tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-578997264816756307.post4469469282523153602..comments2024-01-11T05:02:32.321-05:00Comments on Goodfella's Movie Blog: #35: Where the Sidewalk Ends (Otto Preminger, 1950)Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07134196370913749544noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-578997264816756307.post-26191751705584665002010-03-18T00:18:57.207-04:002010-03-18T00:18:57.207-04:00Our good friend R.D. Finch's response here is ...Our good friend R.D. Finch's response here is unquestionably masterful and his position is incredibly well defended. However I would pose to add BONJOUR TRISTESSE on the masterpiece level with the other two he rightly acknowledges.Sam Julianonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-578997264816756307.post-65347476809854710282010-03-17T22:40:06.597-04:002010-03-17T22:40:06.597-04:00John - Yes, the ending does leave something to be ...John - Yes, the ending does leave something to be desired, but I almost take it as par for the course considering this era of Hollywood. As you rightly say, there remains plenty here for a connoisseur of noir to enjoy.<br /><br />Sam - Thanks... I completely understand your feelings toward this one and know that I rate it a bit higher than many other people. Yes, it's not quite to the level of Laura, but I think it's close.<br /><br />Quirky Character - Agreed about Andrews... a truly great actor.<br /><br />R.D. - Incredible response here and it's much appreciated. I'll slightly disagree on the "masterpiece" label. I certainly think it applies to Laura, but Anatomy of a Murder has never done anything for me. Your analysis concerning Preminger is impressive, but I have to admit to not having considered things as in depth, at least in terms of his overall body of work. There are some Premingers that I love (this one and Laura), some that I just like (Bonjour Tristesse), and others that I think are downright bad(Bunny Lake is Missing). So my experience with him has been a mixed bag. As for Andrews, I completely agree - a wonderful actor. Thanks again, R.D., for a Hall of Fame caliber response!<br /><br />M.Roca - We're on the same page here, it seems. This one and Laura are the only Preminger films I have seen that I truly love. He has others that I enjoy, but these two are easily my favorites.Davehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07134196370913749544noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-578997264816756307.post-33468706303492612922010-03-17T20:07:09.535-04:002010-03-17T20:07:09.535-04:00Second best noir by Preminger after Laura. My feel...Second best noir by Preminger after Laura. My feelings on this film are similar to yours on Pickup On South Street. It just seems that something is missing overall to declare this a great film. I agree with John that the ending is rather weak. Andrews spends the whole film evading detection and covering up the evidence against him. The movie is basically his attempt to avoid being caught that when he willfully turns himself in at the end you wonder why he went through all the trouble. I guess I answered my own question as to why this film falls somewhat short. I do love the mood/look of the picture. My comments seem negative but I do like this film. As to Preminger's greatness as a director, Laura is the only film I would rate 5 stars or a 10. I do find his overall body of work to be slightly overrated but he made quite a few worthwhile pictures......M.RocaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-578997264816756307.post-85850528519426530572010-03-17T15:28:57.250-04:002010-03-17T15:28:57.250-04:00Dave, I have problems with Preminger as a director...Dave, I have problems with Preminger as a director. I've never understood the reputation he enjoys among film critics. And he certainly doesn't strike me as fitting the definition of an auteur, which to me means a director who has a fairly consistent style and a persistent interest in certain themes. Andrew Sarris seems to think that his preference for very long takes constitutes a style, and Preminger says that preference comes from his background in theater. But I wonder if this is not more of an economic consideration than an artistic one. Preminger was known as an efficient director (and producer) who brought his projects in on time and on budget, and it seems to me that it's far easier to use a smaller number of long takes than a larger number of highly edited short takes--it takes less time (and to a producer time is money) to plan the movie in advance and to move the camera and the actors around than to indulge in numerous camera set-ups, changes of location, and placement of actors, then assemble all that footage into a whole in the editing stage as someone like Terrence Malick does. Sarris also thinks that Preminger's "ambiguity of objectivity" (that he doesn't often side clearly with one or the other of his characters or ideas that form the basis of the conflict in the plot) constitutes a thematic preoccupation. I wonder if this isn't rather a laziness of intellect on Preminger's part, a reluctance to think through the implications of the conflict in his plots. Other than his long takes and "objectivity," Preminger's movies seem to me to be all over the map.<br /><br />Two of his movies strike me as masterpieces--"Laura" and "Anatomy of a Murder." As for "Laura," he and DP Joseph LaShelle replaced Rouben Mamoulian and Lucien Ballard partway into filming because the movie was falling behind schedule. Ballard has said that he and Mamoulian had planned about 75% of the movie together before leaving the project. Knowing Preminger's reputation for economy (the reason he replaced the original director in the first place), I wonder how much of Mamoulian's work he discarded. It seems quite possible that he went ahead and made the movie as Mamoulian had planned it, which would explain why to me it seems so different from the rest of his films.<br /><br />Now, as for "Where the Sidewalk Ends," this is my next favorite Preminger movie after those two masterpieces. Maybe because he didn't aim so high as in some of his other movies or overcomplicate the plot, it seems more successful to me, admirable in its surface simplicity. Preminger often incorporated elements of noir into his early films, but this one strikes me as pure noir, whereas "Laura" is more romance-mystery-noir. So I don't think you're overrating it at all. I do agree that the film is all about Andrews, and I think your analysis of his character and his dilemma is spot on. This and "The Best Years of Our Lives" are my two favorite performances by Andrews, one of the most interesting actors of the 40s. Here he conveys the inner conflict of the character, torn between noble and ignoble impulses, expertly. This movie makes an interesting comparison with "On Dangerous Ground," where Robert Ryan's character, another brutal cop, is in many ways quite similar.R. D. Finchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05045080274131718843noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-578997264816756307.post-68976602258951394682010-03-17T11:57:55.343-04:002010-03-17T11:57:55.343-04:00I have yet to see a Preminger movie that I won'...I have yet to see a Preminger movie that I won't like... I adore him!<br /><br />Dana Andrews is one of my all-time favorite actors. No one could do vulnerable as he: His eyes seem to reflect all the world's sorrows...Quirky Characterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13590664018386916883noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-578997264816756307.post-20558914979523132702010-03-17T08:10:11.905-04:002010-03-17T08:10:11.905-04:00My favorite Premingers now are LAURA and BONJOUR T...My favorite Premingers now are LAURA and BONJOUR TRISTESSE, but you make some persuasive points here including this:<br /><br />"Where Laura is sophisticated and witty, spinning a yarn centering on a high society whodunit,Where the Sidewalk Ends goes back to where noir thrives – the streets. In this film, Preminger walks the audience through a dark, gritty view of the underworld and gives an intimate view of how one many wrestles with demons that he has carried with him his entire life. Laura may be charming, but Where the Sidewalk Ends is rough...."<br /><br />That said, I don't rate this film as highly as you do, but I can't at all fault you for thinking otherwise; still it's a solid piece with great work by Andrews and Tierney and bravura camerawork. Another welcome surprise choice though. I suspect LAURA will be up higher, and I would concur on that.Sam Julianonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-578997264816756307.post-38583199603556322792010-03-17T07:23:45.589-04:002010-03-17T07:23:45.589-04:00Dave, a great film! Dark, gritty and well acted. P...Dave, a great film! Dark, gritty and well acted. Preminger and LaShelle created a bleak squalid post war America. My only problem with it is the ending which rings a false note considering all that has come before. That said, this is a must for any fan of noir.Johnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01808503055317962289noreply@blogger.com