Boomerang (1946)
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | boomerang |
| Original title | boomerang |
| Country of production | United States |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1946 |
| length | 85 minutes |
| Rod | |
| Director | Elia Kazan |
| script |
Richard Murphy based on the story "The Perfect Case" by Anthony Abbott, published in Reader's Digest in 1945 |
| production | Louis de Rochemont |
| music | David Buttolph |
| camera | Norbert Brodine |
| cut | Harmon Jones |
| occupation | |
| |
Boomerang is a 1946 by Elia Kazan twisted film noir - thriller with Dana Andrews , Jane Wyatt and Lee J. Cobb in the lead roles. The crime film was both an overwhelming critical and box office success and was based on a retelling of a real crime case from the 1920s published in Reader's Digest in December 1945.
action
Bridgeport, Connecticut, pastor Lambert is shot dead in the street one night. Police, led by Chief "Robby" Robinson, are on the spot with their investigation, and several local politicians are forced to intervene to prevent this hotly debated case from becoming a security problem on Bridgeport's roads to be let. In addition, one or the other interested party hopes to be able to distinguish themselves by accusing the police of incompetence and inability. The opposition sees the city administration as incapable of reform because of party political interests, so that the authorities feel compelled to act hastily and present a perpetrator whose guilt has by no means been proven.
Robinson and community prosecutor Henry Harvey soon come under immense pressure to solve the case and present the real killer of the popular man of God. Otherwise, the threat lies unspoken about the investigators in the room, they will get help from outside. The investigation is now under high pressure, and finally the sedentary John Waldron is targeted by the police and prosecutors. The man was subjected to a sharp police interrogation for two days, until he finally confessed, completely worn down by the interrogation methods and the constant sleep deprivation. The evidence seems overwhelming and the firearm found on him is believed to be the murder weapon. All is clear to Robinson, who needs this police success more than anything, but Harvey, who is careful about everything, has considerable doubts. He re-investigates the matter, questioning Waldron personally, and reviewing the alleged evidence. Harvey gets caught between all chairs.
He risks both his reputation and the marital peace, and his doubts arouse the wrath of police investigators. Finally the prosecutor comes to the conclusion that Waldron must be innocent. During this time he and his wife Madge are threatened by the unscrupulous, beefy citizen Paul Harris, who has purely business interests. Although Harvey's business is that of prosecuting the defendant, the prosecutor exposes the mistakes in the search for the perpetrator and expresses his doubts about Waldron's guilt. Now Harvey has messed with everyone: the judge questions Harvey's motives, police chief Robinson is angry with him because he does not want to finally close this case quickly and without problems, and outside the door there is a mob, the Waldron wants to bring about a very special kind of "justice". But in the end the realization wins that you cannot judge someone whose guilt cannot be proven beyond doubt. The film ends with a review that the real murderer of Father Lambert could never be determined.
Production notes
Boomerang was made from mid-September to November 1946 in Stamford (Connecticut) and White Plains (New York) and was premiered in London on January 26, 1947. The mass start was in New York on April 11 of the same year. In Germany, the film only premiered on television. There boomerang was shown on ARD on December 21, 1974. In Austria, the film celebrated its cinema premiere on June 24, 1949.
Richard Day and Chester Gore created the film structures, Thomas K. Little was the set designer. Kay Nelson designed the costumes under the direction of Charles Le Maire . Alfred Newman was the musical director.
The famous playwright Arthur Miller is briefly seen in a small role as a murder suspect.
Boomerang was $ 1.14 million to manufacture and nearly doubled in North America. This made the film a box office success.
useful information
Dana Andrews' part of Henry Harvey is based on the real Homer S. Cummings , who served as United States Attorney General under President Roosevelt from 1933.
The story described here was based on a criminal case that had occurred in Bridgeport (Connecticut) in 1924.
The stage-experienced character actor Ed Begley made his debut in front of the camera: He played a central role in the secondary line of the story, the unscrupulous businessman Paul Harris, who blackmailed Henry Harvey and who committed suicide in the middle of the courtroom towards the end of the film.
Boomerang was also formed into a half-hour radio piece that first aired on November 10, 1947. Dana Andrews repeated his role from the film here.
Awards
Elia Kazan won the National Board of Review Award and the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Director in 1947 .
Richard Murphy's screenplay was nominated at the Academy Awards in 1948.
Reviews
The evaluations were consistently very benevolent to enthusiastic.
Bosley Crowther wrote in the March 6, 1947 issue of the New York Times that the "style of presentation shown here resulted in a drama of rare clarity and clout".
" Boomerang is a gripping melodrama, copied from real life, told in a semi-documentary style."
“Penetrating real life thriller: based on a real case, the film was shot in an innovative, documentary style that was later widely copied. (...) a film milestone of its kind. "
“Brilliant drama in every way. Richard Murphy's tight script ... "
In the Lexicon of International Films it says: “After an authentic case (1927) shot in the original locations: a gripping attack on the influence of politics on the judiciary; consistently staged in a factual, documentary style. "
Individual evidence
- ^ Boomerang in The New York Times
- ↑ Boomerang. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed December 9, 2018 .
Web links
- Boomerang at the American Film Institute
- Boomerang in the Internet Movie Database (English)