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Description: Helen Brent knows Sam Wild is more than a social climber who married her wealthy foster sister. He's a remorseless killer. And yet she finds his brash confidence, square-shouldered good looks and constant aura of menace completely irresistible. Versatile director Robert Wise (The Day the Earth Stood Still, The Sound of Music, West Side Story) shows his film-noir chops with this dark gem whose mix of heiress sisters, stone-hearted men, needy hangers-on and inexplicable but inevitable love plays like a soap opera that refuses to wash itself clean. Walter Slezak portrays the verse-quoting shamus. And Claire Trevor and Lawrence Tierney portray the illicit lovers who play with fire?and burn their names forever into film-noir lore.Amazon.com: The seamiest entry in the mostly decorous filmography of director Robert Wise showcases B-movie bad boy Lawrence Tierney as a psychotic drifter who's irresistible to women ("His eyes run up and down ya like a searchlight!" breathes housemaid Ellen Colby, just about the only female he doesn't bother targeting). A number of people end up dead by his hand, but the kicker is that he crosses paths with a woman--socialite-divorcee Claire Trevor--just as heartless as he, and even more treacherous. The script makes less sense with each passing reel, but there are ripe character turns by Walter Slezak, as a philosophical private eye who operates out of a diner; Elisha Cook Jr., as Tierney's more level-headed partner (in what other company would Elisha Cook be playing the more level-headed lowlife?); and Esther Howard, as a hard-bitten old bat who keeps an ill-advised rendezvous in the most nightmarish nocturnal wasteland San Francisco had to offer. --Richard T. Jameson
Customer Reviews:
- Stupid Movie: This is one of the worst "Film Noir Movies" ever made.
The storyline is flat and predictable and Lawrence Tierney cannot act
at all, unless you call standing there and looking mean and angry is acting.
A waste of money and time !
Give me John Payne or Dana Andrew anytime !
- Not a noir: While I have no particular disagreement with others' reviews of the movie's plot and entertainment value I would not classify it as a film noir. It has none of the photographic values associated with film noirs. It is too well lit and lacks the dark creepy cinematography associated with film noir.
- "Born to Kill (1947) ... Robert Wise ... RKO Radio Pictures Film Noir": RKO Radio Pictures present "BORN TO KILL" (1947) (92 mins/B&W) (Dolby digitally remastered) --- Starring Claire Trevor, Lawrence Tierney, Walter Slezak, Audrey Long & Phillip Terry --- Directed by Robert Wise and released in May 3, 1947, our story line and film, Uncompromising film noir which sees psychopath Tierney marry wealthy girl Long, only to feel more in common with the black sheep of the family, his wife's sister (Trevor). Deliciously dark and directed with enthusiasm by Wise before he'd made it big, Born to Kill is a genuine oddity which explores the dark side of sexuality without moralizing, with the bonus of a cracking murder plot to add some spice. Tierney pitches his performance just right ... The film sits well with all those minor noir classics the late 40's and early 50's with apparent ease: Wise's own "The Set-Up"; Anthony Mann's "Raw Deal" and the "T-Men", "Kiss Of Death", and Ray's masterly debut, "They Live By Night".
Under Robert Wise (Director), Herman Schlom (Producer), Eve Greene (Screenwriter), James Gunn (Book Author), Richard Macaulay (Screenwriter), Robert de Grasse (Cinematographer), Constantin Bakaleinikoff (Musical Direction/Supervision), Paul Sawtell (Composer (Music Score), Les Millbrook (Editor), Albert S. D'Agostino (Art Director), Walter E. Keller (Art Director), Sid Rogell (Executive Producer), Darrell Silvera (Set Designer), John Sturtevant (Set Designer), Edward Stevenson (Costume Designer), Russell A. Cully (Special Effects) - - - - the cast includes Lawrence Tierney (Sam Wild), Claire Trevor (Helen Trent), Walter Slezak (Arnold Amett), Phillip Terry (Fred Grover), Audrey Long (Georgia Staples), Elisha Cook, Jr. (Marty Waterman), Isabel Jewell (Laury Palmer), Esther Howard (Mrs. Kraft), Kathryn Card (Grace), Tony Barrett (Danny), Grandon Rhodes (Inspector Wilson), Jason Robards, Sr. (Conductor), Netta Packer (Mrs Perth), Sammy Shack (Crap Dealer), Philip Warren (Chauffeur), Tommy Noonan (Bellboy), Napoleon Whiting (Porter), Ruth Brennan (Sally), Sayre Dearing (Crap Dealer), Jean Fenwick (Margaret Macy), Lee Frederick (Desk Clerk), Ellen Corby (2nd Maid), Demetrius Alexis (Maitre d'Hotel), Al Murphy (Cab Driver), Sam Lufkin (Crap Dealer), Beatrice Maude (Cook), Ben Frommer (Delivery Boy), Perc Launders (Detective Bryson), Martha Hyer (Maid) - - - - - Film noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe Hollywood crime dramas that set their protagonists in a world perceived as inherently corrupt and unsympathetic...Hollywood's classic film noir period is generally regarded as stretching from the early 1940s to the late 1950s...Film noir of this era is associated with a low-key black-and-white visual style that has roots in German Expressionist cinematography, while many of the prototypical stories and much of the attitude of classic noir derive from the hard-boiled school of crime fiction that emerged in the United States during the Depression...the term film noir (French for "black film"), first applied to Hollywood movies by French critic Nino Frank in 1946, was unknown to most of the American filmmakers and actors while they were creating the classic film noirs..the canon of film noir was defined in retrospect by film historians and critics; many of those involved in the making of film noir later professed to be unaware at the time of having created a distinctive type of film ... featuring top performances from the '40s and '50s with outstanding drama and screenplays, along with a wonderful cast and supporting actors to bring it all together ... another winner from the vaults of almost forgotten film noir gems
