The Big Combo

Last updated
The Big Combo
The Big Combo poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Joseph H. Lewis
Screenplay by Philip Yordan
Produced by Sidney Harmon
Starring Cornel Wilde
Richard Conte
Brian Donlevy
Jean Wallace
Cinematography John Alton
Edited byRobert S. Eisen
Music by David Raksin
Color process Black and white
Production
companies
Security Pictures
Theodora Productions
Distributed by Allied Artists Pictures
Release date
  • February 13, 1955 (1955-02-13) [1]
Running time
88 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$500,000 [2]

The Big Combo is a 1955 American crime film noir directed by Joseph H. Lewis, written by Philip Yordan and photographed by cinematographer John Alton, with music by David Raksin. [3] The film stars Cornel Wilde, Richard Conte and Brian Donlevy, as well as Jean Wallace, who was Wilde's wife at the time. The supporting cast features Lee Van Cleef, Earl Holliman and the final screen appearance of actress Helen Walker. The Big Combo received positive reviews from critics.

Contents

While the film's title cards feature a copyright claim, a notice was not properly filed. In 2007 the United States Copyright Office ultimately rejected the notice, leaving the film in the public domain. [4] [5]

Plot

Full film

Police Lt. Leonard Diamond is on a personal crusade to bring down the sadistic gangster Mr. Brown. He is also dangerously obsessed with Brown's girlfriend, the suicidal Susan Lowell. His main objective as a detective is to uncover the fate of a woman called "Alicia" from the crime boss's past.

Mr. Brown, his second-in-command McClure, and thugs Fante and Mingo kidnap and torture the lieutenant, then pour a bottle of alcohol-based hair tonic down his throat before letting him go. Diamond eventually learns through one of Brown's past accomplices, Bettini, that Alicia was actually Brown's wife. Bettini suspects that Alicia was sent away to Sicily with former mob boss Grazzi, then murdered, tied to the boat's anchor, and permanently submerged. Diamond questions the operator of an antique store bankrolled by Brown, named Dreyer, who was also the skipper of the boat. Dreyer denies involvement and does not want to disclose anything to Diamond, but is nonetheless murdered by McClure shortly after leaving his shop later that day.

Diamond tries to persuade Susan to leave Brown and admits he might be in love with her. He shows her a photo of Brown, Alicia and Grazzi together on the boat. Susan finally confronts Brown about his wife and is told she is still alive in Sicily, living with Grazzi.

Brown orders a hit on Diamond. However, when his gunmen Fante and Mingo go to Diamond's apartment, they mistakenly shoot and kill Diamond's burlesque dancer girlfriend Rita instead. Diamond sees an up-to-date photo of Alicia but realizes it was not taken in Sicily due to the presence of snow on the ground. This leads Diamond to suspect Brown did not kill Alicia but his boss Grazzi instead. Diamond is able to track Alicia to a sanitarium, where she is staying under another name. He asks for her help.

Meanwhile, Brown's right-hand man, McClure, wants to take over. He plots with Fante and Mingo to ambush Mr. Brown, but they betray and murder him. With McClure dependent upon a hearing aid, Fante and Mingo dismantle it and gun down McClure in pantomime silence, unable to hear his pleas for mercy.

At police headquarters, Brown shows up with a writ of habeas corpus , effectively preventing Alicia testifying against her husband. Brown also takes a box to Fante and Mingo, believing it to be a large sum of money, while they are hiding out from the police, but the box turns out to contain a bomb that apparently kills both of them.

Brown shoots Diamond's partner, Sam, and kidnaps Susan, planning to fly away to safety. However, Mingo survives the assassination attempt by Brown, and he confesses to Diamond that Brown was behind all the murders while sobbing over the body of his cohort. Alicia is able to help Diamond figure out that Brown took Susan to a private airport where he intends to board his getaway plane.

However, Brown's plane does not show up and the film climaxes in a foggy hangar shootout. Susan shines the fog lamp from Brown's car in his eyes, effectively blinding him, allowing Diamond to arrest him. The final scene shows the silhouetted figures of Diamond and Susan in the fog.

