Night and the City
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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"Gerald Kersh had more luck with Night and the City which was published in 1938 and has been filmed twice, most notably with Richard Widmark in 1950 and then in 1992 with Robert De Niro in the lead role. This story of Harry Fabian, a petty gangster and pimp on the make, displays Kersh's extensive knowledge of the London underworld."--Sholem Stein |
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Night and the City (1950) is a film noir based on the novel by Gerald Kersh, directed by Jules Dassin, and starring Richard Widmark and Gene Tierney. Shot on location in London, the plot evolves around an ambitious hustler whose plans keep going wrong.
The picture is considered a classic of the film noir genre. Director Dassin later confessed that he never read the novel the movie is based upon. In an interview appearing on The Criterion Collection DVD release, Dassin recalls that the casting of Tierney was in response to a request by Darryl Zanuck, who was concerned that personal problems had rendered the actress "suicidal," and hoped that work would improve her state of mind. The film's British version was five minutes longer, with a more upbeat ending and featuring a completely different film score. Dassin has endorsed the American version as closer to his vision.
