truly in love with her and biding time to find a way of getting her off. That is the intriguing element of this smoothly written caper, given some exotic locations to move their romance along. It would be easy to write off the twists at the end as a convenient way to wrap things up, but after thinking about it, I found it completely plausible. They have excellent chemistry, with Bellamy a delightful nitwit and Sothern superbly funny as the dame who wants to prove that anything that March can do, she can do better. This puts you completely in the hands of the writers who take you along on this journey. In many ways, it reminded me of "One Way Passage", although the circumstances are quite different, because the romantic mood really strikes when typical American tourists end up in settings we can only fantasize about. Bennett is a combination of tender, loyal, sultry, cynical and just plain charming. March, like his reporter in "Nothing Sacred", seems to be winking at the audience, and that adds a great deal to his character's charm even though at times, he appears to be like a snake in the grass. The fact that a film can mix artistic integrity in with typical elements of screwball comedy and romantic intrigue puts this a notch above many other similar films, a testimony to the brilliant script which none other than Dorothy Parker contributed to.

blanche-2 "Trade Winds" is a comedy-drama starring Joan Bennett, Frederic March, Ralph Bellamy, and Ann Sothern, directed by Tay Garnett.Bennett plays Kay Kerrigan, a young woman who is out to avenge her sister's death and goes after her sister's ex-boyfriend (Sidney Blackmer). When Kay says she wishes she could shoot him, he hands her a gun and she shoots. Then she starts running for her life. To change her appearance, she dyes her hair dark. This turned out to be a boon for Bennett, who took on an exciting new look with the dark hair.The police send one of their own after her, Ben Blodgett (Ralph Bellamy) and one of their ex-own, the womanizing, slippery Sam Wye (March), now a detective who spends a lot of time coming on to women. He's also romancing his secretary Jean (Ann Sothern). He agrees to search for Kay and manages to get away from from Jean and hop a boat. He gets a line on Kay, and when Jean next appears, she's an assistant to Kay. Then Sam finds out there's a $100,000 award on Kay's head. Small problem - he falls madly in love with Kay.Fun comedy that slows up in the middle, with good performances by a relaxed March, a very funny Sothern, a lovely Bennett, and Bellamy as an overblown police detective. Not the best, but not bad - except for some of the process shots.

Neil Doyle Despite contributions to the script by witty Dorothy Parker, TRADE WINDS is tough going for most of its running time. JOAN BENNETT plays a woman running away from a murder charge who is trailed to exotic locations by FREDRIC MARCH and RALPH BELLAMY, detectives hot on her trail.March falls in love with her and faces the dilemma of turning her in to the authorities, while Bellamy finds romance with wise-cracking secretary ANN SOTHERN. That's about it, for the plot. The suspense lies in learning when and how the Bennett/March romance will flounder and come to some sort of resolution for the final reel.Director Tay Garnett makes heavy use of his home movies for all of the process shots used extensively throughout filming. The effects cheapen the images on screen so that never for a moment do you feel that these events are taking place in actual locales, only in front of a process screen full of faded images.Silliness of the comedy interludes are imposed on any dramatic elements the story has, making for an uneven mixture of comedy and drama.Joan Bennett's transformation to a stunning brunette changed the course of her career as she goes from blonde to brunette to avoid capture. It's the only interesting aspect of the photoplay for this viewer.Performances are competent with Sothern and Bellamy vying for attention in some amusing byplay that at least gives some indication of Dorothy Parker's contribution. But generally speaking, the comic moments are strained and appear more foolish than witty. Revelation of the events surrounding Bennett's murder charge strikes a false note for the ending.

Glosie2000 I first saw this movie as a teen eons ago while my parents were busy playing cards at the home of friends, and have loved it ever since. Since my last viewing was over 20 years ago, I would love to have this on DVD to enjoy it again! I love all the characters, and lovely Joan Bennett indeed looked SMASHING as a brunette, which she kept for the rest of her long career. Very appealing was the insouciance of Fredric March's character, the smart humor of bubbly Ann Sothern's part, and the determined dorkiness of Ralph Bellamy's eager beaver character plus an interesting and engaging story.Let's get this released, people that have the say-so!