The Asphalt Jungle (DVD)

Now the kids are back at school and college, I can catch up on watching some of those DVDs I haven't had chance to see yet. The one I chose to watch today was a black and white film noir from 1950 - The Asphalt Jungle - and yes, I admit I bought this classic film for one reason - Marilyn Monroe! But more on her later.

The film is directed by John Huston and its stars include Sterling Hayden as Dix Handley, Louis Calhern as Alonzo D. ...
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I hadn't seen the film before, but had an idea of what to expect. However, I did find it a bit confusing and hard to get into initially. It seemed quite difficult to work out who was who and I found I really needed to concentrate to follow it.

The basic plot involves a gang committing a heist and stealing a million dollars' worth of jewels. The robbery itself takes up a very small amount of the film, with quite a large build ... more

Now the kids are back at school and college, I can catch up on watching some of those DVDs I haven't had chance to see yet. The one I chose to watch today was a black and white film noir from 1950 - The Asphalt Jungle - and yes, I admit I bought this classic film for one reason - Marilyn Monroe! But more on her later.

The film is directed by John Huston and its stars include Sterling Hayden as Dix Handley, Louis Calhern as Alonzo D. Emmerich and Sam Jaffe as Doc Erwin Riedenschneider.

I hadn't seen the film before, but had an idea of what to expect. However, I did find it a bit confusing and hard to get into initially. It seemed quite difficult to work out who was who and I found I really needed to concentrate to follow it.

The basic plot involves a gang committing a heist and stealing a million dollars' worth of jewels. The robbery itself takes up a very small amount of the film, with quite a large build up explaining who else becomes involved. The best part of the movie follows the aftermath of the heist, as we discover what happens to the men involved.

It is a dark, brooding film, shot in night-time streets and partly-lit rooms, befitting the criminal underworld on display. The character that finally drew me in was Emmerich (Louis Calhern), a lawyer who is broke and needs the money from the robbery. He appears a respectable gentleman, but has dubious morals in several ways. Despite being married to the apparently bed-ridden May (Dorothy Tree), he has a mistress called Angela Phinlay (Marilyn Monroe).

Marilyn first appears twenty-two minutes in, looking very pretty in quite a short scene which sets up her relationship with Emmerich by a lingering kiss. At the time, Marilyn was 24 years old and Louis Calhern was 55. It is obviously a sugar daddy situation, as he promises her trips and has set her up in a cottage. It does feel slightly 'creepy' though for him to be referring to her as 'some sweet kid' and calling her 'baby' on the phone.

Marilyn is really only in two scenes, although the second one is longer. In this one, she calls him 'Uncle' but this would be to get past the 1950 censorship rules, where she couldn't be openly mentioned as being his mistress.

As usual, Marilyn Monroe's beauty is emphasised. There is a cute bit of dialogue between two policemen, which sums this up well.

"How did she impress you?"
"Very much! She's some babe!"

As well as providing set decoration, she does prove she can act here, showing her nervousness and vulnerability while being questioned by the police. Her part is memorable, even though it's small. Her larger roles would come in the next few years.

There are very few actresses in The Asphalt Jungle, with the lead being Jean Hagen who is pretty and feisty as Doll Conovan, girlfriend to gangster Dix Handley (Sterling Hayden). The men are definitely the stars of the piece here and I felt it seemed rather a guys' film because of this, a bit of a 'cops 'n' robbers' run-around at times.

It is quite slow, character driven with lots of dialogue, and not much action. We grow to know each character, see their part in the heist, and then follow their lives afterwards. The cast are very good and convincing, with controlled performances throughout and no-one straying into over-the-top, which would have upset the balance.

The film examines the world of the criminal underworld, but also themes of trust, loyalty, double crossing, greed and so on. There is some inevitable violence, but no sex or swearing and - compared to today's films - it seems extremely tame. Of course, there is a charm to this.

The Asphalt Jungle is no doubt a well-respected, classy and much-loved film, but for me, it missed the mark slightly. I can see it is a good movie with an excellent cast, but I did find the plot rather dull at first. As the tension built up towards the end, I enjoyed it more and wanted to know what happened to the gang. (Will they get away with it? Will they escape without being arrested?) But overall, it seemed too long at 112 minutes and especially dragged through the first forty minutes or so.

It is a realistic, sad, dark and tragic story and quite complex, so maybe I just need to watch it another time or two and then I might find myself appreciating it more. It was worth seeing though and I was pleased to watch an early performance by Marilyn Monroe that I hadn't seen before.

As well as Marilyn, the stand-out performances for me were Louis Calhern and Sam Jaffe. The latter played the interesting character Doc Erwin Riedenschneider and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for it. The film itself was nominated for four Oscars. 

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