Cast

Production

Lee Van Cleef, Jean Wallace and Earl Holliman The Big Combo - publicity still.jpg
Lee Van Cleef, Jean Wallace and Earl Holliman
Brian Donlevy in the film BrianDonlevy BigCombo.jpg
Brian Donlevy in the film

The film was initially called The Hoodlum based on a story by Philip Yordan. It was originally going to be directed by Hugo Fregonese for producer Milton Sperling. [6] Sperling tried to cast Spencer Tracy for the lead. [7] The script was reportedly in great demand with Yordan apparently turning down offers of $75,000. [8]

Eventually the film was a co production between Theodora, the production company of Cornel Wilde and Jean Wallace, and Security, a company of Phil Yordan and Sidney Harmon. [9] Wilde changed the title to "The Big Combination" and Jean Wallace suggested it be shortened to "The Big Combo". [10]

Jack Palance was originally cast opposite Wilde. Filming was brought forward to start September 7, because of studio space availability. Palance dropped out of the film, claiming he wanted a week off after finishing Victor Saville's The Silver Chalice (1954) with Virginia Mayo and Paul Newman in his first movie role. Another source says Palance was unhappy his wife was not cast in the second female lead. [11] He was replaced by Richard Conte. Conte's casting meant the start date for another film, Cry Vengeance , had to be pushed back. [12]

The film also marked the conclusion of Helen Walker's film career; she was consigned to a small role in The Big Combo.

The film was shot in 26 days. [2]

Home media

The film was released on Blu-ray by Olive Films in 2013 with a restoration completed by UCLA Film & Television Archive and the Film Foundation. [13] A new HD restoration was completed in 2018 by Arrow Films in the UK. [14]

The Big Combo has also been shown on the Turner Classic Movies show 'Noir Alley' with Eddie Muller.

Soundtrack

The Big Combo does without the orchestral score typical of most films noir, instead featuring mostly brass and woodwind instruments for its score.[ citation needed ]
In a scene, pianist Jakob Gimpel (credited as Jacob Gimpel) appears playing Chopin's Scherzo No. 3, Op. 39. In a previous scene his performance of the same piece had been heard from a recording.

Reception

Critical response

The airport conclusion to the film demonstrates John Alton's cinematographic style BigComboTrailer.jpg
The airport conclusion to the film demonstrates John Alton's cinematographic style

The staff at Variety magazine liked the film's direction, music and photography, despite "a rambling, not-too-credible plot." They wrote, "Performances are in keeping with the bare-knuckle direction by Joseph Lewis and, on that score, are good. Low-key photography by John Alton, one of his best, [15] and a jazz-derived score by David Raksin with solo piano by Jacob Gimpel are in keeping with the film's tough mood." [16]

A pair of late 20th century critics compared the quality of The Big Combo to Fritz Lang's The Big Heat as one of the great film noir detective classics in terms of style. [17]

Legacy

The film has since received critical acclaim, with the airport scene being considered one of the most iconic images in film history.

Retrospective assessments

In 2004 Chris Dashiell on the website CineScene found the dialogue "run of the mill" but praises the film's director, writing that "Lewis had a remarkable ability to infuse poetry into the most banal material, and The Big Combo is one of his best efforts... it's not as startlingly inventive as Lewis's best film, Gun Crazy (1949), but it's a quality B-film, satisfying and dark." [18]

Film critic Ed Gonzalez lauded the film in his 2006 review, writing, "Shadows and lies are the stars of The Big Combo, a spellbinding black-and-white chiaroscuro with the segmented texture of a spider's web ... John Alton's lush camera work is so dominant here you wouldn't know Joseph H. Lewis was also behind the camera. The story doesn't have any of the he-she psychosexual politicking that juices the director's Gun Crazy , but that's no loss given this film's richer returns. The set-pieces are fierce, as is the Casablanca tweak of the last shot, and Wallace's performance—a sad spectacle of a hurting creature caught between light and dark, good and evil—is one of noir's great unheralded triumphs." [19]

The review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported that 93% of critics gave the film a positive review, based on 14 reviews, with a weighted average of 7.00/10. [20]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cornel Wilde</span> Hungarian-American actor and film director (1912–1989)

Cornel Wilde was a Hungarian-American actor and filmmaker.

