Tangier (1946) User Reviews (5)

Sabu Sings

[boblipton · 5/10 · 12 March 2024]

War-weary reporter Robert Paige shows up in Tangier, teaches Sabu how to play "Polly Wolly Doodle" on the guitar, and romances vengeance-seeking dancer Maria Montez. Actually, Miss Montez doesn't dance. Her two-act with Latin Kent Taylor is performed by Louise Allbritton in a wig, which totally fools Taylor. He's in love with Miss Montez, Miss Allbritton is in love with Taylor, and so forth. Plus there's a huge diamond which changes hands a lot, and which suspected Spanish fascist J. Edward Bromberg wants. Also, Paige -- remember Paige? -- has been ordered out of the country by local police chief Preston Foster, who always wears full dress uniform, but whose cap is too big.

There's an awful lot to unpack here, but it will probably all come out all right in the end. This was rushed into production in 1943 when Miss Montez found out she was pregnant. Tangiers is an Art Moderne place with lots of Venetian blinds, and it's likely they wanted to produce something to compete with CASABLANCA. Everyone wanted to produce something to compete with CASABLANCA, but it sat on the shelf for three years. Do you think they thought they had failed? At least Reginald Denny gets shot about five minutes into the movie and is seen no more.

Casablanca spin-off

[searchanddestroy-1 · 5 May 2023]

This Universal studios movie belongs to the numerous films, espionnage intrigues taking place during WW2, without many action, but romance, traitors...;And all more or less inspired by Michael Curtiz's CASABLANCA. All those films were interesting only because of their atmospheres, cast, never the plots, and for most of them predictable at the most. STAMBUL, SOROCCO, CONGO CROSSING. And I forget many, many...;So if you a big fan of Maria Montez, you won't be deceived but keep in mind that she is not here as she was in pure Technicolor adventures, exotic, "Arab" fantasy movies; she gives only a different kind of character and I find it interesting. Good photography for a good overall intrigue.

She can't act, but she can sure snap her fingers.

[mark.waltz · 3/10 · 29 October 2016]

Any film that features Sabu singing "Polly Wolly Doodle" is a camp classic in my book, and when you add in the exotic Maria Montez in, you've got enough camp to keep Yogi and Boo Boo overloaded in picnic baskets. Then, when he sings "She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain" in a crooner's voice with a bit of Crosby parade (straight out of the "hit procession", as he calls it), that does it. The ball is in his court, and I give him the game.

Unfortunately, the remainder of the film is a dreadful bore, an action/mystery with no action and no mystery. It is a snail of a film dealing with the attempts of Montez and Robert Paige to find a Nazi in hiding with stolen jewels to avoid capture. Preston Foster is ridiculously miscast as a Hispanic official, but Louise Albritton gets a few good scenes as Montez's companion. There's a surprisingly grizzly finale, but other than the adorable Sabu, the rest of the film is a dreadful bore.

A low rent Casablanca

[gordonl56 · 8/10 · 21 May 2010]

TANGIER 1946

This low renter from Universal Studios plays out like a small time version of "Casablanca." Set in Tangier just after the war it includes Nazis on the run, stolen diamonds, knives to the back, gun-play and of course murder.

The cast is made up of Robert Paige as a down to his last nickel newspaperman. Sabu plays one of the local guides for hire that are always present in these films. Preston Foster plays the local Police Colonel. Maria Montez, Kent Taylor and Louise Allbritton are a trio of dancers at the local American bar while J Edward Bromberg and Reginald Denny fill out the necessary shady types.

Paige is just trying to score a story so he can get back to the States and boy does he ever find one. As he floats through the bar looking for a soft touch, he sees Denny whom he recognizes as a wanted Nazi. He decides to keep a "close" eye on Denny and sits down at Denny's table. Foster soon joins them and asks for everyone's papers. Paige and Foster have a "chat" while Denny is allowed to go to his rooms to get his passport etc.

Foster is less than amused with Paige over his interest in dancer Montez. He is after the same game and lets Paige know it might be rather unhealthy to continue. As this talk is going on Montez and Kent Taylor are burning up the dance floor for the cheering crowd. Taylor starts a solo bit and Montez slips from the stage and into the shadows.

