kiss of death ( 1947 film )
what' s most effective about the new kiss of death is tucci' s marvelously slimy prosecutor .
the prolific actor, who often portrayed killers and gunslingers, made a memorable big - screen debut in 1947 as a giggling psychopath in kiss of death .
kiss of death [ 1947 / 2016 ] [ blu - ray ] it will mark you for life as it did for him... betrayal !
kiss of death is considered a significant example of film noir, and is also notable for giving widmark a breakout role in his screen debut .
born in minnesota in 1914, widmark began his career in radio and theatre before playing cackling killer tommy udo in kiss of death .
kiss of death (1947) is one of hathaway’s most enduring films. the tale of a criminal (victor mature) willing to turn state’s evidence is perhaps best remembered for richard widmark’s performance as a psychopathic killer. call northside 777 (1948), another film noir, starred james stewart…
to make this list a movie had to be made in 1947. obviously many movies made in 1946 earned box office dollars in 1947. on the other side many movies made in 1947 made money in 1948 and later .
he had been a successful radio actor, but became an overnight film star in kiss of death, portraying psychopath tommy udo who delighted in pushing an old lady in a wheelchair to her death down a flight of stairs. his performance earned him an oscar nomination for best supporting actor .
featured in kiss of death / jury duty / stuart saves his family / the basketball diaries / the pebble and the penguin (1995). see more »
song of love (1947) $ 275, 991, 217. 00 in adjusted worldwide gross
kiss of death [ presented by ] twentieth century - fox; screen play by ben hecht and charles lederer; produced by fred kohlmar; directed by henry hathaway .
the actor richard widmark, who made his debut as a giggling killer in the 1947 noir classic kiss of death, has died at his home in connecticut, aged 93, after a long illness, his wife, susan blanchard, said .
1932 the death kiss - bela ...
the youtube account associated with this video has been terminated due to multiple third - party notifications of copyright infringement .
sort 1947 top box office movies by the stars or in some cases the director of the movie .
the sea of grass (1947) $ 296, 273, 564. 00 in adjusted worldwide gross
merton of the movies (1947) $ 108, 172, 384. 00 in adjusted worldwide gross
the voice of the turtle (1947) $ 196, 883, 870. 00 in adjusted worldwide gross
the romance of rosy ridge (1947) $ 154, 486, 854. 00 in adjusted worldwide gross
song of the thin man (1947) $ 145, 640, 993. 00 in adjusted worldwide gross
the secret life of walter mitty (1947) $ 344, 673, 141. 00 in adjusted worldwide gross
when i' m watching a movie as complex as
kiss of death ,
i look forward to the ending, since the filmmakers have to somehow tie together all the loose ends. the climax of
kiss of death ,
set in baby cakes, is so ludicrous it could be comedy, with characters arriving, leaving and being killed or saved according to an elaborate plot - driven timetable. those who remember the original
kiss of death
will be waiting for somebody to push a wheelchair down the stairs, but in a plot like this, that would be wretched excess .
richard widmark, who made a sensational film debut as the giggling killer in “kiss of death” and became a hollywood leading man in “broken lance, ” “two rode together” and 40 other films, has died after a long illness. he was 93 .
, in august 1947. on december 10, 1951, bachmann agreed to drop the suit .
green dolphin street (1947) $ 453, 224, 604. 00 in adjusted worldwide gross
life with father (1947) $ 407, 857, 915. 00 in adjusted worldwide gross
escape me never (1947) $ 188, 290, 726. 00 in adjusted worldwide gross
the unfinished dance (1947) $ 145, 514, 599. 00 in adjusted worldwide gross
that hagen girl (1947) $ 133, 888, 627. 00 in adjusted worldwide gross
the mighty mcgurk (1947) $ 113, 669, 468. 00 in adjusted worldwide gross
little mister jim (1947) $ 49, 726, 445. 00 in adjusted worldwide gross
mourning becomes electra (1947) $ 27, 485, 392. 00 in adjusted worldwide gross
smash - up–the story of a woman (1947) $ 157, 456, 564. 00 in adjusted worldwide gross
kiss of death [ videorecording ] / [ presented by ] twentieth century - fox; screen play by ben hecht and charles lederer; produced by fred kohlmar; directed by henry hathaway. – national library
richard widmark, american actor (born dec. 26, 1914, sunrise, minn. —died march 24, 2008, roxbury, conn .), became an overnight hollywood sensation following his film debut in kiss of death (1947), in which he portrayed a maniacal gangster who giggles as he ties up an older woman in a wheelchair and shoves…
kiss me deadly photograph: allstar collection / cinetext / united / sportsphoto ltd. / allstar
unlike many of his contemporaries, mr. widmark never quite shook the dark associations of his early roles, even after his studio, 20th century fox, rehabilitated him as a leading man. the obituaries that followed mr. widmark’s death almost invariably began by evoking his first and still most famous film appearance, as the psychotic killer tommy udo in henry hathaway’s 1947 film noir, “kiss of death” — a role that required mr. widmark to giggle and grin as he bound an old woman (mildred dunnock) to her wheelchair and shoved her down a flight of stairs .
