The notoreity of ECSTASY (1933) did not ultimately harm Hedy Lamarr's career, but Machaty was allowed to make only two films under his own name over a fifteen-year period in Hollywood. Republic Pictures should have been able to keep Machaty employed in the late 40s, but it's likely that Machaty's politics were not a good match for the studio (he favored leftists and emigrés, as a look at the cast of JEALOUSY reveals). A pity, indeed, because just a couple of years later Republic decided to "up its game" by working with bigger budgets and bigger names (Borzage, Welles, etc.). A "art noir" director in the mix with Blair and Ford and Auer would've been just dandy, and would have certainly produced several more films that give off that "noir scent" so copiously and conspicuously in their opening moments.
Another film that has a good bit of that is from this same timeframe, and showcases an interesting performance variant from A VOICE IN THE WIND's lead Francis Lederer is THE MADONNA'S SECRET (1946), the only noir directed by another emigré, William Thiele, who benefited from the presence of John Alton behind the camera. These two films featuring Lederer would make for a fine double bill once Eddie gives up his desire to "cover the waterfront" and dabble in foreign noir. (It appears that the folks bankrolling the Republic restorations have made a new print of MADONNA'S SECRET, and it's well worth a watch.)
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