274 Night and the City

[colinr0380]

The cover and insert for Night and the City contain a glaring error (to a native Londoner anyway) - not only is "Anderson Road West" totally fictituous, but you'd never, ever get a street in London even called "Anderson Road West"; it's a bullshit Americanisation.

EDIT: I have just seen that this address appears in the film itself. Fools.

So I guess it does have problems with the geography. I don't mind, as long as the film is exciting! The only other film I can think of that was hyped as apparently getting London geography right was Mission: Impossible (1996). Even though I'm not sure about that, even I could see they got the Channel Tunnel layout wrong with passing trains etc (and thats if you could get past the helicopter in tunnel stuff!)

[cdnchris]

This film's even better the next time around. I forgot how great Widmark was in this film. His character is pretty dispicable, but I couldn't help but feel sorry for him, especially since it looks like he was so close, at the cost of everything else, though. I love Dassin's films, the ones I've seen anyways. I keep hearing about The Naked City and it's one I'd like to visit sometime. I think the Image DVD of it is discontinued, are there any plans of Universal re-releasing it? Criterion?

This DVD is excellent, awesome picture and sound. Haven't gone through all the supplements, but I enjoyed the comparison between the UK and US versions. The subtle differences are amazing, and I'm shocked the UK had the more Hollywoodish ending. While I haven't seen the UK version, based on the comparisons and the score, I think it's safe to say I'd prefer the US version no matter what.

As well, I think this DVD has my most favourite interview on it of any DVD interview supplement. I love watching Dassin talk about his movies, he still has his passion, and he speaks as though it was yesterday.

Great movie, nice DVD.

[Fletch F. Fletch]

This film's even better the next time around. I forgot how great Widmark was in this film. His character is pretty dispicable, but I couldn't help but feel sorry for him, especially since it looks like he was so close, at the cost of everything else, though.

Agreed. Only Widmark can turn on the oily charm like he does in this movie. Even dressing the part with a cheap, loud suit. The scene that really defines his character, for me, is near the beginning when he's rummaging through his girlfriend purse for money. He gets caught, smiles and claims to be looking for a cigarette. It says so much about his character -- his two-faced nature, his desperation and need for money like a junkie.

[cdnchris]

You're absolutely right about that scene as being a key to figuring the character. If I understood that UK comparison right, that scene was totally replaced with another. Such an odd decision.

[Brian Oblivious]

I love Dassin's films, the ones I've seen anyways. I keep hearing about The Naked City and it's one I'd like to visit sometime. I think the Image DVD of it is discontinued, are there any plans of Universal re-releasing it? Criterion?

The Naked City also played at the SF Noir Fest last month, although it really isn't really so much a noir as it is a police procedural. But its great location photography, charming tone, and fun performance by Barry Fitzgerald as a homicide detective, make it a must-see for anyone without a serious aversion to Hollywood cinema.

Where Night and the City is almost as moody, dark and fatalistic as Double Indemnity, The Naked City is comparatively light. Producer Mark Hellinger's voiceover narration establishes New York City itself as the central character in the film. The story, in which detectives try to track down a killer linked to a string of burglaries, is punctuated with frequent vignettes, some quite witty, showcasing New Yorkers going about their daily business. Any social criticism in the film is probably going to be found in these vignettes, as the main story is pure cops-and-robbers, with no ethical shades of gray.

At the screening I was at, festival organizer Eddie Muller claimed he was showing the only print in existence. And even it was somewhat worn-looking. I haven't looked at the Image DVD, but I know that Turner Classic Movies will occasionally air the film.

[colinr0380]

An amazing edition of a great film. As with Thieves' Highway I was worried about the lack of Dassin commentary, but the interview more than makes up for it and shows him to still be an engaging speaker (plus the excellent Glenn Erickson commentary which was very informative. Here is the DVD Savant review of the disc he commentates on) Dassin also answers a lot of the questions I had about the film. I was wondering why Gene Tierney was so highly billed when she has only a few scenes (and was a little annoyed that her name was being cynically used), but to hear the reasons of Dassin being asked by Daryl Zanuck to take her on to help her keep working through her depression, and their creating the subplot for her gave me greater respect for her scenes in the film and the filmmakers than I had previously.

One detail I really liked is in the scene after Gregorious dies and you see the montage of the word going out for Harry's capture. Look for the coin-operated grabber game, but with cigarettes instead of toys! How times change!

The two versions, two scores feature is great. I much prefer the American version, but it is great to see some of the alternate scenes and hear the different score, even if I personally don't think the British version works as well. I was really surprised by the opening of the British version with the normal Fox fanfare, the credits over a plain background instead of superimposed over London and the tinkling score that loses the power of the voiceover and also makes the opening chase look like two friends skipping or playing a game of tag along the streets!

I would agree that the scene with Widmark and Tierney is also much better in the American version. You get the knowledge early on that Widmark is really short-termist in his approach and is not above stealing. It is also interesting to see that in the two scenes, even the photograph of the two in the boat is different!

