Review of Scarlet Street (1945) by Van R — 13 May 2009
"M" director Fritz Lang crafted another classic with this Edward G. Robinson & Joan Bennett thriller "Scarlet Street" about a meek little bank cashier Christopher Cross (Edward G.
Robinson) who falls for a pretty trollop hustler Kitty (Joan Bennett) and nothing good comes out of it. Christopher masquerades as a wealthy painter and steals money from the bank where he works to keep her in the lap of luxury while she and her scamming boyfriend (Dan Duryea of "Winchester '73) take advantage of him.
Christopher critical, carping wife doesn't car a whit for his crummy little paintings so he takes them to Kitty's apartment. Johnny takes Chris' painting and an art critic adores them. Johnny engineers it so that the art critic believes that Kitty is the painter.
Meanwhile, Christopher shrewd of a wife spots the paintings and exposes her hen-pecked husband as a third-rate ripoff artist. Christopher allows Kitty to maintain the ruse as the real painter and paints more pictures.
Christopher doesn't know that Johnny and Kitty are in cohoots, but when he discovers their skullduggery, he murders her in her own bed. Everybody believes that Johnny did it because one of Kitty's friends hear her say that Johnny was entering her apartment.
Another brilliant meditation of crime, murder and the death penalty. Not to be missed!
This review of Scarlet Street (1945) was written by Van R on 13 May 2009.
Scarlet Street has generally received very positive reviews.
Was this review helpful?
