Monday, March 31, 2008

by Ari

Just a few days ago Richard Widmark, the great star of Night and the City, passed away. Now the director of that classic noir is gone as well. The brilliant Jules Dassin died today at the age of 96. It's very strange and sad how these things happen like this, and to see the old generation fade away is depressing news, indeed. Last year Bergman and Antonioni in the same 24 hours, now Widmark and Dassin within a few days of each other.

Night and the City is my favorite of his movies, but it's not his only classic. Dassin directed Richard Conte to one of his best performances in the unforgettable noir Thieves' Highway, he directed the gripping prison-escape thriller Brute Force with the incomparable Burt Lancaster, the gritty New York crime film Naked City (shot entirely on location, amazing photography), caper favorite Topkapi (which I'll be reviewing for the UA Film Fest in a couple weeks) and the very well-known and rightfully praised heist/thriller Rififi.

Here's the old trailer for Night and the City.

See these movies.

Rest In Peace.