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| The Killers (1946) | |
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| Topic Started: Jun 20 2008, 08:15 AM (356 Views) | |
| Laughing Gravy | Jun 20 2008, 08:15 AM Post #1 |
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Essential film noir from director Robert Siodmak, loosely (VERY loosely) inspired by an Ernest Hemingway story. Two gunmen rub out an auto mechanic called "the Swede" (Burt Lancaster, in his film debut), who puts up no resistance. A curious insurance investigator (Edmond O'Brien) starts poking into the Swede's background, and finds a femme fatale (Ava Gardner), an unscrupulous criminal boss (Albert Dekker), and a payroll robbery gone wrong. What a great movie! The opening sequence, with the two killers (one of whom is William Conrad, and the other of whom is not) staking out a diner, is unforgettable. Even the daytime sequences in this film seem dark and shadowy. It's a tad long, and the musical number could've been dumped, but for heaven's sake, don't miss the boxing scene. The Criterion disc looks very good, has a nice array of bonus material, and comes with the 1964 Don Siegal remake. By the way, in the '46 version if you look fast you'll spot serial faves Charles Middleton and Ernie Adams. |
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| panzer the great & terrible | Jun 20 2008, 08:24 AM Post #2 |
Mouth Breather
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The Siegel flick isn't exactly a remake, plus it has Ronnie Reagan in a bad guy part. |
| We Wear Short Shorts Flying Purple People Eater | |
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| Laughing Gravy | Jun 20 2008, 09:10 AM Post #3 |
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...in his final film role. In Siegal's autobiography, he explained how hard he worked to make certain that his version of The Killers was NOT a straight remake of the original; he intended to call it, as I recall, Johnny North, but the studio ended up overruling him. |
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| panzer the great & terrible | Jun 20 2008, 10:28 AM Post #4 |
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Mouth Breather
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It was first released on TV, and is much better than that makes it sound. |
| We Wear Short Shorts Flying Purple People Eater | |
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| igsjr | Jun 20 2008, 10:36 AM Post #5 |
Nostalgia blogger
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The not-William Conrad is character great Charles McGraw, who was certainly no slouch in film noir. (His best known role is that of Det. Sgt. Walter Brown in 1952's The Narrow Margin.) I love how Conrad and McGraw make such an impact in such a tiny scene...plus there's that great Conrad line: "They eat the dinner. They all come here and eat the big dinner." |
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"Life is in color--but black-and-white is more realistic..." -- Samuel Fuller, director So many DVDs...so little time... | |
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| Ignatz Ratzkywatzky | Jun 20 2008, 08:51 PM Post #6 |
Charter Member
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THE KILLERS is worth seeing for Ava Gardner alone. The film features her at her yummiest. |
| Read reviews, news, and features from the world of soused cinema at "Booze Movies: The 100 Proof Film Guide." http://boozemovies.com/ | |
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| Ray Faiola | Jun 27 2008, 10:09 AM Post #7 |
Balcony Gang, Foist Class
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Conrad and Square-Jaw McGraw co-starred in a terrific episode of SUSPENSE where they were two actors (who played tough guys) mistaken for bank robbers in a small southern town. Don't forget another of THE KILLERS' attributes - Miklos Rozsa's musical score. It was for this film that Rozsa wrote "Dum de DUM dum", which was adapted - then appropriated - by Walter Schumann for his DRAGNET main title. It took many years for Rozsa to finally have his name added to the Dragnet Theme composer credit. Schumann's secondary motif in the DRAGNET main title (the march) was composed for the 1947 U-I film THE WISTFUL WIDOW OF WAGON GAP and can be heard when Sheriff Lou is marching toward the saloon in the finale. |
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Classic Film Scores on CD http://www.chelsearialtostudios.com | |
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| MovieLover12 | Aug 12 2008, 06:33 AM Post #8 |
Balcony Gang, Foist Class
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This I too have. Ava Gardner: WOW!!
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| stacia | Aug 12 2008, 04:27 PM Post #9 |
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Balcony Gang, Foist Class
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Gardner is amazingly beautiful in "The Killers", but when I finally saw the film for the first time last year, I was surprised that she was such a bad actress. She certainly improved quickly, though. And welcome to ITB MovieLover12! |
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| MovieLover12 | Aug 12 2008, 04:30 PM Post #10 |
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Balcony Gang, Foist Class
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Hey, thank you Stacia!
In a biography of hers, it said that she was shy in front of the camera. I can't remember what made her work better, but it did the trick. |
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| panzer the great & terrible | Aug 12 2008, 07:05 PM Post #11 |
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Mouth Breather
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She was a small-town North Carolina gal, and felt out of her depth at first. |
| We Wear Short Shorts Flying Purple People Eater | |
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| MovieLover12 | Jan 24 2009, 08:34 AM Post #12 |
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Balcony Gang, Foist Class
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I've read that the Ava Gardner museum is in her home town. Has anyone been there yet? I gotta see it! |
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| MovieLover12 | May 7 2009, 09:51 AM Post #13 |
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Balcony Gang, Foist Class
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I was browsing Ava Gardners lovely pictures earlier and found one that really made my head spin. I'm totally in love! I've reposted this picture as it went away before. Enjoy! Edited by MovieLover12, May 7 2009, 01:47 PM.
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| The Batman | May 7 2009, 09:53 AM Post #14 |
Charter Member
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A great movie, have yet to watch the others in the set. |
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| shelbyvinje | May 7 2009, 02:12 PM Post #15 |
Lee Meriwether fan
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Just watched the Criterion version this week and as usual it has the best picture quality one could expect and the bonus extras are juicy. Recommended. |
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