sort by how many oscar® nominations and how many oscar® wins each 1947 top box office movies received .
my wild irish rose (1947) $ 308, 973, 710. 00 in adjusted worldwide gross
this time for keeps (1947) $ 278, 392, 258. 00 in adjusted worldwide gross
it happened in brooklyn (1947) $ 168, 324, 329. 00 in adjusted worldwide gross
lady in the lake (1947) $ 167, 882, 029. 00 in adjusted worldwide gross
tarzan and the huntress (1947) $ 160, 173, 478. 00 in adjusted worldwide gross
the man i love (1947) $ 128, 770, 638. 00 in adjusted worldwide gross
kiss of death is an effective but slightly dated film noir better known than most for two salient factors: the debut of actor richard widmark as an irresistibly venal killer, and some ruthlessly brutal violence that made the film notably notorious on its release in 1947. the violence might seem less disturbing if widmark' s sadistic, chortling tommy udo wasn' t perpetrating it; udo' s manic behavior and horrible laugh inspired chills in theaters across america .
brilliant quality print, b & w; photography so appropriate for the mood of the film and generally a wonderful example of film noir. richard widmark excellent .
theatrical trailer (hd, 3: 00). the film' s original preview features noted newspaper columnist walter winchell singing the movie' s praises. he says kiss of death
has authenticity stamped all over it
and was
written with a machine gun .
the film was henry hathaway' s kiss of death (1947), and the nominal stars were victor mature and brian donlevy. but it was widmark, in a relatively small part, whom everyone remembered. no matter how far he moved away from tommy udo in his long career, even when he played noble characters, that giggling psychopath was always just beneath the surface .
two new york city detectives investigate the death of an attractive young woman. the apparent suicide turns out to be murder .
living in a big way (1947) $ 95, 598, 606. 00 in adjusted worldwide gross
my brother talks to horses (1947) $ 61, 668, 375. 00 in adjusted worldwide gross
one of the biggest myths of classic hollywood is that henry hathaway’s kiss of death is worthwhile solely because of the over - the - top screen debut of richard widmark. to be certain, widmark’s performance as bloodthirsty hoodlum tommy udo is incendiary, so it is understandable that it would overshadow other elements of the film. it’s unfortunate, because there is so much more to it than just widmark .
gray appeared in a slew of films in the late 1940s and ’50s, primarily noir thrillers, including henry hathaway’s “ kiss of death ” (1947), as the film’s narrator and ex - con victor mature’s love interest; tyrone power’s aide in edmund goulding’s “nightmare alley” (1947); opposite john wayne in howard hawks’ classic western “red river” (1948); as the mastermind behind a bank heist in phil karlson’s noir “kansas city confidential” (1952); and in sidney salkow’s “las vegas shakedown” (1953) .
a lot of films - noir make their points with heightened dialogue and stylized photography. kiss of death gives you the refreshing feeling of seeing an everyman placed in the middle of a film - noir situation and doing his best to escape it. (talk about stylized, though — if you ever hear anyone laugh like richard widmark, run for the hills. )
the film flirts with miserablism, but it counterbalances the direness of nisha' s situation with moments of levity .
bill georgaris of tspdt has finally decided to start updating his film noir page. this means the old version of…
the tomatometer score — based on the opinions of hundreds of film and television critics — is a trusted measurement of critical recommendation for millions of fans. it represents the percentage of professional critic reviews that are positive for a given film or television show .
richard widmark' s screen debut as psychopathic gunsel tommy udo in 1947' s
kiss of death
has to be one of the most jarring in hollywood history and is brutal by today' s standards, not to mention 1947. his portrayal has to be seen to be believed. the little - known (at the time) widmark won the golden globe for new star of the year and was nominated for the best supporting actor oscar. not bad for a beginner. here' s his most famous scene, but there are lots of other awesome widmark moments in this violent film noir .
cage and caruso strike sparks in this riveting piece of pulp fiction, but it' s that first kiss you' ll remember .
ms. buckley is hardly alone. across hollywood, the 39 - year - old mr. caruso is now center stage in his career, with executives, producers and agents watching him and awaiting the public' s reaction to his first starring movie role, in
kiss of death .
the film, opening on friday, is a loose remake of the film noir classic, written by ben hecht and charles lederer, that is best known for the startling debut of richard widmark as a giggling psychopath who shoves an old woman in a wheelchair down a flight of stairs. the 1947 film, directed by henry hathaway, also starred victor mature .
kiss of death fox film noir 11 1947 / b & w; / 1: 37 flat full frame / 98 min. / street date december 6, 2005 / 14. 98 starring victor mature, brian donlevy, coleen gray, richard widmark, taylor holmes, karl malden. , mildred dunnock cinematography norbert brodine art direction leland fuller, lyle wheeler film editor j. watson webb jr. original music david buttolph written by ben hecht, charles lederer, eleazar lipsky produced by fred kohlmar directed by henry hathaway
the bachelor and the bobby - soxer (1947) $ 394, 905, 041. 00 in adj. worldwide gross
rob reiner' s film rests on broad, sweeping proclamations about the importance of factual reporting .
