Rockstar Newswire

Scarlet Street (1945; Dir. Fritz Lang)

As we continue our Rockstar Recommends series highlighting some of our favorite Film Noirs in honor of L.A. Noire, today we feature a classic entry from 1945 directed by the great Fritz Lang.

“Scarlet Street” – a film that itself makes a cameo appearance in L.A. Noire on the side of a Los Angeles movie theater marquee – stars legendary screen actor Edward G. Robinson, who rose to prominence in the 1930’s playing a gangster with a Napoleon complex in “Little Caesar”.  Here, he plays somewhat against type as Christopher Cross - a meek, middle-aged cashier and amateur painter who has a fateful run-in falling under the charms of femme fatale prostitute, Kitty (played by Joan Bennett).  Carrying a common Noir theme, and one used to great effect in our previous Recommendation, “Detour”, what you’ll see is a gut-wrenching tale of a good-hearted man who makes a few bad choices, befriends the wrong people, and finds himself spiraling into a living hell of murder, betrayal and destruction.

Also starring Dan Duryea, in the role that helped make him an icon of Film Noir villainy, “Scarlet Street” is now in the public domain - watch it in its entirety online at the embed below or if you’re in the New York area, treat yourself this Sunday to seeing it on the big screen in a double feature with 1944’s “The Woman in the Window” (starring most of the same cast), as part of the Fritz Lang festival at the Film Forum we mentioned last week.

(Embedded via Google Video)

Previously:
Noir City 9 in San Francisco & Fritz Lang Festival in NYC
Rockstar Recommends: “Detour”