Niagara (1953)

Note Générale:

7,1/10   

Réalisateur:

Henry Hathaway

Scénaristes:

Charles Brackett (written by) &
Walter Reisch (written by) ...
(suite)

Date de sortie:

février 1953 (USA)

Genre:

Drame | Film-Noir | Thriller

Accroche:

Marilyn Monroe and "Niagara" a raging torrent of emotion that even nature can't control!

Intrigue:

As two couples are visiting Niagara Falls, tensions between one wife (Marilyn Monroe) and her husband reach the level of murder.

Plot Keywords:

Niagara Falls | Murder | Honeymoon | Couple | Motel

Avis des utilisateurs:

Color, gleaming surfaces, dark interiors

Ensemble

Marilyn Monroe	...	Rose Loomis
Joseph Cotten	...	George Loomis
Jean Peters	...	Polly Cutler
Max Showalter	...	Ray Cutler (as Casey Adams)
Denis O'Dea	...	Inspector Starkey
Richard Allan	...	Patrick
Don Wilson	...	Mr. J.C. Kettering
Lurene Tuttle	...	Mrs. Kettering
Russell Collins	...	Mr. Qua
Will Wright	...	Boatman
reste de la distribution par ordre alphabétique:
Henry Beckman	...	Motorcycle Cop (uncredited)
Harry Carey Jr.	...	Taxi Driver (uncredited)
Bill Coontz	...	Young Man (uncredited)
Robert Ellis	...	Young Man (uncredited)
Howard Engel	...	Man at bus stop (uncredited)
Neil Fitzgerald	...	Customs Officer (uncredited)
Gloria Gordon	...	Dancer (uncredited)
Winifield Hoeny	...	Straw Boss (uncredited)
George Ives	...	Carillon Tower Guide (uncredited)
Arch Johnson	...	Taxi Driver (uncredited)
Lester Matthews	...	Doctor (uncredited)
Sean McClory	...	Sam (uncredited)
Norman McKay	...	Morris (uncredited)
Audre Monture	...	Woman in gift shop (uncredited)
Patrick O'Moore	...	Detective (uncredited)
Tom Reynolds	...	Husband (uncredited)
Willard Sage	...	Motorcycle Cop (uncredited)
Bert Stevens	...	Doctor (uncredited)
Minerva Urecal	...	Mrs. McGrand, Landlady of McGrand's Boarding House (uncredited)
Nina Varela	...	Wife (uncredited)
Gene Wesson	...	Guide (uncredited)

Réalisé par
Henry Hathaway

Scénaristes
Charles Brackett		(written by) &
Walter Reisch		(written by) and
Richard L. Breen		(written by) (as Richard Breen)

Produit par
Charles Brackett	....	producer

Musique originale
Sol Kaplan

Image
Joseph MacDonald		(as Joe MacDonald)

Montage
Barbara McLean

Direction artistique
Maurice Ransford
Lyle R. Wheeler		(as Lyle Wheeler)

Décorateur de plateau
Stuart A. Reiss		(as Stuart Reiss)

Création des costumes
Dorothy Jeakins

Maquillage
Ben Nye	....	makeup artist
Allan Snyder	....	makeup artist: Miss Monroe (uncredited)

Assistant réalisateur
Gerd Oswald	....	assistant director

Technicien du son
W.D. Flick	....	sound (as W. D. Flick)
Roger Heman Sr.	....	sound (as Roger Heman)

Effets spéciaux
Ray Kellogg	....	special photographic effects

Cascadeur
Polly Burson	....	stunts (uncredited)

Caméra et Département Electrique
Felix Trimboli	....	camera operator (uncredited)

Département Costume et garde-Robe
Charles Le Maire	....	wardrobe director
Sam Benson	....	wardrobe supervisor (uncredited)

Département Musique
Lionel Newman	....	musical director
Edward B. Powell	....	orchestrator (as Edward Powell)

Divers
Leonard Doss	....	Technicolor color consultant

Companies de production

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (presents) (as Twentieth Century-Fox)

Distributeurs

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (1953) (USA) (theatrical) (released by)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1963) (USA) (TV)
• 20th Century Fox (1953) (France) (theatrical)
• Centfox (1953) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (2002) (USA) (DVD)

Durée:

92 min

Pays:

USA

Langue:

Anglais

Couleur:

Couleur (Technicolor)

Rapport de forme:

1,37 : 1

Son:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Classification:

West Germany:16 (nf) | Canada:PG (video rating) | UK:PG (video rating) | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG (re-rating) (1987) | USA:Approved (certificate #15990)

Lieux de tournage:

20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Société:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Anecdotes:

During the filming of Niagara (1953), Marilyn Monroe was still under contract as a stock actor, thus, she received less salary than her make-up man.

Goofs:

Erreurs factuelles: While energetically explaining the local layout to Ray and Polly Cutler, Mr. Kettering describes Chippawa, Ontario, as the scene of a major American defeat in the Revolutionary War. But U.S. forces in the Revolutionary War got no closer than 75 miles from the area. In fact, Chippawa was the scene of a major American victory in the War of 1812.

Guillemet:

[First line, voiceover as we watch him at the base of the Falls]
George Loomis: Why should the Falls drag me down here at 5 o'clock in the morning? To show me how big they are and how small I am? To remind me they can get along without any help? All right, so they've proved it. But why not? They've had ten thousand years to get independent. What's so wonderful about that? I suppose I could too, only it might take a little more time.

Connexions:

figure dans Marilyn Monroe: Beyond the Legend (1987)

Bande son:

Kiss

Color, gleaming surfaces, dark interiors

Niagara is one of those wonders who came out of the dream factory of the fifties and still manage to leave deep impressions in fresh viewers. Technically it is simply perfect: the story is like in a film noir, but Niagara is anything but «noir»! This is a true color movie with high artistic and aesthetic value. The best possible use was made of the location; it is an idealized place for honeymooners, with gleaming surfaces, gaudy colors and happy faces. The viewers see the postcard-image of the place – it's the era of President Eisenhower, renowned for its uplifting moral integrity, right? But behind the surfaces are dark rooms, depression, madness and scheming thoughts. Innocuous facades conceal quarrels, discontent and eventually murder. And in its midst roars the waterfall, at once beautiful and menacing. The message of the movie is conveyed largely through pictures, the location not the screenplay is the story.

The actors are part of the location. As far as I can remember there are hardly any close ups. Marilyn Monroe looks feverish and disturbed throughout, she elicits compassion rather than arousing sexual desires. Joseph Cotten is very good in the role of her confused and deranged husband. His mental condition seems to stem from war experiences (although in the movie this is treated as a kind of a side remark, its being mentioned is worth remembering, it happens seldom enough). To the disturbed couple are added a «normal» couple and an older, «seasoned» couple (very good, sensible performances by Lurene Tuttle and Don Wilson). The cast aptly represents the chances and pitfalls of life and human relations as behind them water flows down the river and falls over the edge.

Niagara shows a highly artistic approach to a specific place and uses symbols in the way of earlier black and white movies. I can highly recommend it to everyone. It is a pity that the potential of the technical means of this kind of widescreen color movies was not explored further in that direction, creating a direct link between the style of film noir and that of «film couleur». The wet asphalt in the early morning light is just unforgettable.