Runtime: 91 minutes
Directed by: Alfred L. Werker
Starring: Louis Hayward, Joan Leslie, Virginia Field, Tom Conway, Richard Basehart
From: Eagle-Lion Films
This was the perfect movie to view on New Year's Eve and to discuss on New Year's Day. After feeling all out of sorts this past weekend (or frankly, the entire month of December. I was also on vacation for a few days then subsequently felt ill for another few days) January 2024 should be a return to normalcy. I had heard of Repeat Performance before it was added to the Criterion Channel last month but its inclusion did drive plenty of attention its way. As the movie includes both New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, there was no better day for viewing than the night of NYE right after the ball dropped in Times Square.
Joan Leslie played Sheila, a performer who kills her lout of a husband right as the ball dropped at Times Square and 1947 begins. She wishes to do 1946 over again, so via magic, she is able to live 1946 again. She attempts to make changes to avoid how miserable '46 was for her. However, you know how fate is... note that this has a key supporting character who is queer-coded and I swear this is true: his name is WILLIAM WILLIAMS. How that character was treated will not please everyone.
The film has a great premise; the end product does not turn out great for various reasons. That includes husband Barney, who is such a lousy SOB you wonder what Sheila ever saw in him, let alone repeating a year to make things better with a horse's ass who is also a raging alcoholic. To be frank, the premise does a lot of the heavy lifting here but it was enough for me to say this was good despite various misgivings I had w/ the plot. One final anecdote: during the movie I was distracted by how the actor Tom Conway looked just like George Sanders w/ an Errol Flynn (or to use a modern reference, Vince McMahon) mustache. Note that I've seen him in other movies before but this time that resemblance was blatant. The classic film fans are probably snickering and/or groaning now: Conway and Sanders were brothers.
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