Deceived by Desire: Great Romantic Thrillers Out of the Past (1947)

Join us for two weeks of danger, romance, and dazzling cinematic style. Award-winning author and documentarian Steven C. Smith hosts the showing of two classic thrillers; a Q&A will follow each screening. Robert Mitchum, Jane Greer and Kirk Douglas form one of cinema’s deadliest (and most attractive) triangles, in this twist-filled, stunningly shot drama. Mitchum plays a private eye sent to Mexico, to find the woman who put a bullet in her ex (Douglas) and stole $40,000. But nothing goes to plan, in a movie legendary for its stiletto-sharp dialogue, iconic noir imagery, and career-making performances. Steven C. Smith is an Emmy-nominated filmmaker and award-winning author. His over 200 documentaries include collaborations with Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Martin Scorsese, Julie Andrews, and Sidney Poitier. His latest book is Hitchcock and Herrmann: The Friendship and Film Scores That Changed Cinema. This program is made possible by a generous gift from Rancho Mirage Library Foundation Board Member Christine Hughes and Abe Ostrovsky.