Panic in the Streets (1950)

Note des utilisateurs:

7.4/10   

Réalisateur:

Elia Kazan

Writers:

Richard Murphy (screenplay)
Daniel Fuchs (adaptation)

Release Date:

12 juin 1950 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Film-Noir | Thriller | Drame

Accroche:

THE SCREEN'S GREATEST EXCITEMENT OF THE YEAR! (original print ad - all caps)

Plot:

A doctor and a policeman in New Orleans have only 48 hours to locate a killer infected with bubonic plague.

Plot Keywords:

Virus | Manhunt | New Orleans Louisiana | Murder | Epidemic

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 1 win & 3 nominations

Avis des utilisateurs:

Whatever Its Label, It's Still Interesting

Ensemble

Richard Widmark	...	Lt. Cmdr. Clinton 'Clint' Reed M.D.
Paul Douglas	...	Capt. Tom Warren
Barbara Bel Geddes	...	Nancy Reed
Jack Palance	...	Blackie (as Walter Jack Palance)
Zero Mostel	...	Raymond Fitch
Dan Riss	...	Neff - Newspaper Reporter
Tommy Cook	...	Vince Poldi - Younger Brother

Autre(s) titre(s) :

Outbreak (USA) (working title)
Panique dans la rue (Belgium: French title) (France) (dubbed version) [fr]

Durée:

96 min

Pays:

USA

Langue:

Anglais | Mandarin

Couleur:

Noir et Blanc

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Son:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Classification:

West Germany:16 (nf) | Argentina:16 | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | USA:Approved (PCA #14313)

Emplacements De Pelliculage:

New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Anecdotes:

Director Cameo: [Elia Kazan]mortuary assistant.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When Blackie and Fitch slide down a pile of coffee bags there is a crew member reclined on the pile they climb over on their way to escape

Guillemet:

Nancy Reed: If there's a plague here, you're the most important guy in this town.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Elia Kazan: A Director's Journey (1995)

Whatever Its Label, It's Still Interesting

This is listed as a "film noir," a gangster film and I suppose it, is but it plays more like just a straight drama. It's the story of an immigrant who is infected with the pneuomic plague (but "bubonic," as listed on the back of the VHS cover) and the race to discover all the people he had come in contact with, including a criminal (Jack Palance) and his gang.

The great black-and-white cinematography helps put it in the film-noir category, I imagine, but the story still takes precedence over the stark photography here. The angular-faced Palance, listed as "Walter Jack Palance" in here, always makes for a good villain and Zero Mostel was an interesting part of his group.

Richard Widmark played an normal intense role, except this time as a good guy, and Barbara Bel Geddes was her normal wholesome character. Despite third billing, she didn't have as many lines as I would have preferred to hear. Frankly, I prefer Widmark as the crazy-type villain. He spends much of the time in this film as a frustrated doctor, yelling at the cop Paul Douglas. That gets tiresome after awhile.

It's a grim story: not a whole lot of laughs here, but it's entertaining and moves fast......and the ending chase scene is a knockout! A good addition to anyone's collection of classic films, whatever you want to label it.