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Pickup on South Street



Petty crook Skip McCoy (Richard Widmark) has his eyes fixed on the big score. When the cocky three-time convict picks the pocketbook of unsuspecting Candy (Jean Peters), he finds a haul bigger than he could have imagined: a strip of microfilm bearing confidential U.S. secrets. Tailed by manipulative Feds and the unwitting courier's Communist puppeteers, Skip and Candy find themselves in a precarious gambit that pits greed against redemption, Right versus Red, and passion against self preservation. With its dazzling cast and director Samuel Fuller's signature raw energy and hardboiled repartee, Pickup on South Street is a true film noir classic by one of America's most passionate cinematic craftsmen.

SPECIAL FEATURES

• On the Blu-ray: New 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
• On the DVD: High-definition digital transfer, with restored image and sound
• New interview with critic Imogen Sara Smith, author of In Lonely Places: Film Noir Beyond the City (Blu-ray only)
• Interview from 1989 with director Samuel Fuller, conducted by film critic Richard Schickel
• Cinéma cinémas: Fuller, a 1982 French television program in which the director discusses the making of the film
• Illustrated biographical essay on Fuller (DVD only)
• Complete Fuller poster filmography (DVD only)
• Stills galleries of photos, lobby cards, and original paintings (DVD only)
• Trailers
• English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
  PLUS: An essay by critic Angelica Jade Bastién and a chapter from Fuller’s posthumously published 2002 autobiography, A Third Face: My Tale of Writing, Fighting, and Filmmaking, for the Blu-ray; essays by Martin Scorsese and acclaimed cultural historian Luc Sante for the DVD

Recently saw this projected at the Noir City Film Festival in San Francisco, and wrote it up on my blog.

Look no further for one of the most entertaining sets of acting matchups in film noir. Every member of this charged cast bats heavy dialogue against each other, leaving the verbal equivalent of blunt force trauma, but ultimately Thelma Ritter must be declared the acting champion in this crisply rendered (a)morality play. Ritter would be Oscar-nominated for her supporting performance as Moe Williams, an aged stool pigeon who uniquely blends seasoned huckstering, a twisted sense of honor and maternity, and a touching wretchedness, snatching every scene from the instant she enters the film. The other actors are also quite fine, fully inhabiting their roles with their own individuality, refusing to let any other casting possibilities seem anything but ridiculous.

Richard Widmark leads as the anti-hero pickpocket, a three-time loser who nonetheless has somehow managed to retain complete confidence in his street skills and projected persona. He has passed the point where he needs to act tough at all, and barrels through the law and other silly societal customs by sheer force of personality and bravado. Widmark somehow manages to convey this, delivering Fuller's highly stylized dialogue ("Everybody likes everybody when they're kissing...") while not appearing to chew the scenery at all. The plot kick starts immediately from the very first scene, in which Widmark's Skip McCoy steals the contents of a woman's purse, including a McGuffin microfilm, on a crowded subway in New York. The woman in question, Candy (Jean Peters), happens to be under surveillance by Federal agents, who rightly suspect her involvement in a Communist plot - so despite Skip's perfect lift, he is spotted by the Feds. The plot then splits three ways, with the Feds collaborating with police Captain Dan Tiger (Murvyn Vye), and then Joey (Richard Kiley), Candy's ex-boyfriend and boss, commanding her to recover the microfilm, and finally Skip trying to make out well for himself from the whole deal.

What makes the Skip character so enjoyable to watch is that despite the high stakes regarding the fate of national security, he insouciantly insists on somehow making money from the microfilm, holding out for a big score, even if he is dealing with Commies. His obsession with himself makes him even more inspirational to the other characters, raising their emotional level whenever they are around him. Tiger loses his cool in all his dealings with Skip, forever promising to put him behind bars once and for all, despite the relatively small scores with which Skip usually deals. Candy, who is no slouch in the toughness department, all but melts in Skip's presence, though she always retains enough acidity to remain the femme fatale - she never appears completely helpless or weak, even when Skip has silently forced his arms all around and over her. Candy's relative cool plays in amusing contrast with Joey, who Kiley projects as constantly panicked and desperate. Kiley (THE PHENIX CITY STORY) appears to be able to sweat on cue, and his constantly rising level of frantic intensity makes him the perfect foil to the calm and confident Skip.

Of course, trumping them all is Ritter's Moe, who has dealings with every major character in the piece, grifting each of them in a specific way. In this microcosm, information is the commodity prized by all parties, and Moe is the person that knows everything. Self-assured when she needs to be, vulnerable and tragic at other times, Ritter/Moe really does it all, representing and evoking every possible emotion expressible by humanity. Fuller even sneaks in a few moments of Moe by herself before she is disturbed by another character, giving the audience the slightest glimpse of what the real Moe may be. As Moe glumly and sadly folds her clothes in her small and dingy flat, or puts on a record before going to bed, then shifts expression when there is a knock on the door, Ritter shows so much character with so little. She's also given plenty of opportunity to have fun with the dialogue as well, delivering most of the memorable lines in the film, in both humorous and tragic contexts.

