BFI: Film Noir Collection: Cry of The City and Kiss of Death
- foggy eyes
- Joined: Fri Sep 01, 2006 9:58 am
- Location: UK
BFI: Film Noir Collection: Cry of The City and Kiss of Death
Cry of The City
Cry of the City is a dark crime melodrama, filmed on location in New York City in voluptuous black and white by a director whose name is synonymous with the era of classic film noir. It was planned as a follow-up to Kiss of Death, a big hit for Twentieth Century Fox the previous year.
Martin Rome (Richard Conte) drives the law crazy - he is a beautiful loser, defying death, the great charismatic anti-hero of Siodmak's masterpiece of law and disorder. Adapted from a novel by Henry Edward Helseth, Cry of the City tells the tale of a charismatic New York criminal and his nemesis, the dogged cop and one-time friend who chases him down with a neurotic possessiveness as though in pursuit of his own evil twin.
Richard Conte's dazzling performance as Rome conveys a seductive ruthlessness opposite the brawny Victor Mature - a Fox favourite following his powerful performance in Kiss of Death - as Lieutenant Candella, the 'good guy' in the film's running battle between good and evil. They are supported by a brilliant cast including Debra Paget, Shelley Winters, and the mesmerising, scene-stealing Hope Emerson in her most original and remarkable role as a thieving murderess.
Kiss of Death
Kiss of Death is a semi-documentary thriller, one of a cycle of documentary-based noirs, which began life not as pulp fiction but as a version of the facts, derived from the case files of Eleazar Lipsky, an aspiring novelist and Manhattan Assistant District Attorney. Ben Hecht, screenwriter of The Front Page and Scarface, and Charles Lederer, a frequent collaborator, delivered the script.
Sharing with the later On the Waterfront (1954) the theme of heroic informing, the film was a huge hit for Fox. The giggling psycho killer, the old lady in the wheelchair pushed down the stairs - this is the film wherein Richard Widmark became a star, Victor Mature became an actor, sadism came to the big screen and Hollywood neorealism got tangled in the dreamscape of noir.
Richard Widmark, then a radio actor, made his film debut, stealing every frame as the terrifying, grinning, snickering killer Tommy Udo. Udo, with his animal ferocity and vicious joie de vivre, is clearly a spiritual nephew of Scarface's Tony Camonte, but Widmark himself is to be credited with many of the inspired details of his performance.
Extras:
- Interview with Richard Widmark
- Original theatrical trailer, presented by famed commentator Walter Winchell
- Fully illustrated booklet
- Essay by author Lee Server
- Interview with director Henry Hathaway
Cry of the City is a dark crime melodrama, filmed on location in New York City in voluptuous black and white by a director whose name is synonymous with the era of classic film noir. It was planned as a follow-up to Kiss of Death, a big hit for Twentieth Century Fox the previous year.
Martin Rome (Richard Conte) drives the law crazy - he is a beautiful loser, defying death, the great charismatic anti-hero of Siodmak's masterpiece of law and disorder. Adapted from a novel by Henry Edward Helseth, Cry of the City tells the tale of a charismatic New York criminal and his nemesis, the dogged cop and one-time friend who chases him down with a neurotic possessiveness as though in pursuit of his own evil twin.
Richard Conte's dazzling performance as Rome conveys a seductive ruthlessness opposite the brawny Victor Mature - a Fox favourite following his powerful performance in Kiss of Death - as Lieutenant Candella, the 'good guy' in the film's running battle between good and evil. They are supported by a brilliant cast including Debra Paget, Shelley Winters, and the mesmerising, scene-stealing Hope Emerson in her most original and remarkable role as a thieving murderess.
Kiss of Death
Kiss of Death is a semi-documentary thriller, one of a cycle of documentary-based noirs, which began life not as pulp fiction but as a version of the facts, derived from the case files of Eleazar Lipsky, an aspiring novelist and Manhattan Assistant District Attorney. Ben Hecht, screenwriter of The Front Page and Scarface, and Charles Lederer, a frequent collaborator, delivered the script.
