The law of the big city

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Movie
German title The law of the big city
Original title Where the sidewalk ends
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1950
length 95 minutes
Age rating FSK 12
Rod
Director Otto Preminger
script Ben Hecht
production Otto Preminger
music Cyril J. Mockridge
camera Joseph LaShelle
cut Louis R. Loeffler
occupation

Faustrecht der Großstadt (Original title: Where the Sidewalk Ends ) is an American crime film from the era of film noir by director Otto Preminger from 1950. The film is based on the novel Night Cry by William L. Stuart from 1948, the film adaptation of the book came from Victor Travis, Robert E. Kent and Frank P. Rosenberg. The premiere in Germany took place on January 25, 1978 on German television ( WDR ).

action

New York , 16th Police Station. Detective Dixon keeps getting into trouble with his superiors because of his harshness. In a brawl , he unintentionally causes the death of the player Ken Paine. Dixon had defended himself, Paine had a silver plate in his head from the war. Dixon throws Paine's body into the river and is later tasked with finding the killer.

Dixon tries to put the blame on one of his gangster enemies, Tommy Scalise. But the suspicion of murder accidentally falls on the taxi driver Jiggs Taylor. Dixon continues to try to solve the murder without suspecting himself, and falls in love with the taxi driver's daughter, Morgan. Dixon gets deeper and deeper into his own web of intrigues.

Dixon's supervisor, Lieutenant Thomas, is convinced that Paine's killer is Morgan's father, while Dixon tries to prove Taylor's innocence. When trying to burden Scalise and relieve Taylor, it comes to a confrontation with the gangster and his henchmen. A gunfight ensues and Dixon is wounded. Scalise is arrested by the police. Taylor is thus free from suspicion of murder. But Dixon's conscience leads him to rearrange his life. He confesses his guilt for Paine's death and goes to jail for it. But Dixon knows that Morgan will be waiting for him.

Reviews

"Captivating detective film."

- Lexicon of international film

"Chamber play-like scenes, sober black-and-white pictures from the gray everyday police force:" The law of the big city "is a prime example of the no-frills crime novels that Hollywood produced in the 1950s as the swan song of the" Black Series "."

- DVD review from Kabeleins

“Example of the potential of“ black films ”to condense lurid hard-boiled stories into a socially charged discourse without neglecting the audience. A beautiful film from Preminger's filmography that is well worth rediscovering. "

- Thomas Groh

“Masterpiece! This is the short denominator that can be summed up as "the law of the big city" without doubt and exaggeration. Fans of film noir cannot avoid it and also film fans in general shouldn't hesitate long when they have the opportunity to see this film. "

- Andreas Fecher from the Internet portal powermetal.de

background

  • Director Preminger delivered his last commissioned work for 20th Century Fox .
  • The book was produced as a radio play with the title Suspense as early as 1949 . The spokesman for Detective Dixon was Ray Milland .
  • The actor who first embodied the character of Inspector Columbos plays with Bert Freed. He played him in an episode of an American television series in 1960, eight years before Peter Falk became world famous with this character.
  • With Karl Malden, a later award-winning actor stood in front of the camera (Oscar 1952, Bambi 1979, Emmy 1985).
  • Oleg Cassini , who was also responsible for the costume design and who was married to the leading actress Gene Tierney at the time , had an uncredited appearance as an actor - by the way, his only one . His assistant at the time, Charles Le Maire, later won three Oscars (1951, 1954, 1956).
  • Cinematographer LaShelle came on set with an Oscar, which he won in 1945. Set decorator Thomas Little had even been honored six times (1942, 1943 (twice), 1944, 1945, 1947), while special effects cameraman Fred Sersen was able to present two statues (1940, 1944).
  • Art director Lyle R. Wheeler was a two-time Oscar winner (1940, 1947). Three more statues were added later (1954, 1957, 1960).
  • Set decorator Walter M. Scott won six Oscar awards in his later career (1954, 1957, 1960, 1964, 1967, 1970), and Lionel Newman's musical director won one in 1970.

literature

  • William L. Stuart: Night Cry. A novel . Avon, New York 1949, 156 pp. (So far there is no German translation.)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ cf. Lexicon of International Films 2000/2001 (CD-ROM)
  2. ↑ http://www.kabeleins.de/film_dvd/dvd/dvds_a_z/f/01937/
  3. ↑ http://www.jump-cut.de/2004/12/dvd-faustrecht-der-grostadt-otto.html
  4. ↑ http://www.powermetal.de/video/review-252.html