a crook turns stoolie so that he can see his kids again. the basic plot of kiss of death would work perfectly in high - concept hollywood. sadly, these days, hollywood would leave out the terrific touches that have made this movie such a memorable example of film noir. (in fact, hollywood did just that with a half - hearted remake in 1995. )
the second commentary reunites twilight time regulars julie kirgo and nick redman, who provide further insights into the components of noir, the post - war pessimism that pervaded the country at the time of the picture' s release, and how kiss of death accurately depicted america' s morally compromised society. they also praise the underrated mature and make the case that hathaway' s commitment to professionalism may have impeded his reputation as an artist. whenever kirgo and redman get together, the interplay is always spirited, involving, and filled with astute observations, all of which make their commentary equally worthwhile. though kiss of death may not warrant two commentary tracks, fans of the film will appreciate the perspectives of all four participants .
widmark finally capitulated to hollywood, signing a long - term contract with 20th century fox and landing his starmaking role in “kiss of death. ” “street with no name, ” “road house” and the western “yellow sky” furthered his ascent to full - fledged stardom .
the ballad of narayama
is a japanese film of great beauty and elegant artifice, telling a story of startling cruelty. what a space it opens…
universal pictures, 101m 54s absolutely one of the finest of all film noirs, fritz lang' s scarlet street is a remake of jean ...
after reading a newspaper column in which hedda hopper referred to an event in a politician' s life as
the kiss of death .
lipsky, who submitted his story under the name lawrence l. blaine, was a former new york assistant district attorney .
richard widmark, who made a sensational film debut as the giggling killer in “kiss of death” and became a hollywood leading man in “broken lance, ” “two rode together” and 40 other films, has died after a long illness. he was 93. widmark’s wife, susan blanchard, said the actor died at his home in connecticut on [ … ]
in 1947 20th fox had its own house brand in films noir. it was their house on 92nd street that initiated the practice of using real locations and non - actors, an interesting development that paralleled neorealism in italy. except for its violent ending, kiss of death is filmed entirely on the streets of new york city and environs, with norbert brodine' s moody photograpy kicking up an expressionist mood equal to what was being achieved on soundstages back in california .
the steely eyed actor became an instant star in 1947’s film noir “kiss of death, ” playing the sadistic, falsetto - voiced psychopath tommy udo, who pushes a wheelchairbound old woman down a flight of stairs. the role earned him a supporting actor oscar nomination and seemed to propel him toward a career as a bad guy. but widmark had other plans, as his leading - man roles in such films as “pickup on south street, ” “the alamo, ” “the bedford incident” and “judgment at nuremberg” attest .
this was the first hollywood feature film to be shot on location in chicago. views of the merchandise mart as well as holy trinity polish mission can be seen throughout the film .
director of photography, norbert brodine; film editor, j. watson webb; music, david buttolph .
kiss of death (1947) [ dvd ]: urltoken victor mature, brian donlevy, coleen gray, richard widmark, taylor holmes, howard smith, karl malden, anthony ross, robert adler, rollin bauer, harry bellaver, dennis bohan, norbert brodine, henry hathaway, j. watson webb jr. , fred kohlmar, ben hecht, charles lederer, eleazar lipsky, philip dunne: dvd & blu - ray
sort 1947 top box office movies how they were received by critics and audiences. 60% rating or higher should indicate a good movie .
in the beginning montage shots of new york city, a movie theater in times square displays a huge ad for jeanette macdonald in the love parade (1929). this particular shot was taken at some point from mid - nov 1929 to jan 1930, over 17 years before
kiss of death
was produced .
ultimately, jurassic world evolution feels built largely for the film franchise’s biggest fans .
united artists, 83m 30s though not a true boxing film, the gripping 99 river street is a brisk film noir with a retired boxer as ...
widmark earned high praise for his portrayal of a vicious thug incapable of distinguishing rival gangsters from helpless victims. his academy award - nominated performance is defined by the famous scene in which he laughs hysterically after throwing an elderly wheelchair - bound woman down a staircase to her death. a scene originally filmed depicted bianco’s wife committing suicide after being raped by a gangster assigned to guard her, but the studio later removed it owing to its controversial nature. a 1995 remake of kiss of death featured david caruso and nicolas cage .
some films are defined by a single character, others by a memorable or shocking scene. kiss of death is defined by both. trust me, years from now, you may not remember the film' s plot or be able to quote any dialogue, but once seen, the image of a giggling, maniacal richard widmark pushing a terrified, wheelchair - ridden mildred dunnock down a long flight of stairs will be forever imprinted on your brain. (for a sneak preview, check out the cover art to the right .) it' s the sadistic moment that made widmark a star, and it completely overshadows what remains a finely crafted and engrossing film noir. kiss of death may be 70 years old, but it still delivers the goods, blending action, romance, and plenty of underworld drama with a realistic portrait of a paranoid post - war society .
