Tonight's Movie: Rio (1939) - A Kino Lorber Blu-ray Review

RIO (1939) is a 77-minute Universal Pictures "B" film just released on Blu-ray by Kino Lorber -- and it's a wild one!

The movie was atmospherically directed by John Brahm, who would go on to do notable work directing films such as HANGOVER SQUARE (1945) and THE LOCKET (1946).

As RIO opens, a group of hysterical French bankers (led by Samuel S. Hinds) are searching for Paul Reynard (Basil Rathbone), whose machinations have caused them to be in great financial peril.

Reynard finally arrives and calmly tells the bankers the truth: He forged many of the documents they hold and they are all washed up. Leaving behind the stunned bankers, he then goes home to celebrate his first wedding anniversary with his wife Irene (Sigrid Gurie), whom he lavishes with pearls.

Reynard has completely different public and private personas: He's an unfeeling, calculating crook when dealing with most of the world, but he's also an adoring, doting husband passionately in love with his wife. His wife returns his feelings, though she's frightened when she glimpses his darker side.

All too soon his crimes catch up with Reynard and he's arrested, convicted, and sentenced to many years in a penal colony.

Irene and Reynard's loyal lieutenant Dirk (Victor McLaglen) move to Rio to be closer to Paul and attempt to help him.  Irene, having given up the jewels Reynard bought her with tainted money, goes to work as a singer in a restaurant.

Though Irene continues to love Paul despite his crimes and mourns deeply when he is sent to prison, eventually she falls for a handsome young American engineer (Robert Cummings). That complicates things when Paul escapes from prison...

RIO was an interesting, rather different film, though it's stronger in the early going.  I enjoyed watching Rathbone in a lead antihero role as the crook with a tender heart, and the scenes between Rathbone and Gurie are markedly passionate. This is not the Rathbone we typically see, which made it rather fascinating.

Unfortunately the movie peters out a bit once Reynard is sent off to prison. It perks up when Cummings enters the picture, but there's a bit too much screen time spent with McLaglen, Leo Carrillo, and Billy Gilbert which would have been better used further developing the Gurie-Cummings relationship.

Cummings is excellent, though he's saddled with an unfortunate mustache, and I thought Gurie was quite good as well. I believe this was the first film I'd seen her in.

The screenplay by a quartet of writers was based on a story by future director Jean Negulesco. Another future director, Phil Karlson, was the assistant director.

The film was beautifully shot in black and white by Hal Mohr, and that's one of the film's best attributes. This might be a shorter film with a lower budget, but the photography is "A" level all the way, and it's shown off to excellent effect on this new Kino Lorber Blu-ray. The print is from a new 2K master.

Extras consist of a gallery of four trailers for other films available from Kino Lorber and a commentary track by Samm Deighan. This track is one I will prioritize as I'd like to learn more about this rather unusual film.

RIO isn't entirely successful, but I found it a worthwhile watch.  Fans of Rathbone and Cummings, in particular, will want to check it out.

Thanks to Kino Lorber for providing a review copy of this Blu-ray.

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