Scarlet Street (1945) Audio Commentary

Rob Caravaggio Commentaries

The "self portrait" of Kitty March, Joan Bennett's fast-talking femme fatale who steals Edward G. Robinson's heart in Fritz Lang's film noir, Scarlet Street

RC-2013-108: The Film Noir Series—Scarlett Street (1945)
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Ask a person to name her five favorite Fritz Lang films, and you're not likely to hear Scarlet Street. Yet it has all we've come to love about Lang—and about film noir. Inside the dusty B-movie packaging we find a big star, Edward G. Robinson, playing somewhat against type as a meek cashier named Chris Cross. As we watch the noir vortex suck him in, my heavily shadowed commentary addresses the ongoing debate over film noir's definition, the way Fritz Lang utilizes his roots in German expressionism, and the snappy dialogue of Dudley Nichols' screenplay. I'm also able to put my love of the film aside long enough to discuss the fascinating life and career of Robinson and the even more fascinating life of Joan Bennett, the femme fatale who would see life dangerously imitate art only a few years later. You have my permission to pronounce "film noir" any way you like. To sync up, hit "pause" just after the old Universal logo fades away and the "Walter Wanger Presents" title card takes over the screen.
F.Y.I., This film belongs to the public domain. It may therefore be downloaded, legally, with impunity.
Show Notes

• I referenced this biography of E.G.R. a couple of times
• All about Joan Bennett and that deadly love triangle here
• More on the definition of film noir

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