November 2nd: RIDE THE PINK HORSE (Robert Montgomery, 1947)
NOTE: This film will be projected in the high-definition Blu-ray format.
A World War II veteran arrives in a New Mexico border town to get revenge on a mobster who killed his friend.
Joan Harrison was an assistant of Alfred Hitchcock who followed her boss from England to the U.S., and co-wrote the screenplays of his classics Rebecca, Saboteur, and Suspicion before becoming one of Hollywood's few female producers, and the only one who primarily made crime-based films. She acquired the rights to a novel by Dorothy B. Hughes, a successful and prolific writer during the 1940s and frequent collaborators Ben Hecht and Charles Lederer (His Girl Friday, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes) wrote the screenplay.
Robert Montgomery was a popular actor during the 1930s, known mostly for his comedic work. After the outbreak of World War II he drove ambulances in France until the German occupation, then returned to moviemaking until the U.S. joined the war itself, when he enlisted in the Navy, eventually winding up on a boat during the infamous D-Day invasion. His first film after the war was for fellow Navy veteran John Ford on They Were Expendable, and when the legendary director fell ill he asked Montgomery to take the reins on some scenes.
Montgomery made his official feature directing debut with Lady In The Lake, an adaptation of a Raymond Chandler novel. This work is most notable due to its main visual experiment: the entire film was shot from main character Phillip Marlowe's POV, with Montgomery's face only seen when the character looks in a mirror. Despite a mixed critical response, the film made money and the actor would be directing his second film within 6 months.
While the themes and setting of Hughes's book were left mostly intact, one major change was made, turning Montgomery's lead from a criminal to a bitter veteran, the latter an emblem of the post-war disillusionment that would mark most film noirs. For the role, Montgomery roughed up his usual smooth image, both in appearance as well as his cynical and rude behavior. Alongside him in the cast are veteran actor Thomas Gomez (John Huston's Key Largo), the young Wanda Hendrix, Fred Clark (Sunset Blvd, White Heat), and theatre veteran Art Smith (In A Lonely Place, also based on a Hughes novel).
The film was shot on location in New Mexico, but in the Santa Fe area and not closer to the border where the story takes place. Behind the camera was Russell Metty (Touch of Evil, Spartacus), who delivers some impressive crane shots. The Mexican and Native American cultures depicted are not merely window dressing but are woven into the story and themes, in keeping with Hughes's interest and writing, particularly the material shot during Santa Fe's annual fiesta.
Ride The Pink Horse was reviewed positively by the New York Times's lead critic, and was a moderate box office success. It received one Academy Award nomination, for Gomez's performance, making him the first Hispanic-American so honored. A cult following now recognizes the film for its uniqueness and outlier status in the film noir genre.
Running time is 100 minutes.
A World War II veteran arrives in a New Mexico border town to get revenge on a mobster who killed his friend.
Joan Harrison was an assistant of Alfred Hitchcock who followed her boss from England to the U.S., and co-wrote the screenplays of his classics Rebecca, Saboteur, and Suspicion before becoming one of Hollywood's few female producers, and the only one who primarily made crime-based films. She acquired the rights to a novel by Dorothy B. Hughes, a successful and prolific writer during the 1940s and frequent collaborators Ben Hecht and Charles Lederer (His Girl Friday, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes) wrote the screenplay.
Montgomery made his official feature directing debut with Lady In The Lake, an adaptation of a Raymond Chandler novel. This work is most notable due to its main visual experiment: the entire film was shot from main character Phillip Marlowe's POV, with Montgomery's face only seen when the character looks in a mirror. Despite a mixed critical response, the film made money and the actor would be directing his second film within 6 months.
While the themes and setting of Hughes's book were left mostly intact, one major change was made, turning Montgomery's lead from a criminal to a bitter veteran, the latter an emblem of the post-war disillusionment that would mark most film noirs. For the role, Montgomery roughed up his usual smooth image, both in appearance as well as his cynical and rude behavior. Alongside him in the cast are veteran actor Thomas Gomez (John Huston's Key Largo), the young Wanda Hendrix, Fred Clark (Sunset Blvd, White Heat), and theatre veteran Art Smith (In A Lonely Place, also based on a Hughes novel).
The film was shot on location in New Mexico, but in the Santa Fe area and not closer to the border where the story takes place. Behind the camera was Russell Metty (Touch of Evil, Spartacus), who delivers some impressive crane shots. The Mexican and Native American cultures depicted are not merely window dressing but are woven into the story and themes, in keeping with Hughes's interest and writing, particularly the material shot during Santa Fe's annual fiesta.
Ride The Pink Horse was reviewed positively by the New York Times's lead critic, and was a moderate box office success. It received one Academy Award nomination, for Gomez's performance, making him the first Hispanic-American so honored. A cult following now recognizes the film for its uniqueness and outlier status in the film noir genre.
Running time is 100 minutes.
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