By David in TN
saturday, june 10, 2023 at 1:34:00 a.m. edt
TCM’s Film Noir of the Week Saturday Night-Sunday Morning at 12:30 and 10 a.m. ET is Don Siegel’s The Verdict (1946), with Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorry, Joan Lorring, George Coulouris, Paul Cavanagh and Morton Lowry.
Film Noir Guide: “In Victorian London, Scotland Yard superintendent Greenstreet is forced to resign after the man he caught and helped convict of murdering a wealthy dowager is hung and then found to have been innocent. Greenstreet’s superiors appoint his arrogant rival (Coulouris) to the vacant post.
“When Greenstreet’s friend (Lowry), the murdered woman’s nephew, is killed soon afterwards, Greenstreet watches with understandable glee as his successor conducts a shoddy investigation. There’s no shortage of suspects in Lowry’s murder—Greenstreet’s artist friend (Lorre), a member of Parliament (Cavanagh), and a nightclub entertainer (Lorring).
“This enjoyable locked-room mystery marked Siegel’s first outing as a director and Greenstreet’s and Lorre’s last film appearance together. They had teamed up for nine previous movies, including the classic noirs, The Maltese Falcon, The Mask of Dimitrios, and Three Strangers.”
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
TCM's Film Noir of the Week Saturday Night-Sunday Morning at Midnight and 10 a.m. ET is Richard Bare's Flaxy Martin (1949) with Virginia Mayo, Zachary Scott, Dorothy Malone, Douglas Kennedy, Elisha Cook Jr., Helen Westcott, Jack Overman.
Film Noir Guide: "Crime boss Kennedy's moll (Mayo) pretends to be in love with the mob's lawyer (Scott) to keep him in line. Scott, sick of being on the wrong side of the law, balks at defending one of Kennedy's goons (Overman) on a murder charge because he believes the man is guilty."
"Kennedy and Mayo hire a dipso (Westcott) to testify that the hood was with her on the night of the murder, influencing the unwitting Scott to change his opinion about Overman's guilt. He takes the case and succeeds in getting the killer off."
"Westcott, meanwhile, emboldened by the hooch, tries to blackmail Kennedy, who has her bumped off by Overman, the man she helped free. When Mayo gets implicated in the murder, Scott, the biggest sucker for a dame since Bob Mitchum (see Angel Face, Out of the Past, and Where Danger Lives), confesses to the crime to protect her. He pleads self-defense but, thanks to a double-cross by Kennedy and Mayo, he's convicted and sentenced to twenty years."
"Malone plays the pretty librarian who helps Scott prove his innocence after he escapes from police custody. Noir veteran Cook is entertaining as a small-time hood, and Mayo is terrific as a femme fatale without an ounce of goodness in her. It's a pleasure hating her."
Post a Comment