The Big Combo
| Program section: | Retrospective: Joseph H. Lewis |
|---|---|
| Directed by: | Joseph H. Lewis |
| Year: | 1955 |
| Country: | USA |
| Length: | 87 min. |
| Cast: | ornel Wilde, Richard Conte, Jean Wallace, Brian Donlevy, Robert Middleton and others. |
Screening:
- 20. 8. 2026 | 20:30 - Kašpar Sternberg's Courtyard / CZ subs /
Production: Security Pictures, Theodora Productions
Script/Based on: Philip Yordan
Director of Photography: John Alton
Score: David Raksin
We’re all familiar with this image: against an abstract backdrop of thick fog, the sharp silhouettes of a woman and a man stand out. Since we can’t see their faces, we don’t know exactly what’s happening between them, but the entire composition creates a tension that’s hard to pinpoint. The creator of one of the most iconic shots in film noir is cinematographer John Alton, who approached The Big Combo as a showcase of noir techniques. Joseph H. Lewis’s final noir (after which he devoted himself almost exclusively to Westerns) has other attractions as well. The story of a showdown between an obsessive police officer and a notorious gangster is based on an excellent screenplay by Philip Yordan, which is packed with gritty one-liners, daring double entendres, and opportunities for excessive violence. Lewis and his collaborators seem to have known that the classic film noir cycle had reached its natural conclusion, and so they both recapitulate and boldly intensify its characteristic tropes. (mh)
