The Big Knife (1955)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Robert Aldrich

Writers:

Clifford Odets (play)
James Poe (adapted for the screen by)

Release Date:

25 November 1955 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Film-Noir

Plot:

Charles Castle is a successful Hollywood actor who has opted for screen success over art. He must make critical decisions regarding his career...

Plot Keywords:

Hollywood | Actor | Marriage | Husband Wife Relationship | Actor's Life

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Jack Palance	...	Charles Castle
Ida Lupino	...	Marion Castle
Wendell Corey	...	Smiley Coy
Jean Hagen	...	Connie Bliss
Rod Steiger	...	Stanley Shriner Hoff
Shelley Winters	...	Dixie Evans
Ilka Chase	...	Patty Benedict
Everett Sloane	...	Nat Danziger
Wesley Addy	...	Horatio "Hank" Teagle
Paul Langton	...	Buddy Bliss
Nick Dennis	...	Mickey Feeney
Bill Walker	...	Russell
Michael Winkelman	...	Billy Castle (as Mike Winkelman)

Runtime:

111 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

West Germany:16 (f) | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Sutherland Studios, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Associates & Aldrich Company, The

Trivia:

Shot in 15 days.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: The camera and operator are visibly reflected in one scene in the living room.

Quotes:

Dixie Evans: I don't care if I do see a snake. I'm sure I'd much rather see a snake than a Hollywood producer.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Best of Film Noir (1999) (V)

Slightly better than average melodrama

A charged, stage-bound melodrama, with Palance as a movie star in servitude to the studio boss (Steiger) who's blackmailing him. His wife (Lupino) won't agree to live with him until he's his own man again, which means not renewing his 7 year contract.

Palance does his best, but he's not the kind of actor who can show a character going through real transitions and hold the audience's attention for an entire film. Steiger is allowed to go over the top a few too many times, but Corey provides some of the film's best moments as his more ruthless, and at the same time gentlemanly, henchman. Sloane provides an unusual characterization as a somewhat sissified agent.

Ultimately, too cramped in its one room location (which may have been done deliberately to show the character's isolation from the world, but still produced a stagey effect that bind the film too tightly).