although i have never been a fan of voiceovers, i usually understand why they' re in a film .
however, a few of the greatest film noirs ever made didn' t have a specific or major femme fatale role, such as: kiss of death (1947), cry of the city (1948), the naked city (1948), raw deal (1948), they live by night (1949), the third man (1949), d. o. a. (1950), in a lonely place (1950), night and the city (1950), on dangerous ground (1951), touch of evil (1958) and the big combo (1955) .
nice reading of the film. to me, it’s all about widmark. i’ve forgotten everything about mature’s performance and remember every bit of widmark’s .
david caruso left the television series nypd blue (1993), in order to film this movie, and pursue a full - time film career. see more »
the 1947 version of kiss of death arrives on blu - ray in a limited to 3, 000 edition packaged in a standard case. an eight - page booklet featuring an essay by film historian julie kirgo, black - and - white scene stills, and a reproduction of the movie' s poster art is tucked inside the front cover. video codec is 1080p / avc mpeg - 4 and audio is dts - hd master audio 2. 0 mono. once the disc is inserted into the player, the static menu without music immediately pops up; no previews or promos precede it .
kiss of death is far from my favorite film noir, but it remains a gritty and engrossing genre entry that features a crackerjack story and script, excellent performances, and lean direction. this chronicle of a habitual criminal' s transformation and rehabilitation makes good use of its new york locations, which add critical authenticity, and includes a breakout portrayal by richard widmark in his film debut. superior video and audio transfers and a couple of cogent commentaries distinguish twilight time' s blu - ray release, which deserves a spot in every noir lover' s collection. recommended .
kimberly reed' s approach is too bloodless to make us feel the full weight of the injustices her film identifies .
fox' s dvd of kiss of death looks splendid in rich b & w; , with brodine' s cinematography of all those grimy new york locations a standout. alain silver and jim ursini are becoming ubiquitous on these noir commentaries but there are few better qualified when it comes to facts and analysis. both are impressed by a scene in which udo and bianco are obviously visiting a house of prostitution .
dvd verdict. film review, 2005. last accessed: april 5, 2008 .
the conflict in
kiss of death
is triangular, involving not only jimmy against the mob, but also the law vs. the mob, with jimmy in the middle. he has a lot of trouble with an unforgiving cop (samuel l. jackson), and with a district attorney (stanley tucci), whose word is meaningless .
world war two drama
stalag 17 ,
released in 1953, and 1947' s
miracle on 34th street
round out the top five .
every film that has ever been nominated for an academy award in any category. enjoy !
mr. caruso is plainly nervous about the critical and audience response to
kiss of death .
i' ve had plenty of time to think about this ,
he said ,
to work out all the horrible doomsday scenarios of me suddenly standing on top of the tappan zee bridge. i' m pretty prepared for what' s going to be. i can' t do anything about it, can i ?
finding box office information for movies made in the 1930s and 1940s is extremely difficult. for somebody looking for box office information on 1947 it is very very frustrating. over the years, we have researched and collected information on over 33, 000 movies. so we figured we would show all the 1947 movies in our database .
the most famous scene in
kiss of death
is when a grinning, maniacal richard widmark shoves mildred dunnock down the stairs to her doom in her wheelchair. due to the shocking nature of this clip, the british censor insisted on its removal for the uk release. imagine then how surprised viewers were when it was shown in its entirety on a history of 20th century fox tribute show which aired on bbc2 on the christmas schedule of 1974 !
he continued to work on broadway in “trio, ” “kiss them for me, ” “shore leave” and elia kazan’s “dunnigan’s daughter. ” in 1946 he starred in the chicago production of “dream girl” with june havoc and a summer production of “joan of lorraine. ”
this page will looks at 152 1947 top box office movies. the movies are listed in a massive table that lets you rank the movies from best to worst in six different sortable columns of information .
kiss of death
is a hard - boiled crime movie featuring first - time leading man david caruso, from tv' s
nypd blue ,
opposite nicholas cage as the weirdest villain since dennis hopper slithered into
blue velvet .
the direction is by barbet schroeder (
reversal of fortune
), the screenplay is by novelist richard price (clockers), it' s a loose remake of the 1947 movie where richard widmark pushed the wheelchair down the stairs, and with a pedigree like that it shouldn' t be disjointed and uncompelling, but it is .
film noir, (french: “dark film”) style of filmmaking characterized by such elements as cynical heroes, stark lighting effects, frequent use of flashbacks, intricate plots, and an underlying existentialist philosophy. the genre was prevalent mostly in american crime dramas of the post - world war ii era. …
peter chernin, the chairman of 20th century fox, which made
kiss of death ,
sees mr. caruso as having a real sex appeal on film .
