Second hand murder
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | Second hand murder |
| Original title | An American Dream |
| Country of production | United States |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1966 |
| length | 104 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 18 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Robert Gist |
| script |
Howard Rodman , husband Rubin |
| production |
William Conrad , Jimmy Lydon |
| music | Johnny Almond |
| camera | Sam Leavitt |
| cut | George R. Rohrs |
| occupation | |
| |
Second-hand murder (Original title: An American Dream ) is an American crime film from 1966. The screenplay is based on the novel of the same name by Norman Mailer .
action
The war veteran Stephen Rojack is a successful but also controversial television presenter who repeatedly criticizes the inability of the police to bring Mafia boss Ganucci to justice. His wife, the wealthy alcoholic Deborah, has become estranged from him. After receiving a call from her, he rushes over to her in the hope that she will finally agree to the divorce. But there is a heated argument in which Rojack strangles his wife and pushes her from the 30th floor of the apartment building. When she hits the street, her body is hit by a car. The inmates, Ganucci, his nephew Nicky and his former lover and current girlfriend of Nicky, the nightclub singer Cherry McMahon, are taken to a police station like Rojack.
Rojack reports to the police that his wife committed suicide. After his release, Rojack begins an affair with Cherry. In his broadcasts he continues to vehemently take action against the Mafia, whose members then decide to eliminate him. His father-in-law, Barney Kelly, visits him at home, who leads him to confess to Deborah's murder. Kelly doesn't go to the police, however. He makes Rojack suffer from his memories of the murder.
Nicky lures Cherry with a new contract. She's supposed to help him set a trap for Rojack. Cherry lures Rojack into her apartment, but fails to send him to his death and warns him of the danger. Rojack no longer wants to run away. He takes Cherry's revolver, enters her apartment and, after killing Nicky, is shot by the gangsters.
background
The film premiered on August 31, 1966 in New York. In Germany it was first shown in cinemas on March 17, 1967.
The Oscar-nominated song was played in playback by Janet Leigh in a nightclub scene. Sung has him Jackie Ward .
Reviews
The Lexicon of International Films describes the film as “a superficial film adaptation of a Norman Mailer novel; Due to the undifferentiated direction, the socio-critical accents of the original are lost in a barely exciting, rumor-like ripper. ” Bosley Crowther of the New York Times found the film a“ tired, dull and tough ”version of Norman Mailer's novel. The actors are "the unfortunate prisoners of this colored showmanship". For Channel 4 , the film lacks “power, depth and context”.
The evangelical film observer also came to a negative verdict: “A hodgepodge of scenes from older films, not entirely free of the fatal 'master-human morality'. It's not worth a visit. "
Awards
In 1967 , the song A Time for Love, composed by Johnny Mandel and written by Paul Francis Webster, was nominated for an Oscar in the Best Song category. The song won the Golden Laurel at the Laurel Awards .
Web links
- Murder second hand in the Internet Movie Database (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Second-hand murder. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film Service , accessed January 29, 2011 .
- ↑ Review of the New York Times (English)
- ↑ Review of Channel 4 (English)
- ↑ Evangelischer Presseverband München, Review No. 118/1967.