Full of detailed touches and nuances in performance and production, Fuller's noir is aces on every level. He makes the material fun for the actors and the audience, establishing the universe quickly and welcoming everyone into it. One can comfortably enjoy the film free of its historical or political contexts, and simply relish the delicious character moments and interactions. The story does what noir does best, populating the entire ensemble with underdogs that are caught up in a scope that is bigger than they can handle. The refreshing difference here is that none of the characters act like they are in over their heads (except for Joey, who goes to the opposite extreme), making their hearty exchanges always dynamic and compelling - who will be the first to break? It's the perfect setup for a tournament of actors to challenge each other and raise the bar constantly, and it paid off beautifully.

What I like about this film is the attention to detail. Fuller's background as a reporter gives the world he depicts in this movie an authenticity. He pays particular attention to the details of Skip's profession and shows how the guy steals from people without getting caught and then showing how he stashes his loot so that nobody will find it. There is also Fuller's trademark hard-boiled dialogue, the snappy banter and the colourful slang of the streets.

Does it get any better than Widmark? He has to be one of the quintessential noir protagonists. He plays Skip as guy who isn't afraid to defiantly blow smoke in a cop's face. And then there's that classic scene that perfectly sums up his character when he's being grilled by the cops who try to appeal to his patriotism and give up the microfilm. The one cop says, "If you refuse to cooperate you'll be as guilty as the traitors that gave Stalin the A-bomb." Skip famously responds, "Are you wavin' the flag at me?" Great stuff.

I finally watched "Thte Big Red One" a couple weeks ago and had that realization that I'd seen this, or at least parts of it, before on tv or whatever, and subsequnetly watched Shock Corridor. Previously, I'd seen Naked Kiss a couple time and enjoyed it immensely...but what I'm getting at is that I think Pickup is an absolute masterpiece compare to any of these other flicks and I have a bit of hard time with that. What I love about Naked Kiss is that is comes out of a kinda Noir corner but goes all crazy and unpredicatable and I love that. Brilliant fim. While Pickup on the surface seems pretty straight forward, but just takes me all over the place. I guess I'm kind of sorry that Fuller didn't go further with this scope, or at lease as far as I saw, as the only Fuller I've seen are the three CC's and Big Red, which to me is pretty fucking sad. Seeing L Marvin having to compete (and I don't care how drunk he was!) with those ass-clowns for screen space made me wince...and on reflection I suspect that Fuller in his later years really had a hard time setting scenes as he totally boffs those on the troop trasporter...or really any scene that is supposed to develop the young'uns.

The great thing about Pickup is seeing Fuller doing his typical stuff with the full machinery of the old studio system (including Fox's great cinematographer Joe MacDonald). The camera moves alone are amazing and have been much-imitated by filmmakers like Scorsese, e.g. his fondness for moving the camera in super-fast on a character to take us from long-shot to close-up. The brutal violence, tabloid dialogue, extreme close-ups and extreme everything else -- it's all here, but it's got the technical expertise to back it up. It's a great mix.

Fuller's subsequent Fox movies don't get me in the same way, because when CinemaScope came in, I think he had to adjust his visual style to fit the new screen shape (which all Fox directors were required to use), which meant fewer fast camera moves, fewer close-ups, more static shots -- not the kind of wild, punchy visuals you get in Pickup and some of his lower-budget, post-Fox movies.

Jaime_Weinman wrote:The great thing about Pickup is seeing Fuller doing his typical stuff with the full machinery of the old studio system (including Fox's great cinematographer Joe MacDonald). The camera moves alone are amazing and have been much-imitated by filmmakers like Scorsese, e.g. his fondness for moving the camera in super-fast on a character to take us from long-shot to close-up. The brutal violence, tabloid dialogue, extreme close-ups and extreme everything else -- it's all here, but it's got the technical expertise to back it up. It's a great mix.

Fuller's subsequent Fox movies don't get me in the same way, because when CinemaScope came in, I think he had to adjust his visual style to fit the new screen shape (which all Fox directors were required to use), which meant fewer fast camera moves, fewer close-ups, more static shots -- not the kind of wild, punchy visuals you get in Pickup and some of his lower-budget, post-Fox movies.

Honestly, I double it has anything to do with Cinemascope. I think he was one of those young talents that just boils...and then becomes a staid professional over time. Oh, he broke boundaries alright, but I think he kicked the shit out of the Film Noir genre and I'm not a huge Noir fan. His later films are certainly unique and ground breaking in the early sixties, but are lacking in a certaine "heat".

Jaime_Weinman wrote:Fuller's subsequent Fox movies don't get me in the same way, because when CinemaScope came in, I think he had to adjust his visual style to fit the new screen shape (which all Fox directors were required to use), which meant fewer fast camera moves, fewer close-ups, more static shots -- not the kind of wild, punchy visuals you get in Pickup and some of his lower-budget, post-Fox movies.