<i>Leave Her to Heaven</i> 1945 film by John M. Stahl

Leave Her to Heaven is a 1945 American film directed by John M. Stahl and starring Gene Tierney, Cornel Wilde, Jeanne Crain, and Vincent Price. It follows a socialite who marries a prominent novelist, which spurs a violent, obsessive, and dangerous jealousy in her. It is based on the 1944 novel of the same name by Ben Ames Williams, adapted by screenwriter Jo Swerling.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Conte</span> American actor (1910–1975)

Nicholas Peter Conte, known professionally as Richard Conte, was an American actor. He appeared in more than 100 films from 1939 through the 1970s, including I'll Cry Tomorrow, Ocean's 11, and The Godfather.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Raksin</span> American composer (1912–2004)

David Raksin was an American composer who was noted for his work in film and television. Raksin had more than 100 film scores and 300 television scores to his credit. Some sources called him the "Grandfather of Film Music".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Alton</span> American-Hungarian cinematographer (1901–1996)

John Alton, born Johann Jacob Altmann, in Sopron, Kingdom of Hungary, was an American cinematographer of Hungarian-German origin. Alton photographed some of the most famous films noir of the classic period and won an Academy Award for the cinematography of An American in Paris (1951), becoming the first Hungarian-born person to do so in the cinematography category. He also worked as a director during the Golden Age of Argentine cinema.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jean Wallace</span> American actress (1923–1990)

Jean Wallace was an American television and film actress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philip Yordan</span> American screenwriter and producer

Philip Yordan was an American screenwriter, film producer, novelist and playwright. He was a three-time Academy Award nominee, winning Best Story for Broken Lance (1954).

<i>Whistle Stop</i> (1946 film) 1946 film by Léonide Moguy

Whistle Stop is a 1946 American film noir crime film directed by Léonide Moguy and starring George Raft, Ava Gardner, Victor McLaglen, and Tom Conway. It was produced by Seymour Nebenzal's Nero Films and distributed by United Artists. The screenplay was written by Philip Yordan, based on a 1941 novel of the title by Maritta M. Wolff.

<i>House of Strangers</i> 1949 American film by Joseph L. Mankiewicz

House of Strangers is a 1949 American black-and-white drama film directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz and starring Edward G. Robinson, Susan Hayward, and Richard Conte. The screenplay by Philip Yordan and Mankiewicz is the first of three film versions of Jerome Weidman's novel I'll Never Go There Any More, the others being the Spencer Tracy western Broken Lance (1954) and The Big Show (1961).

<i>Shockproof</i> 1949 film by Douglas Sirk

Shockproof is a 1949 American crime film noir directed by Douglas Sirk and starring Patricia Knight and Cornel Wilde. Wilde and Knight were husband and wife during filming. They divorced in 1951.

<i>Big Jack</i> (film) 1949 film by Richard Thorpe

Big Jack is a 1949 American Western film starring Wallace Beery, Richard Conte and Marjorie Main. The movie was directed by Richard Thorpe, and the screenplay was written by Gene Fowler and Otto Eis from the novel by Robert Thoeren. The picture is a comedy-drama, set on the American frontier in the early 1800s, about outlaws who befriend a young doctor in legal trouble for acquiring corpses for anatomical research.

Jakob Gimpel was a Polish concert pianist and educator.

<i>Womans World</i> (1954 film) 1954 film by Jean Negulesco

Woman's World is a 1954 American CinemaScope and print by Technicolor drama film about corporate America directed by Jean Negulesco and starring Clifton Webb, June Allyson, Van Heflin, Lauren Bacall, Fred MacMurray, Arlene Dahl and Cornel Wilde. The screenplay concerns three men who compete for the top job at a large company.

<i>Star of India</i> (film) 1954 film

Star of India is a 1954 British-Italian swashbuckling adventure film directed by Arthur Lubin and starring Cornel Wilde, Jean Wallace, Herbert Lom, and Walter Rilla. It was shot at the Riverside Studios in London and on location in Aosta. The film's sets were designed by the art director Cedric Dawe. It was released in the United States in April 1956 by United Artists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maureen Swanson</span> British actress (1932–2011)

Maureen Ward, Countess of Dudley, was a British actress. Born in Glasgow, Scotland, she was the daughter of James Swanson. As Maureen Swanson, she featured in British pictures during the 1950s and retired from acting in 1961, following her marriage to Viscount Ednam.

<i>Joe MacBeth</i> 1955 film by Ken Hughes

Joe MacBeth is a 1955 British–American crime drama, directed by Ken Hughes and starring Paul Douglas, Ruth Roman and Bonar Colleano. It is a modern retelling of Shakespeare's Macbeth, set in a 1930s American criminal underworld. The film's plot closely follows that of Shakespeare's original play. It has been called "the first really stand out movie" of Hughes' career.

