Customer Reviews

Clash By Night [VHS]

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Director Fritz Lang opens "Clash by Night" with a violent crashing of waves that sets the audience on edge and foreshadows the inner turbulence of the film's protagonist, Mae Doyle. This is followed by an extended documentary sequence that was filmed on location in Monterey, California, illustrating the daily routine in the fishing town. Boats come in with their catch; their crews unload the fish; and the cannery processes them. It's a memorable sequence, and I was surprised to find it in this relationship drama. Mae Doyle (Barbara Stanwyck) has returned to town after a 10-year absence that left her disillusioned with life, love and the plans she had. Her brother Joe (Keith Anders) works on a fishing boat owned by Jerry D'Amato (Paul Douglas), a cheerful, simple-minded man who is smitten with Mae. Joe's good friend Earl Pfeiffer (Robert Ryan) couldn't be more different. He's misogynistic, lecherous, and deeply needy. Mae is attracted and repulsed by the cynicism that she sees in Earl and shares with him. She'd like a man like Jerry to take care of her, but knows she could never be satisfied with that.

"Clash by Night" is based on the play by Clifford Odets, and it's fun to try to pick out the lines that sound like Odets by their affectedness. Usually the actors deliver the lines casually, so they don't sound too histrionic. I found that the film's strength is its documentary-like qualities, which don't end after the introductory sequence. The vignettes of working class life and conversations about family matters lend the film an authenticity that it really needs considering that Barbara Stanwyck' s glamour and forcefulness seem as out of place in that town as her character professes to feel. Robert Ryan was a terrific character actor who could just as easily be sympathetic or loathsome, and he's convincingly obnoxious here. It's not clear if Earl is suffering from feelings of inferiority or superiority, but he's an overbearing, moody, insufferable jerk. "Clash by Night" was the first film in which Marilyn Monroe had billing above the title. She's beautiful and youthful as Joe's feisty girlfriend Peggy, even if she had trouble with her lines, as Fritz Lang claimed. "Clash by Night" is a bit of melodrama, I suppose, in which people's needs and desires clash with life's realities. But strong performances and a realistic environment make it an interesting film.

The DVD (Warner Brothers 2005): There is an occasional flaw, but this is generally a good print. Bonus features are a theatrical trailer (2 ½ minutes) and an audio commentary by Peter Bogdanovich and Fritz Lang. Most of the commentary is Bogdanovich. Occasional brief contributions from Lang were recorded by Peter Bogdanovich in 1965 when he was interviewing Lang for his book "Fritz Lang in America". It's a good commentary in which Bogdanovich provides scene-by-scene comments on the actors, characters, dialogue, filming anecdotes, and, of particular interest to me, analysis of some of the longer shots and cuts. Subtitles for the film are available in English, Spanish, and French.

This review is for the 2005 Warner Brothers DVD.

The storyline revolves around Mae Doyle (Barbara Stanwick) who returns to a Northern California fishing community after a ten-year hiatus. She left that town hoping to find a wealthy or prestigious man to marry, but her dreams never materialized. Upon returning she runs into an old acquaintance, Jerry D'Amato (Paul Douglas), at a bar and they later start dating even though they have very little in common. Jerry is hardworking and stable, yet a boring simpleton. Mae is fickle and shallow. Jerry introduces Mae to his best friend Earl (Robert Ryan) who is cantankerous yet very extroverted - pretty much the exact opposite of Jerry. From this point on in the movie, the human dynamics these three people go all over the map and develop into an enthralling plot for the viewer.

I was initially taken off guard with the way the film ended, but I couldn't get it out of my head for the rest of the day and realized it took a very brave direction with the issues it confronted. Furthermore, the movie is probably more representative of today's social landscape than it was when the film was made and has some hard-hitting commentary for the consequences of people's actions. There is however, one scene that is clearly politically incorrect by today's standards where Earl imitates a Chinese person. The movie also contained some refreshing scenes of a young Marilyn Monroe who plays the girlfriend of Mae's brother. Overall I give the film a solid recommendation for viewing.

The DVD is remastered but not restored and as a result, the black and white transfer is sharp but occasionally tiny spots of film deterioration can be observed. The sound is fine. The DVD comes with commentary by Peter Bogdanovich, with audio interview excerpts of director Fritz Lang.

PLEASE NOTE: Before buying this DVD, consider buying the Film Noir Classic Collection, Vol. 2 which contains this movie plus four other highly recommended movies at a very reasonable price.


