SINGAPORE WOMAN (1941)

Despite the exotic allure of the title, this is a mostly bland remake of an early Bette Davis vehicle, DANGEROUS, which was not very compelling the first time around (even though it won her an Oscar). David Bruce owns a rubber plantation in Singapore; one night, while out on the town with friends (including Jerome Cowan, who was Miles Archer in THE MALTESE FALCON), he sees Brenda Marshall, a former rich girl who ran into bad times and dropped out of society. Bruce was present when the scandalous event that started her slide occured: a man, distraught over her inattention, killed himself in her bedroom--a flashback scene that feels borrowed from another Bette Davis film, THE LETTER. Marshall now considers herself a jinx but Bruce decides to take her to his plantation and reform her, despite the imminent arrival of his fiancee, Virginia Field. At first, Marshall is a tough and unrepentant cookie but soon Bruce is giving her financial backing so she can resuscitate her father's business and things are looking up. Suddenly, Marshall's husband, presumed dead, shows up and tries to take over the business. As in DANGEROUS, there is alcoholism, a car crash, and redemption. At around an hour, it goes by fairly painlessly; Bruce is deadly dull, but Marshall's not bad. [TCM]