I guess a lot of the other scenes that were dropped are more explicit statements of ideas that are still there in the film. It is interesting that the hotel owner conversation motivates Widmark to get the license that much quicker, or that Francis Sullivan sees them kissing, or that Gene Tierney worries about Widmark that she looks everywhere to find him, but I think audiences are willing to accept certain ommissions if they are engaged with the film. They can understand why Tierney finds Widmark at the end in her line that she was looking everywhere, rather than needing a motivational scene, or that Francis Sullivan is so suspicious of his wife that he would think that she had given Widmark the money even if he hadn't seen them kissing. But this is just personal opinion. For me it feels like it is slowing the film down, but others might want it made clear.

It was also interesting that by changing the order of the shots of the ending, the British version manages to change the tone of the film, even if it is only a cosmetic change (it still ends bleakly).

Apparently according to imdb, the film was banned in Finland between 1950 and 1965!

This is the link to Paul Duncan's site on the author Gerald Kersh, as mentioned in the commentary.

[javelin]

I just wanted to add my voice to the throng. Not only is this my favorite Dassin film to date (out of three - Thieves' Highway was fantastic and Rififi didn't do much of anything for me), but it is also my favorite noir (that is, if we're not counting The Night of the Hunter as noir.) Widmark is so much fun to watch. The cinematography is brilliant, especially during the chase scene with Widmark caught in that dilapidated building. To echo the above: that wrestling scene is fantastic and the cigarette machine is great. I found myself wondering if I'd go for the boxes of cigarettes or the individuals. Probably the individuals - higher rate of success and all that. I also like that Fabian's intentions re: Gregorious are a little obscure. Would he actually like to preserve the integrity of the sport? Is his ascent to the top of the wrestling world the tonic that cures him of conniving? Regardless, Fabian's past must catch up to him; fatalistic noir at its best.

[Keaton]

Adding to general Dassin discussion here. The Image NAKED CITY is pretty par for the course for their Noir tiltles. JUST serviceable (could even be a 16mm print.)
BRUTE FORCE is pretty good - extremely stylized horrific violence. I have the old Roan LD which was not a bad print at all. Isn't there a DVD release somewhere in R1?

Brute Force is out from Image (if not oop) along with Naked City, I think they came out the same day. The Disk isn't much better than their Naked City you already own, so I would wait till something better comes along.

[Caligula]

... the excellent Glenn Erickson commentary which was very informative

I'd certainly like to echo this sentiment. This was one of the most rewarding commentaries I've had the opportunity to listen to: well-researched (eg the evolution from book to two film versions) with a sharp eye (eg the lighting: Nosseross in his office like a spider in his web).

Strongly recommended and it certainly added to my enjoyment of the film.

[Mental Mike]

Usually the central character in a film noir has ambiguous morals. An 'anti-hero' of sorts, whom we like, but has a capacity to do evil if this is what it takes to survive...Why else is Night and The City a film noir? - Its about Hoods...People who try to succeed in life by using evil methods...

...in the Bogey noirs, he always played a Private Detective- if there is a private Dick in the movie it is pretty much always a film noir...but this is not necessary...

[davebert]

On the personal advice of Narshty, I have been trying to watch the Dassin noirs in rapid succession, going from Thieves' Highway to Night and the City, then in the coming days I'll be doing Naked City and Brute Force.

Ho-ly shit is Night and the City incredible, a mix of great acting (and characters) and great style. The moment near the end where the camera catches Widmark crazy-eyed, face covered in dirt as light plays over his face, is one of the most memorable shots I've seen.

Oh, and I must speak highly of the Dassin interview, which has some fascinating blacklist stories--especially the nugget that he didn't have time to read the source material, because he was essentially racing to become indispensable to the project before the blacklist caught up to him--and makes me all the more glad that his auteur status seems to have been on the rise recently. Couldn't happen to a more deserving talent.[/code]

[eez28]

Yeah, that interview was really good and one of the best I've seen in a long while. It was really interesting having him reveal how they had to quickly set up the finale and do it in one take, if I remember that correctly.

[HerrSchreck]

On the personal advice of Narshty, I have been trying to watch the Dassin noirs in rapid succession, going from Thieves' Highway to Night and the City, then in the coming days I'll be doing Naked City and Brute Force.

Dassin was one of the finest directors ever-- period, hands down.

