Month: November 2023

#Noirvember: “On Dangerous Ground” (1951) starring Ida Lupino & Robert Ryan

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A Woman With an Empty Heart… A Man With a Loaded Gun whose only chaperone was MURDER! -A tagline for the film

We start with the cop in the big city being called up for his violence. He’s a vicious cop, vicious to criminals because he can rationalize it. Criminals are criminals to him, they’re not people. So he’s sent out of the city, into the mountains. -A.I. Bezzerides, screenwriter

A cop from the city, Jim Wilson (Robert Ryan), is disciplined for his violent behavior by his boss, Capt. Brawley (Ed Begley). He’s sent to a small/mountain town where the local sheriff needs help to solve the case of a murdered girl. The father of the victim, Walter Brent (Ward Bond), is determined to find/kill whoever is responsible. While on the trail of the suspect, Jim and Mr. Brent come to the home of Mary Malden (Ida Lupino). She is keeping a secret, and though nearly blind, Mary can “see” that Jim has a troubled/lonely soul.

Mary: Tell me, how is it to be a cop?
Jim: You get so you don’t trust anybody.
Mary: [who is blind] You’re lucky. You don’t have to trust anyone. I do. I have to trust everybody.

Director Nicholas Ray and screenwriter A.I. Bezzerides researched the daily life and procedures of police in prep, incl. riding w/ detectives in Boston’s South End. The screenplay was developed from the novel Mad with Much Heart by Gerald Butler. The urban scenes were shot in L.A. while the country scenes (in real snow) were shot outside Denver in 2 small towns. Savvy viewers may’ve noticed that a hand-held camera was used to give a “live action” feel to some sequences (rare for the time)! Composer Bernard Hermann (one of the best of his field) wrote the score (which is V memorable). At around 30 mins (when Jim is driving upstate), the music heard was also used 8 yrs. later in Hitchcock’s North by Northwest (1959).

I hate film-makers who want long discussions with actors over a scene. An actor who doesn’t know what a scene he’s going to play is in the wrong profession. -Robert Ryan, actor

This is an unusual/compelling noir which delves into the dark side and the light side of man’s nature. This is also a fave of Scorsese and one of the influences for Taxi Driver (which I haven’t seen yet). I’ve watched this movie a few times in recent yrs; it’s like 2 movies in one- a gritty police procedural and a touching melodrama. Lupino (who directed for a few days when Ray got sick) doesn’t appear until 39 mins. into the story. Ryan and Lupino got along well on set; they create quiet tension onscreen (romantic potential). You can rent this on Amazon Prime Video.

[1] The process of humanization of Jim Wilson is depicted through his relationship with Mary and is very touching. Ida Lupino and Robert Ryan have great performances under the direction of Nicholas Ray in this credible story.

[2] Right from the outset, we are in no doubt that Nicholas Ray is about to take us on a noir journey. Herrmann’s pulse like score accompanies its nighttime opening, Diskant’s photography immediately painting a harsh city where life on the streets is tough.

[3] Ryan is terrific, a real powerhouse and believable performance, while Lupino beautifully realises Mary’s serene impact on Wilson and the counter opposite to the darkness within the picture. It’s a given really, but Herrmann’s score is potent, listen out for the opening, the crossover section from city to countryside and the rock face pursuit. While Ray directs with his customary knack of blending the grim with the almost poetic.

-Excerpts from IMDb reviews

#Noirvember: “Crime Wave” (1953) starring Gene Wilson, Sterling Hayden, & Phyllis Kirk

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Before your shocked eyes- the city blasted SIN-SIDE OUT! -Tagline for the movie

Ellen Lacey: But you haven’t done anything! You’re innocent!

Steve Lacey: Once you do a stretch, you’re never clean again! You’re never free! They’ve always got a string on you, and they tug, tug, tug! Before you know it, you’re back again!

Three men: “Doc” Penny (Ted de Corsia), Ben Hastings (Charles Bronson- in his 1st credited role), and Gat Morgan (Nedrick Young) escape from San Quentin and kill a cop during a gas station robbery. Wounded by the cop’s bullet, Morgan runs through dark streets of L.A. until reaching the apt. of a former cellmate, Steve Lacey (Gene Nelson- known as a dancer in comedies), Steve is one parole for 2 yrs, works as an airplane repairman, and is supported by a loving wife, Ellen (Phyllis Kirk). He can’t afford to be found associating w/ criminals. However, a homicide detective, Lt. Sims (Sterling Hayden), wants to use Steve to catch Penny and Hastings.

Life is goddam black, and I photograph life. -Andre De Toth, director

Jack L. Warner wanted Humphrey Bogart and Ava Gardner to star, BUT director André De Toth (who was married to Veronica Lake from 1944-1952) strongly protested this. De Toth realized that w/ such famous stars, he’s lose control of the film. After a long argument, Warner decided that De Toth could make the movie any way he wanted, BUT it had to be done in 2 wks! De Toth finished under schedule (13 days) and under budget w/ his chosen lead- Hayden. Although he got a law degree from the Univ. of Budapest, De Toth decided to become an actor (against the wishes of his father); he spent several yrs. on the stage. He then entered the Hungarian film industry, working as writer, editor, 2nd unit director and actor before becoming a director. De Toth directed a few films just before WWII, then fled to England; Alexander Korda gave him a job. When he emigrated to the US in 1942, Korda got him a job as 2nd unit director on The Jungle Book. De Toth made his debut in America in 1944; he became known for hard-edged movies depicting violence in a realistic manner.

