- Known primarily for featuring Marilyn Monroe in her first starring role, Henry Hathaway's Niagara should also be recognized as the only film to be disqualified as a film noir because of its technicolor rainbows. Don't get me wrong, the film's color cinematography (by Joseph MacDonald) is great at highlighting the beauty of both Niagara Falls and Ms. Monroe's stunning dresses, but the sheer intensity of color in this film removes it from consideration as a true film noir. Sure, there's a couple of murders, a femme fatale, and a creepy bell tower, but the rainbows are simply a dealbreaker.
- In fact, it is at the aptly-named Rainbow Cabins that second honeymooners Ray and Polly Cutler (Max Showalter and Jean Peters) encounter George and Rose Loomis (Joseph Cotten and Marilyn Monroe). Whereas the Cutlers are happy-go-lucky vacation types, the Loomis family is decidedly more dysfunctional, with the flirtatious Rose intentionally provoking her mentally unstable husband. On a boat trip, Polly even spots Rose locking lips with a mysterious stranger (Richard Mann Allan). Advance a few days, and Ray is missing and presumed dead. The fact that Rose faints when she goes to identify the body suggests that George still has a few surprises in store for his not-so-devoted wife.
- While its basic murder plot isn't anything terribly novel, Niagara's location scenery is quite memorable, particularly when the action occurs near the roaring falls. The film also features a beautiful top-down shot of a character getting murdered in the aforementioned bell tower and melting to the floor. Cotten and Monroe are adequate in their roles, although both are outshined by Peters, who excels at communicating internal turmoil. Showalter and Don Wilson, both playing executives in the shredded wheat business, excel at portraying chuckleheads of the highest order and regrettably do not go over the falls.