But for god's sakes, man-- don't stop at NIGHT AND THE CITY: go on to RIFIFI, which ties with BRUTE FORCE as my favorite Das. It also features an excellent interview with Dassin at home in NYC (as in the THIEVES HWY & NIGHT discs)... in fact it was his first interview with Janus, as it was the first film they put out on DVD (thru Rialto; in fact on the NAKED CITY disc you'll hear Goldstein of NYFF mentioning the fact of a "very successful" run of the restored print of RIFIFI via Rialto which played at NYFF... which is a bit of an understatement-- the film set a record for the Film Forum, and was held over longer than any other film in it's history as New York discovered this film which most had never heard of or others only knew thru legend or the luckiest ones thru awful VHS's). It really is Dassin's triumph, as he was sitting amidst the shambles of a career broken to pieces via the blacklist when the producers came to him with the RIFIFI project, saying-- owing to their worship of NAKED CITY in France-- that he was the only guy who could direct this film. Fantastic interview with stories of the author of the original novel pulling a gun on him for the changes he made to the narrative, excellent tales of the blacklist and who didi and didn't avoid him at Cannes where he triumphantly won the best director prize, a glorious comeback for him; and a great testament to Das' character, as Melville was originally slated to direct this film (I believe he was the guy who set the wheels in motion to secure the rights to the book), and the producer turned his back on Melville and hit Dassin up, hurting Melville's pride immensely. Dassin, who was utterly prostrate from poverty/lack of work and in the gloom from his destruction via the blacklist, nonetheless found out about the Melville backstory and said he would only direct this film if Melville himself signed a letter to Dassin saying that he was okay with it and didn't mind if Dassin directed. Without Melville's emotional blessing Dassin would have backed out and continued starving. If this isn't a true gem of a thoroughly right guy, then nobody is. This man-- in this business-- is truly one in a million and I'm so glad he's living to enjoy all these accolades. He deserves every iota of it.

Melville, then still long before his public glories (he made BOB LE the same year as RIFIFI, though he of course made LA MER) with Delon and the even later films, eventually remade RIFIFI with LE CERCLE ROUGE. So the red circle came full 'round for him, and he made a fabulous film of it himself at the peak of his stylistic powers.

[davebert]

I own Rififi and have watched it plenty of times, so I completely agree that it's a delightful and masterful film. It was actually the only Dassin I'd seen other than Topkapi before a week ago, as I think it probably is for a lot of people. I believe the point of the Dassin Challenge was to go for the four-in-a-row chronoligically tight hot streak of noir, and marvel at the consistency in his output from that period of time.

[Highway 61]

Schreck you really know your Dassin! Is there a definitive book on the man for a newcomer to his work?

[HerrSchreck]

Not that I know of (but that doesn't mean anything-- for whatever reason I read little literature on post-40's film).

[colinr0380]

DVD Beaver comparison of the Criterion and the BFI discs.

[Napoleon]

The BFI is certainly sharper. In the first comparison the texture of Fabian's hideous jacket is visible on the BFI but is a blur on the CC. I'm surprised that the BFI is darker. Although it doesn't come across in the screen grabs the cc is pretty dark to begin with.

Still probably not enough to tempt me into a double dip, but I might well rent the BFI for a listen of the commentary. Glen Erickson's commentary on the CC is one of the few that I've listened to all the way through and enjoyed.

[denti alligator]

Can some of you pop in your copy and tell me if you also notice the marked shift in grey-scale color temperature starting at chapter 14. It shifts from blue-ish to green-ish (depending on how your system is calibrated these grey tempertures will be more or less noticeable). I found it distracting, though you forget about it after a couple minutes.

Anyone? Please.

[Si Parallel Universe]

the film and this disc are indeed great, brian's description of widmark's performance is spot on (and i'm plenty jealous of his big screen viewing). the score/version comparison may create a desire for the inclusion of the entire us & uk editions, although it's pretty clear the over the top american one here is the movie for me. i don't know how much was cut out of the uk version to make up for the extra/different scenes, but it seems like viewers may have been clobbered into submission via reiteration. enjoyed the new and old dassin interviews as well. thieves' highway is definitely fun too

Spoiler

even w/ the studio added, ridiculous, wink-free, happy ending,

but if you have to choose (and i'm glad i didn't), the film and extras (i haven't made it to either commentary) would make this my recommendation.

This is a gorgeous print and the OTT US Version is closer to Dassin's vision of the film [even though he explains he was barred from the Studio and editing process] we are told. The interviews reveal this and the Hollywood blacklisting as does the commentary track [which is very informative].

Someone mentioned about the accuracy of the map of London and I have to say it's pretty spot on in that regard. When I'm next in Soho I will hunt down the locations I recognised [especially the Greek Street Club and "American bar" ones as I know where those are] and pay tribute to Widmark.

I would really have liked to have seen both versions of the film in the same package the difference in length being only five minutes [the UK version being the longer] but different in content/style and sub-plot which is covered by the documentary about the different versions. I would have liked to have seen a restored well transferred version of the UK Version alongside this. Great DVD though.

[HerrSchreck]

Shit... I just had to erase my reply to what I thought was a post by Tribe.

[kuzine]

Can some of you pop in your copy and tell me if you also notice the marked shift in grey-scale color temperature starting at chapter 14. It shifts from blue-ish to green-ish (depending on how your system is calibrated these grey tempertures will be more or less noticeable). I found it distracting, though you forget about it after a couple minutes.

Anyone? Please.

Just watched this and noticed the same shift. I also have the BFI (came in the Moviemail BFI boxset), popped it in to compare and there the shift doesn't occur. All the caps in the beaver comp are from the first half of the movie so you can't tell it from those screen grabs.

Absolutely adored the movie btw.

[Ovader]

Lost third version rough cut restoration.

[swo17]

Blu-ray upgrade coming Aug 4

[domino harvey]

Actually, reissue, because if I'm reading correctly, this will present both US and UK versions instead of just a comparison!