Scarlet Street

 Scarlet Street.

Edward G. Robinson and Joan Bennett star in this 1945 film noir directed by Fritz Lang. Robinson plays a meek office clerk whose meekness is compounded by one of the most domineering wives in film history. Anyway, one dark evening while walking home from an office party honoring him for years of loyal service, he gets involved in a street altercation and things spiral out of control with tragic results. 102 minutes. No subtitles.

The year before critics complained about the ending of Fritz Lang's film noir, The Woman in the Window, and so in 1945 Lang made a very similar film, Scarlet Street, with the same cast but with a dramatically different and dark ending.

Once again Joan Bennett is the femme fatale, and Dan Duryea the sleazy villain, but Robinson is again superb as the meek office clerk whose only consolation is painting which he does in his spare time despite the sneers of his wife. Eddie Muller's intro to this film claims that it is "essential" film noir, and Fritz Lange's best film. 

Dan Duryea and Joan Bennett