Sharing with the later On the Waterfront (1954) the theme of heroic informing, the film was a huge hit for Fox. The giggling psycho killer, the old lady in the wheelchair pushed down the stairs - this is the film wherein Richard Widmark became a star, Victor Mature became an actor, sadism came to the big screen and Hollywood neorealism got tangled in the dreamscape of noir.
Richard Widmark, then a radio actor, made his film debut, stealing every frame as the terrifying, grinning, snickering killer Tommy Udo. Udo, with his animal ferocity and vicious joie de vivre, is clearly a spiritual nephew of Scarface's Tony Camonte, but Widmark himself is to be credited with many of the inspired details of his performance.
Extras:
- Interview with Richard Widmark
- Original theatrical trailer, presented by famed commentator Walter Winchell
- Fully illustrated booklet
- Essay by author Lee Server
- Interview with director Henry Hathaway
- Felix
- Joined: Fri Nov 24, 2006 1:48 pm
- Location: A dark damp land where the men all wear skirts
No, quite right. I hadn't realised you didn't actually work for them.MichaelB wrote:Appearances notwithstanding, I don't actually work for BFI Video as such - And as I'd quite like this relationship to continue, I'm not about to jeopardise it by spreading traceable rumours!
All seemed to be genuine but I can't remember where they were mentioned, if it was here or somewhere else on line. Never mind, there is still more than enough to empty my pockets...
Or not, as the case may be. I think there is a French release of this but with forced subs? Anyone know? I got the Spanish release of Dark Mirror, via Xploited I think, but the voices are out of synch and for me it is unwatchable.foggy eyes wrote:Cry of the City? Awesome. The world needs more Victor Mature. An odd choice for BFI, though, and probably why it's been shelved.
I don't know if it so odd a release for BFI, they have a fair clutch of Preminger Noir and I suppose a lot of the time companies don't actually get to release all the films they want, but have to settle for what is available that meets their standards and remit.
- foggy eyes
- Joined: Fri Sep 01, 2006 9:58 am
- Location: UK
I agree. But Preminger's noirs are utterly essential, whereas Cry of the City arguably isn't. I like the film, yet Phantom Lady, The Dark Mirror, The Spiral Staircase, The Killers and Criss Cross are all crying out to be released in good condition in the UK.Felix wrote:I don't know if it so odd a release for BFI, they have a fair clutch of Preminger Noir and I suppose a lot of the time companies don't actually get to release all the films they want, but have to settle for what is available that meets their standards and remit.
But, if they are forced to settle, I look forward to a BFI logo next to the beefy profile of Victor Mature!
- Felix
- Joined: Fri Nov 24, 2006 1:48 pm
- Location: A dark damp land where the men all wear skirts
I think Siodmak's noirs as a body are essential and I think he is unjustly unlauded and thus I agree with all those you mention, though I have already gone for the American releases that are out there. There is a very good piece on him by Michael Walker in the Movie Book of Film Noir, a wonderful reference (1992 UK Edited Ian Cameron). It is 50 pages of double column small type, so amounts to a small book.foggy eyes wrote:[I agree. But Preminger's noirs are utterly essential, whereas Cry of the City arguably isn't. I like the film, yet Phantom Lady, The Dark Mirror, The Spiral Staircase, The Killers and Criss Cross are all crying out to be released in good condition in the UK.
But, if they are forced to settle, I look forward to a BFI logo next to the beefy profile of Victor Mature!
Earlier on I was watching an item on the BBC about the 100th anniversary of a theatre in Scotland and they talked of how when Victor Mature appeared there, all the ladies were fainting in the aisles...
Yes, these do appear to be more than rumour. The person who told me they had been promised or ages doesn't go online much so he didn't pick it up there. I think someone said they were mentioned in one of their film booklets. There is hope.lubitsch wrote:I asked yesterday the BFI about the three Borzage silents. The answer was.
"We're having production problems with that title, but will hopefully be
releasing it within the next year. Keep your eye on the national press and our
webiste for further information."
