HollywoodGolightly Posted June 18, 2009 Share Posted June 18, 2009 These two great Jules Dassin movies are being shown today as part of the tribute to the great director - and for genre fans, they're definitely worth catching: *Naked City* (1948) 2pm ET A step-by-step look at a murder investigation on the streets of New York. Cast: Barry Fitzgerald, Howard Duff, Dorothy Hart, Don Taylor Dir: Jules Dassin BW-96 mins, TV-14 *Brute Force* (1947) 6:15pm ET Tough, disgruntled prisoners plan a daring, possibly bloody escape while on a drain pipe detail. Cast: Burt Lancaster, Hume Cronyn, Charles Bickford, Yvonne De Carlo Dir: Jules Dassin BW-98 mins, TV-14 Link to post Share on other sites
DownGoesFrazier Posted June 18, 2009 Share Posted June 18, 2009 "Naked City" has a bit of a morbid edge in that Mark Hellinger, the narrator and producer of the movie, died suddenly before the movie was released. Good and groundbreaking film, though. Link to post Share on other sites
HollywoodGolightly Posted June 19, 2009 Author Share Posted June 19, 2009 It was interesting to see Charles Bickford again in Brute Force today, I just watched The Woman on the Beach last night, and his performance there was so memorable. I don't think I'd paid too much attention to him before. Link to post Share on other sites
Joel Posted June 21, 2009 Share Posted June 21, 2009 I noticed recently that Charles Bickford was in "Annie Christie", Garbo's first talkie. Link to post Share on other sites
HollywoodGolightly Posted June 22, 2009 Author Share Posted June 22, 2009 That's another one I'd like to watch again, soon. (And not just because of Bickford, though I'd certainly like to catch more of his movies as well). Link to post Share on other sites
kingrat Posted June 29, 2009 Share Posted June 29, 2009 Finally got around to seeing "Brute Force." What a stylish noir. Loved the crane shots from the tower, the use of violence, the whole pacing of the film. Dassin is really a sure stylist. The only Dassin film I'd seen was "Topkapi," very good in a different manner. The early 60s loved caper films the way the 40s loved noir. Yes, it was fascinating to see Bickford as Garbo's suitor in "Anna Christie" and then as the aging prisoner here. Link to post Share on other sites
HollywoodGolightly Posted June 29, 2009 Author Share Posted June 29, 2009 Dassin's movies from the 40s are definitely very different from those he made in the 60s, and in fact all of his post-Hollywood films. (As you may know, his career in Hollywood ended after being reported to and subpoenaed by HUAC and he left for Europe around 1952). It's interesting to wonder what his later movies might have been if he hadn't become a victim of McCarthyism and had stayed in Hollywood. Link to post Share on other sites
mrroberts Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 How about "Night and the City" with Richard Widmark and Gene Tierney? Link to post Share on other sites
HollywoodGolightly Posted June 30, 2009 Author Share Posted June 30, 2009 > {quote:title=mrroberts wrote:}{quote} > How about "Night and the City" with Richard Widmark and Gene Tierney? That's a good one, too. Link to post Share on other sites
DownGoesFrazier Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 Does "Brute Force" really encompass most of the characteristics of a noir? Link to post Share on other sites
kingrat Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 Not sure if "Brute Force" fits all definitions of noir. However, it has stylish black & white photography and a dark, brooding view of the universe; it has stunning moments of violence; most of the main characters end up dead; and there are two femme fatales in the flashbacks. And it's a 40s film. That covers some of the bases. Link to post Share on other sites
DownGoesFrazier Posted July 1, 2009 Share Posted July 1, 2009 It certainly does. I narrow-mindedly assumed that a movie primarily set in a prison is not a noir. Link to post Share on other sites
Rickspade Posted July 1, 2009 Share Posted July 1, 2009 > {quote:title=mrroberts wrote:}{quote} > How about "Night and the City" with Richard Widmark and Gene Tierney? That's a great one, one of the best noirs of all time. I think Widmark gives perhaps his most nuanced performance in any noir, and the entire supporting cast is terrific (although Gene Tierney, as great as she is to look at, seems a bit miscast). In addition, Dassin uses the London backdrop to great effect, as well as any director ever used any American city. I highly recommend this one. Link to post Share on other sites
fredbaetz Posted July 1, 2009 Share Posted July 1, 2009 The remake with DeNiro and Jessica Lange isn't bad, just not up to the original. I think this was Dassin's first film he did after leaving the U.S. for Europe following the HUAC problem.Widmark was such a fine actor in many roles but he was so good in Noir.... Link to post Share on other sites
DownGoesFrazier Posted July 2, 2009 Share Posted July 2, 2009 It certainly is a very noirish sounding title. Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now