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Movies / On DVD / Night and the City
Night and the City

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Night and the City (1950)

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Reviews Counted:16

Fresh:12

Rotten:4

Average Rating:7.1/10

Runtime: 1 hr 44 mins

Genre: Dramas

Synopsis: In NIGHT AND THE CITY, director Jules Dassin brilliantly fuses two styles of filmmaking, crossing the expressionist lighting and framing of film noir with the almost documentary location shooting... In NIGHT AND THE CITY, director Jules Dassin brilliantly fuses two styles of filmmaking, crossing the expressionist lighting and framing of film noir with the almost documentary location shooting he used for THE NAKED CITY (1948). Dassin treats NIGHT AND THE CITY's central London locations as strange exotic places. As the movie opens, it is nighttime and small-time hood Harry Fabian (Richard Widmark) is running from almost unseen pursuers. Harry crosses in front of St. Paul's Cathedral, and Dassin shows this familiar tourist sight from a very high angle, then immediately juxtaposes a shot of Harry escaping through bombed-out ruins. While Dassin and director of photography Max Greene shoot exteriors from high angles or from cramped doorways, they shoot interiors from low angles catching their actors against heavily contrasted backgrounds. The result is a movie full of diamond-sharp, angst-ridden visuals. NIGHT AND THE CITY is built round the dynamic febrile performance of Richard Widmark as the constantly scheming, ever-overreaching Harry. Herbert Lom is brilliant as the Greek who ruthlessly controls wrestling in London. Francis L. Sullivan, huge and slow moving, exudes menace as nightclub owner Phil Nosseross. And Googie Withers is very striking as Nosseross's smart but desperate wife. [More]

Starring: Richard Widmark, Gene Tierney, Herbert Lom, Francis L. Sullivan

Starring: Richard Widmark, Gene Tierney, Herbert Lom, Francis L. Sullivan, Hugh Marlowe, Googie Withers, Stanislaus Zbyszko, Mike Mazurki, Charles Farrell

Director: Jules Dassin

Director: Jules Dassin
Screenwriter: Jo Eisinger
Story: Gerald Kersh
Producer: Samuel G. Engel
Composer: Franz Waxman

[See More Credits]

Reviews for Night and the City

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1 - 16 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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Inclined to go over the top, it all too clearly contains the seeds of Dassin's later -- and disastrous -- pretensions.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
01/26/06
Tom Milne
Tom Milne
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A quality cast give vivid performances in a stylish and sharply written thriller with some striking visual flourishes.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
05/24/03
Channel 4 Film
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A dark, brooding noir, with Widmark riveting as a hustling promoter who sinks into the quagmire of his own ambitions.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
04/15/08
TV Guide's Movie Guide
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Jules Dassin, in his direction, manages extraordinarily interesting backgrounds, realistically filmed to create a feeling both of suspense and mounting menace.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
04/15/08
Variety Staff
Variety Staff
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A pointless, trashy yarn.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
01/28/06
Bosley Crowther
Bosley Crowther
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

No review available.

comment Comment
10/10/05
Chuck O'Leary
Chuck O'Leary
Fantastica Daily

No review available.

comment Comment
07/28/05
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

One of the true-blue noir classics. RIchard Widmark is a certifiable force of nature.

comment Comment
04/03/05
Scott Weinberg
Scott Weinberg
eFilmCritic.com

the rare masterpiece that earns the appellation not by announcing its grand intentions but by following them through with sublime confidence and precision

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment 1 Comment
02/20/05
Chris Barsanti
Chris Barsanti
Filmcritic.com

The archetypal film noir.

Full Review Source: Slant Magazine | comment Comment
02/15/05
Nick Schager
Nick Schager
Slant Magazine

No review available.

comment Comment
08/03/03
Michael Szymanski
Michael Szymanski
Zap2it.com

A moody piece of Wellesian chiaroscuro (shot by Max Greene, né Mutz Greenbaum) and an occasionally discomfiting underworld plunge.

Full Review Source: Village Voice | comment Comment
03/25/03
Michael Atkinson
Michael Atkinson
Village Voice

No review available.

comment Comment
03/13/03
Beth Accomando
Beth Accomando
KPBS.org

No review available.

comment Comment
07/31/02
Philip Martin
Philip Martin
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

An offbeat film noir, set in foggy post-WWII London...

Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
08/31/01
Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

Before he met Melina Mercouri and became an Artist, Jules Dassin made a number of worthwhile thrillers as a Hollywood contract director.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
01/01/00
Dave Kehr
Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader
 
 
1 - 16 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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Latest News for Night and the City

April 17, 2008: Total Recall: The 20 Greatest Fights Scenes Ever
The long-awaited showdown between Jackie Chan and Jet Li in The Forbidden Kingdom got us thinking; what are the greatest fights ever filmed? We sifted through quite a few... More...

April 01, 2008: Jules Dassin: 1911-2008
Jules Dassin, the director of films such as Night and the City, Topkapi, and Never On Sunday, has passed away of unspecified causes at the age of 96. More...

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