While the City Sleeps

No one's precisely good, or bad (other than the killer), and it's delicious. It's less the grim moral ambiguity of say a Huston noir, and more real, more like people you might meet in real life. As I make my way through Lang's films I'm finding this to be his special ability. Even in the lack of flourishes in lighting and shadow, his characters exhibit stark, very human contrasts and contradictions.

The complex story wasn't as polished as it could've been but the cast did a great job.

Fritz Lang takes a novel approach to noir, using a serial killer (striking in a chilling cold open) as a backdrop to explore the internecine conflicts within a large news organization. From this unusual angle, Lang captures the essence of noir: an arrogant, pertinacious protagonist, an inimitably creepy killer, and several egoistic employees who can't betray each other fast enough. The story flows organically from these characters' motivations and decisions, spinning a very well-made noir tale.

Towards the end of the film there's a short chase sequence through some subway tunnels where you get to see a glimpse of Lang's flair as a director, but the rest is utterly pedestrian. A murder mystery where the murderer (sort of like a juvenile delinquent Norman Bates) is revealed in the opening scene combined with a tedious soap opera about office politics. Very disappointing.

What an odd little movie; it can't decide whether it wants to be a workplace comedy or a thriller. Dana Andrews makes up for George Sanders being underused.

Didn't care too much for this one. The serial killer bit seemed shoehorned into a plodding newspaper story to add some bulk, but it almost destroys the pacing and makes this film a bit of a snoozer. And really, take one look at the killer, I've never seen anyone look so guilty!

This is fast paced and fun, but at other times it's slow and menacing; it's a highly entertaining film. Very well written, competently directed and superbly acted (in particular Price and Lupino, who elevate every scene there in). The audience is required to be mentally agile in order to get the most out of the viewing experience. I see this (and I am sure it's probably just me) as a kind of parody (not homage, Welles would hate that) of 'Citizen Kane' and more specifically Charles Foster Kane.

It took me awhile to even differentiate the cast (aside from the killer who looked guilty AF). It was neat to see the men compete and the women hold their own, to some degree. Unfortunately I wasn't able to maintain my interest for long. There was some funny dialogue, including the ending vacation scene with the nightgown. Fav scene: subway chase which checked off the noir trope.

79.50

About the scramble of capitalists and careermen to bankroll a good murder, the architects of a buzzing public anxiety similarly seen in Lang's masterpiece M. It only glances at the criminal psychology of that film, but after all these magnates and moguls are comparable to the cops and crooks, exhibiting the same bloodthirst and depravity. Hell of a cast.

"That's the end of every biography online, 'He was in Contempt, and then he died.'" http://illusionpodcast.blogspot.com/2015/07/episode-64-films-noir-of-fritz-lang.html

A complete observation of the modern media. It applies to a media empire which merges newspapers, wire services, photography and television. All of these come under acute and generally cynical analysis in this film. The utter notion that so many different media are all amalgamated in one company scares this film's forever socially concerned director Fritz Lang, who sees the makings of fascistic tyranny here, something of which his own first-hand experience surely made him particularly wary.

A bit dissonant for me with it's newspaper competition supplemented with a serial killer story. Kind of feels like Robert Wise's Executive Suite to me with an added noir element. The acting is all fine, but ultimately Lang's film doesn't seem too engrossing.

#783

The film packs a dynamite cast, most of whom are excellent. The news syndicate story takes most of the spotlight, and it's got some compelling aspects. The serial killer story, however, gets the short shrift. Very ho-hum compared to similar plotlines in other noirs. It does allow for a pretty good chase scene, though. Unfortunately, that particular scene is one of only a small handful that display any sense of style. Watchable, passable... and ultimately forgettable.

Disposable and not outstanding in any way. I guess it's not bad, though.

770

Great newspaper picture full of cynics, opportunists, sluts and drunkards, directed in a disciplined, spare style.

Wonderful work from everyone involved. Strong noir acting, wonderful direction and a very gripping story. A mix of crime drama and human drama that's handled really well and while the elements are familiar the film still manages to feel fresh. Stronger visuals are the only thing it's missing but it's a minor complaint.

730

# 757