Review of Scarlet Street (1945) by Byron B — 12 Jun 2013

I've been wanting to compare this side by side with The Woman in the Window from the year before. They have a lot in common. I happened to watch this one first and decided it is a bit better. Both thrillers are directed by Fritz Lang.

Both star Edward G. Robinson and Joan Bennett with Dan Duryea and Arthur Loft in supporting roles. Milton Krasner photographed both as well. They both include a painting of Bennett, the use of radio ads to set the scene, and a murderer trying to cover up their crime under pressure.

Here's how they differ. Dudley Nichols adapted this screenplay in which Robinson is a mild mannered cashier with a shrew of a wife, who does not approve of his painting hobby. His name is Chris Cross.

It's a funny name, but I like it. Chris is soft spoken and completely taken in by Bennett's character Kitty when he thinks he saves her from a thug in an alley. The thug is really her scum of a boyfriend Johnny (Duryea).

Kitty is a hot-blooded femme with a lot of attitude, who can play Chris like a virtuoso. They decide to pull the wool over Chris's eyes and guilt him out of some cash, so they can live on easy street.

Johnny's plan involves cheating him out of earnings for his art. Who's the biggest dope though? He is not really the rich and famous artist they think he is. The murder happens late in the story, then the mood shifts.

The investigation leads to convicting the wrong man and Chris is driven mad by guilt. The camera work, use of shadows in the last act, and skipping record earlier in the tale make this movie more difficult to forget.