Allbritton, who is done up to look exactly like Montez, replaces her on stage. Montez now beats the feet upstairs to Denny's room. She is in the middle of going through his belongings when Denny shows to get his papers. Montez has just dug a large diamond out of Denny's suitcase. Denny grabs the stone back and a struggle ensues with Denny hitting the floor with a knife in his back. Before Montez can retrieve the diamond, our man Paige enters and sees the body.

Montez bolts from the room while Paige searches the body and finds the diamond. Needless to say the maid now arrives and sees Paige standing over the stiff. Foster and the police are summoned while Paige now does the fleet of foot bit. He hits Montez's room and dumps the diamond just as Foster and the boys grab him.

The Police take Paige to the jail where a sound beating is soon applied. It seems Foster knows all about the stone and he wants it. Turns out he is an ex- Gestapo type who plans to use the stone to finance a life of luxury in South America. Red herrings abound in this one. Montez is really after the man(Foster)who killed her father and brother. Taylor is in love with Montez and will kill for her. Allbritton is in love with Taylor and does kill for him. Bromberg turns out to be an Allied Intelligence officer also looking for Foster. The bodies pile up fast before Foster is finally disposed of in a great death scene. (Allbritton drops him down an elevator shaft)

Not great, but nowhere as bad as I make it sound. The look of the film is quite good with Woody (The Killers) Bredell behind the camera.

The director of this film was George Waggner. Waggner is best known as the director of THE WOLFMAN. The story was by Monty Collins. D of P Bredell also shot PHANTOM LADY, LADY ON A TRAIN, Christmas HOLIDAY, SMOOTH AS SILK, THE FEMALE JUNGLE, THE UNSUSPECTED and of course THE KILLERS.

Robert Paige had bits in THE FLAME, BLONDE ICE and SPLIT SECOND. Allbritton was in WALK A CROOKED MILE. Foster was in INSIDE JOB, STRANGE TRIANGLE, RAMROD, THE HUNTED, I THE JURY, THE BIG NIGHT, K.C. CONFIDENTIAL.

Decent time-waster.

Excellent and enjoyable movie

[shakspryn · 8/10 · 4 July 2023]

I find it baffling--incredible, even--that a movie this good has only three user reviews. This movie is well worth watching on so many levels!

For one, there is Maria Montez. Why aren't some of the many fans of Miss Montez reviewing this film? She looks great here, and is dressed in her usual variety of stunning outfits. She is, by turns, sultry--sultry came very easily to Miss M.--flirtatious, proud and determined. And, as always, she is very charismatic.

Robert Paige is the male star. He gives a fine performance as a reporter who falls in love with Maria while entangled in a murder mystery. All of the supporting cast are excellent! Louise Albritton, in particular, shines as a beautiful dancer who works with Maria and Kent Taylor's character; they are all Spaniards, in the movie.

The look of the movie is outstanding. I just watched it on a restored print in blu-ray; the black and white photography is super sharp and impressive.

The plot is very good--lots of twists and turns, including some that surprised me. So, with all these good points, why so little attention to this film?

I think part of the answer must be, that it isn't a typical film noir (so it doesn't rank high with those who are big on film noir) and it also isn't a typical Maria Montez movie. To take that second point first: I think Maria's fans most like to see her in those over-the-top color spectacles, where she played a jungle queen, or something like that. Here, it's B&W, and while she's a dancer, which is appealing and sensual, it isn't a fantasy adventure of the type for which she was famous.

On the other point, that this film isn't typical film noir: it is more a suspense and adventure film, with some film noir elements in the plot and the cinematography, and with some snappy and humorous dialogue, which I liked. It doesn't have the bleak, world-weary viewpoint one so often finds in film noir. It doesn't have a gloomy tone. While Maria Montez plays a woman with a mysterious past, viewers aren't in doubt as to her motivations: we know right away that, whatever else she is, she isn't a villainess. The overall feeling of the movie is not gloomy. To me, those are all pluses; I'm not fond of the moody, brooding atmosphere so often found in film noir. To each his own.

To sum up, this movie is fun to watch, and I recommend it highly.