Chris Cross is a timid cashier who paints in secret. When he saves a woman named Kitty from a street attacker, he falls for her, and she and her boyfriend Johnny scheme to use him. Worth watching for how Lang lets a quiet man break.
At a glance
Scarlet Street is a 1945 film noir, crime and drama film directed by Fritz Lang. This breakdown covers 5 techniques (2 narrative, 2 psychology and 1 editing), each with the scene where you can see it. If you like how it is made, The Ladykillers uses several of the same techniques.
Moving a known story into a new genre, country or era while keeping its core plot, so the familiar skeleton takes on a different meaning.
How this film uses it
The film takes the story of the 1931 French novel La Chienne and Jean Renoir's film of the same name. Lang moves the setting from Paris to Greenwich Village in 1934.
Where to see it
Chris's New York: the cashier's life in Greenwich Village follows the old story in a new country.
Showing one character steering another through suggestion, reading, triggers or false trust. The manipulation works because the target wants to believe or cannot resist.
How this film uses it
Kitty and Johnny read Chris's loneliness and use it. Kitty is sweet to him so he will rent her an apartment and give her money.
Where to see it
The studio apartment: Kitty persuades Chris to rent her an apartment as an art studio, and he steals money for her.
Showing a character who holds feelings down until they leak out or burst. The performance lives in what is withheld, and the release lands harder for the wait.
How this film uses it
Chris is a timid man who hides his feelings and his painting. His anger waits for a moment when he cannot take any more.
Where to see it
The stabbing: Chris finds Kitty with Johnny, she mocks his age and appearance, and he stabs her to death.
Making an innocent person look guilty through coincidence and circumstantial evidence, while the audience knows or senses the truth. Everyday life turns dangerous because nobody believes them.
How this film uses it
Johnny is convicted and executed for the murder that Chris committed. The film lets you watch someone pay for a crime he did not commit.
Where to see it
The trial: Johnny is convicted of Kitty's murder, though you know Chris did it.
Jumping ahead years after the story has resolved to show what became of a character. The whole story before it then reads as a look back at what was right and wrong.
How this film uses it
The story skips ahead 5 years to show where Chris ended up. The result is a bleak look back at everything he lost.
Where to see it
The last scenes: 5 years later, Chris is destitute and mad, and watches his portrait of Kitty sell for $10,000.
Questions
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