Remember My Name

Largely successful update of the noir-inflected melodramas of the '40s, with Chaplin playing the Stanwyck-style role as the vengeful but sympathetic woman who gets out of prison and returns to her former husband (Perkins) to wreak havoc upon his new marriage. What really distinguishes the film are the tremulous, nervy performances, although Rudolph's direction - while occasionally too arty - is imbued with an admirable generosity towards the characters. Also endowed with a fine blues score by (and performed by) Alberta Hunter, and crisp photography from Tak Fujimoto, it's well worth seeing.