Customer Reviews

Blast of Silence (The Criterion Collection)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This movie was not like any other I have ever seen, but I haven't seen them all and I haven't seen all of Cassavetes' work, which keeps being mentioned in connection with it. Dated? Not to me unless you are referring to the Village Gate scene and I prefer to call that "period" rather than "dated."

I'd recommend this movie to anyone who happens to be reading about it--you are obviously interested in noirs and this, for being a little past the noir period, is about as noir as you can get. Unforgettable, too.

The extras on the DVD were terrific. Wish that Criterion Collection movies weren't so expensive, but I must admit they are worth it.

**** 1961. Written and directed by Allen Baron. Frank Bono, a hitman, arrives in NYC in order to kill the mobster Troiano. While he's carefully preparing the hit, he meets Lorrie, a girl he knew when he was at the orphanage. I sincerely admit that I hadn't heard of this motion picture before last night and wouldn't have had the curiosity to take a look at it if a different collection than Criterion had released it. I simply had confidence in the team who already made me discover such great movies as Sidney Gilliat's Green for Danger - Criterion Collection or Herk Harvey's Carnival of Souls - Criterion Collection. In short, BLAST OF SILENCE is a film noir that deserves to be rediscovered. Far away from the Hollywood dream machine, Allen Barron shot a realistic film noir whose mood can be compared to the films of Jules Dassin of the late 40's or the first motion pictures of the French New wave. Highly recommended.

A hitman comes to the city at Christmastime. He carefully stalks his victim, ruminates in hotel rooms, haggles over weaponry, courts an old flame and eventually undertakes the job.

Allen Barron wrote and directed this anxious thriller, and also plays the hitman. His 77-minute 1961 noir is slim in plot, running time and budget, but rich in the inspiration it clearly offered to Martin Scorsese and Francis Coppola.

"Blast" feels like a movie that's dated by today's standards but was probably unlike anything else around in 1961, at least this side of French New Wave ~ though it's interesting that Godard's "Breathless" was being filmed at the exact same time as "Blast."

Barron uses stark black-and-white photography and on-the-fly New York locations to great effect: The storm that serves as a backdrop to the climax is apparently real and is reportedly the only hurricane to strike the east coast during the entire 20th century. On the other hand, one scene shot in the Village Gate features a man who may possibly be the most abrasively monotonous nightclub singer ever committed to film.

The tiny apartments, narrow hallways and buildings of blank windows predict "Taxi Driver," and one tremendously awkward date smacks of Travis Bickle. The clubs and cars and gangsters seem a little like outtakes from "Raging Bull," and one particular assassination could've served as a test sketch for a later killing that appeared in "Godfather Part II." One nearly expects to spot Gena Rowlands and John Cassavetes, or the gang from "Who's That Knocking at My Door," bickering in the background during other scenes.

But what makes this movie truly unusual is the narration, written by Waldo Salt and delivered by Lionel Stander, who's probably best known for playing the faithful driver Max on "Hart to Hart. Stander's voice sounds like something cranked out of a tarpit with a hand winch. Salt wrote the narration in second-person present tense, which gives it the sound of a sympathetic and schooled observer, or possibly even an imaginary friend. It may be a little too hard boiled (the yolk is fairly bursting through the shell) but it's occasionally haunting and gives "Blast of Silence" a unique voice to match its inky tones and Barron's eyes, which always appear to be shakily resisting total despair.

I enjoyed the extras more than the movie. The documentary where Allen Baron breathlessly spoke about his unheralded film in 1990 and 2006 tied it all together for me. I believe the film itself is something I wouldn't have stayed with for long while channel surfing. I found this at the library and the scenario described on the case sounded too interesting to pass up. Beautifully shot and good acting despite the budget, it reminds me of The Hustler or Taxi Driver. Nearly every character in it could be taken as a loser. Frank Bono seems be unhappy in both possible futures: loner assassin or married architect. He could have easily been a popular guy if only he'd let friends get near. Big Ralph appears to have a single room apartment full of hamster cages and a bathtub covered with a plank so it can be used as a table.

It would be like if Robert DeNiro made a film in 1961 and then never acted again. Only directed. Baron is fascinating!