Lt. Sims: You know, it isn’t what a man wants to do, Lacey, but what he has to do. Now take me – I love to smoke cigarettes, but the doctors say I can’t have them. So what do I do? I chew toothpicks, tons of them.

Eddie Muller (TCM) explained that the sets were constructed on a small scale w/ low ceilings to make Hayden (6’5″) appear even larger/more imposing when next to other actors. Also, De Toth forbid Hayden from smoking during filming; that helped create the tense/angry attitude needed for Lt. Sims. James Ellroy names this as one of his fave films; he used Hayden’s performance as the model for Bud White in his novel L.A. Confidential. Bronson (then known by his real last name- Buchinsky) was an unknown; he’d go on to fame in the ’60s. Bronson grew up in a poor, Lithuanian immigrant family; after HS, he worked in the coal mines (like his father), then went into the Army. He has screen presence and makes a believable baddie here.

[1] “Crime Wave” is a very good example of a forgotten film noir picture that deserves to be seen. Its strengths are its directness–it is compactly told, brutally violent and lacking in the glamor and glitz you find in some of the “pretty” examples of noir.

[2] Aces all around. Too bad this crime drama came along in the twilight of B b&w because it’s in the best tradition—fast, tough, and unsentimental. Director De Toth is a perfect shaper with his cynical European style.

[3] There’s much more attention to character in the film’s 1 hr. 25 mins. running time than in many full-length features of the era; Jay Novello, as an alcoholic veterinarian who doubles as an underworld sawbones, is especially memorable.

-Excerpts from IMDb reviews

#Noirvember: “The Turning Point” (1952) starring William Holden, Edmond O’Brien, & Alexis Smith

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Today’s most sensational story of racket-busting! -A tagline for the movie

In a Midwestern city, Jerry McKibbon (William Holden), a cynical/no-nonsense newspaperman reconnects w/ a childhood pal, John Conroy (Edmond O’Brien) who was just promoted to special prosecutor. Johnny is engaged to a smart/elegant socialite, Amanda Waycross (Alexis Smith), who thinks he should aim for higher office. As a plain-spoken/idealist, Johnny insists that he has “no political ambitions” and is only concerned re: rooting out corruption. He starts investigating rich/influential businessman, Neil Echelberger (Ed Begley), as well as the police force; Johnny’s father, Matt Conroy (Tom Tully), is also a cop.

The director of this film, Wilhelm Dieterle, joined a traveling theater at age 16 in his native Germany. After 6 yrs, the ambitious/handsome young actor was noticed by producer/director Max Reinhardt (a big proponent of Expressionism in theater). Dieterle acted in nearly 20 movies before he also began directing in 1923. His 1st female lead was a young Marlene Dietrich- wow! In Hollywood, he directed for Warner Bros. from 1931-1934. Dieterle directed The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939) at RKO starring Charles Laughton (Quasimodo); this was the 1st film for O’Brien and (future star) Maureen O’Hara. (I still need to watch this movie!) The dream-like romance/drama, Portrait of Jennie (1948) stars Joseph Cotten (a frequent collaborator).

Eddie Muller (TCM) called this is “an A-picture inspired by the Senate’s Committee to Investigate Organized Crime.” He felt that Carolyn Jones (in her 1st film) “steals the scene” playing a parody of Bugsy Siegel’s moll- Virginia Hill. I watched this film 2x; I was tired/sleepy on my 1st watch. There is a LOT of fast-paced/clever dialogue, so you have to pay close attention. O’Brien (a reliable character actor) and Holden (up-and-coming in Hollywood) are quite believable as friends. As Muller pointed out, there is steamy romantic chemistry btwn. Holden (one of my mom’s faves) and Smith (“perhaps ahead of her time”). The large supporting cast does a fine job; they add flavor to enrich the story. Check this out; it’s free on YouTube.

[1] Based on a Horace McCoy story, this is a fine, complex noir feature rooted in the events of its time. William Dieterle directs with his usual sure hand, pulling out fine performances.

[2] The corrupt city angle is pretty familiar. Quite a few noir films have such a premise. But, it’s all handled pretty well and I loved the VERY snappy and tough dialog. It’s a fine film for lovers of the genre and worth your time.

[3] The 85-minutes amounts to a surprisingly good blend of a complexly constructed narrative. The personal, romantic, and political all combine here in what’s clearly an effort to tap into Kefauver anti-racketeering hearings of the time. […]

While dual leads, Holden and O’Brien, low-key their parts effectively. Together, the cast makes the material more plausible than it should be.

-Excerpts from IMDb reviews