Cry of the City (1948)

Police Lieut. Candella, longtime friend of the Rome family, walks a tightrope in the case of cop-killer Martin Rome.

Director:

Robert Siodmak

Writers:

Richard Murphy (screenplay), Henry Edward Helseth (novel)

Stars:

Victor Mature, Richard Conte, Fred Clark

1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Victor Mature	...	Lt. Candella
Richard Conte	...	Martin Rome
Fred Clark	...	Lt Collins
Shelley Winters	...	Brenda Martingale
Betty Garde	...	Miss Pruett
Berry Kroeger	...	W.A. Niles
Tommy Cook	...	Tony Rome
Debra Paget	...	Teena Riconti
Hope Emerson	...	Rose Given
Roland Winters	...	Ledbetter
Walter Baldwin	...	Orvy
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Martin Begley	...	Bartender (scenes deleted)
Dan Sheridan	...	Detective (as Michael Sheridan)

Storyline

Petty crook and cop-killer Martin Rome, in bad shape from wounds in the hospital prison ward, still refuses to help slimy lawyer Niles clear his client by confessing to another crime. Police Lt. Candella must check Niles' allegation; a friend of the Rome family, he walks a tightrope between sentiment and cynicism. When Martin fears Candella will implicate his girlfriend Teena, he'll do anything to protect her. How many others will he drag down to disaster with him?

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Plot Keywords:

water cooler | city | cry | murder of a policeman | murder of a police officer | 

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Taglines:

Society exacts retribution for defiance of its laws !

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Film-Noir

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Certificate:

Passed

Did You Know?

Trivia

Debra Paget's screen debut.

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Goofs

During Candela's visit with the Rome family, Mama brings out a tray with a wine decanter and two glasses. She only fills Candela's glass and puts the decanter down on the far left side of the table where she is standing. Neither Mama, Candela, nor Papa move the decanter, but when Candela says stands up and says he must go, the decanter is now on the opposite site of the table and Papa is finishing off a glass of wine.

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Quotes

Lt. Candella: They'll make a Robin Hood out of a cheap hoodlum like that. The longer he's loose the bigger hero he is.

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Connections

Edited into American Cinema: Film Noir (1995)

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Soundtracks

Street Scene
(uncredited)
Music by Alfred Newman
Played at opening of film

User Reviews

A classic of its kind

It is not surprising that so much has been written about the sub genre of the "film noir". The execution of a noir film required a tremendous artistry and expertise in all aspects of cinema. The classic noir films are truly works of art; cinema at its best, not relying on star power or big budgets, but rather a mastery of the very rudiments of making movies.

What Ford was to the western, Hitchcock to suspense, Sirk to melodrama, so was Robert Siodmak to the noir. While "Cry of the City" is often left out of discussions of the genre, it is, in many ways a near perfect example of the genre.

By 1948 the noir was beginning to hit its stride. Siodmak came to this project with much valuable experience. His execution of this not especially remarkable story has a fluidity and assurance of style that one can only marvel at.

Despite the well worn cop vs. gangster tale, there is a potent psychological complexity at the core of "Cry of the City". Richard Conte's Martin Rome, is charismatic and charming. Not only does he work his magic on unsuspecting females, we the audience are firmly on his side at the start of the movie. As the plot unfolds his ruthless, selfish and manipulative motives become apparent. Yet it will take some time before we are completely convinced. It's a masterly stroke of screen writing. It will take Victor Mature's impassioned indictment to completely convince us.

Victor Mature is surprisingly competent in the lead in what must be surely one of his best roles. Richard Conte is simply superb in a complex and tricky role. His method is one of economy and subtlety and a lesson to screen actors. Despite a host of fine performances, Conte seems to not have garnered the respect he deserved.

A classic of its kind.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Italian

Release Date:

11 October 1948 (Sweden)

Also Known As:

The Chair for Martin Rome

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1