Scream of the big city
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | Scream of the big city |
| Original title | Cry of the City |
| Country of production | United States |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1948 |
| length | 95 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 16 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Robert Siodmak |
| script | Richard Murphy |
| production | Sol C. Siegel |
| music | Alfred Newman |
| camera | Lloyd Ahern |
| cut | Harmon Jones |
| occupation | |
| |
Cry of the City (AKA Cry of the City ) is in black and white twisted American film noir of Robert Siodmak from the year 1948 . It was based on the novel The Chair for Martin Rome by Henry Edward Helseth.
action
After a shooting with a police officer, in which he was killed, the crook Martin Rome ends up seriously injured in the security wing of a hospital. His former childhood friend, police lieutenant Candella, and the corrupt attorney Niles visit him one after the other, because a ring from a robbery was found in his possession. Rome denies complicity and secretly instructs his teenage friend Teena to go into hiding before questioning her about the robbery. After his operation, Rome escapes with the help of the good-natured prisoner Orvy. He looks for Niles, forces access to his safe and finds not only cash but also the jewels from the robbery, which one wanted to accuse him. Niles himself is killed trying to shoot Rome. Rome, who is suffering from the consequences of the operation, lets his friend Brenda see Dr. Bring Veroff to treat him. He later visits the masseuse Rose, who was involved in the robbery, and offers her the jewels in exchange for cash and a car. Rose initially lets herself into the business for the sake of pretense, but instead forces Rome by force of arms to hand over the jewelry deposited in a station locker. Candella and the police, who are on Rome's heels, also arrive there. Rose wounds Candella with a revolver, Rome escapes again. He asks his younger brother Tony to bring him her parents' savings and meets Teena at a church. Candella can persuade Teena not to join Rome, who only uses other people for his own ends. When he tries to escape again, Rome is shot by Candella. Tony, who couldn't bring himself to steal his parents' money, collapses in tears.
background
Although director Robert Siodmak was under contract with Universal Pictures , he was regularly "loaned" to other production companies, as in the case of City Scream to 20th Century Fox . Fox production director Darryl F. Zanuck had several script versions based on Helseth's novel, among others by Ben Hecht and Charles Lederer , until he was satisfied with the result. Siodmak preferred the shooting in the studio to the work "on location" (= at the original location) because of the greater control , but Zanuck planned another semi- documentary film noir in the style of The Kiss of Death and Boomerang and had parts of the film shot in New York . Siodmak's collaboration with his star Victor Mature became increasingly difficult after he gave Richard Conte the role of Martin Rome, which Mature was originally to play .
Schrei der Großstadt started on September 29, 1948 in New York and on July 13, 1950 in West German cinemas .
In later years, critics repeatedly pointed to the similar basic motifs - childhood friends end up on opposite sides of the law and conflicted - between City Scream and Manhattan Melodrama (1934) or referred to the former as a direct remake.
Reviews
“The authenticity of locations and dialogues and outstanding figure drawings by stars and supporting actors help a well-known topic to be persuasive and not have a low entertainment value. […] Understatement characterizes both Robert Siodmak's direction and Richard Murphy's concise script. [...] 'City Scream' may seem garish in places, but the message, story and actors are effective through and through. "
"Strong atmosphere and weak dramaturgy in a tough crime film."
literature
- 1947: Henry Edward Helseth: The Chair for Martin Rome. Dodd, Mead, New York 1947
Web links
- Cry of the City in the Internet Movie Database (English)
Individual evidence
- ^ Joseph Greco: The File on Robert Siodmak in Hollywood, 1941–1951. Dissertation.com, 1999, ISBN 1-58112-081-8 , pp. 102-103, p. 107.
- ↑ Robert Siodmak, Hans C. Blumenberg (Ed.): Between Berlin and Hollywood. Memories of a great film director. Herbig, Munich 1980, ISBN 3-8004-0892-9 , pp. 154-155.
- ↑ Cry of the Big City in the Internet Movie Database .
- ↑ Scream of the Big City on Turner Classic Movies, accessed January 30, 2013.
- ↑ a b Scream of the Big City in the Lexicon of International Films .
- ^ So Leonard Maltin in Leonard Maltin's 2008 Movie Guide, Signet / New American Library, New York 2007, p. 301, Don Druker from Chicago Reader in his review of July 26, 2010, accessed on January 30, 2013, and the Lexikon des International film.
- ↑ "[...] authenticity of scene and dialogue and expert characterizations by stars and subordinates alike give conviction and no little excitement to a basically familiar theme. […] Understatement is the keynote of both Robert Siodmak's direction and Richard Murphy's pithy script. [...] "Cry of the City" may be strident at times but its message, story and players are thoroughly effective. ”- Review in the New York Times on September 30, 1948, accessed on January 30, 2013.