The Sniper (1952)

A sniper kills young brunettes as the police attempt to grapple with the psychology of the unknown assailant.

Director:

Edward Dmytryk

Writers:

Harry Brown (screen play), Edna Anhalt (story)

Stars:

Arthur Franz, Adolphe Menjou, Gerald Mohr

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Adolphe Menjou	...	Police Lt. Frank Kafka
Arthur Franz	...	Edward Miller
Gerald Mohr	...	Police Sgt. Joe Ferris
Marie Windsor	...	Jean Darr
Frank Faylen	...	Police Insp. Anderson
Richard Kiley	...	Dr. James G. Kent
Mabel Paige	...	Landlady
Marlo Dwyer	...	May Nelson
Geraldine Carr	...	Checker

Storyline

Apparently rejected by women all his life, a loner with a high-power rifle starts on a trail of murder. The police are baffled by the apparently random killings until their psychologist comes up with some ideas.

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Plot Keywords:

serial murder | san francisco california | long range rifle | obsession | 1950s | 

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Taglines:

To the police - stop me. Find me and stop me. I'm going to do it again.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Film-Noir | Thriller

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 August 1952 (Denmark)

Also Known As:

El Francotirador

Filming Locations:

Telegraph Hill, San Francisco, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Stanley Kramer Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In an early example of product placement, Arthur Franz as Eddie Miller drinks a Blatz beer from Marie Windsor's refrigerator.

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Goofs

Miller takes a full beer out of the refrigerator and takes one sip, but in the next shot, 80% of the bottle is empty.

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Quotes

E.R. doctor: [talking to the duty nurse] You know how much coffee I've had today? 17 cups. The Brazilians ought to give me a medal.

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Crazy Credits

A word about the picture which follows: High among police problems is that of the sex criminal, responsible last year alone for offenses which victimized 31,175 women. Adequate and understanding laws do not exist. Law enforcement is helpless. Here, in terms of one case, is the story of a man whose enemy was womankind.

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Connections

References Raiders of Tomahawk Creek (1950)

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Soundtracks

Pennies from Heaven
(uncredited)
Music by Arthur Johnston
Words by Johnny Burke (1936)
Played by Marie Windsor in piano bar

User Reviews

Compact thriller with good San Fransisco location shots...

THE SNIPER reminds me of a more compact, more personal look at a psycho killer than THE NAKED CITY, which it resembles in style and content.

ARTHUR FRANZ gets his big break here, a starring role in a well-written thriller about a serial killer who wishes he could stop killing, if the police would only catch him. The final scene is a summation of that wish, but almost seems like a letdown after all the build-up to what we presume would be a bloody climax (if directed by someone like today's Martin Scorsese).

Franz's trouble is that he looks too much like any clean-cut, normal, handsome young man and his looks work against the grain of the role. He's intense when he has to be, but lacks the intenseness of a James Dean or even a Dane Clark as the man given to sudden outbursts of temper and a psyche that is screaming for help and attention. He's good, but never manages to be better than his material. Think of what someone like DANIEL CRAIG would do with this role today.

MARIE WINDSOR does a nice job as a glamorous night club pianist who has the young man (who works as an errand boy for the local cleaners) as a sort of friend she trusts. Her walk through an almost deserted looking San Francisco at night, down hilly streets on the way to her workplace, is photographed with noir precision and style, as is most of the film. Neat use of San Francisco's hilly environment is a constant point of interest throughout.

ADOLPHE MENJOU is not quite as colorful as Barry Fitzgerald was in THE NAKED CITY, playing a detective determined to catch the serial killer before he strikes again. MABEL PAIGE does a nice job as Franz's landlady who talks to her black and white cat as though it was her own dear child, and GERALD MOHR is briskly efficient as a psychiatrist who thinks the police are going about their search the wrong way.

Wonderfully photographed in B&W shadowy photography, it's a compact and efficient film noir that is perhaps a little too restrained in dealing with frank subject matter but nevertheless gets its points across with chilling clarity, thanks to a tight script and some good suspenseful footage.

Summing up: Stands on its own as a good thriller from the early '50s.