The Asphalt Jungle

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

The Asphalt Jungle is a brilliantly conceived and executed anatomy of a crime -- or, as director John Huston and scripter Ben Maddow put it, "a left-handed form of human endeavor." Recently paroled master criminal Erwin "Doc" Riedenschneider (Sam Jaffe), with funding from crooked attorney Emmerich (Louis Calhern), gathers several crooks together in Cincinnati for a Big Caper. Among those involved are Dix (Sterling Hayden), an impoverished hood who sees the upcoming jewel heist as a means to finance his dream of owning a horse farm. Hunch-backed cafe owner (James Whitmore) is hired on to be the driver for the heist; professional safecracker Louis Ciavelli (Anthony Caruso) assembles the tools of his trade; and a bookie (Marc Lawrence) acts as Emmerich's go-between. The robbery is pulled off successfully, but an alert night watchman shoots Ciavelli. Corrupt cop (Barry Kelley), angry that his "patsy" (Lawrence) didn't let him in on the caper, beats the bookie into confessing and fingering the other criminals involved. From this point on, the meticulously planned crime falls apart with the inevitability of a Greek tragedy. Way down on the cast list is Marilyn Monroe in her star-making bit as Emmerich's sexy "niece"; whenever The Asphalt Jungle would be reissued, Monroe would figure prominently in the print ads as one of the stars. The Asphalt Jungle was based on a novel by the prolific W.R. Burnett, who also wrote Little Caesar and Saint Johnson (the fictionalized life story of Wyatt Earp). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: 1
• Number of Discs: 1
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 (Pre-1954 Standard)
• Screen: Black and White
• Audio: Dolby Digital Mono
• Features:
  • cc
  • Introduction by John Huston derived from an archival interview
  • Commentary by author/film noir specialist Drew Casper with co-star James Whitmore
  • Theatrical trailer
  • Languages: English & Francais
  • Subtitles: English, Francais, & Espanol

AWARDS

• Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

•     Nominated Best Black and White Cinematography - 1950 (Harold Hal Rosson)
•     Nominated Best Director - 1950 (John Huston)
•     Nominated Best Screenplay - 1950 (Ben Maddow, John Huston)
•     Nominated Best Supporting Actor - 1950 (Sam Jaffe)

• British Academy of Film and Television Arts

•     Nominated Best Film - Any Source - 1950 (John Huston)

• Directors Guild of America

•     Nominated Best Director - 1950 (John Huston)

• Edgar Allan Poe Awards

•     Won Best Screenplay - 1950 (John Huston)

• Hollywood Foreign Press Association

•     Nominated Best Cinematography - Black and White - 1950 (Harold Hal Rosson)
•     Nominated Best Director - 1950 (John Huston)
•     Nominated Best Screenplay - 1950 (Ben Maddow, John Huston)

• National Board of Review

•     Won Best Director - 1950 (John Huston)
•     Nominated Best Picture - 1950

• Venice International Film Festival

•     Won International Prize for Best Actor - 1950 (Sam Jaffe)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Cast:

  
       Sterling Hayden - Dix Handley
       Louis Calhern - Alonzo D. Emmerich
       James Whitmore - Gus Ninissi
       Jean Hagen - Doll Conovan
       Sam Jaffe - Doc Erwin Riedenschneider
       John McIntire - Police Commissioner Hardy
       Marilyn Monroe - Angela Phinlay
       Marc Lawrence - Cobby
       Barry Kelley - Lt. Ditrich
       Anthony Caruso - Louis Ciavelli
       Teresa Celli - Maria Ciavelli
       Wee Willie Davis - Timmons
       Dorothy Tree - May Emmerich
       Brad Dexter - Bob Brannen
       John Maxwell - Dr. Swanson
       Wilson Wood - Man
       James Seay - Officer Janocek
       Frank Cady - Night Clerk
       Alex Gerry - Maxwell
       Patricia Miller - Girl
       Tim Ryan - Jack; Police Clerk
       Alberto Morin - Eddie Donato
       Judith Wood - Woman
       Henry Rowland - Franz Schurz
       Benny Burt - Driver
       Pat Flaherty - Policeman
       Ray Teal - Policeman
       Tom Browne Henry - James X. Connery
       Fred Graham - Truck Driver
       Henry Corden - William Doldy
       Eloise Hardt - Vivian
       Raymond Roe - Tallboy
       Ralph Dunn - Policeman
       Strother Martin - Karl Anton Smith
       Helene Stanley - Jeannie
       Jack Shea - Policeman
       Sol (Saul) Gorss - Policeman
       Howard Mitchell - Secretary
       Bill Washington - Suspect
       John Cliff - Policeman
       Joseph Darr Smith - Reporter
       Don Haggerty - Detective Andrews
       Kerry O'Day - Girl

• Director:

  John Huston

• Producer:

  Arthur Hornblow, Jr.

• Book Author:

  W.R. Burnett

• Screenwriter:

  John Huston, Ben Maddow

• Cinematographer:

  Harold Hal Rosson

• Composer (Music Score):

  Miklos Rozsa

• Editor:

  George Boemler

• Art Director:

  Randall Duell, Cedric Gibbons

• Set Designer:

  Jack D. Moore, Edwin B. Willis

• Sound/Sound Designer:

  Douglas Shearer

• Makeup:

  Jack Dawn

REVIEW:

• Much imitated, The Asphalt Jungle was one of the first caper films to show a crime and its consequences from the criminals' point of view. It's one of director John Huston's most gritty and suspenseful films, centering on a recently paroled criminal's scheme to make one last big hit. The cast of reliable character actors includes Sterling Hayden, James Whitmore and Sam Jaffe, and a little-known seductress named Marilyn Monroe, who had a small part. Based on a novel by W.R. Burnett, The Asphalt Jungle was innovative for 1950, as Huston told a crime-doesn't-pay story without the usual distancing and moralizing. It is more of a character study than an action film, and countless films that came later, all the way to Pulp Fiction, have paid it homage, some unknowingly. Some of the more direct remakes of the same plot include Cairo, A Cool Breeze, and The Badlanders. ~ Michael Betzold, Rovi