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Scarlet Street (Fritz Lang, 1945)
Dan Duryea (Johnny) made a successful career out of playing slimy, tauntingly snotty, bad guys. He became the guy everyone loved to hate and he's so good at. He's great here as a sociopathic hustler and two-bit con man, who likes to slap his girlfriend around.
Joan Bennett (Kitty, 'lazy legs') likes to get slapped around! It's bizarre how her and Johnny go together like a black & blue bruise. I thought Joan Bennett was a stand out in this. She's a knock out for sure but she has a certain careless, self-destructive attitude that just works wonders for the film.
Forced Perspective is used to great effect by the cinematographer. Notice how tiny and weak Edward G. Robinson looks in this scene.
I loved the way Fritz Lang defines the characters by their actions. Lazy legs, is too lazy to work so she has to engage in questionable actives by using men. We see her laziness in the record that plays over and over, and in the way she throws her cigarette into a pile of dishes, and when she gets a stick of gum she careless dumps the wrapper on the floor.
Mostly I love the story itself, it's genius. Everyone screws everyone else over....and in the end they all pay for it. Many Noirs have one main theme but Scarlet Street has multiple themes:
The missing husband detective... and the way each tried to con the other. Johnny's ultimate fate, which I found actually sad, despite all of his negative qualities. The way Chris (Robinson) finally ends up is fitting as it fits the way he lived his life. And the whole commentary on art, hype and value, and how the truth of it was skewed, that was pure cleverness. Amazing.
Scarlet Street (Fritz Lang, 1945)
Director: Fritz Lang
Cast: Edward G. Robinson, Joan Bennett, Dan Duryea
Genre: Film Noir
Cast: Edward G. Robinson, Joan Bennett, Dan Duryea
Genre: Film Noir
At the heart of this film is one idea: 'everyone screws someone else over, and pays for it in the end.'
What a great cast: Edward G. Robinson (Chris Cross), plays a vastly different role than the one that made him an iconic tough guy in Little Caesar (1931). He fits perfectly into his role as the meek, little man, who's brow beaten by his wife and escapes his misery by dreaming of becoming a painter.
I felt bad for him, especially when his wife threatened to throw away his paintings, that he loved so dearly. Those paintings play a much bigger part in the film, than might first meet the eye.
What a great cast: Edward G. Robinson (Chris Cross), plays a vastly different role than the one that made him an iconic tough guy in Little Caesar (1931). He fits perfectly into his role as the meek, little man, who's brow beaten by his wife and escapes his misery by dreaming of becoming a painter.
I felt bad for him, especially when his wife threatened to throw away his paintings, that he loved so dearly. Those paintings play a much bigger part in the film, than might first meet the eye.
Dan Duryea (Johnny) made a successful career out of playing slimy, tauntingly snotty, bad guys. He became the guy everyone loved to hate and he's so good at. He's great here as a sociopathic hustler and two-bit con man, who likes to slap his girlfriend around.
Joan Bennett (Kitty, 'lazy legs') likes to get slapped around! It's bizarre how her and Johnny go together like a black & blue bruise. I thought Joan Bennett was a stand out in this. She's a knock out for sure but she has a certain careless, self-destructive attitude that just works wonders for the film.
Forced Perspective is used to great effect by the cinematographer. Notice how tiny and weak Edward G. Robinson looks in this scene.
I loved the way Fritz Lang defines the characters by their actions. Lazy legs, is too lazy to work so she has to engage in questionable actives by using men. We see her laziness in the record that plays over and over, and in the way she throws her cigarette into a pile of dishes, and when she gets a stick of gum she careless dumps the wrapper on the floor.
Mostly I love the story itself, it's genius. Everyone screws everyone else over....and in the end they all pay for it. Many Noirs have one main theme but Scarlet Street has multiple themes:
The missing husband detective... and the way each tried to con the other. Johnny's ultimate fate, which I found actually sad, despite all of his negative qualities. The way Chris (Robinson) finally ends up is fitting as it fits the way he lived his life. And the whole commentary on art, hype and value, and how the truth of it was skewed, that was pure cleverness. Amazing.