Sunday 19 August 2018

Scarlet Street (1945 Fritz Lang)

Based on novel 'La Chienne' by Georges de la Fouchardiere, and play written with Mouezy-Eon. Dudley Nichols wrote a satisfying adaptation, rich with irony (he can't get arrested at the end - quite unusual in that legally he does get away with it). In Alexander Golitzen's Greenwich Village, 'lazy legs' Joan Bennett starts to milk middle-aged cashier Edward G. Robinson, egged on by shiftless boyfriend Dan Duryea, with murderous results. Great plot twist as Robinson's paintings (painted by John Decker) start to attract attention. Great stuff as Edward G goes crazy to flashing light and well done audio flashback.

A Walter Wanger production, shot by Milton Krasner, scored by Hans Salter. Wanger was married to Bennett and shot her agent in 1951. I know. Life is weirder than the movies. He suspected her of having an affair with him. He didn't die, and Wanger served four months. And that didn't end his career. But it effectively killed Bennett's.



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