Showing Monday along with a lot of other great films (We could have a post on each one!), this is one of my favorite Noirs with Robert Ryan, Van Heflin, and a very young Janet Leigh.
It deals with a postWW2 veteran who is being stalked by a member of his old unit in his hometown. I won't give away more than that. Also, look for a great performance by Mary Astor as a worn out barfly. This was my favorite of all her roles.
If anyone also wants to talk about the rest of the lineup Monday night--feel free. Lots of great films are showing.
Act of Violence (1948)
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moira finnie
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I'm surprised that no one has responded to you about this film or any of the others from this evening's lineup. I think that Act of Violence is among director Fred Zinnemann's most interesting works, and would make an interesting triple bill with a couple of his other films, The Seventh Cross and Day of the Jackal.
Some things that I noticed this time when viewing Act of Violence for the second time:
Some form of fairly joyless public celebration is often taking place in several scenes, though there is a hesitancy, somberness, and separateness about the main character's participation. This is particularly evident in the scene when Van Heflin is praised as the man of the hour at the opening of the housing project, during the parade that is taking place when Robert Ryan comes to town, and the forced heartiness of the hotel convention party is completely at odds with the mood of the two antagonists, Van Heflin and Robert Ryan, who are seen as existing on the fringes of that event. It's almost as though the America depicted in these scenes is desperately trying to make noise and create a hubbub in order to keep from examining a restless conscience.
Ryan's evident "refusal" to become a part of the bustling natural and man made world around him is emphasized by his persistence in wearing a hat, coat and suit throughout the film---even when he is stalking Heflin at the lake, when Ryan rows out into the water--he remains formally dressed and continues to wear his soft city hat.
Janet Leigh's appearance is soft and childlike initially, especially when she wears her hair in pigtails. As she learns more about her husband's wartime experiences, she becomes more mature in appearance and manner, though she remains a vulnerable figure throughout the film.
Cinematographer Robert Surtees and Zinnemann's use of diagonal lines and ominous contrast between the light and dark, especially noticeable in the scenes in the hotel & home's interior. This is especially evident in the staircase sequence in which Van Heflin finally tells his wife what really happened in the POW camp. It is also used to good effect in the scene when Heflin, caught up in his own personal nightmare, stumbles out into the dark, filthy street. The filmmakers chose to include in the shot the sharply angled streetcar of the Angel's Flight finicular railway line in downtown LA in the background of this scene, adding to the uneasiness of the viewer.
This visually and psychologically rich film will probably yield even more items of note upon a third viewing.
Some things that I noticed this time when viewing Act of Violence for the second time:
Some form of fairly joyless public celebration is often taking place in several scenes, though there is a hesitancy, somberness, and separateness about the main character's participation. This is particularly evident in the scene when Van Heflin is praised as the man of the hour at the opening of the housing project, during the parade that is taking place when Robert Ryan comes to town, and the forced heartiness of the hotel convention party is completely at odds with the mood of the two antagonists, Van Heflin and Robert Ryan, who are seen as existing on the fringes of that event. It's almost as though the America depicted in these scenes is desperately trying to make noise and create a hubbub in order to keep from examining a restless conscience.
Ryan's evident "refusal" to become a part of the bustling natural and man made world around him is emphasized by his persistence in wearing a hat, coat and suit throughout the film---even when he is stalking Heflin at the lake, when Ryan rows out into the water--he remains formally dressed and continues to wear his soft city hat.
Janet Leigh's appearance is soft and childlike initially, especially when she wears her hair in pigtails. As she learns more about her husband's wartime experiences, she becomes more mature in appearance and manner, though she remains a vulnerable figure throughout the film.
Cinematographer Robert Surtees and Zinnemann's use of diagonal lines and ominous contrast between the light and dark, especially noticeable in the scenes in the hotel & home's interior. This is especially evident in the staircase sequence in which Van Heflin finally tells his wife what really happened in the POW camp. It is also used to good effect in the scene when Heflin, caught up in his own personal nightmare, stumbles out into the dark, filthy street. The filmmakers chose to include in the shot the sharply angled streetcar of the Angel's Flight finicular railway line in downtown LA in the background of this scene, adding to the uneasiness of the viewer.
This visually and psychologically rich film will probably yield even more items of note upon a third viewing.
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Mr. Arkadin
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