How far would you go to be somebody? That is the question that lies at the heart of Fritz Lang's 1945 drama Scarlet Street. The film follows three misfits on a doomed quest to become big shots in a portrait of the American Dream gone horribly wrong. Take a walk on the dark side down Scarlet Street.
The story begins at a party marking clerk Chris Cross' twenty-five years of service at a local bank. While Chris should be the center of attention his colleagues are more interested in ogling his boss' young mistress. He fares little better upon returning home to his nagging wife, Adele. When he tries to unwind with his one passion, painting, Adele informs him that he is only allowed to paint in their apartment's bathroom. His dull, repressed, life takes a dramatic turn when he stumbles upon a woman being attacked in the street. He attacks the assailant and the woman introduces herself as Kitty. Flattered by the young and attractive woman's seeming gratitude he takes Kitty out to dinner and tells her about his passion for art. When she assumes that he is a successful artist he fails to correct her. Similarly, when he assumes that she is a model she does not correct him. Eager for a piece of Chris' supposed fortune she embarks upon an affair with him. In order to fund her desired lifestyle he begins stealing from his wife and his employer. Unbeknownst to Chris, however, Kitty is not actually a model but instead a prostitute and her pimp is none other than the man who was attacking her in the street, Johnny. Desperate to pay off his debts, Johnny steaks several of Chris' paintings and sells them under Kitty's name. Chris agrees to go along with the scheme under the assumption that Kitty will marry him and the pair will share the proceeds. What follows is a nightmarish journey to rock bottom in an American Dream gone irreparably awry.
Scarlet Street stands as one of the bleakest and most haunting films in all of noir. The film is so unflinching in its portrayal of its characters' descent into despair that it was actually banned in several cities upon initial release. The film particularly stands out for its portrayal of milquetoast dreamer turned anti-hero, Chris. Chris could not be farther removed from the world weary, cynical, and resourceful heroes that populate noir. He is instead unassuming, repressed, and yet somehow remains optimistic; in short he is not so different from us. In its depiction of his willing descent into a hell of his own making the film serves as an apt reminder of how easily any of us could be similarly led astray. The film also proves to be surprisingly modern in its blunt portrayal of the world of vice, violence, and desperation that its deeply flawed cast inhabit. Perhaps its greatest strength lies in its gut-wrenching ending in which Chris thinks that he has escaped punishment only to find himself trapped within a prison built by his own conscience. At once a gritty crime drama and a nuanced character study Scarlet Street remains as harrowing and resonant now as it was upon its initially release eighty years ago.
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| It's hard out here for a pimp |
The film comes to haunting life thanks to the work of its star-studded cast. Rosalind Ivan is one of the shrillest shrews ever put to celluloid as Chris' abrasive wife, Adele. Dan Duryea is sleaze personified as callous pimp Johnny. Joan Bennett makes for one of the most fatale femmes in all of noir as the conniving, crass, and charming Kitty. Edward. G Robinson turns in one of the most complex performances of his career in his haunting turn as Chris. As the unassuming clerk he captures a vulnerability, desperation, and anxiety that mark a stark contrast from the cocky heavies he built his career playing.
Scarlet Street is a criminally underrated noir. The twisting plot and razor-sharp dialogue place the script at the top of the genre. The performances bring each of the characters to visceral life in all of their amoral, desperate, glory. Take a walk on the wild side down Scarlet Street.
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