Everything you would expect from Dassin but with the rather surprising discovery that Barry Fitzgerald is a dreadful ham. A bad casting decision which, happily, does not wreck this great film.
Let's not forget a 30 year-old Art Director named John De Cuir (went on to 3 Oscar wins and 14 nominations) who designed the film. Location sets in films do not create themselves.
Director Dassin must have been thrilled to make this movie out of real materials. Apparently no studio sets were used. It came out just after Rossellini's Open City, etc. Social realism was in the air. Remember this was BEFORE D.O.A., Dragnet, On the Waterfront & Hill Street Blues. Same year as He Walked By Night. We could compare NC with Jenkins' Manhattan Tower, Sandburg's Chicago, and, for painting a large social entity, TV's The Wire (note inclusion of upper & lower social groups in NC).
I saw this 1948 in Mechanicville, NY. Loved it. Then visited Manhattan 1951 age 11. Seeing it tonight it all came back--I supplied the colors & smells. The surrounding shell of Hellinger's narration, a prose poem of heightened feeling, connects with vignettes in the movie--girls jumping rope immortalizing their jingle, crowd passing an open telephone booth door, mopping, typing the Linotype: elements that function as symbols in the poem/movie. Loved the hundreds of non-actors in search scenes.
Yeah, that is a shame there was no Part Five...but I've seen the movie on TV a couple of times so knew what happened. A VERY good movie. Outstanding script and cast...and a truly wonderful use of NYC locations.
Miklos Rozsa's fantastic music helps this. He only scored the last scenes here, and then included them in an orchestral suite (there are recordings) called the Mark Hellinger Suite (aka 'Background to Violence' or 'The Naked City: Six Moods'). Mark Hellinger died just after the film was produced, within days.
Wow - Heavy! So that's the way it was in 1948? Not exactly a "tourist" view of Lower Manhattan, is it? Wish they had run through the old World Trade Center market, long before the twin towers - that was one magical place! I was among the last to visit it while crowded by shoppers...
Full marks to the actors and crew with a head for heights.
cosycleaner 1 month ago
Everything you would expect from Dassin but with the rather surprising discovery that Barry Fitzgerald is a dreadful ham. A bad casting decision which, happily, does not wreck this great film.
jahaniman 2 months ago
@jahaniman I personally found Barry Fitzgerald''s tongue-in-check portrayal very charming.
jademorgan 2 months ago
Let's not forget a 30 year-old Art Director named John De Cuir (went on to 3 Oscar wins and 14 nominations) who designed the film. Location sets in films do not create themselves.
Pupsweet 5 months ago
Director Dassin must have been thrilled to make this movie out of real materials. Apparently no studio sets were used. It came out just after Rossellini's Open City, etc. Social realism was in the air. Remember this was BEFORE D.O.A., Dragnet, On the Waterfront & Hill Street Blues. Same year as He Walked By Night. We could compare NC with Jenkins' Manhattan Tower, Sandburg's Chicago, and, for painting a large social entity, TV's The Wire (note inclusion of upper & lower social groups in NC).
Framblott 6 months ago
I saw this 1948 in Mechanicville, NY. Loved it. Then visited Manhattan 1951 age 11. Seeing it tonight it all came back--I supplied the colors & smells. The surrounding shell of Hellinger's narration, a prose poem of heightened feeling, connects with vignettes in the movie--girls jumping rope immortalizing their jingle, crowd passing an open telephone booth door, mopping, typing the Linotype: elements that function as symbols in the poem/movie. Loved the hundreds of non-actors in search scenes.
Framblott 6 months ago
@mrmasmiller
Yeah, that is a shame there was no Part Five...but I've seen the movie on TV a couple of times so knew what happened. A VERY good movie. Outstanding script and cast...and a truly wonderful use of NYC locations.
JubalCalif 7 months ago
they should make this part in la noire
smilegeek123 9 months ago
@mrmasmiller i agree
onemooners 9 months ago
that prick shot the dog. sob
WintersWar 1 year ago
Always wondered where Kurtis Blow got that from.
luvtub 1 year ago
Great movie .........I love movies about NYC and this is one of the best.........thanks for posting.
luckysmusic 1 year ago
Thanks....However this isn't a noir.
freudianslips 1 year ago
Miklos Rozsa's fantastic music helps this. He only scored the last scenes here, and then included them in an orchestral suite (there are recordings) called the Mark Hellinger Suite (aka 'Background to Violence' or 'The Naked City: Six Moods'). Mark Hellinger died just after the film was produced, within days.
Prospro8 1 year ago
I was amazed at how many children were around in 48. People had a different view of life. A glass of rootbeer costing a nickel?
DeBunker7 2 years ago
Outstanding Film Shame thoses Nazis at You Tube removed part five though still worth the look ..can anyone fill me in on what happens on part five??
Passthejointplease 2 years ago
Interesting.
psychkoala 2 years ago
THAT WAS GREAT!!
u2ups 2 years ago
i wish they ran through woolworth lobby, the tv series ran forever so there is a chance.
u2ups 2 years ago
Wow - Heavy! So that's the way it was in 1948? Not exactly a "tourist" view of Lower Manhattan, is it? Wish they had run through the old World Trade Center market, long before the twin towers - that was one magical place! I was among the last to visit it while crowded by shoppers...
PhotonDrive 2 years ago
Thanks so much...I fell asleep last night before I could finish this great film. but just finished it..A true noir classic!!
tegrimm 3 years ago 4