Scarlet Street: A Review

SCARLET STREET

This review is part of the Summer Under the Stars Blogathon. Today's star is Joan Bennett.

Edward G. Robinson was seen as one of the definitive film gangsters. In reality, he was the antithesis of the brutal, coldhearted killer. Robinson was so averse to violence that he literally had to have his eyes taped open to prevent him from closing them whenever he fired a gunshot. Robinson was an urbane, literate man who had a great passion for art collecting. He might have been appreciated by audiences for roles like in Little Caesar. I think, however, that his role in Scarlet Street is closer to how Robinson was in real life. Exceptionally well-acted and written, Scarlet Street builds up its tragic story with elegance and grace.

Meek and mild cashier Christopher Cross* (Robinson) is being celebrated for his 25 years of loyal service. At the party, he and the other clothing company employees spy company owner J.J. Hogarth (Russell Hicks) leave with a "breathtaking dame". Cross, slightly tipsy after the party, eventually starts walking the New York streets alone. As he does, Chris sees a young woman getting smacked around by a man. Cross rushes to her aid, but the abuser flees when Cross returns to the scene with a cop. 

The young woman is Katherine March, better known as "Kitty" (Joan Bennett). She claims to be an actress whose show ended that night. During their conversation at a dive, Kitty mistakenly believes that Christopher Cross is a wealthy painter. The confusion comes from Cross talking about his vast knowledge of art and his own artwork, though he is too embarrassed to admit that he is an amateur. He also does not mention his shrewish wife, Adele (Rosalind Ivan). Adele has open contempt for Chris, his art and how he does not measure up to her late first husband, a cop who drowned in the line of duty.

Kitty, we find out, knows her attacker very intimately. He is Johnny Prince (Dan Duryea), a shady low-level hood whom she is in love with. Both of them think that Christopher Cross will be the perfect mark to finagle money out of since both continue to mistake Cross for a wealthy artist. Johnny pushes "Lazylegs" to keep playing games with Chris' heart. Chris, besotted with Kitty, eventually gives in to Kitty's cash requests. Adele unwittingly helps in two ways. Her late husband's bonds can make for some quick cash. Her threats to throw out his paintings push Chris to rent a studio apartment to store them and Kitty too.

Kitty and Johnny continue to snooker the naive Christopher. Johnny thinks Chris' artwork is garbage and refuses to think that anyone would buy it. He gets the shock of his life when he takes them to Washington Square, where many starving artists attempt to sell their wares. Another artist informs Johnny that major art critic Damon Janeway (Jess Barker) has bought the paintings and is wildly enthusiastic about this new undiscovered talent. More confusion and mix-ups occur when Johnny tells Janeway and art gallery owner De La Rowe (Arthur Loft) that Kitty is the painter. The various tangled webs of lies and deceit even manage to get Adele's first husband into things. However, they also will lead to tragedy, murder, an innocent man executed and a guilty man condemned to living death.

Scarlet Street might not be usually thought of as a film noir. I think that it is given we have a femme fatale who takes a schmuck and plays him until both have their own downfalls. I also think that many might not think Scarlet Street to be a film noir because it is also a very tragic love story. Edward G. Robinson's Chris Cross is a good, decent man who let his passion for Kitty make him do terrible things. He is also a very lonely and vulnerable man. We see this right from the get-go, when he gives a very simple speech on receiving the gold watch. 

Throughout Scarlet Street, we see in Robinson's performance that of a shy, forgiving figure driven to madness by the cruelty inflicted on him. He is a bit of a sad sack, with a cruel wife and a duplicitous side piece. I do not think that Kitty ever actually slept with Chris. She, however, tortured him just as much as the shrewish Adele. For some time, Chris has asked Kitty to paint her portrait. Even after discovering the deception over the paintings (albeit with Kitty giving him a false version of events), he still seems so besotted and forgiving that he takes no action against her. Here, Kitty finally consents to have him "paint her". "Paint me, Chris," she says, at which point she thrusts her foot and gives him nail paint. Chris eagerly and meekly begins to "paint" Kitty.

This is extremely daring stuff for 1945. Director Fritz Lang did masterful work visually. He also got exceptional performances out of almost all his cast. Edward G. Robinson makes Christopher Cross into a truly tragic figure. He plays Cross as someone who is meek, mild, shy and timid. That goes a long way into explaining how he found himself lured by the mostly amoral Kitty. 

I say "mostly" amoral because Joan Bennett did give Kitty some sympathy. Bennett's Kitty was cruel to Chris. It does make his final action towards her almost correct. Bennett has a great acting moment when we see her stifle laughter when the unaware Chris tells her that he's married. It tells us that Kitty finds the idea that Chris thought that she would be disappointed hilarious. We also do see, though, that she too was a woman in love with a very bad man. Johnny smacks her around more than once. Kitty March is a coldhearted femme fatale in love with a very bad man. She may taunt Chris, but she also is as foolish about love as Chris is.

The supporting cast worked quite well. Rosalind Ivan was surprisingly funny in a good way as the shrewish, cruel Adele. She balks at the idea of spending a penny of her late husband's bonds, telling Chris, "That money is for my old age". One laughs at her self-delusions. Ivan, however, did well as the harpy who would forever berate the poor Chris at every opportunity. 

Scarlet Street's screenplay by Dudley Nichols works well both in story and dialogue. Chris' self-effacing manner is moving. Just as Chris stashes away company cash, J.J. Hogarth comes to his office. "I just caught you in time", he tells the cashier. The double meaning is clear. Chris thinks that he has been caught at last. Hogarth just wants a check cashed. Earlier, Kitty complained to Johnny at having to play romantic with Chris. She tells him that she dislikes the idea of kissing Cross. "You've been kissed before", Johnny snarls. 

The weak point in Scarlet Street is the third main character. Dan Duryea was not good as Johnny. It is bad enough that he looked like Dagwood Bumstead. It did not help that there was something exaggerated about his chicanery. I found his entire performance to be slightly cartoonish. To be fair, his end was surprisingly sympathetic. I also think that the courtroom montage was both rushed and filmed in a curious manner. Finally, when Johnny smacks Kitty again, his line of "You haven't got any sense!" looked dubbed. 

These are ultimately minor points. Scarlet Street is both a noir tale of greed and a deeply moving tragedy of a man too much in love. The film ties itself well with its logic of coincidences and near-misses. It is also exceptionally well-acted by Edward G. Robinson and Joan Bennett. Scarlet Street is a film that should be better known.  

*Yes, that is the character's name. That the character shares the same name with the singer/songwriter of the yacht rock anthem Sailing is purely coincidental. 

DECISION: A-