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Clash by Night (1952)

Rate: 7
Viewed: 10/08, 6/25

ClashNight
10/08: Clash by Night has a slow first half before picking up the pace and ends well on a high note.

The performances rendered by Barbara Stanwyck, Paul Douglas, Robert Ryan, and Marilyn Monroe are fine. I feel Keith Andes got lucky to be part of the cast; he's a very limited actor. Fritz Lang's direction isn't bad, but he wastes a lot of time on trivial stuff like seagulls, fish, seals, and secondary characters.

Also, there's no way that a pretty woman like Marilyn Monroe would work in a sardine cannery. Come on, please. For a while, I considered giving the film a '4' until I began to see the central point. By the way, Clash by Night isn't film noir but is rather heavy in drama.

I had a hard time believing Mae Doyle's attraction to Earl due to his smarmy leechlike personality. If Robert Ryan was replaced by Lawrence Tierney or maybe Marlon Brando, then yeah...I could see. The message is, in order to save a relationship, to have priorities in order while easing up on the selfishness; in short, it's the reverse version of A Doll's House.

All in all, Clash by Night is a solid, if talky, drama picture.

6/25: I'm downgrading my rating for Clash by Night from '8' to '7'.

While the performances by Barbara Stanwyck, Paul Douglas, Robert Ryan (who has the best lines of anyone), and Marilyn Monroe are well done, the writing is ultimately too much. Therefore, it needs to be cut down to save the running time by at least twenty minutes. The themes are relevant as ever with the woman, who's easily bored, settling for less. A selfish guy comes along to provide a minute or two of excitement but lacks stability, and her problems begin right away.

No matter what, this ain't film noir. It's at best a drama. Fritz Lang being credited as the director may dissuade some from showing interest in the film, but his traditional hokiness is kept to the minimum, mostly at the beginning. Then, the acting takes over. There have been times the principal leads turned the show into a staged play.

All in all, Clash by Night needs a tighter script.