Clash by Night (1952)
Genre: Drama / Filmnoir
Duration: 105 minuten
Country:
United States
Directed by: Fritz Lang
Stars: Barbara Stanwyck, Paul Douglas and Marilyn Monroe
IMDb score:
7,0 (8.151)
Releasedate: 30 May 1952
Clash by Night plot
"Livin’ in my house! Lovin’ another man! Is that what you call bein’ honest? That’s just givin’ it a nice name!"
Mae Doyle returns to her hometown. She is a cynical woman, and her brother Joe fears that his great love Peggy will become just like Mae. After Mae marries Jerry and has a child, she is happy, but still restless.
Actors and actresses
Mae Doyle D'Amato
Jerry D'Amato
Earl Pfeiffer
Peggy
Uncle Vince
Joe Doyle
Papa D'Amato
Singer of 'I Hear a Rhapsody' (voice)
Reviews & comments
MNV2
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- 6932 messages
- 1901 votes
Take any six of 'em - my wife included. Throw 'em up in the air. The one who sticks to the ceiling, I like
Heavily underrated Film Noir by Fritz Lang. What often strikes me with Film Noirs and crime films from the black and white era is that the atmosphere is usually decisive in giving the film a higher score, even more than the story. Then I mainly watch films like Casablanca, Double Indemnity and Sunset Boulevard, films that I appreciate so much because of their wonderful atmosphere that you as a viewer moves through the story. Two other important factors that often contribute to that wonderful atmosphere are the acting, especially the chemistry between protagonist and protagonist and the inventive, witty dialogues. Clash by Night ticks all those boxes to be one of the best Noirs I've seen so far, although there was very little 'crime' to be found as the film might have a little more to it of a love drama.
The film already managed to carry me away in the first five minutes when you see fishing boats and fishmongers along a small, quiet harbor village, an atmosphere that the film never let go of. Furthermore, there is not a bad word to say about the acting, rarely enjoyed a good cast of well-known actors. Barbara Stanwyck, Paul Douglas and Robert Ryan starred as Mae Doyle, Jerry and Earl respectively. The small supporting roles were also well performed, Marilyn Monroe is also a nice appearance here, and Paul Douglas also did not bad as Peggy's (Marilyn Monroe) boyfriend. Incidentally, I thought the camera work was exceptionally good, just like in other films by Fritz Lang.
4.0 stars
Translated from Dutch · View original
Movsin
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- 8286 messages
- 8442 votes
Excellent work about loneliness and the resulting urge for a better life with the inevitable dramas as a result.
Well told and cleverly acted, certainly by Paul Douglas and also by Barbara Stanwijck, who at the time very often played roles that flirted with common good morals.
Translated from Dutch · View original
starbright boy (moderator films)
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- 22473 messages
- 5142 votes
Clash By Night is the third of four Lang films this month and again very different from the last. Clash By Night tends more towards melodrama of the intelligent slightly subversive kind. Not far from films by someone like Douglas Sirk.
The script is good, but Lang pulls out all the stops with a great cast and great shot. That starts right away when the film starts with a dialogueless opening of about six minutes in which the situation is beautifully sketched. Then a story of loneliness unfolds, a search for safety and passion. Stanwyck is actually stoneware. Robert Ryan (for the second day in a row) plays the passion, Monroe with one of her earliest serious roles already showing here that she had the look of a star. Douglas who plays the security is satisfactory but not as good as the others and was the only one of the four actors I didn't know.
Clash By Night started as a play by the somewhat forgotten but interesting writer: Clifford Odets. The underrated The Big Knife is also based on one of his plays. Sweet Smell Of Success contains his dialogues. Clash By Night is less cynical than those two, but just as mature. Odets also wrote scripts and even directed two films.
Translated from Dutch · View original
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