he' s both dangerous and vulnerable, which makes him really interesting ,
mr. chernin said .
he' s not a straight - ahead tough, and yet he' s by no means wimpy. you get a weird combination of a guy who' s scary because he' s unpredictable and dangerous, but also enormously sympathetic .
kiss me deadly is the black - hearted apotheosis of film noir, and a key film of the 50s, embodying the profoundest anxieties of eisenhower' s america: it ends with the detonation of a nuclear device on malibu beach and, presumably thereafter, the end of the world itself. robert aldrich' s moral universe is so violently out of kilter that even his opening credits run upside down. his hero, mike hammer, is an amoral, proto - fascist bedroom detective and 1, 000% scumbag, but the villains he encounters are far, far worse .
who was the greatest influence on your life? richard widmark in kiss of death. when widmark pushed that old lady in that wheelchair down that flight of stairs, it was like a personal breakthrough for me. it resolved a number of conflicts. i copied his sadistic laugh and used it for ten years. remember that creepy laugh? hyena - faced. a ghoulish titter. it clarified a number of things in my life. helped me become a person .
this film is not currently playing on mubi but 30 other great films are. see what’s now showing
but kiss of death plays it straight down the line. with plenty of catholic imagery in tow, we see nick bianco take his punishment and then continue to suffer a harrowing ordeal. he gets horrible news from home and later sees all he cares for threatened by a slippery criminal who boasts of his revenge in sarcastic tones :
yeah, you and me and your kids and your wife, we' re all going to play together .
does any psychopath in film noir’s rogues gallery strike quite as much immediate, stomach - churning terror as tommy udo? the man’s got a leering, sunken visage only a mother could love, provided she keeps her eyes closed tightly and doesn’t give him reason to shove her down the stairs. richard widmark’s wolf grin might be the only thing about kiss of death that matters. bereft of him, of course, henry hathaway’s film remains solid, but widmark’s oscar - nominated performance makes the entire enterprise feel vital. he’s a villain for the ages, perhaps robbed of his due by hathaway’s need to architect a happy ending. such is life working with production codes. — a. c .
the film is less concerned with placing gauguin in his historical context than it is with his emotional tribulations .
[ cinémathèque pt # 461: 35 mm ] (2007) - forgot nicholson (or ledger' s) joker, this is the scariest death laugh in talking movie history .
sort 1947 top box office movies by ultimate movie ranking score (umr). our umr score puts box office, reviews and awards into a mathematical equation and gives each movie a score .
“my last dame is gone. always had the feeling she’d be the last to go, ” eddie muller, founder and president of the film noir foundation, wrote on facebook. he became friends with gray while collaborating on his 2001 book “dark city dames: the wicked women of film noir. ”
was nominated for two academy awards, including best actor in a supporting role (widmark) and best writing, original story (eleazar lipsky). the hathaway classic was retooled as the western the fiend who walked the west (1958). the original noir title returned for director barbet schroeder' s worthwhile 1995 remake, which starred david caruso, samuel l. jackson and nicolas cage. the screenwriting team of ben hecht and charles lederer also combined for the fine film noir ride the pink horse, released the same year as their original kiss of death .
her final film role came in 1985, with james f. collier’s action drama “cry from the mountain. ”
cage, one of the few american actors who gets more interesting from film to film, comes close to kidnaping the picture as little junior, a pumped - up but asthmatic thug who, like king kong, is a gorilla with a wistful air about him .
twentieth century - fox productions, 95m 50s (british version: 100m 46s) not many actors could match the film noir pedigree of richa ...
forget the other well known actors in this film, this is a david curuso film, with the smaller parts being played by others. curuso himself plays quite a good role, unfortunately i think nick cage ruined this film, his attempt at playing the pshycho, was less than believable and he just looked like a corny action star .
when it comes to howard hawks, it’s easy to forget the prolific american auteur set the gold standard for a number of film genres, including his iconic westerns (red river, 1948; rio bravo, 1959) and labyrinthine spasm of film noir (the big sleep, 1946). continue reading ...
his last film role came in the 1991 thriller true colors, although he made occasional appearances afterwards in tv documentaries .
lipsky, eleazar - - film and video adaptations. jewel thieves - - drama. criminal behavior - - drama. betrayal - - drama. prisoners' spouses - - drama. feature films - - united states. film noir. thrillers (motion pictures, television, etc .) fiction films. film adaptations. films for the hearing impaired .
what i don' t understand is when they are used in films like kiss of death and they give up on it for a big chunk in the middle before saddling it up and wheeling it out again for a grand speech at the finale. i' ve seen a few crime films and noirs like that recently. unfortunately, when it is used it' s just as annoying and largely pointless as it usually is here .
