Scarlet Street (DVD)

...As a result of this Scarlet Street became one of the most successful Universal films of the mid 1940s.

The acting is uniformly brilliant in this movie. Edward G Robinson performance as Chris Cross is convincing as the timid middle class man sucked into a world of lies and duplicity. Unlike his performances ‘Little Caesar’ and ‘Key Largo’ here his short squat frame is used to portray a person who is powerless and vulnerable to forces ...
...been bullied by his wife to such an extent that he now wears an apron. Chris only overcomes his repression in an almost sexual violent outburst. He is unable to cope with the consequences and is finally reduced to living as a tramp.

Joan Bennett is great as ‘Lazy legs’ Kitty. She is corrupt and trashy but also alluring throughout the film and it’s easy to see why men keep falling for her. This was her third performance for Lang in ... more

Fritz Lang brought back the main cast members of his previous film ‘The Woman in the Window (1944)’ to make this psychological film noir about the descent of a man into madness.

The story follows Henpecked husband and timid cashier Chris Cross (Edward G Robinson) who rescues Kitty (Jean Bennett), a street walker from her abusive boyfriend Johnny (Dan Duryea). Chris attempts to impress her by pretending to be a successful artist. However while he is doing this Johnny and Kitty are conspiring to embezzle Chris out of his supposed wealth by selling his paintings under Kitty's name.

The film is an adaptation of Georges de La Fourchardiere’s novel of the same name which had already been made into Jean Renoir’s first French sound film, ‘La Chienne’ (The Bitch) (1931). Both films follow more or less the same storyline although the Renoir film uses real locations rather than the carefully designed expressionist sets of Lang’s film.

The film cinematographer Milton Krasner and Lang create an exciting world of light and shadow to reflect their protagonist’s state of mind. Initially in the film Chris’s normal life is shot with flat boring lighting. This contrasts with the stark light and darkness of Kitty and Johnny’s world of the street. As the film progresses the shadows begin to entrap Chris as he becomes more and more involved with Kitty.

Props are also used to highlight the characters state of mind. Chris drops a knife after a confrontation with his wife which suggesting his potential for violence. Secondly the portrait of his wife’s first husband hanging over Chris in the apartment is used as a symbol of the lack of Chris’s power in his marriage.

Sound is used as a psychological device in the movie. Two examples of this are firstly a record player jarring when we are introduced to Johnny and secondly Kitty and Johnny’s voices taunting Chris when he finally breaks down.

Many critics claim that this is the first major movie in which a crime goes unpunished by the police. The film was criticised by a number of US censors who complained about this lack of orthodox punishment. As a result of this Scarlet Street became one of the most successful Universal films of the mid 1940s.

The acting is uniformly brilliant in this movie. Edward G Robinson performance as Chris Cross is convincing as the timid middle class man sucked into a world of lies and duplicity. Unlike his performances ‘Little Caesar’ and ‘Key Largo’ here his short squat frame is used to portray a person who is powerless and vulnerable to forces greater than himself. He is a man who has been bullied by his wife to such an extent that he now wears an apron. Chris only overcomes his repression in an almost sexual violent outburst. He is unable to cope with the consequences and is finally reduced to living as a tramp.

Joan Bennett is great as ‘Lazy legs’ Kitty. She is corrupt and trashy but also alluring throughout the film and it’s easy to see why men keep falling for her. This was her third performance for Lang in movies which also include wartime thriller ‘Man Hunt (1941)’ ‘The Woman in the Window’; and finally ‘The Secret Beyond The Door (1948).’
Dan Duryea is a lot of fun to watch as the amoral Johnny. Dressed in a striped suit, straw hat and bow tie he is both menacing and manipulative throughout the movie. He is also credible when he becomes a victim of a crime he didn’t commit. As well as ‘Scarlet Street’ and ‘Woman in the Window’ Duryea also appeared in Lang's ‘Ministry of Fear’ (1944).

Fritz Lang continued his journey into the dark side of America with the movies themes. Firstly, there is the corruption of a middle class man which also occurs in the ‘Woman In The Window.’ Chris is a homely and law abiding man who allows his need for love and acceptance to warp him into tramp and a murderer.

Another recurring theme is the persecution of a man for a crime he didn’t commit .Johnny’s journey through the justice system becomes more nightmarish as one by one every person interviewed by the police implicates him in Kitty’s murder. This unjust prosecution of an innocent man reoccurs in both 'Beyond a Reasonable Doubt (1956)’ and in ‘Fury (1936).’

The only problem with this DVD is the quality of the picture. The film print that this was copied from is deteriorated and this results that the picture being fuzzy in parts. This does not ruin the enjoyment of the story though.

In summary this is a great psychological film noir with plenty of surprising twists. A must see for thriller fans.

Extras: None.

 

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