Film Studies
Introduction
The Noir film, ‘The Big Heat’ - a movie directed in 1953 by Fritz Lang - is a crime thriller of that age. It is about a sergeant Dave Bannion, who investigates a murder of another cop, Tom Duncan. His main intention is to take on criminals who control most of the politics happening in the town. In addition, his wife has been murdered too, which is yet another reason for Dave to take revenge on the gang controlled by Lagana and Stone. These roles have been played by Alexander Scourby and Lee Marvin respectively. In this storyline of the film, two shades of life, tranquility and violence, have been presented equally well to grip and grab the attentions of audience. The actor Bannion, because of his heroic acts, invites trouble not only for his wife, but also for two other women. One of the primary reasons why the movie appears as thrilling as it is, is attributed to the fact that poor Bannion does not even know that he is the one responsible for their deaths.
Body
Bannion starts off the case by questioning the cop’s widow (played by Jeanette Nolan). Though she tells Bannion that her husband got killed because of his poor health, her mistress Lucy (Dorothy Green), has a different point of view. Unknowingly, Bannion spills this to Bertha, who in turn reports the same to Lagana, ultimately leading to the death of Lucy.
Though Bannion’s boss advises him to lay off the case, Bannion has other plans. He walks into Lagana’s house and also kills his bodyguard, without sensing the dangers that lie ahead. Added to all this, the car in which his wife Katie (Jocelyn Brando) is traveling, faces the wrath of bomb explosion.
In another interesting twist to the tale, Debby, one of Stones’ persons, apparently unhappy with Stones’ behavior, follows Bannion, who tries to extract as much information as possible from her. But, poor Debby doesn’t even know that she is being followed. Upon returning, Stone throws steaming hot coffee on her face after which she again hurries to Bannion for protection. In this presentation, Bannion also tells Debby that Bertha has the goods, and would also make the information public, if she were to die because of the circumstances.Ultimately, he sets off both these women to death, knowingly or unknowingly. There is also a bookkeeper at a junkyard who doesn’t even mind risking her life to provide information about Bannion’s wife’s killer.
Analysis
The performances by the characters are noteworthy with Grahame hogging the limelight for most part of the story. The character played by Marvin is one that is commendable too, especially in the scenes where he behaves brutally. Glenn Ford has portrayed the role of an honest cop to perfection too. Till the halfway point of the film, Bannion almost carries the movie on his shoulders.
Keeping all facts into account, it seems that Bannion has three agenda. They are to set the women up for death, confirm their deaths to show how much he hates the Lagana-Stone pair, and finally appear on the scene to take revenge. Of course, the truth remains that he does not realize most of these things himself. And it is very much likely that we would not be able to understand these trivial issues ourselves as well. Believe it or not, in simple terms, it can be justified that this is just how Lang wants his characters to be. Though he shows us the story of a cop on screen, there are so many things hidden deep down, that will be unraveled only when someone gets to watch the movie.
Conclusion
Based on the aforesaid presentation, description, interpretation of storyline, and analysis, it could be safely concluded that there are many things such as plot, characterization, light, setting, music, and climax, that could have been given a bit of different treatments. One of the examples is its climax. It is important to visualize that when Ford gets a great chance to gun down Stone, he chooses not to do so. Rather, he arrests him and his gang. Another characteristic feature about the movie is the way it ends on a very happy note. It is rather a matter of great surprise to bring an end of a revenge drama on a hilarious note. Finally, it deserves a special mention that the great screenplay by Sydney Boehm and phenomenal editing by Charles Nelson, has added feathers to the cap of the movie to make it seems worth-watching, appealing, and captivating.
Works Cited
- Shaw, Dan. Senses of cinema: The Big Heat. Dark Thoughts: Philosophic Reflections on Cinematic Horror, 13 Sept. 2003. Web. 7 May 2013.
- Ebert, Roger . The Big Heat: Great Movies: Reviews. Crime, Drama, Film Noir
6 Jun. 2004. Web. 7 May 2013.
- amc filmsite..The Big Heat (1953): Filmsite Movie Review. AMC Networks
23 Jun. 2011. Web. 7 May 2013.