with mature and brian donlevy sharing a fair amount of screentime and widmark' s sniggering killer it' s a long way from subtle but all three men hold the screen well and the film does have a lot more bite than the average 40s crime film. it also does seem…
he is following
kiss of death ,
which cost around $ 20 million, with a more expensive ($ 30 million to $ 35 million) second movie ,
jade ,
an erotic thriller written by joe eszterhas. mr. caruso plays a prosecutor investigating a psychiatrist who is also a former girlfriend (linda fiorentino) for murder. (does anyone really know a psychiatrist who looks and sounds like ms. fiorentino? )
tcm celebrates the 100th anniversary of a musical legend with three nights of programming devoted to some of leonard bernstein' s... more
the working titles of the film were
the full house ,
bagdad on the subway
and
o. henry' s bagdad on the subway .
the two films should resolve the issue that frightens mr. caruso and fascinates hollywood: can he make a successful leap into films, like such one - time television performers as john travolta, tom hanks and tim allen? or are his style, chemistry, looks and talent suited especially for television, like those of shelley long, don johnson, ted danson and others who have tried in vain to turn into film stars. (mr. caruso' s price tag has climbed from $ 1 million for
kiss of death
to a deal worth $ 2 million to $ 3 million for
jade .
)
colleen gray as nick' s (very) young love interest asserts herself well, and a host of fine character actors (including a boyish karl malden as a police sergeant) add marvelous flavor to the film. hathaway, who also directed the original true grit and marilyn monroe' s niagara, knows noir well, and his subtle stylistic touches perk up the largely straightforward presentation. with its emphasis on realism, kiss of death isn' t as flashy and elegant as some of its genre cousins, but it' s still a well - crafted movie that makes cogent points about honor, family, and society. but, oh, that wheelchair scene ...
chicago – if peter bogdanovich had only been a film writer and critic, he still would have made a major contribution to cinema culture. but he also chose to direct, and besides producing arguably one of the best american films ever made (“ the last picture show ”), he continues to work and fulfill his creative vision. bogdanovich was honored at the 52nd chicago international film festival with a gold hugo career lifetime achievement designation, which was augmented with a magnificent documentary about a period in his career called “one day since yesterday: peter bogdanovich and the lost american film. ” the film tells the story of “ they all laughed ” (1981), a post modern screwball comedy starring audrey hepburn, john ritter and dorothy stratten. bogdanovich was in a relationship with stratten during the production of the film, and she was murdered by her ex - husband while the film was being edited. the tragedy, the prescience of
had been appropriated by the filmmakers. bachmann argued that by using a title almost identical to his novel' s, the studio had taken unfair advantage of publicity generated by his publisher, knopf, and had misled the general public by suggesting that the film was based on his work. penguin books published a novelization of the film, also titled
in 1943, widmark made his broadway debut in “kiss and tell, ” the comedy that inspired the radio serial “meet corliss archer, ” and then segued into the short - lived william saroyan play “get away old man. ” turned down for military service because of a perforated eardrum, he was courted by mgm for the film “bataan” in 1944 but resisted signing a contract .
impressive! this is one of the best
film noir
ever made. it didn' t age at all in 70 years and i am certain it never will .
the screen guild theater
broadcast a 60 - minute radio adaptation of the movie on march 29, 1951 with victor mature and richard widmark again reprising their film roles .
la story... lauren bacall and humphrey bogart in the film version of the big sleep. photograph: allstar collection / cinetext / warn / sportsphoto ltd. / allstar
but every re - territorialisation gives rise to a new de - territorialisation. even a film like fingerprints don’t lie (sam newfield 1951) is already questioning forensic technology and portraying it as a matter of interpretation. and of course the rich extremism of late ’40s noir (the demented born to kill [ robert wise 1947 ] and gun crazy) doesn’t disappear but continues to transmute subterraneously, eventually giving birth to late noir (perhaps post - noir) classics as diverse as the big combo (joseph h. lewis 1955), naked alibi (jerry hopper 1954), pushover (richard quine 1954), kiss me deadly, touch of evil, murder by contract (irving lerner 1958) and the line - up (don siegel 1958) .
there is plot and more plot in
kiss of death .
by the time it' s over you may wish you had taken notes, to keep track of who is doing what, and with which, and to whom. a lot of the scheming centers around little junior brown, the nicholas cage character. the first time we see junior, he' s bench - pressing a stripper in his father' s topless bar, called baby cakes. this is the kind of
gentleman' s club
where you wonder why any of the customers ever come back again, since if they look sideways at anyone they get pounded by junior .
academy award, any of a number of awards presented annually by the academy of motion picture arts and sciences, located in beverly hills, california, u. s. , to recognize achievement in the film industry. the awards were first presented in 1929, and winners receive…
paranoia of course is endemic in noir, it’s the mission of both the killer and the femme fatale to provoke it everywhere: ‘the look in her eye, how can you believe she loves you’ asks the bewitched lover: certainty, truth, belief are all swept up in a maze of falsity (the end of the lady from shanghai [ orson welles 1947 ] and its hall of mirrors providing the iconic sequence for this entire generic obsession). the following exchange from house of strangers (joseph l. mankiewicz 1949) says it all: ‘what do you want, lies? what else is there? ” as for loyalty ‘you can buy it at any pet - store’ (the web [ michael gordon 1947 ]). the fundamentals of personal identity are thrown into doubt, hence the proliferation of amnesiacs and other ‘nameless’ characters throughout the noir universe .
