Naked City (1948)
Director: Jules Dassin
Honors:
This film may be observed as the forerunner of the
contemporary crime procedurals, the simple tale of detectives operating step by
step to ascertain the facts of a offense and bringing the suspect(s) to
justice. Assembled in the curious manner that at times mimics a documentary,
shot on location in New York City in many cases with guerrilla tactics, this
picture turns into a visual love letter to one of the busiest, diverse, grand,
grimy, and dense cities in the world. The budget level crime drama would become
a commendable success, sparking the inspiration of like productions in the
future while also ironically becoming lost in the history of motion pictures while
leaving its own mark on film.
Naked City is a film
noir crime drama of a detective deducing facts to solve a rather insignifigant murder
in New York City. Opening in a manner resembling a documentary, the film frames
the setting of New York City as a complicated place filled with millions of
people with millions of stories, when we are shown the murder of ex-model Jean
Dexter in her apartment by two unnamed assailants. From here we follow
Detective Muldoon (Barry Fitzgerald), a weathered homicide cop of 22 years, who
with the help of his rookie partner Jimmy Halloran (Don Taylor) set out to
piece together the mystery of this young lady’s death. As one who has learned
to not take things on face value, Muldoon follows a trail that links Jean’s
death to her ex-lover Frank Niles (Howard Duff) who has an affinity for lying.
Frank’s story as a con-artist eventually leads Muldoon to discoverer Jean’s
death at the hands of hired goon and wrestler Willie Garzah (Ted de Corsia). Muldoon
and Halloran chase Garzah in a climatic scene through the streets of New York until
their final deadly confrontation on the Williamsburg Bridge, concluding but one
of New York’s many stories.
The picture is a bit of a mix bag. For one it is a B-movie
style crime drama. On the other hand it is a beautiful capsule of the living,
breathing city of New York captured in a candid natural state, embracing its
appeal within its mass of concrete, steel, and glass. For the film known for
being shot on location, the interior scenes are rather bland, modestly shot
with static cameras that barley pan or tilt when necessary, with moments of
well constructed framing repressed within a slew on uninspiring cinematography.
Where the film shines brightest is in the exteriors, capturing the raw state of
New York’s busy streets, latticework of skyscrapers and bridges, and even the sprawling
masses that traverse its pavement on a daily basis. These scenes and even just
individual shots are easily observed for their carefully crafted design that
was sought for its sometime sterile beauty and the guerrilla manner in which
some of the shots were captured. The film comes together in a wonderful climax
that feels like the entire film’s construction was based around, for better or
worse.
The picture is filled with practically unknown actors
outside of the primary star, the Academy Award winning Irish actor Barry
Fitzgerald as Detective Muldoon. Portraying a seasoned New York homicide
office, Fitzgerald marries a bit of the old Irish cop stereotype of yesteryear
with his accent, but brings to the role dignity and thoughtful poise for a
modern film noir character. His fellow starring cast of Howard Duff, Dorothy
Hart, and Don Taylor all were at the beginnings of their careers, their first major
roles that opened up new opportunities for them. Even the film’s somewhat brief
main protagonist played by Ted de Corsia was green to the Hollywood scene,
playing his stereotype tough guy role in a rather forgettable fashion.
The picture however would feature a handful of future
notable actors in their earliest feature as mere uncredited non-speaking roles,
including James Gregory, Bruce Gordon, Kathleen Freeman, John Randolph, and
Nehemiah Persoff. Many were working in New York City stage actors, this being
their first taste of working in film in very minor parts.
The standout achievement for the picture is the
representation of New York City in this feature. Under the direction of Jules
Dassin, the feature is presented at the opening and closing of the film as if a
documentary before falling into a rather standard narrative. New York is very
much a character within the film as it captures the city is a raw state. Hidden
cameras were used to film shots with actors moving through the busy sidewalks.
Select locations of scene settings sat within plain sight of passing traffic as
characters enter, carry out action, and depart their scene. Then there is the
finale on the Williamsburg Bridge where Muldoon and the police force shoot it
out with Garzah as he perches himself at the top of one of the suspension
bridge’s tall towers. Whenever the camera in within the city itself, the frames
are composed beautifully, accentuating the structures, roadways, sidewalks, and
various other aspects that makes New York what it is. It truly is a love letter
to the esthetic that the city provides.
Critics would praise the Naked
City for its style. With the relatively low budget and a good audience draw
the picture would be a bonafide financial success. The film would be nominated
for three Academy Awards, ultimately winning Best Cinematography and Best
Editing for the excellent capturing and presentation of the city throughout the
picture.
As like use of this film’s story structure became much more
common in the coming years, especially with the advent of television and its
heavy use of crime procedurals, Naked
City would become far less unique. Quickly the movie would fade into the
background on motion pictures becoming all but forgotten with only devoted fans
of cinema and cinema history to pay its respect to the feature.
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