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The Blue Gardenia

Play trailer Poster for The Blue Gardenia Released Mar 23, 1953 1h 30m Crime Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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84% Tomatometer 19 Reviews 62% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
Deeply distraught that her GI ex-boyfriend plans to marry another woman, Norah Larkin (Anne Baxter) agrees to go out on a date with lothario Harry Prebble (Raymond Burr). Norah's drunken night out with Prebble ends in a hazily remembered confrontation and the next day a startling discovery: Harry has been murdered, and the police have found Norah's personal effects at the scene. Tipped off to the breaking news, reporter Casey Mayo (Richard Conte) invites Norah to tell her side of the story.
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The Blue Gardenia

Critics Reviews

View All (19) Critics Reviews
Bosley Crowther New York Times The weakness in this case clearly lies in a script by Charles Hoffman, which is hackneyed and tedious from beginning to end. Feb 25, 2013 Full Review TIME Magazine The somewhat wilted plot manages to take on an unaccustomed bloom in Fritz Lang's direction and the acting of an adept cast. Feb 25, 2013 Full Review Variety Staff Variety A stock story and handling keep The Blue Gardenia from being anything more than a regulation mystery melodrama. Jul 6, 2010 Full Review Sean Axmaker Stream on Demand Fritz Lang transforms the rather conventional low budget thriller into a paranoid nightmare, his cheap sets and flat backdrops a tawdry world peopled by cynics and opportunists preying upon the guileless... Dec 3, 2022 Full Review Rob Gonsalves Rob's Movie Vault This noir entry would probably be considered a very minor Fritz Lang film, but he made it fast (90 minutes), entertaining, and not without much-welcome doses of humor. Good fun. Rated: A Nov 29, 2022 Full Review Kimberly Pierce Ticklish Business All in all, The Blue Gardenia ever-so-slightly misses out on its potential... Ultimately, an hour and a half only allows you so much time, and this is a frustrating realization in a world as rich as the one Lang crafts in The Blue Gardenia Rated: 3/5 May 1, 2022 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (56) audience reviews
nick s A well executed film noir. The story was fairly simple and didn't have any unexpected twists, but it was enjoyable to watch all the same. Great acting. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 12/09/23 Full Review Steve D Baxter is great and the sarcastic tone works well. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 04/04/23 Full Review Luca D A very bland noir. It keeps a subtle sense of suspense, other than that the acting is just decent. The plot twist at the end is not really interesting or surprising at all. Probably won't watch again. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 11/09/21 Full Review paul d Fritz Lang's Blue Gardenia is is a very well made film, even if it is rather straightforward. Anne Baxter and Richard Conte head an excellent cast, and we identify easily with them and are rooting for them right from the beginning. This has crime, suspense, drama and a bit of romance. The cinematography raises the quality and glamour of the story, as Nat King Cole does for the score ! Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member only OK, in light of todays more sophisticated audiences Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/17/23 Full Review ashley h The Blue Gardenia is an amazing film. It is about a telephone operator who ends up drunk and at the mercy of a cad in his apartment. Anne Baxter and Richard Conte give incredible performances. The screenplay is well written. Fritz Lang did a great job directing this movie. I enjoyed watching this motion picture because of the drama. The Blue Gardenia is a must see. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews
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The Blue Gardenia

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Movie Info

Synopsis Deeply distraught that her GI ex-boyfriend plans to marry another woman, Norah Larkin (Anne Baxter) agrees to go out on a date with lothario Harry Prebble (Raymond Burr). Norah's drunken night out with Prebble ends in a hazily remembered confrontation and the next day a startling discovery: Harry has been murdered, and the police have found Norah's personal effects at the scene. Tipped off to the breaking news, reporter Casey Mayo (Richard Conte) invites Norah to tell her side of the story.
Director
Fritz Lang
Producer
Alex Gottlieb
Screenwriter
Charles Hoffman
Distributor
Warner Bros.
Production Co
Warner Brothers/Seven Arts
Genre
Crime, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Mar 23, 1953, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 10, 2017
Runtime
1h 30m
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