William Haines is not believable as a "straight man" in this movie, despite what others think, and so there is no sexual frisson between him and Irene Purcell. They are as brother and sister, but what a sister she is! Really quite contemporary in her deportment, she fascinated me with her performance. As others noted, she came and went - perhaps her interpretations were just too far advanced. But the movie was a hit, and I think she carries Haines through, with her "needy sister" act to his absolutely dispassionate comportment with her. Anyway, one reviewer says Haines had a hand in the set design, and if you love "geometric Deco" (as I do), they are to die for. I kept pausing and studying the sheer complexity of the opening set - way, way cool. And the old folks, C. Aubrey Smith, and Charlotte Granville, are great as Brits who know how to let their youth evolve. A quite amusing scene when the two react to the "sex book" that the young folk are reading. Some things never change. A refreshing move, even if Haines only really engages with the other men and is too much the buffoon with the women for my liking.
Review of Just a Gigolo