SPECIAL FEATURES BIOS:
1. Lawrence Tierney
Date of Birth: 15 March 1919 - Brooklyn, New York
Date of Death: 26 February 2002 - Los Angeles, California
2. Claire Trevor (aka: Claire Wemlinger)
Date of Birth: 8 March 1910 - New York, New York
Date of Death: 8 April 2000 - Newport Beach, California
3. Robert Wise (Director)
Date of Birth: 10 September 1914 - Winchester, Indiana
Date of Death: 14 September 2005 - Los Angeles, California
Hats off and thanks to Les Adams (collector/guideslines for character identification), Chuck Anderson (Webmaster: The Old Corral/B-Westerns.Com), Boyd Magers (Western Clippings), Bobby J. Copeland (author of "Trail Talk"), Rhonda Lemons (Empire Publishing Inc), Bob Nareau (author of "The Real Bob Steele") and Trevor Scott (Down Under Com) as they have rekindled my interest once again for Film Noir, B-Westerns and Serials --- looking forward to more high quality releases from the vintage serial era of the '20s, '30s & '40s and B-Westerns ... order your copy now from Amazon where there are plenty of copies available on VHS, stay tuned once again for top notch action mixed with deadly adventure --- if you enjoyed this title, why not check out VCI Entertainment where they are experts in releasing B-Westerns and Serials --- all my heroes have been cowboys!
Total Time: 92 min on DVD ~ Turner Home Video ~ (7/05/2005) - Clash of the Wicked.: "Born to Kill" is probably the second-greatest film noir on the "amour fou" motif, next to 1949's "Gun Crazy". Two lovers' irrational infatuation lead them to depravity, madness, and eventual self-destruction. "Born to Kill" is not as persistent in its sexualization of violence as "Gun Crazy", but it's there. Based on the novel "Deadlier than the Male" by James Gunn, this is outwardly a twisted melodrama. Robert Wise directed the film with his characteristic decorum, which disappointed some European critics who would have preferred a more explicit exploration of the film's psychological and sexual aberration. The production code would not have allowed that, but I still find "Born to Kill" one of the darkest and most satisfying film noirs.
In Reno to get a quickie divorce, Helen Brent (Claire Trevor) stumbles upon 2 bodies in the kitchen of her boarding house. Instead of calling the police, she decides to return to San Francisco immediately to avoid publicity. On the train, Helen keeps the company of Sam Wild (Lawrence Tierney), a tough drifter to whom she finds herself attracted. Helen knows that Sam was the beau of the murdered woman in the kitchen, but she is unaware that Sam was her murderer. Sam is leaving town on the advice of his friend Mart (Elisha Cook, Jr.), who stays behind to keep abreast of the murder investigation. In San Francisco, Sam discovers that Helen is engaged to be married, so he sets his sights on Helen's rich foster sister Georgia (Audrey Long). But Helen and Sam's mutual infatuation, his compulsive violence, and a dogged private detective (Walter Slezak) threaten their plans.
"Born to Kill" was a big-budget noir with high-power stars and box office success in 1947. The sparks that fly between Sam and Helen were more than worth the price of admission. These two people are compelled by a perverse and inexplicable infatuation to destroy the security, the money, the freedom that they want so desperately. Helen and Sam may hate as much as desire one another, but they are two of a kind: deliberate, ruthless, ambitious, and somehow innately corrupt. Watching them dance around one another and go at each other is at once incomprehensible and completely fascinating. Sam is a rare "homme fatal" in classic film noir, suitably embodied by bad boy Lawrence Tierney. Claire Trevor looks stylish in her most complex noir role. "Born to Kill" is a real treat for film noir fans.
The DVD (Turner Home Enter. 2005): There is a good audio commentary by film noir historian Eddie Muller, with some archival commentary by director Robert Wise that is barely audible. Wise talks about his experiences at RKO and with this film. Muller provides information on the actors, analysis of characters, scene-by-scene analysis of staging, tone, themes, and takes us through the stages of "amour fou" noir. Muller has interviewed both Claire Trevor and Lawrence Tierney, so he gives us the benefit of their recollections as well. Muller's story about "babysitting" Tierney at a screening of "Born to Kill" in 1999 is priceless. Subtitles are available for the film in English, French, and Spanish. - More corn than candy: While it's a blast watching the deliciously unstable Lawrence Tierney brood his way into Claire Trevor's icy heart, Born to Kill is ultimately more domestic melodrama than film noir (strict-constructionist subscribers to the genre will not be swayed by Mr. Muller's compelling argument to the contrary). Robert Wise-- a fine director in a fine early effort-- does his usual workmanlike job, but when all is said and done, there's no denying that it is just that. One major flaw: the tragic underutilization of Walter Slezak's morally fluid private dick. To fans of golden-age-era Hollywood B-picture pulp, BTK will probably merit a 4-star rating. (In other words, if you've welcomed Sudden Fear and Gun Crazy into your collection, you've struck gold here.) To noirites, though, it's more like a 2 1/2. Fun company, but not a long-stay guest.
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