Movie: B

DVD Quality: B

Most reviewers of this film seem to have 'gotten it' with respect to the film's undeniable stance in both Robert Ryan and Fritz Lang's careers. Both celebrities enjoy considerable cult status, and they united for the film, which, along with Barbara Stanwyck's jaded portrait of a fallen woman, achieved a cinema realism that was rare in those days. The film was another example of RKO's attempts to bring outstanding films to the screen. One would be hard pressed to find another studio that so consistently sought artistic merit, dissimilar from studios like Warner Brothers, which catered more to mass interest.

The love triangle involving Ryan, Stanwyck and Paul Douglas, seems entirely plausible then and now. It is amazing to see that the sexual attraction between Ryan and Stanwyck was conveyed without the de rigueur explicit romp in the hay that predominates any film made in the last thirty years. If the viewer wants to see some real sexual tension without the overtness viewers are subjected to these days to get them to watch what's out there, simply watch the scene in which Ryan and Stanwyck engage in a short but heated embrace. One doesn't need to see anything more than Stanwyck's hand clutching Ryan's bare back underneath his T-shirt to envision what happens next.

The addition of secondary players, Marilyn Monroe and Keith Andes, likewise didn't need to achieve its sexual effect in the blatant manner employed in films these days. J. Carrol Naish's devilish Uncle Vince was also a tour de force for this wonderful character actor, and Silvio Minciotti effectively portrayed Paul Douglas's lonely widowed father.

Add to these dynamics a wonderful screenplay, sharply written and without a maudlin word to it. Lang's direction is, without question, faultless, and I can't think of a false move anywhere in the film. Paul Douglas ably portrays the thankless role of the cuckolded husband, and he engenders sympathy for his trusting nature.

However, above all, this is an example of another RKO film in which Robert Ryan's presence elevates the proceedings from a B grade to an A+ grade. The scene in which he is seen at his most intensely lonely moment needs to be seen to be appreciated, when his character, the lonely Earl Pfeiffer, is scorned by Stanwyck's Mae Doyle at her wedding. His descent downstairs at the wedding reception is a classic 'Ryan' vignette of him enacting the quintessential 'film noir' spirit of desperate loneliness, a scene that sticks in one's mind far into the future after the movie is over. In fact, every scene involving Ryan is amazing, and it doesn't seem possible that anyone could find fault with his performance, unless their judgment is seriously lacking.

Clash By Night opens with waves crashing against rocks and seagulls flying effortlessly over the windswept sea. Perhaps this is meant to symbolize the dueling powers of freedom and passion, and although by today's standards the images might appear clichéd, they give do give the viewer a good indication of what is to come in this marvelously acted exploration of romantic dreams gone wrong.

The characters in the sensational Clash By Night are moving through a landscape of disenchantment and broken hearts; they're crippled and frustrated with disappointments that life hasn't quite panned out the way they wanted. This is particularly true of the movie's central character, Mae Doyle (Barbara Stanwyck) who returns home to the small fishing village of Monterrey after being away for ten years.

Things haven't really gone that well for Mae. Apparently she became involved with a married politician, but she got sick and tired of waiting for him. Now she's bitter and cynical, a tough hard-bitten broad who drinks like a fish, smokes like a chimney, and makes wise cracks about the pointlessness of love and the futility of men. Mae's become tired from running away from her problems and of being vulnerable.

Mae's sexy and very beefy younger brother Joe (Keith Andes) is weary of her. He's not happy that she's back but he tells her that he can stay with him temporarily. His fiancée, Peggy (a delectable Marylyn Monroe) is immediately drawn to Mae - she admires Mae's independent spirit and her sense of adventure. Although Peggy loves Joe, there's a part of her that, like Mae, desires to be liberated and unconventional.

Soon Mae reconnects with Jerry D'Amato (Paul Douglas), a kindly, hard-working, and affable fisherman. He showers her with attention and compassion and is immediately taken by her spirited and strong-willed ways. Eventually Jerry asks her to marry him, but Mae is unsure. Jerry's a little too simple and unsophisticated for the complex Mae. She realizes doesn't love Jerry, but she thinks this marriage will give her stable life, one in which she can feel secure.

When Jerry introduces Mae to his close friend, movie projectionist, Earl Pfeiffer (Robert Ryan), she's initially put off by his cynical and rude ways. He makes disparaging remarks about Asians and threatens to stick pins in his wife. Mae is disgusted, but something draws her to him. Earl is a startlingly handsome and virile man, but he's also a kindred spirit; someone who, like Mae, has been searching for love, but has somehow ended up disappointed.

The stage is set for some fiery emotion as these three characters become involved in a desperate and distracted love triangle. The three of them desperately want love and security but they're not sure how to get it and whom to get it from. Mae is torn between her desire to be a fully independent woman and her need for the security of a marriage. She doesn't want to conform but in many respects she has no choice. And her dilemma is representative of many spirited women in the 1950's. In one instance, she screams at Jerry, that she just can't play "house" anymore.

