Panic in the Streets (1950)
Director: Elia Kazan
Honors:
In an age redefined by the term “pandemic” we can rediscover
a minor gem of a motion picture drama from 1950, Panic in the Streets. A
crime drama captured in stylistic film noir flare, this feature gains much of
its unique look and feel from its location production which was exclusively
shot in New Orleans. A small gangster drama that mixes in elements of a medical
drama with a hint of a ticking time bomb plot device comes a low budget feeling
product that is distinctly more intimate than the large products of Hollywood
at the time. The film may not have played as well with audiences of its day,
but quietly found critical praise and could be rediscovered all these years
later.
Panic in the Streets is a film noir about a doctor
and a policeman on a race against the clock manhunt for a killer who
unknowingly carries an infection that threatens to instigate a pandemic. US Public
Health Services officer Clinton Reed (Richard Widmark) discovers that an
unidentified discarded body of an apparent gangland death carries the pneumonic
plague. He urges authorities to find the murderer, who may also carry the
illness, in order to prevent a possible breakout of epidemic proportions.
Convincing head nosed veteran police captain Tom Warren (Paul Douglas) they attempt
to work fast and must contain the illness at information of its possible
outbreak to a hounding press cannot notify press to avoid widespread panic,
which could exacerbate the situation. The murderer in question is Blackie (Jack
Palance) a local head smuggler who with right hand man Fitch (Zero Mostel) find
themselves chased by our two heroes, all the while Blackie and Fitch are
unaware of the deadly illness they carry. The chase come to a head on the city
docks where Blackie is hunted down in a scene that parallels him being a plague
rat, preventing this outbreak before it begins.
Shot on the streets of New Orleans the film’s style
resembles that of the darker and artistic European cinema. The picture evokes
Italian filmmakers’ approach at making the city a character in itself as a
dark, dirty place, and German films where use of contrasting shadows and light
accentuate the drama and emotion of the picture. Removing production way for
the polish of Hollywood backlots or other Southern California settings
delivered a grittier feel than the common gangster picture or crime drama. With
the primary focus of a health issue rather than concentrating purely on crimes
or murders makes this noir feel just a bit different where the stakes are larger
than money or power, as the possibility of a countless deaths at the hands of an
unseen adversary threatens a vast population without them knowing it. All this presents
a drama of catastrophic proportions while being contained in a relatively tight
package. It makes for a rather enjoyable film containing relative no names of
the time with a smaller budget, guerrilla style feel.
Through story and script development Panic in the Streets
experienced many revisions due to oversight of the Hollywood Production Code
office, that self-censoring office of morality in American motion pictures. The
production code would see itself weaken in coming years with a rise in wider
creative freedom in post war cinema, but here remained powerful enough to alter
the story. What began as originally entitled “Port of Entry” the script was
rewritten by request of the office to scale back the gruesome action,
suggestive sex, or existence of police deaths in the picture. For a short time
renamed “Outbreak” before settling on title that instilled more action in its
name, Panic in the Streets, it was a process of over three months
between Fox, rewrites by screenwriters, and the Hays Office before finally
approving the final story.
The film was directed by Elia Kazan who had a knack for
producing these tangible dramas with realistic and poignant plots as if you the
audiences was there. His films usually had a message to share and here it may
have been a need to avoid panic in order to achieve a mass life threatening
situation. With Kazan being an advocate of method style of acting the
production was shot entirely on location in New Orleans, allowing the fabric of
the city with it muck and imperfections playing a role in delivering
atmosphere. 
The hero of the picture is portrayed by Richard Widmark,
still somewhat a relative newcomer to Hollywood even after earning early critical
praise. Usually depicting bad guys, here Widmark is a medical authority figure
with a bit of an edge stemming from all the stress of his job, while juggling
family life, and the inability to confide in anyone of the intense issues he is
battling. He is partnered with a police captain played by Paul Douglas,
undoubtably cast for his size and natural rough look that makes him appear a sceptic
of the doctor’s claims. As heroes the two are reliable characters, each with
their flaws and sense of duty, but run down by life and its frustrations.
Ultimately these two lesser known actors carry the action and drama of this
quiet thriller-noir with an everyman quality. 
Like the film’s stars the supporting cast consisted of
talent audiences would not be familiar with. When not filling extras or very
small roles with New Orleans locals, Kazan hired actors he knew from New York with
his connections to the Actor’s Studio. A 30-year-old Jack Palance makes his
motion picture debut as Blackie, the crime leader who smuggling unknowingly
delivers the possibility of the plague outbreak to the city’s doorstep. Even at
this early stage in his career Palance has a presence that drew the viewer’s
attention and even intimidated crewmembers on set. Broadway notable and future
legend Zero Mostel enters a year of regular Hollywood work with his performance
as Palance’s lacky, Fitch. Barbara Bel Geddes, another transplanted New Yorker
with Kazan connections, makes an effective appearance as the loving wife to Richard
Widmark, a housewife role that delivers on the emotion of having a husband that
can be distant and cold due to his line of work.
Despite the relatively low cost of hiring little to no name
actors, as well as employing locals to flesh out the cast, the cost of
production being filmed exclusively in New Orleans would come to be the blame by
studio executives as to why the picture was considered a failure. Box office receipts
would not bring in enough to consider the film profitable. Critics recognized
the quality of the film’s production as well as its creativity, but audience
attraction was no there to recoup the costs of filming outside of Hollwyood.
General American critics of the time enjoyed the film, likening it more to a
melodrama rather than a film noir crime drama. As an participant at the 1950
Venice Film Festival the European influences won the picture acclaim with Kazan
taking home directorial honors while seeing the film nominated for the festival’s
highest film prize. Stateside the film would be bestowed the Academy Award for
Best Story, manifesting that this movie was perhaps better than originally
believed under the critique of a Hollywood’s creative elite.
In a world where words like “pandemic” or “epidemic” deliver
more poignancy than ever a small picture like this appears to come right out a
punch a viewer right in the face. It is but only a small Hollywood film with a
very loose plot about a vague disease and spends more time on chasing
criminals, but the idea of an outbreak and its outcome feels greater when it
can be more relatable. So, it is easy to see how this film was buried in time.
The performances are rather good. Seeing a young Jack Palance and Zero Mostel
on screen is exciting and fresh. Somehow with time and the occurrence of modern
events make this film astonishingly jump out and become a surprise all these
decades later during this cinematic journey, making the study of film all that
more enjoyable.
.jpg)
Comments
Post a Comment