the film landed him an oscar nomination and a golden globe award for best newcomer - but he was not entirely enamoured with fame .
this list collects every film from the starting list that became they shoot pictures don' t they' s 1000 greatest films. this…
murray, noel. onion av club review, film review, march 29, 2005. last accessed: april 5, 2008 .
magazine article about the film noted that when the company filmed inside sing sing, all rooms and cell blocks had to be cleared out before any shots were taken because of a law that prohibited the photographing of real convicts. voice - over narration, spoken by coleen gray as the character
nettie ,
opens the story and is heard intermittently throughout the film .
lux radio theater
broadcast a 60 - minute radio adaptation of the movie on january 12, 1948, with victor mature, coleen gray and richard widmark reprising their film roles .
the screen guild theater
broadcast a 30 - minute radio adaptation of the movie on october 28, 1948 with victor mature, richard widmark and coleen gray reprising their film roles .
the background musical theme at the start and finish of the film is alfred newman' s
street scene ,
which 20th century - fox frequently used for dramas set in new york (newman was one of their house composers) .
shining some light on essential film noirs. how many have you seen? 1 double indemnity (1944) billy wilder 2 ...
classy film noir, as you would expect from a team including director barbet schroeder, writer richard price, and nicolas cage ...
includes both 3d and 2d versions. limited edition of 3, 000 units. i have included photos / scans of the item so you can see what you are purchasing. this is the actual item you will receive. see photo # 2 for brief film summary and list of special features .
harley quinn’s entrance is the best moment in “suicide squad. ” after that, you can leave. robbie is a criminally appealing actress, likable in just about every way, but that intro aside, “suicide squad” doesn’t serve her well. it serves no one well, least of all its audience... now and then there’s a dash of color, especially when leto’s joker appears, with his silvery capped teeth and day - glo hair. leto seems to be channeling, consciously or otherwise, richard widmark in the 1947 noir “kiss of death”—that’s the one where widmark’s truly creepy - evil character pushes an old lady in a wheelchair down the stairs. but leto is so textbook twitchy that he barely comes off as menacing. and his scenes with robbie have no spark, no lunatic ardor. if you can’t strike a spark with robbie, something’s terribly wrong .
mature, fresh off a dynamite turn as doc holliday in john ford' s classic western my darling clementine, brings his a game to kiss of death as well, filing arguably the second - best performance of his career. mature often coasted on his chiseled good looks and hunky frame, both of which would serve him well in a series of biblical epics in the 1950s, but he' s surprisingly natural and sincere here. he projects not just anguish and hopelessness when required, but also a quiet inner strength that makes him a relatable everyman and admirable hero. though widmark eclipses him, mature more than holds his own, carrying the picture on his brawny shoulders .
the following massive table only includes the movies made in 1947 that are in our database. since we are constantly adding new movies to our database…. this page will quickly become obsolete. we will try and update this page on a regular basis .
after graduating in 1936, he remained at the college as an instructor in speech and drama. in 1937, while he and a friend were touring europe on bicycles, they shot a short 8mm documentary about hitler youth camps. he then moved to new york, where he worked on radio and landed a few broadway roles, the best of which were directed by elia kazan. it was through kazan' s influence that widmark was auditioned by 20th century fox and put under contract, and immediately cast in kiss of death, for which he was nominated for an oscar .
, before zanuck stamped the film with its definitive title, a phrase that had jumped out at him from hedda hopper' s gossip column .
the film received mostly positive reviews when it was first released, and again when it was released on dvd in 2004. in 2004, the
, alex proyas’ 1998 magnum opus serves up a cerebral sci - fi extravaganza as filtered through the visual tropes of film noir and german expressionism. the result is a staggering achievement in imagination that, like
richard widmark as a giggling, heartless hoodlum pushing a wheelchair bound old lady down the stairs, that' s what everyone remembers of this superb classic. the film follows luckless nick bianco (victor mature' s best role), a nyc holdup man who is caught during an xmas season hit. sent to prison, he needs to be near his now parentless children (his wife committed suicide). he becomes an informant, and is released. widmark, as hoodlum tommy udo (all film fans have no trouble remembering that name) targets stoolie mature for death. the film begins (with the failed robbery) and ends (the showdown between widmark, mature and da brian donlevy) with superb suspense sequenses played almost silent .
mr. widmark, then 33, had fourth billing in “kiss of death”; his oscar nomination earned him better billing but similar roles in three 1948 films: william keighley’s “street with no name, ” jean negulesco’s “road house” and william wellman’s “yellow sky. ” only with hathaway’s “down to the sea in ships” (1949) did mr. widmark get a heroic role and his name on top, but the public didn’t seem interested in this bright, blond, squeaky - clean figure: they wanted their morally flawed, unpredictably violent widmark back .
