21 August 2013 - Night and the City

A British noir-thriller, set in 1950s London, one that I discovered when seeking out available movies set in the 'Ellis era'. A far cry from the high spirited and optimistic comedies from Ealing Studios, this 20th Century-Fox production is strictly inhabited by the seedier side of the capital, the place of shady drinking dens, prostitutes and underworld wrestling establishments.

According to website Film Noir of the Week, director Jules Dassin:

"wanted to present London as an urban nightmare with night for night shooting at a time when it was still difficult to generate sufficient light for extended night scenes, especially those filmed in long shot. Dassin, however, received the cooperation of many London businesses who agreed to leave their lights on at night so as to assist the filming. As a result, Night and the City is one of the strongest examples of film noir expressionism and it presents London as an urban hell - a world of dark shadows, desperate individuals and derelict buildings. Tourist landmarks such as Trafalgar Square and Piccadilly Circus, along with other parts of the city, were transformed into a consistent vision of urban hell, a perfect encapsulation of a dark, threatening world permeated by betrayal, fall guys and moral corruption".

http://www.noiroftheweek.com/2007/08/night-and-city-1950.html

Apart from being a highly compelling thriller with an intense performance from Richard Widmark, the details of the era interested me. In particular, the scenes set in the 'Silver Fox Club', which I can imagine being similar to one of the clubs that Ruth Ellis would have worked in, with proprietress Helen Nosseross (Googie Withers) instructing her girls on how to behave with the 'gentlemen' patrons. Interesting also that Helen's repellant and abusive husband Phil is exactly how I imagine Morrie Conley would have been - I wonder if perhaps the casting for this character was based on Mr Conley?

Night and the City is certainly one of the toughest films I have seen of this particular era, pulling no punches (pun intended or is it) in its bleak portrayal of post-war London. And it will help me when I start to compose the imagery that will form the projected backdrop for the Player's production of The Thrill of Love.