Edward G. Robinson and Joan Bennett star in this 1944 film noir directed by Fritz Lang. Robinson plays a criminal law professor attending an academic convention in New York city who one night meets the model for a beautiful portrait displayed in his hotel window. This chance encounter leads to murder, blackmail and a very suspenseful climax. 99 minutes.
Despite a long and brilliant film career, Edward G. Robinson never received even a nomination for an Academy Award. His Romanian Jewish family had settled in New York City before WWI, and he was educated in City schools where he developed an interest in acting. Eventually, he became a star during Hollywood’s Golden Age despite his small, stocky body, and unattractive looks. He burst into prominence in 1931 playing a snarling, vicious Italian gangster in Little Caesar. It was a role that would forever mark him as a tough guy, but unlike most stars he was able to have more than one film persona.
Joan Bennett is a fine femme fatale in this film, and Dan Duryea establishes his own screen persona as a smarmy blackmailer. In his intro on TCM's Noir Alley Eddie Muller places this film with the wonderful crop of crime dramas from 1944 like Double Indemnity, Laura, Murder My Sweet, and Phantom Lady that established film noir in film history. ###
 |
| Edward G. Robinson and Joan Bennett |
No comments:
Post a Comment