Category: Burt Lancaster
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‘The Killers’: Nagging Questions In a Haze of Gunsmoke
Left, Burt Lancaster, “The Killers” (1946). Right, Lee Marvin, “The Killers” (1964). In both versions, sports heroes have tragic downfalls and alluring women enter the picture to offer a helping hand — it doesn’t turn out well for the wounded competitors By Paul Parcellin “The Killers” (1946) Robert Siodmak (director) — “The Killers” (1964) Don…
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Noir Must Be Shot in Black and White, Right? Guess Again
Marilyn Monroe, “Niagara” (1953). Raw Emotions Sizzle When Noir is in Color By Paul Parcellin I can already hear the howls of protest over the idea that film noir can be in color, so those who insist that color is verboten in noir will probably want to sit this one out. We all know that…
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Lovesick Wanderer Returns … to a Double Cross
Burt Lancaster, Yvonne DeCarlo, “Criss Cross” (1949). This article contains spoilers. By Paul Parcellin The magnetic attraction between Steve Thompson (Burt Lancaster) and Anna (Yvonne DeCarlo) is the stuff that drives “Criss Cross” toward its dramatic and deadly conclusion. Steve returns to town after two year’s absence and the first thing on his mind is…
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Ripped From the Headlines: True Crimes Explode onto the Screen in Noir Movies
Barbara Stanwyck, Fred MacMurray, “Double Indemnity” (1944) By Paul Parcellin It’s no wonder that Hollywood in the 1940s and ’50s scooped up lurid true crime stories and made hard-hitting, gritty dramas out of them. Following the war, the public’s appetite for rough textured tales could not be surpassed. Cold, savage murders that bled off the…
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Meet the Press: Bullies, Brutes and News Hounds of Noir
Kirk Douglas, Robert Arthur, ‘Ace in the Hole’ (1951). By Paul Parcellin Gossip, Lurid Facts, Scandal Keep the Tabloid Presses Rolling This article contains spoilers, so you may want to see these films before reading any further. When we see a disheveled, groggy Richard Conte breaking into his own office in the middle of the…