gerard mcmurray' s the first purge is an often artful and rousing action film that' s also deeply engaged with contemporary politics and social issues .
this good little b picture is raised to the heights of immortality by richard widmark’s performance as the sociopathic gangster, tommy udo. his maniacal giggle and unidentifiable accent are a genius of serendipity. they will become an indelible memory after you’ve watched this film only once, yet widmark said that his giggle was simply caused by uncontrollable nervousness. this was widmark’s film debut and, in my opinion, his best performance .
made the case that the lead actor may be the best reason to see the film :
its value exists mainly in stewart' s finely drawn characterization of a cynical man with a nagging conscience .
after one of the crummiest summer movie seasons in recent memory, asking one film to redeem four months of tepid blockbusters might have been a suicide mission in and of itself. but “suicide squad” doesn’t even come close. from the first scene to the last, it’s an absolute mess, one whose harried pacing, jumbled narrative, and blaring soundtrack of radio hits suggests a desperate post - production attempt to reconfigure what ayer got on set into something palatable and poppy. the movie opens with a shot of the logo for belle reve prison, which serves as the suicide squad’s home base; the facility’s slogan is “’til death do us part. ” the direness of this movie, along with the staggering number of films yet to come in the dc cinematic universe, makes these words feel like the ultimate threat .
( aka deadly is the female) united artists, 87m 6s guns and sex combine explosively in gun crazy, a film noir concerned wit ...
as in so much film noir, the crux of the story is a case of cherchez la femme. in this case la femme is abby marty (frances mcdormand), wife of texas bar owner julian (dan hedaya). julian suspects abby of having an affair with one of his staff, and when private eye loren visser (m emmet walsh) confirms this to be the case, julian sets a murder plan in motion. for most directors this would be enough, but the coens embrace the full - on complications of the genre to create a genuine sense of an
easy
crime spiralling out of control .
arrow video offers a miraculously gorgeous restoration of abel ferrara' s grubby and neurotic work of lo - fi horror expressionism .
film acting is based on creating an identity, creating interest so widmark' s performance is brilliant, which is much different than in stage acting... .
although a credit card crows that all shooting, interior and exterior, was captured in new york, some studio interiors are obvious late in the film. nonetheless ,
the movie' s hard - sell trailer shows most of the violent action in the film but doesn' t bill richard widmark along with the stars. widmark would be a name above the title from his next feature forward .
thrilling and edgy, it’s also notable for a superb quincy jones score, and an early film appearance by christopher walken. indicator limited edition special features new and improved english subtitles for the deaf and hard - of - hearing .
the sobriety of leave no trace' s vision serves as a conscious respite from the hyperbolic hate machine of modern american culture .
criterion releasing it during pride month proves that their sense of humor is just as sick as that of john waters and divine .
james stewart stars as the persistent journalist and richard conte plays the imprisoned frank wiecek. wiecek is based on joseph majczek, who was wrongly convicted of the murder of a chicago policeman in 1932, one of the worst years of organized crime during prohibition .
then the offer came along to star in
jade ,
which he calls a once - in - a - lifetime opportunity. unlike
kiss of death ,
which was filmed while
n. y. p. d. blue
was on hiatus ,
jade
would have interfered with the show' s shooting schedule. mr. caruso said his agents had tried to persuade
n. y. p. d. blue
to let him take time off to do the film. when that failed, he said ,
it became an either / or thing .
and so he left the television series. (the $ 100, 000 an episode his agents requested was, he said, only a negotiating tactic, not a demand. )
kiss of death is a 1947 film noir directed by henry hathaway and written by ben hecht and charles lederer from a story by eleazar lipsky . the story revolves around an ex-con played by victor mature and his former partner-in-crime , tommy udo ( richard widmark in his first film ) . the movie also starred brian donlevy and introduced coleen gray in her first billed role . the film has received critical praise since its release , with two academy award nominations . kiss of death is considered a significant example of film noir , and is also notable for giving widmark a breakout role in his screen debut . 
kiss of death is a 1947 film noir directed by henry hathaway and written by ben hecht and charles lederer from a story by eleazar lipsky. the story revolves around an ex-con played by victor mature and his former partner-in-crime, tommy udo (richard widmark in his first film). the movie also starred brian donlevy and introduced coleen gray in her first billed role. the film has received critical praise since its release, with two academy award nominations. kiss of death is considered a significant example of film noir, and is also notable for giving widmark a breakout role in his screen debut.
kiss of death is a 1947 film noir directed by henry hathaway and written by ben hecht and charles lederer from a story by eleazar lipsky. the story revolves around an ex-con played by victor mature and his former partner-in-crime, tommy udo (richard widmark in his first film). the movie also starred brian donlevy and introduced coleen gray in her first billed role. the film has received critical praise since its release, with two academy award nominations. kiss of death is considered a significant example of film noir, and is also notable for giving widmark a breakout role in his screen debut.