Film Review
Hollywood's reaction to the Holocaust in the aftermath of WWII was
immediate but somewhat tentative, suggesting great anxiety over how the
public would respond to such a difficult subject. 1947 saw the
release of two films which dealt with the thorny issue of
anti-Semitism: Edward Dmytryk's
Crossfire
and Elia Kazan's
Gentleman's
Agreement. Both films were box office hits, both garnered
widespread critical praise, and both were nominated for the Best
Picture Academy Award (it was Kazan's film that won).
Dmytryk's is the more interesting of the two films, because it delves
deeply into the psychological basis for racial hatred and uses a far
more distinctive auteur approach.
The film was based on the novel
The
Brick Foxhole
by Richard Brooks (who would himself become a prominent film director
in the 1950s). The murder victim in this novel
isn't a
Jew but a homosexual. Since Hollywood censorship at the time
prohibited any mention of homosexuality, the motivation for the killing
was changed to anti-Semitism - although some hints of the book's
original premise remain in the film. The idea of one soldier
luring
another back to his apartment only to be killed in a violent outburst
has more veracity if gay seduction was part of the mix. As well
as the issue of anti-Semitism,
Crossfire
also touches on
another important social theme: how soldiers manage to adjust to
civilian life after serving in combat. It is a subject which
merits a
film in its own right, and one which has remained relevant in every
decade since WWII.
Crossfire is often cited as
one of the best examples of American film noir, although it is worth
noting that the film noir techniques were employed primarily not for
aesthetic reasons but because of financial constraints. The film
was shot in just twenty days on a budget of half a million dollars,
most of which went on the cast. The film noir style was an
effective way of hiding the cheapness and paucity of the sets and to
focus our attention on where the money went, the performances of the
lead actors.
It is certainly not a conventional film noir. There is no real
element of mystery or suspense. It's not so much a whodunit as a
"why-did-he-do-it" and has the narrative minimalism (and some of the
sinister undertones) of a Harold Pinter stage play. Veteran
cinematographer J. Roy Hunt pushes film noir technique to its
extreme. Most of the time, the screen is filled with large
close-ups or tight two-shots, with the set draped in a heavy
darkness. Great use is made of shadows to stress the lurking
menace lying beneath the surface of seeming normality. It's
daringly experimental but the overall effect is stunning, lending the
film an intensely claustrophobic atmosphere.
Whilst strong in some areas, the film has some notable deficiencies in
others. The dialogue-heavy screenplay is peppered with
clichés and its moral messages are dressed in tedious
platitudes. The characterisation is equally uninspired, making it
hard for any of the cast to make much of an impact. The one
character that does stand out is Montgomery, superbly portrayed by
Robert Ryan. This was the first of the many vicious,
psychologically flawed characters that would form the mainstay of
Ryan's long and illustrious film career. The actor was offered
the part of Montgomery because he had so liked the original novel that
he asked Brooks to consider him for the role if ever a film adaptation
was made. Both men had previously served in the US marines.
The release of
Crossfire
coincided with the beginning of the Communist witch-hunts that were
instigated by Senator Joseph McCarthy. Both the film's director
Edward Dmytryk and its producer Adrian Scott refused to testify before
the HUAC (House Un-American Activities Committee) - two of the famous
Hollywood Ten. After a year in prison and blacklisted from
working in Hollywood, Dmytryk continued his career in England, where he
made three films. On his return to the United States in 1951, he
sold out to the HUAC, admitting brief membership of the American
Communist Party and denouncing 26 others. Although he was able to
resume his filmmaking career, few if any of his later films could match
the emotional intensity, psychological depth and alluring poetic style
of
Crossfire.
© James Travers 2008
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Next Edward Dmytryk film:
The Caine Mutiny (1954)
Film Synopsis
One evening, Samuels, a recently discharged US marine, is brutally
killed. Captain Finlay takes charge of the murder investigation
and quickly homes in on three suspects - the three soldiers who were in
Samuels's company shortly before he died: Montgomery, Keeley and
Mitchell. The first two have cast-iron alibis, but Mitchell has
gone missing. Convinced of Mitchell's innocence, Keeley sets out
to find him. Mitchell is in a confused state and can scarcely
recall anything that happened the night before. Meanwhile, the
murderer is still at large and, to cover his tracks, is ready to kill a
second time...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.