NAKED CITY

US, 1948, 96 minutes, Black and white.
Barry Fitzgerald, Howard Duff, Dorothy Hart, Don Taylor.
Directed by Jules Dassin.

The Naked City was a famous film in its day and was very influential on film-making, especially of police action stories of the American cities. It subsequently became a noted television series.

The film was famous because it used a semi-documentary style, promoted by producer Mark Hellinger who spoke the commentary throughout the film. It used the city of New York and its natural atmosphere. The director was Jules Dassin, who later complained of how much was taken out of his film by production heads. However, the film remains as a noted example of the semi-documentary realism of American action films of the 'forties. Dassin, who was to suffer under the blacklisting in the early 'fifties, made such classics as Rififi, Never on Sunday and has worked in Europe throughout the fifties, sixties and seventies e.g. A Dream of Passion (1978).

1. Why was this film enjoyable and interesting? As a film of 1948? Its originality compared with subsequent T.V.series?

2. How well does the film compare with subsequent series? Where does it lack? Where is it superior? Why?

3. The impact of the technique of Mark Hellinger speaking and his commentary throughout the film? Did this technique always work? The spoken credits, the appearance of the city and its description? Bellinger's questions and comments during the film?

4. The impact of the naked city itself? The presentation of time, the days? the city itself and its buildings and streets, the people in the details of their time and work, the city at work, the city at play, the city at rest? How interesting a portrait of New York In the 40s was the film?

5. The technique of showing the murder in small detail in the beginning? The vagueness of the appearance and the identities and our interest in the case? The fact that we knew slightly more than the police? Our participation in the police investigation? How successful was audience involvement?

6. How well was the documentary style used? The detail of police work and its visualisation, especially at the start? The phone calls and the various departments at work?

7. How successful was the film in having Barry Fitzgerald as its star? Audience response to him and his style? The Irish New York police? How interesting a character was he in himself? As a man of integrity? ordinary, in control, his wide experience, his style of interrogation? his ability to sum up, his wry and humorous remarks? How does he compare with tougher more modern police?

8. The contrast with Halloran? How interesting was he? His war career, a younger man, inexperienced, learning, his ability to question and follow hunches, background of his home# his walking the streets, the final achievement and the danger he undertook?

9. The other police - especially those who walked the streets and asked questions? Was the film a fair presentation of police work?

10. The character of Jean Dexter as she emerged? Her life in New York, her Polish background, changing her name? What attracted her to the city and criminal life? The skill of her work? The inevitability of her murder? The importance of the parent sequence and her mother's reaction of hatred and then of love? The calm regret about her way of life? The Blonde and the headlines and then the final irony of people forgetting, the papers in the gutters? The comment there?

11. The portrayal of Frank Niles, as a typical young criminal? his capacity for lying, his response at interviews? Hts self-centredness and callousness towards Ruth? His gradual involvement in robberies? The fact that he gave information? The inevitable imprisonment?

12. How strongly portrayed was Doctor Stoneman - did audiences suspects his involvement? The reality of his infatuation? the humiliation, was the attempted suicide credible? Did the audience have compassion for him?

13. The interest in the tracking down of Willy Gaza? The patient searching? Billy and his brutality? The final chase? Was it too much?

14. Was the climax on the bridge exaggerated or did it fit in with the rest of the film? The shooting? Gaza's desperate escape?

15. The film is considered excellent in its detail and an a police saga.