Événement

NOIR CITY 19: They Tried to Warn Us! FORCE OF EVIL

9:00
FORCE OF EVIL
1948, MGM [Park Circus]. 78 minutes
Screenplay by Abraham Polonsky and Ira Wolfert, from Wolfert's novel Tucker's People
Produced by Bob Roberts
Directed by Abraham Polonsky

One of the most distinctive works of the noir era, Abraham Polonsky's directorial debut is an expose of the New York numbers racket and a riveting tale of a fallen man's attempt to reclaim his soul (John Garfield, in one of his best roles). Unfortunately for Polonsky, the House Committee on Un-American Activities also felt the film was a thinly veiled attack on the nation's capitalist system, suggesting parallels between the operations of businessmen and gangsters. Polonsky was blacklisted, unable to put his name on any work he produced over the next twenty years. Force of Evil is innovative and superlative in every respect, its stylized art direction complementing vivid New York location footage. With an evocative score by David Raksin and memorable performances by Thomas Gomez, Beatrice Pearson, Marie Windsor, and Roy Roberts.

CAST: John Garfield (Joe Morse), Beatrice Pearson (Doris Lowry), Thomas Gomez (Leo Morse), Marie Windsor (Edna Tucker), Roy Roberts (Ben Tucker), Howland Chamberlain (Freddie Bauer), Paul Fix (Bill Ficco), Georgia Backus (Sylvia Morse), Stanley Prager (Wally), Barry Kelley (Det. Egan), Paul McVey (Hobe Wheelock)

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