The Killers
Screening on Film
Directed by Robert Siodmak.
With Burt Lancaster, Edmond O’Brien, Ava Gardner.
US, 1946, 35mm, black & white, 105 min.
With Burt Lancaster, Edmond O’Brien, Ava Gardner.
US, 1946, 35mm, black & white, 105 min.
A seminal work of film noir, The Killers marked the screen debut of Burt Lancaster, who gives a brilliant performance as a marked man refusing to flee from his hired assassins. Loosely based on a Hemingway short story, the film proceeds through flashbacks to reveal the circumstances of his murder and, with it, the seamier side of America in the forties. German-émigré director Siodmak combines strong chiaroscuro lighting, moody nocturnal cityscapes, and a potent Miklos Rosza score in approaching the nihilistic vision at the heart of the work. Ava Gardner gives one of the more memorable renditions of the femme fatale in her portrayal of a night-club singer who is the mob boss’s girl.
Part of film series
Screenings from this program
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The Little Match Girl
Directed by Jean Renoir, 1928
Live piano accompaniment by Peter FreisingerScreening on Film
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Nana
Directed by Jean Renoir, 1926
Live piano accompaniment by Peter FreisingerLive Musical AccompanimentScreening on Film
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Trailers, Trailers, Trailers
Introduced by Film Conservator Julie BuckScreening on Film
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Treasures from the Harvard Film Archive: ...
Sweet Smell of Success
Directed by Alexander Mackendrick, 1957
Screening on Film
