Twentieth
Century Fox Film Corporation, 96m 13s
Most
film noirs that hail from the 1940s
focus on a lone wolf or a small assortment of down-and-outers. Released in
1950, the urban thriller PANIC IN THE
STREETS aims through a broader scope, with no less than the future of
humanity at stake. As directed entirely on location by Elia Kazan, the film
anticipates the various social concerns that characterized the 1950s noir movement, when many stories no
longer were isolated to a few individuals of questionable integrity. In films
like ACE IN THE HOLE (1951), HOODLUM EMPIRE (1952), THE PHENIX CITY STORY (1955), NEW YORK CONFIDENTIAL (1955), KISS ME DEADLY (1955), THE LINEUP (1958) and CITY OF FEAR (1959), noir sensibilities reached more
pervasively into society, with grave implications about the social order.
The
film noir credentials of PANIC IN THE STREETS are beyond doubt
after the opening sequence links gambling, urban squalor and disease. At a nighttime
card game in the wharf sector of New Orleans, Kochak (Lewis Charles) shows
signs of illness and makes a hasty exit after accumulating some winnings (never
a great plan to take the money and run, see WHERE THE SIDEWALK ENDS [1950]). The abrupt departure does not sit
well with Blackie (Jack Palance), who murders Kochak while Raymond Fitch (Zero
Mostel) and Kochak's cousin Poldi (Guy Thomajan) serve as accomplices. After
the discarded body is examined, the deceased's blood reveals unusual bacteria.
Lieutenant Commander M.D. Clinton Reed (Richard Widmark) is notified, and Reed
determines the dead man was carrying pneumonic plague. Now all who were in
contact with Kochak must be found before the plague can spread. Few films of
any genre can boast such a critical time element!
The
thugs responsible for the death of the plague-infested Kochak cannot understand
why his murder would be of such importance to the police. In a theme that has
informed innumerable Hollywood thrillers, nobody wants to buy into Reed's concern
about the potential danger. City officials like Captain Tom Warren (Paul
Douglas) are slow to get it. Only Reed immediately recognizes the potentially
global issue that "...could be in Africa tomorrow." Even if by force,
newspaper men like Neff (Dan Riss) must be kept at bay for the good of mankind.
Expressed somewhat differently, the free press (especially reporters with a
name borrowed from DOUBLE INDEMNITY
[1944]) must be controlled by those
who know better. In a telling instance of what is at risk, Rita Mefaris (Aline
Stevens), the wife of restaurant owner John Mefaris (Alexis Minotis), loses her
life as a penalty for lack of cooperation with authority figures. PANIC IN THE STREETS calls for complete
trust in a U.S. Public Health Service man. The notion that government experts
know best has lost traction in modern times with a large section of skeptical
Americans, but the premise still works based upon the film's monomythic
underpinnings, which is to say one moral individual can make a huge difference
in a murky sea of incomprehension and disbelief.
The
narrative is underscored by a xenophobic theme that correlates illegal
immigration with highly contagious sickness. American distrust of the Middle
East pops up around the halfway marker; the stowaway to blame for the potential
outbreak boarded a ship in Iran. The concluding sequence with Blackie in rat
mode confirms that potentially infected humans and disease-transmitting rats
are one and the same (the segment that shows him crawling along the waterfront
edge is quintessential noir). In
probably the movie’s most cynical moment, the condemned man Blackie is thwarted
by a baffle meant to prevent rats from boarding ships. A more grim portrait of
illegal immigration is difficult to imagine.
Himself
an immigrant, Greek-American filmmaker Elia Kazan (born Elias Kazantzoglou) is
infamous for his cooperation with the House Committee on Un-American Activities,
but he should be remembered best for the groundbreaking social dramas to his
credit such as GENTLEMAN'S AGREEMENT
(1947), PINKY (1949), A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE (1951) and ON THE WATERFRONT (1954). My personal
favorite would have to be A FACE IN THE
CROWD (1957), which has become especially significant in light of the
presidential campaign of Donald J. Trump and his relationship with mass media.
Kazan is not noted for repeated work in the noir
category, though he did direct the minor title BOOMERANG! (1947) for Fox. PANIC
IN THE STREETS is as much a film noir
as it is a film of social relevance, thanks in no small part to the
contribution of cinematographer Joseph MacDonald, who makes exceptional use of
location footage in New Orleans. MacDonald shot some of the many great film noirs released by Fox, including SHOCK (1946), THE DARK CORNER (1946), CALL
NORTHSIDE 777 (1948) and THE STREET
WITH NO NAME (1948). The husband and wife writing team of Edna and Edward
Anhalt won an Oscar for their original story. Richard Murphy (BOOMERANG!) wrote the screenplay, and
Daniel Fuchs (CRISS CROSS [1949]) is
credited with the adaptation. Per usual, Richard Widmark offers a commanding
performance and reminds the viewer he always has an edge, even when his
character is not a wildman like Tommy Udo (KISS
OF DEATH [1947]) or Jefty Robbins (ROAD
HOUSE [1948]). In his feature film debut, Jack Palance dominates every
scene in which he appears, especially when the action involves human disposal.
Palance starred in a number of other noir
films, the best of which was SUDDEN FEAR
(1952). Other worthy efforts included THE
BIG KNIFE (1955) and I DIED A
THOUSAND TIMES (1955), a remake of HIGH
SIERRA (1941).
The
single-layered Blu-ray version of PANIC
IN THE STREETS available from 20th Century Fox Studio Classics provides an
excellent viewing experience, framed at the aspect ratio of 1.41:1, slightly
different from the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.37:1 and the Blu-ray
packaging's inaccurate indication of 1.33:1. The audio commentary track by film noir historians James Ursini and
Alain Silver was ported from the DVD version released first in 2005. They draw
attention to the marvelous use of location footage, especially at night, which
was almost unheard of at the time. Also unusual was the infrequency of cuts and
Kazan's extensive use of non-professional actors. The co-founder of the Actors
Studio in 1947 (along with Cheryl Crawford, Robert Lewis and Anna Sokolow),
Kazan was well prepared to direct people with no acting experience. As for the
character Nancy Reed portrayed by Barbara Bel Geddes, Silver and Ursini point
out that the women of film noir found
themselves moved into domestic roles in the 1950s; a direct reflection of
veterans returning to the work force. Gone were the days of the femme fatales
that dominated some of the best wartime film
noir productions.
Unique
to this Blu-ray edition are a pair of supplements that first appeared on the
television series BIOGRAPHY: RICHARD
WIDMARK: STRENGTH OF CHARACTERS (44m 13s, 2000) and JACK PALANCE: FROM GRIT TO
GRACE (44m 10s, 2001). Both programs are informative and well worth watching.
A
theatrical trailer (2m 12s) is also included.
