Why do I keep forgetting that I've seen so many Jules Dassin movies? Did I just assume I'd know more in French than in English, because I started with Rififi? (The man was born in Connecticut, for crying out loud.) Or is it just that none of them live up to that one in my mind? Anyway, this one came out the year between The Naked City and Night and the City, so you could bet it's urban and noir.
Nick (Richard Conte) returns from war to find his produce-farming father legless from a vehicle accident and almost certainly swindled by San Francisco-based dealer Figlia (Lee J. Cobb). Nick decides with neighbor Ed (Millard Mitchell) to take two truckloads of in-demand apples to Figlia and drive a harder bargain than Nick's dad did. AFAICT, that's the extent of the justice Nick has in mind. But he underestimates what depths Figlia will go to for extra profit.
Showing posts with label jules dassin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label jules dassin. Show all posts
Saturday, August 31, 2019
Friday, January 8, 2016
Brute Force (1947)
I sat on this disc for a while, taking a break from movies in general. The title suggested that I would have to prepare myself for more grit. On the other hand, the year of release guaranteed that it wouldn't show anything too severe on screen. The golden age of film noir was bleak but hardly ripe for R ratings, especially in Hollywood.
This one belongs to the semi-genre of prison films, which must have felt pretty well-worn after the '30s. But compared to the bulk of those, BF could be seen as more of a precursor to The Shawshank Redemption. While the prisoners are all decidedly criminal -- even collectively murdering snitches -- they get far more of our sympathy than harsh, deceptively soft-spoken chief of security Munsey (Hume Cronyn). Joe Collins (Burt Lancaster) leads a group effort to escape, not only because the prison is intolerable but because his wife refuses vital medical attention unless he's with her.
This one belongs to the semi-genre of prison films, which must have felt pretty well-worn after the '30s. But compared to the bulk of those, BF could be seen as more of a precursor to The Shawshank Redemption. While the prisoners are all decidedly criminal -- even collectively murdering snitches -- they get far more of our sympathy than harsh, deceptively soft-spoken chief of security Munsey (Hume Cronyn). Joe Collins (Burt Lancaster) leads a group effort to escape, not only because the prison is intolerable but because his wife refuses vital medical attention unless he's with her.
Monday, December 8, 2014
The Naked City (1948)
Conventionally, this is classified as film noir, as befits pre-Rififi director Jules Dassin, but I think it pushes the bounds of that label. Most of the action takes place by day, for example, and the protagonists are hardly corrupt or morose. I'd call it just an old-time murder mystery -- a police procedural, even.
The most distinctive feature of the, ah, feature comes in the narration. Despite not identifying as a character within the story, the narrator conveys a fair amount of personality, more or less lightly mocking the concerned citizens of New York every step of the way. (Maybe Lemony Snicket should branch out accordingly.) It threatens to annoy rather than amuse viewers after a while, but hopefully, by that time, you'll be too engrossed to dwell on that.
The most distinctive feature of the, ah, feature comes in the narration. Despite not identifying as a character within the story, the narrator conveys a fair amount of personality, more or less lightly mocking the concerned citizens of New York every step of the way. (Maybe Lemony Snicket should branch out accordingly.) It threatens to annoy rather than amuse viewers after a while, but hopefully, by that time, you'll be too engrossed to dwell on that.
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