christopherlvngs This could of made a nice 80min drama. The story is totally unbelievable which in turn makes the end seem overly tragic. It's to slow compared with some of the great film noirs.

oOoBarracuda I have yet to skip a movie knowing that Edward G. Robinson stars in it, this method to movie watching has not proved me wrong yet, and it didn't this time with Scarlet Street. In 1945 Edward G. Robinson starred along with Joan Bennett in a film by Fritz Lang chronicling the story of a seasoned man living a listless life searching for a way to give his life meaning and decides to create the meaning he seeks by befriending a young woman. Living a life he didn't choose, with a woman who treats him like a housemaid, what is left for a man than to explore the world on his own? Scarlet Street is a film noir classic that is not to be missed by fans of this sub-genre, nor fans of Edward G. Robinson. Christopher Cross (Edward G. Robinson) is a stellar employee, he's been a cashier at the same job for 25 years, loyalty that is appreciated by all those around him, and treasured by his boss. At a dinner party, his boss even gifts him a gold watch. Chris doesn't have it in him to be disloyal, he even stays loyal to his wife who gives him a nightly chore list and insists that he paint, his one true passion in life, in the bathroom of their home. Chris has always wanted to be an artist, life just got away from him and left him comfortable in a life he didn't choose. One evening, while walking home after a dinner party, Chris sees what he believes to be an attempted mugging, and rushes to help the woman he sees in distress. After getting to know the woman, Chris falls in love. Unfortunately, Katharine 'Kitty' March (Joan Bennett) is a con artist and in love with a career criminal Johnny Prince (Dan Duryea) and both of them realize that they can take financial advantage of Chris. Chris, who has allowed Kitty to believe he is a wealthy artist now has to devise a plan to come up with the money that Kitty keeps requesting. Stealing from his work and his wife, Chris puts Kitty up in an apartment and begins to paint and store his work there. Johnny sees Chris's art as a golden opportunity and begins selling his work as Kitty's, soon gaining the attention of a well- known critic and art dealer. For awhile, this arrangement works, Kitty is paid for Chris's work, and Chris gets to paint and knows that his work is hung at the most prestigious of galleries. When Chris finally gets the courage to leave his wife, only to discover he has been used all along by Kitty, it proves too much for him to bear.The first thing that was impossible to notice was how rough of a cut Scarlet Street was. Apparently, there existed a lapse in ownership creating a legal channel for Scarlet Street to be copied and distributed en mass. The downside of this mass distribution is a grainy, terrible copy of a wonderful film. Despite the rough cut of the film, Edward G. Robinson shines, as he always does; a true great of film noir. Despite the overt moral message of code approved films, Scarlet Street is a wonderful exploration of what one will do to live the life they want, and what one will steal to live the life they believe they deserve.

f-madany The Scarlet Street has a semblance of Film Noir, but it doesn't have a male (usually) lead disillusioned and at odds with a post war society, but more disillusioned with the world. And as the movie begins we can immediate empathize and connect with Robinson's character, and from this connection we truly feel what it's like for him when he loses everything, from making that one choice in his life. Director Lang, truly makes the film one of the most depressing shocking pieces of cinema that has to be seen, most people don't really want to see a movie that not going to have a happy ending, but seeing this film will be worth it. It's so rich in cinematography, acting, editing, director influence, it would be a shame not to see it

eroberts-93865 Christopher Cross, as portrayed by Edward G. Robinson, is mild-mannered, polite, and generally someone the audience can sympathize--or even identify--with. Throughout the film, I found myself cringing for him each time he was tricked into further complicating and upsetting his life.Nearly every character is infuriating this way, which speaks to the acting and the writing. It's not a typical movie about serving justice in response to unjust actions; it says more about the cruel nature of the world.In addition to that, the camera work and sets make for a really beautiful film. There was a lot of glass involved in the sets of Scarlet Street, and the cinematography made the most of it. The settings are often light-filled, beautiful, in direct contrast with the goings-on of the film (though in many ways reflective of Cross's deluded feelings of love). This puts it in a very strange place in terms of noir film, staying true to the genre in as many ways as it (generally visually) does not.At its heart, though, that is exactly what it is. Though the visuals aren't gritty, the story elements and tone certainly are. Cross is a man deceived, and then haunted. The employment of non-diegetic, internal sound to represent that haunted feeling Cross has makes the audience feel as many things as watching Cross be deceived earlier in the film.Scarlet Street is unforgettable because it's so powerful.