Forbidden (1953 film)

Forbidden is a 1953 thriller film noir directed by Rudolph Mate, featuring Tony Curtis and Joanne Dru.^[1]

Plot

Eddie Darrow works for American gangster Barney Pendleton, who sends him to Macao to find a woman, Christine Lawrence, and bring her back. Aware of a previous romantic attraction between the two, Pendleton tells his thug Chalmer to follow Eddie on the trip, just in case.

At a nightclub and casino, Eddie saves the owner, Justin Keit, from some Chinese men attacking him. A grateful Justin invites him home and introduces Eddie to his fiancee, Christine.

Eddie is bitter because Christine had run off to marry a criminal named Manard, who is now dead. In a moment to themselves, unaware that a jealous Justin is eavesdropping, Christine explains that she wed Manard only because he threatened to do Eddie harm. She also says Pendleton wants her back because Christine has hidden documents that could land Pendleton behind bars. He is reluctant to believe her.

Justin, just to keep an eye on Eddie, offers him a job at the casino. There he befriends an Asian piano player named Allan. A local gambler named Hon-Fai is robbed and killed, and Eddie has a hunch Justin could be behind this. Christine makes it clear she isn't in love with Justin, and she and Eddie passionately kiss.

Chalmer shows himself, suspicious that Eddie has decided to take Christine for himself and flee. Eddie denies this, lying that he is deceiving Christine and fully intends to follow Pendleton's orders, bringing her back to the States. He is unaware that Christine overhears this. In a fit of anger, she decides to marry Justin after all.

As a gang war breaks out, Chalmer is killed and Justin does indeed turn out to be a ruthless criminal. Allan, the pianist, reveals himself to be an undercover agent of the law. He is able to get Eddie and Christine on board a boat leaving for San Francisco, and when Justin tries to pursue them, he ends up on a boat that explodes.

Cast

• Tony Curtis as Eddie Darrow
• Joanne Dru as Christine Lawrence Manard
• Lyle Bettger as Justin Keit
• Marvin Miller as Cliff Chalmer
• Victor Sen Yung as Allan Chung
• Alan Dexter as Bernard "Barney" Pendleton
• David Sharpe as Henchman Leon
• Peter Mamakos as Sam
• Howard Chuman as Hon-Fai
• Weaver Levy as Tang
• Harold Fong as Wong
• Mai Tai Sing as Soo Lee
• Mamie Van Doren as Singer

References

External links

• Forbidden at the American Film Institute Catalog
• Forbidden at the Internet Movie Database
• Forbidden at AllMovie
• Forbidden at the TCM Movie Database
• Forbidden film clip on YouTube (Mamie Van Doren performance, dubbed by Virginia Rees