SCARLET STREET

[Scarlet poster]

Director Fritz Lang takes great pleasure in tormenting Edward G. Robinson in this under-seen gem of film noir. This is not a "Little Ceasar" style story of a rise from the gutter to greatness, followed by an inevitable fall: it is instead a tale of a descent from mediocrity to misery made all the more painful by the suggestion of possible triumph.
Edward G. plays the part of Christopher Cross, a bank cashier who has just received his gold watch for 25 years of faithful service. After leaving his celebration party, he comes to the "rescue" of Kitty March (Joan Bennett), who has been abused by her boyfriend Johnny (Dan Duryea). What follows is a familiar story to noir fans. She, with Johnny's help, dupes Chris into establishing her in an apartment he can ill afford, and by faking affection for him, bilks him of a good deal of money, causing him to embezzle from his bank. One great shot is of Kitty grimacing in disgust as Chris embraces her.
Chris is an amateur painter, who follows his muse despite the hostility of his nagging, overbearing wife. Lang lovingly emasculates Chris with scenes like the one in which Chris, while doing the dishes wearing an apron, is seen below the large, looming portrait of his wife's "dead" husband, who, she constantly reminds him, was a REAL provider. Chris sees in Kitty a kindred spirit, to whom he can explain his motivation for painting. When his wife threatens to destroy his canvases, Chris stores them in the apartment he has rented for Kitty. When Johnny, encouraged by Kitty's belief that Chris is a famous, wealthy artist, sells some of the paintings to a street artist, an art critic sees the work and sets out to "discover" their creator. He finds his way to kitty, who, goaded by Johnny, claims them as her own, reciting to the critic verbatim what Chris has told her about his method of working. She signs her name to his (unsigned) work, and finds herself the toast of the town. When Chris finds out, he is actually happy. He is excited that his work has found an audience, and that Kitty will be provided for. He enthusiastically prepares to paint her "self portrait".
The plot thickens when his wife's Husband, presumed dead, appears demanding money in exchange for not letting his wife know he's alive. Seeing an apparently perfect solution to his problem, Chris dupes him into being discovered by his wife, leaving Chris free to marry Kitty.
Chris then visits Kitty with the good news that they can finally be married. When she laughs at him and calls him old and disgusting, Chris, in the most decisive moment of his life, stabs her to death with an ice pick brought to the apartment by Johnny.
In a piece of (seemingly) good luck, Chris flees the scene just as Johnny stumbles to the apartment blind drunk. Seemingly overwhelming evidence leads to Chris "admitting" that he was a poor imitator of Kitty's work, and the prosecution and execution of Johnny.
In the meantime, Chris is discovered as an embezzler and dismissed from his job.
On the train ride back from Johnny's trial, we are treated to a speech about "getting away with murder" from a reporter in the same car as Chris. According to him , everyone has their own judge, jury, and executioner in their heart. Sure enough, that night in a cheap hotel room, Chris is haunted by the voices of Kitty and Johnny, seeming to taunt him from beyond the grave. He attempts to hang himself, but is interrupted by strangers who "save" him. Even as a suicide he is a failure.
We next see Chris asleep on a park bench with his shabby bum bundle as a cop smacks him on the sole of his shoe, telling him to get down to the Bowery "where you belong". Chris stumbles away, and a second cops asks "Who's that wreck?", the first cop answers "Oh, he's got a crazy idea he killed a couple of people 5 or 6 years ago. Can't get it out of his mind. Always trying to give himself up. Wants to be tried and executed. You know these nuts!" As Chris shambles apathetically down the street past merry christmas shoppers (and accompanied by "oh come, all ye faithful" and "Jingle Bells" which composer H.J.Salter works into the score. Ouch!), he pauses before the window of an art dealer. His "self portrait" of Kitty is being removed from the window, as a rich old woman has just bought it. "Well,there goes a masterpiece...I really hate to part with it." says the gallery owner. The buyer replies, "For $10,000, I shouldn't think you'd mind"
The painting is then shown drifting across the screen as the delivery men remove it from the gallery.
The joyous shoppers fade away, leaving us with Chris wandering down the street with the voices of Kitty and Johnny echoing in his mind. It is very easy to imagine his future death in the gutter.
This film is very highly recommended to noir enthusiasts and to those who just like depressing endings.
ENJOY!

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