Search - The Green Glove on DVD

Has Some Good Elements, But Basically Second Rate

C. O. DeRiemer | San Antonio, Texas, USA | 07/13/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Here's a good example of a film with first rate potential which was made by journeymen artists. Most of the actors do good jobs, and a few are very good. Glenn Ford as Michael Blake plays a standard action hero but he does it with charm. George Macready as Count Paul Rona always makes a smooth villain. Some of the smaller parts are well handled; Cedric Hardwicke as Father Goron, Gaby Andre as Rona's mistress, Jany Holt as the Countess. The film was shot in Paris, the south of France and Monte Carlo and it's pleasant to view the towns and the scenery. The script, unfortunately, depends far too often on coincidence and luck. The music is predictable. Cliches are used as shorthand. There is one long sequence where the two unmarried leads find themselves having to stay at a country inn where there is only one room. The coy innuendo is tiresome; the situation is as old as the hills and has been done far better by others. And while Blake is supposed to be down on his luck, he seems to have no problem paying his hotel, food, bar and train bills. By the end of the movie, when there is a rousing climb up a rocky, steep mountain and a shootout in the belfry of an old stone church, it's hard to really care much because so much of the movie has been predictable. Also a factor is that The Green Glove fell into the public domain. It's watchable, but not much better than that. A better DVD transfer might have helped because of the importance of the locations. There are no extras.

Michael Blake (Ford) has come to France to locate the jeweled gauntlet of St. Elizaire, the green glove, a holy relic that was stolen from a small church during World War II. Blake had encountered the relic and the thief, Count Paul Rona (Macready), when he landed during a parachute jump near a chateau in 1944. Rona lost the glove. Blake thinks if he can find the relic and sell it, it'll put him back on his feet. But Rona, now an unscrupulous art dealer in Paris, is still after the gauntlet. He plans to track Blake, then take the relic. In the meantime, Blake has met a young woman, Chris Kenneth (Geraldine Brooks), working as a tour guide. It's instant love, and off they go together from Paris to the ruins of the chateau. Eventually, the bad guys get theirs, the church gets back the glove, Blake finds himself by doing the right thing, and he and Chris embrace as the camera pans across the scenery.

If the price is right and you like old adventure movies, you might consider this...but only if the price is right."

Touched by 'The Green Glove'

Barry M Wright | Gilroy, CA United States | 10/19/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"A saint's stolen glove, a holy relic, touches believer's lives but belongs back in its resting place in the church. A gem encrusted antiquity, its earthly value contrasts with its healing force . To return it or cash in is a temptation to overcome.Glenn Ford is an American in France after the war trying to foil George MacCready's attempt to possess the glove and its power. The chase over the rugged landscape of southern France is on, by foot, car and train. A haunting musical score with an unforgettably nostalgic theme along with forthright black and white photography make this film one of my personal favorites.Simple faith is pitted against sophisticated cunning in a beautifully done film. I saw the movie when I was 9 and I'm now 60. It still moves me the same way it did back in 1952."

Touched by 'The Green Glove'

Barry M Wright | Gilroy, CA United States | 10/19/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Mystery, murder and romance come together in this tale of good versus evil. The saint's glove, a holy relic, touches people's lives but belongs back in its resting place in the church. A gem encrusted antiquity, the glove's earthly value contrasts with its healing spiritual power . To return it or cash in is a temptation to overcome.Glenn Ford is an American in France after the war trying to foil George MacCready's atempt to possess the glove and its power. The chase over the rugged landscape of France is on, by foot, car and train. A haunting music score with an unforgettably nostalgic theme along with beautiful black and white photography make this film one of my personal favorites.Simple faith is pitted against sophisticated cunning in a movie of mystery and power. I saw the movie when I was 9 and I'm now 60. It still moves me the same way it did back in 1952."