Am I the only one who sees Natalie Wood as an all-American girl? It's ironic, since she was born Natalia Zakharenko, but I never understood why Hollywood cast her in "mixed" roles. Not to dis West Side Story, but I didn't believe for one second she was Puerto Rican. In Kings Go Forth, Natalie plays a French girl who "passes for white". Yes, I could have phrased it differently, but I was just trying to prepare you for the kind of language that's used in the film; there are some very politically incorrect lines of dialogue used by all three leads.
Anyway, if you can get over the fact that Natalie Wood is supposed to be half-black, feel free to read more of the plot. A soldier on leave, Frank Sinatra meets and falls in love with Natalie, unaware of her parentage. They enjoy a very respectful, chaste courtship, and he's even met her mother—but then Natalie tells him her deep, dark secret. Frank isn't happy about it, and says he needs some time to think.
Enter Tony Curtis, Frankie's pal and fellow soldier on leave. He's a notorious womanizer and also an all-around jerk, so when he starts showing interest in Natalie, the audience knows what mistake it will be if she returns his affections. With all the ridiculously dated parts to the story, I'll bring up an unrelated problem I have with the movie: In this love triangle, it's blatantly written out that Tony is the charming, attractive one and Frankie is not. Then why cast Frank Sinatra, the king of cool? If Frank Sinatra was interested in me, I wouldn't look twice at Tony Curtis.
If you really like any of the three leads, you might want to check this out, because despite the horrifically dated script and Natalie Wood's terrible French accent, the acting is pretty good. But if this is the kind of story you'll find offensive, you might want to rent The Sweet Smell of Success or Some Came Running instead.
Anyway, if you can get over the fact that Natalie Wood is supposed to be half-black, feel free to read more of the plot. A soldier on leave, Frank Sinatra meets and falls in love with Natalie, unaware of her parentage. They enjoy a very respectful, chaste courtship, and he's even met her mother—but then Natalie tells him her deep, dark secret. Frank isn't happy about it, and says he needs some time to think.
Enter Tony Curtis, Frankie's pal and fellow soldier on leave. He's a notorious womanizer and also an all-around jerk, so when he starts showing interest in Natalie, the audience knows what mistake it will be if she returns his affections. With all the ridiculously dated parts to the story, I'll bring up an unrelated problem I have with the movie: In this love triangle, it's blatantly written out that Tony is the charming, attractive one and Frankie is not. Then why cast Frank Sinatra, the king of cool? If Frank Sinatra was interested in me, I wouldn't look twice at Tony Curtis.
If you really like any of the three leads, you might want to check this out, because despite the horrifically dated script and Natalie Wood's terrible French accent, the acting is pretty good. But if this is the kind of story you'll find offensive, you might want to rent The Sweet Smell of Success or Some Came Running instead.