- foggy eyes
- Joined: Fri Sep 01, 2006 9:58 am
- Location: UK
Yes, the Walker piece is excellent! My favourite Mature anecdote concerns Robert Mitchum wearing one of his old suits from the 1940s for Farewell My Lovely, and complaining of an overwhelming stench of sweat and body odour. It had never been washed...Felix wrote:I think Siodmak's noirs as a body are essential and I think he is unjustly unlauded and thus I agree with all those you mention, though I have already gone for the American releases that are out there. There is a very good piece on him by Michael Walker in the Movie Book of Film Noir, a wonderful reference (1992 UK Edited Ian Cameron). It is 50 pages of double column small type, so amounts to a small book.
Earlier on I was watching an item on the BBC about the 100th anniversary of a theatre in Scotland and they talked of how when Victor Mature appeared there, all the ladies were fainting in the aisles...
- Gordon
- Joined: Thu Nov 11, 2004 8:03 am
The BFI submitted Cry of the City for a video certificate in late 2005 and interestingly, it was re-rated "12" by the BBFC on the 12th December, 2005: Click here for info.
I wonder why the submitted it for a rating and still haven't released it 12 months later?
The BBFC list the extras for Wittgenstein.
I wonder why the submitted it for a rating and still haven't released it 12 months later?
The BBFC list the extras for Wittgenstein.
-
- Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 2:27 pm
- Location: London, UK
Three Fox noirs from the BFI - Cry of the City, Kiss of Death and Night and the City - are now appearing at various retailers for 27th August at £19.99 a pop. Hopefully there'll be some extras.
(Other upcoming Fox titles include The Fan, Margin for Error, Bigger Than Life, A Royal Scandal, Cluny Brown and A Walk with Love and Death - someone in their licensing department has a major hard-on for Otto Preminger.)
(Other upcoming Fox titles include The Fan, Margin for Error, Bigger Than Life, A Royal Scandal, Cluny Brown and A Walk with Love and Death - someone in their licensing department has a major hard-on for Otto Preminger.)
- What A Disgrace
- Joined: Sun Nov 07, 2004 10:34 pm
- Contact:
- meanwhile
- Joined: Fri Sep 02, 2005 6:22 am
These at MovieMail:
Night and the City
Interview with director Jules Dassin; Feature commentary by film noir specialist Paul Duncan; Short film comparing the US and British versions of the film; Fully illustrated booklet with essays by Lee Server and Paul Duncan.
Cry of the City
Original theatrical trailer; Fully illustrated booklet including essay by Lee Server.
Night and the City
Interview with director Jules Dassin; Feature commentary by film noir specialist Paul Duncan; Short film comparing the US and British versions of the film; Fully illustrated booklet with essays by Lee Server and Paul Duncan.
Cry of the City
Original theatrical trailer; Fully illustrated booklet including essay by Lee Server.
- Kay Hoog
- Joined: Fri May 26, 2006 11:01 am
Cry of the City hereNarshty wrote:Three Fox noirs from the BFI - Cry of the City, Kiss of Death and Night and the City - are now appearing at various retailers for 27th August at £19.99 a pop. Hopefully there'll be some extras.
Kiss of Death here
Extras
* Interview with Richard Widmark
* Original theatrical trailer, presented by famed commentator Walter Winchell
* Fully illustrated booklet
* Essay by author Lee Server
* Interview with director Henry Hathaway
Night and the City here
Extras
* Interview with director Jules Dassin
* Feature commentary by film noir specialist Paul Duncan
* Short film comparing the US and British versions of the film
* Fully illustrated booklet with essays by Lee Server and Paul Duncan.
Cutting back to the Noir release due from BFI, the mention of an interview with Richard Widmark has me intriqued. Always like hearing what the cast make of these b movies they were starring in, what they thought of them and such.
Cry of the City sleeve is astounding, sells the film in a single frame. Shame about the lack of features, shall rent for certain knowing a Criterion version is due at some point, fingers crossed there will be more film noir due from BFI, ideally those which can draw upon BFI archives of interviews, and other relevant materials.
Cry of the City sleeve is astounding, sells the film in a single frame. Shame about the lack of features, shall rent for certain knowing a Criterion version is due at some point, fingers crossed there will be more film noir due from BFI, ideally those which can draw upon BFI archives of interviews, and other relevant materials.