Have you seen Forty Guns? That movie is as dynamic and as gripping as anything he did before. Not mention excellent use of scope -- esp. the opening scene where Stanwyck is riding across the plains with her men. Also, it has one of the ballsiest endings of any Fuller film. It's amazing the studio didn't make him cut it.

Jaime_Weinman wrote: Fuller's subsequent Fox movies don't get me in the same way, because when CinemaScope came in, I think he had to adjust his visual style to fit the new screen shape (which all Fox directors were required to use), which meant fewer fast camera moves, fewer close-ups, more static shots -- not the kind of wild, punchy visuals you get in Pickup and some of his lower-budget, post-Fox movies.

I completely disagree. Hell and High Water, Forty Guns, and China Gate set a standard for the use of Cinemascope that was only matched by Nicholas Ray.

Fletch F. Fletch wrote:Have you seen Forty Guns? ... it has one of the ballsiest endings of any Fuller film. It's amazing the studio didn't make him cut it.

The climax is pretty ballsy but I could have done without the last 5-10 seconds of film. If a modern filmmaker finished his film with that ending people around here would have asked that he be stoned to death.

Andre Jurieu wrote: The climax is pretty ballsy but I could have done without the last 5-10 seconds of film. If a modern filmmaker finished his film with that ending people around here would have asked that he be stoned to death.

It was forced on him.

Langlois68 wrote:

Andre Jurieu wrote: The climax is pretty ballsy but I could have done without the last 5-10 seconds of film. If a modern filmmaker finished his film with that ending people around here would have asked that he be stoned to death.

It was forced on him.

Yeah, Fuller has mentioned that in past. It does seem fairly representative of what studio's required of their filmmakers at the time, but it seems very few ever allow that same excuse to be used by contemporary filmmakers.

Well, back to Pickup, wasn't this one of the first movies since the Pre-Code era where crime pays? I guess it's not quite an open violation of the Code because he sort of gives back what he steals, but still, the hero is an unrepentant criminal who benefits from his crime and ends the picture with no apparent intention of reforming. You can see the Code sort of falling apart bit by bit in the early '50s, and this is another little crack in the plaster, so to speak.

Though, of course, the pickpocket in Casablanca got away with his crimes too...

I think "the code" was more interested at the time in Pickup's anti reds message so Fuller had a lot of wiggle room with Widmark's character.

I just saw this film.

I was blown away. Loved it, loved it, loved it. This is definitely a keeper for me. Are they gonna re-issue this with a new edition?

malcolm1980 wrote:I was blown away. Loved it, loved it, loved it. This is definitely a keeper for me. Are they gonna re-issue this with a new edition?

very unlikely this will be released again until Criterion (or someone else) does it in High Definition. They have too many more important non-anamorphic widescreen films to get to first.

SncDthMnky wrote:very unlikely this will be released again until Criterion (or someone else) does it in High Definition. They have too many more important non-anamorphic widescreen films to get to first.

Ah, I see. Well, it's definitely on my To Buy list.

Since I got my tax return today, I treated myself to a blind buy of Pickup. What a cool film!! The line where Widmark sneers "you wavin' the flag at me?" is priceless.

And as far as movies at the lower price point go, this has got some really good extras; I think the disc is worth it just for the interview with Fuller--what a character! I also need to express some admiration for Richard Widmark--I read several obits when he died a couple of weeks ago, and this is (AFAIK) the first film I've seen him in, and he's spot-on in this role.

Lucky-- you've got some rampant heavy film noirin' ahead of you... righteous Fox Noirs and don't miss CC Night & The City.

HerrSchreck wrote:Lucky-- you've got some rampant heavy film noirin' ahead of you... righteous Fox Noirs and don't miss CC Night & The City.

Yes, I do! Night and the City has a wait on netflix--probably unsurprising in the days after Dassin's death--and I got the Kino noir set (w/Scarlet Street, Contraband, The Hitchhiker, etc.). Any recommendations re: the Fox noirs?

Sure, most of the noirs being on the very reasonable Fox Noir line (or divvied onto CC via PIckup & Night & The City):

Kiss of Death (of course)
the Street With No Name (I love this film)
No Way Out (Poitier's big breakthrough film, and a great noirish urban thriller)

I've never seen Panic In The Streets for reasons entirely random. This is another off of the Fox Noir(ish) line..

Six essential urban crime classics, all made for 20th Century Fox.

They have removed the essay by Angelica Jade Bastién, and the booklet will only contain essays by Luc Sante and Martin Scorsese, and, for the Blu-ray, a chapter from Fuller’s autobiography.

What a shame - she's one of the more perceptive young critics out there and I was actually looking forward to reading the essay.

Beaver on South Street

It is mentioned in Beav's review, but not in Criterion's site, that the Blu has an additional extra, a radio adaptation from 1954.