Play with death
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | Play with death |
| Original title | The Big Clock |
| Country of production | United States |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1948 |
| length | 95 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 12 |
| Rod | |
| Director | John Farrow |
| script | Jonathan Latimer |
| production |
John Farrow Richard Maibaum |
| music | Victor Young |
| camera |
Daniel L. Fapp John F. Seitz |
| cut | LeRoy Stone |
| occupation | |
| |
Game with Death is a 1948 American film based on the 1946 novel The Big Clock by Kenneth Fearing .
action
George Stroud is the editor-in-chief of the crime magazine Crimeways . He's hiding behind the big clock in the Janoth Publishing Building in New York City , thinking about what has happened in the past 36 hours. So far, George Stroud had led a normal life as an employee of the Janoth publishing house. However, his tyrannical boss Earl Janoth constantly required him to work overtime, so that in seven years of marriage he could not even go on his honeymoon. When he finally got vacation and wanted to go on a big trip with his wife Georgette, he gets drunk and spends the night with Pauline York. Pauline is Earl Janoth's lover and is just as fed up with him as George. The tour of New York ends at Pauline's apartment, where George falls asleep drunk. When Pauline notices Earl Janoth is coming to her, she brings George out of the apartment. There is a dispute between Janoth and Pauline, with Janoth killing Pauline. Janoth asks his colleague Steve Hagen for help. In the meantime, George goes after his wife on vacation, but does not tell her what happened. The next day he receives a call from Janoth. George should come back to New York immediately to find a man who was in the apartment with Pauline. He goes to New York and finds Pauline dead in her apartment. George now sees himself under suspicion of murder and his wife also believes that he is the murderer of Pauline York. She follows him, meets him and he explains the situation to her. Georgette believes him and helps him. George suspects Steve Hagen and hides behind the big clock in the publishing house. When George accidentally stops the clock, Janoth and Hagen are sure that someone is hiding in the clock. However, George can outsmart his pursuer. To the police and Janoth he finally accuses Hagen as the murderer. When this is confronted with the crime, he accuses the actual perpetrator Janoth. Janoth then shoots Hagen and flees. Janoth falls to his death in the elevator shaft of the publishing house.
Reviews
"Charles Laughton's lively acting art lifts the humble plot to the level of an intelligent crime study."
Remake
Based on the novel by Kenneth Fearing, the film No Way Out was made in 1987 by Roger Donaldson with Kevin Costner in the lead role.
literature
- Kenneth Fearing : The Big Clock . Orion, London 2002, 166 pp., ISBN 0-7528-5134-9 or ISBN 0-7528-5135-7 (so far there is no German translation)
Web links
- Game with death in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- The Big Clock in the All Movie Guide (English)
- Playing with death in the German dubbing file
Individual evidence
- ↑ Playing with death. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed April 21, 2017 .