<i>Storm Fear</i> 1956 film by Cornel Wilde

Storm Fear is a 1955 American crime drama film noir directed by Cornel Wilde in his directorial debut, and starring Wilde, Jean Wallace, Dan Duryea, and Lee Grant. It follows a bank robber and his gang who seek shelter at his brother's mountain cabin, where he rekindles a romance with his brother's wife and connects with her son, whom he believes he fathered. It is based on the 1954 novel of the same name by Clinton Seeley.

<i>Passion</i> (1954 film) 1954 film by Allan Dwan

Passion is a 1954 American Western film directed by Allan Dwan and written by Howard Estabrook, Beatrice A. Dresher and Joseph Lejtes. The film stars Cornel Wilde, Yvonne De Carlo, Raymond Burr, Lon Chaney Jr., Rodolfo Acosta and John Qualen. The film was released on October 6, 1954, by RKO Pictures.

<i>Maracaibo</i> (film) 1958 film by Cornel Wilde

Maracaibo is a 1958 American drama film directed by Cornel Wilde and written by Ted Sherdeman. The film stars Cornel Wilde, Jean Wallace, Abbe Lane, Francis Lederer, Michael Landon and Joe E. Ross. The film was released on May 21, 1958, by Paramount Pictures.

Slaves of Babylon is a 1953 American adventure film directed by William Castle and starring Richard Conte and Linda Christian

References

  1. ↑ The Internet Movie Database and Turner Classic Movies state February 13, 1955 as the US release date. This date is most likely wrong: According to the index of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the film premiered on March 23, 1955 in Los Angeles, while The New York Times reviewed the film on March 26, 1955 as a "new feature at Palace".
  2. 1 2 Scheuer, P. K. (Mar 13, 1955). "A TOWN CALLED HOLLYWOOD". Los Angeles Times. ProQuest   166767985.
  3. ↑ The Big Combo at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films .
  4. ↑ "U.S. Copyright Public Records System". publicrecords.copyright.gov. Retrieved 2023-05-27.
  5. ↑ "Code of Federal Regulations 37CFR201.7 | U.S. Copyright Office". www.copyright.gov. Retrieved 2023-05-27.
  6. ↑ Schallert, Edwin (Sep 16, 1953). "Warners, Metro Slate African Subjects; Jimmy Wakely Back in Cinema". Los Angeles Times. p. B9.
  7. ↑ SCHALLERT, EDWIN (Oct 12, 1953). "Drama: 'Hannibal' Lurks as Big New Italian Undertaking; Phillip Terry Resuming". Los Angeles Times. p. B9.
  8. ↑ Schallert, Edwin (23 June 1954). "'Big Combo' Will Star Cornel Wilde; Vanessa Brown Debates Musical". Los Angeles Times. p. B7.
  9. ↑ THOMAS M. PRYOR Special to The New York Times.22 June 1954. "PALLADIUM STARS SOUGHT FOR MOVIE: History of Famous London Music Hall Would Include American Entertainers". p. 24.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  10. ↑ HEDDA HOPPER (July 9, 1954). "Jean Wallace to Act Opposite Her Husband". Los Angeles Times. p. B6.
  11. ↑ "MOVIELAND BRIEFS". Los Angeles Times. Sep 1, 1954. p. 21.
  12. ↑ THOMAS M. PRYOR (Sep 1, 1954). "PALANCE LEAVES 'BIG COMBO' FILM: Richard Conte Will Replace Actor in Co-Starring Role -- Prologue for '7 Year itch'". The New York Times. p. 32.
  13. ↑ "Olive Films to Release Joseph H. Lewis' The Big Combo". bluray.com. July 17, 2013. Archived from the original on May 27, 2023. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
  14. ↑ "The Big Combo Blu-ray". arrowfilms.com. Archived from the original on Jan 27, 2023. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
  15. ↑ Kemp, Philip. International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers. Vol 4: Writers and Production Artists, New York-London, 2000.
  16. ↑ Variety. Staff film review, December 31, 1954. Last accessed: March 18, 2024.
  17. ↑ Silver, Alain, and Elizabeth Ward, eds. Film Noir: An Encyclopedic Reference to the American Style, film noir analysis by Carl Macek, page 29. Woodstock, New York: The Overlook Press, 3rd edition, 1992. ISBN   0-87951-479-5.
  18. ↑ CineScene [usurped] film review, 2004.
  19. ↑ B Noir. Slant Magazine , film review, May 5, 2006. Last accessed: November 16, 2024.
  20. ↑ The Big Combo at Rotten Tomatoes. Last accessed: December 16, 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.