Allen Baron's BLAST OF SILENCE is a one-of-a-kind noir masterpiece. For decades, it's been difficult to find. Luckily for us, Criterion has recently released it on DVD, and true to form, they've restored it to perfect condition. For lovers of independent New York films, cult movies, crime flicks, and anyone who loves good cinema, this is essential viewing. The special features are indeed special, and add to a deeper appreciation of an overlooked classic. Highly recommended.

I liked the film but mostly as a camp B movie and low budget first film. The Criterion DVD quality is excellent. The extras are very good.

I love the NYC tracking scenes. The City and the photography is the real star of the film. Like Kubrick's Killer Kiss, you see the director's photography background.

The narration is terrible and never needed to be included. Without all that nonsense it would have had some mystery to it and could have been mistaken for French or Italian noir. The written narration itself wasn't really bad but the spoken delivery was just bad and total cornball and all in all was not needed at all. It took away all the mystery.

The Conga player should have irritated Bono enough to get taken out back and shot---that would have been "cool man." The film's problems can be excused as bordering on parody of 50's noir films and TV. Reminded me of various less supernatural Twilight Zone episodes and I almost expected Rod Serling at the end...."Frank Bono....blah blah...is now in the "Twilight Zone." Also reminded me of the 1948 film and TV series, "The Naked City" at times.

I like most of the music (except the horrid Conga player singing his obnoxious "avante garde" poetry.) I can only excuse it as a parody of 50's Greewich Village.

I noticed that the film's composer lifted or imitated a riff from Bernard Hermann's North by Northwest---the scenes where Franky is trailing the Fatman and also when Franky is escaping the scene of the hit. You also hear it twice in the excellent Documentary. I wonder if Baron even realizes it? He probably does. At that point, the soundtrack shifts from the jazz sound and goes orchestral, with a very close imitation of the famous, high-tension, Hermann riff. Not exact, but I noticed it immediatly.

Afterall, Hermann was the greatest composer for thrillers, so looking to him for some high-tension music, would not be unusual--No way Meyer Kupferman (the composer) did that riff that close to the "North by Northwest," theme by accident. The same riff has other Hermann variations in Vertigo, Psycho and later, Marnie.

Recommend viewing despite it's obvious problems, just for the NYC walking scenes, the Rat scenes and that bizarre club scene. I also like the Club bathroom scene with Flies, buzzing around and landing on the fatman and Bono. Very over the top noir house flies.

I think it misses the mark to seriously start comparing it to the better film noir classics. It's really pretty camp.

I saw this movie when it was first released. I loved it! I had never seen anything like it and tried to get my buddies to see it. They felt the same way I had at first."This movie can't be any good, there's nobody famous in it". It taught me that there was a whole world of films out there that I hadn't been aware of. It was a great discovery that echoes down to this day. The film is probably about a 3 1/2 but I'll give it four for the life lesson it taught!

This film bridges the gap between classic 50s noir, and the more
complex, improvisational dark NYC films to come, first by Cassavettes,
and then by Scorsese.

Very reminiscent of, if not as psychologically complex, surreal, and
twisted as, the writings of Jim Thompson.

A hit man from Cleveland comes to New York for one last job.

The film uses 2nd person narration - 'You feel this', or 'You sense
danger'. It's an interesting technique I can't remember encountering in
a movie before, which plays with your head in a good way. Who's
narrating the film? Obviously the 'you' is the main character, but by
subtle implication it makes US him. The narration was written under a
pseudonym by the great blacklisted writer Waldo Salt.

Beautiful, stark and depressing photography - which I guess describes
the film as a whole as well.

A couple of terrific, odd supporting characters add to the nightmare
atmosphere. While some of the acting is variable, and a few twists are
too telegraphed, this is a film that has stuck with me.

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I think "Blast of Silence" is possibly the single best film I have ever seen at portraying the raw emotions of a criminal, the life he lives, and the justifications for his actions. I know that all may sound kind of heady -- but the great thing about this film is that it is so unpretentious and just portrays the stark, depressing realities of a loner as he takes care of his job over a few days in New York. Classic hard-boiled writing and excellent direction puts this leagues above a lot of other B-films of the era. for my money, much better than Kubrick's "The Killing" or other crime films from the late 50s and early 60s.