Crime Wave

Wednesday, September 6 at 7:30 PM — The Auditorium at NEIU — 3701 W Bryn Mawr Ave
Tickets: $10 at the door

CRIME WAVE
Directed by Andre de Toth • 1954
“Once you’ve done a bit, nobody leaves you alone. Somebody’s always on your back.” The phone never stops ringing in Crime Wave, a knotty and concise film noir set in Los Angeles. This masterfully executed B-movie was one of four films released in 1954 directed by the indefatigable, mysterious, and eventually one-eyed Hungarian immigrant Andre de Toth. De Toth had an almost preternatural ability to tackle any task presented to him, adeptly working all sorts of odd jobs in the industry, even taking on House of Wax, one of Hollywood’s most successful 3D features. However, the self-proclaimed cowboy primarily directed westerns, making six movies between 1952 and 1954 starring tough guy Randolph Scott. During this artistically robust period came Crime Wave, based on the short story “Criminal’s Mark” written by brothers John Hawkins and Ward Hawkins and published in the Saturday Evening Post in 1950. The gorgeously shot and lit action moves quickly: a trio of escaped prisoners catch further police attention after a hold-up at a gas station, dragging a reformed ex-con (Gene Nelson) back into the muck. An unsentimental LAPD detective (an icy Sterling Hayden) marks him as a person of interest, never letting go of his conviction that the ex-con must be involved. And then things get worse. A young Charles Bronson appears, comfortably radiating swagger and presence. It is a film propelled by interruption: phone calls, knocks on the door, radio dispatches, the inescapable past. Restored by the Library of Congress in collaboration with Warner Media and The Film Foundation. (RIN)
73 min • Warner Bros. • 35mm from Library of Congress, permission Swank

Preceded by: “By Word of Mouse” (Friz Freleng, 1954) – 7 min – 35mm