Earl is a drifter and the last thing he wants is to be saddled with a child. He's also a romantic loser, who gripes about his failed marriage and is predominantly selfish at heart. Jerry is sincere, but he's also rather infantile and naïve and you can understand why Mae gradually tires of him. Mae is drawn to Jerry out of a yearning, to be taken care of, but she's forced to sublimate and hide her real passions, which are for Earl.

Clash by Night is a beautifully acted ensemble drama. The movie is full of complex and multifaceted characters who steadily grow and transform as the story progresses. Even the innocent naïve Peggy is forced to confront what she really wants when Joe meets her spirited ways head on. No one in this movie wants to grow old - alone and alienated; they're all desperate but, as in keeping with the time, their choices are remarkably limited.

Director, Fritz Lang doesn't sugar-coat the characters or avoid the issues; and he manages to show, with a startling authenticity, how easy it is for us to go through life choosing to see faults in other people yet often blind to the faults within ourselves. Mike Leonard July 05.

Interesting "little" 1950's film noir, with always terrific Stanwyck as the worn out bad girl who returns home, to what's left of her family, because she has nowhere else to go. Clifford Odets written morality tale, with as much dark, suggested sexual undercurrent as the early 1950's would allow. Set in the atmospheric California fishing coast, ala "Cannery Row". Especially interesting as early Marilyn Monroe vehicle. She is charasmatic and convincing as the simple and naieve but not stupid Peg, who is to marry Stanwycks characters brother, played by Keith Andes.Her innocent Peg is a perfect contrast to Stanwycks world-weary character. I always find Marilyns pre-star roles very interesting. Hind sight is 20/20, but to see her obvious talent and screen prescence, before she was an icon, it's easy to see that she was something special. She gives an excellant acting performance in this film, in which she was up against big-leaguers and old pros. This is the film M.M. was shooting when the news broke that she had posed for the then very scandalous nude calendar. Apparently the stars of this movie were getting irritated at all the focus on this little blonde girl, with one commenting "That blonde... is getting all the publicity!". Sometimes the "smaller" films can be more interesting than the big studio hits, and I consider this one of those. A moody, sensual movie, in the classic tradition of all those great black & white films of the 1940's & early '50's. Definatley worth a look.

Although the emphasis here is on emotions rather than mayhem, fans of "Film Noir" will chew on Fritz Lang's "Clash By Night" with relish. What saves this film from becoming another weepy 50's melodrama are the cynical, tough-as-nails characters played by Barbara Stanwyck and Robert Ryan. They are the illicit lovers cuckolding hubby Paul Douglas' naive, easygoing Monterey Bay fisherman. Ryan brings a sweat-streaked, smouldering, "Streetcar Named Desire" intensity to all of his scenes with Stanwyck, who holds her own as a restless, world-weary housewife with a "been there done that" past. Stanwyck and Ryan play out thier furtive romantic scenes like rutting animals (this is pretty hot stuff by early 50's standards). Paul Douglas gives his career-best performance, particularly when he registers heartbreak, betrayal, and internal struggle between gentle demeanor and homicidal rage all in one pivotal scene ("ANIMALS! That's what you are...ANIMALS...!") Marilyn Monroe is excellent in a small but memorable role as Stanwyck's tomboyish sister-in-law. What makes this film unique in the Noir canon is that while there is a fair amount of violence, none of it is fatal in the literal sense. The only fatalities here are the characters' hopes, dreams and faith in humanity-now THAT's what I call Noir!

Movie: ***** DVD Transfer: *** Extras: *****

Pungent, brilliantly acted romantic melodrama about a world-weary woman (Barbara Stanwyck) who returns to the small fishing community where she was raised, and finds herself torn between the man she marries for security (Paul Douglas) and his embittered, iconoclastic best friend (Robert Ryan). Adapted from a stage play by Clifford Odets, "Clash by Night" offered Stanwyck one of her best roles of the early 1950's, and she responded by delivering a richly textured, superbly nuanced performance that won her the year's Laurel Award from the Motion Picture Exhibitors of America. The always interesting Ryan was shown to good advantage as Stanwyck's emotionally stunted lover, and the film also provided meaty supporting roles to newcomer Keith Andes and rising star Marilyn Monroe as Stanwyck's rough-edged brother and his spirited girlfriend. Tightly directed by master craftsman Fritz Lang, the movie also benefits from Nicholas Musuraca's expert cinematography (much of the movie was filmed on location in Monterrey, CA) and Roy Webb's moody musical score.

In terms of video quality, the DVD presentation of this taut drama is just barely acceptable, and certainly not up to Warner Home Video's usual high standard. Various sections of the film are plagued with black lines of vertical noise running up and down the screen, and some scenes feature poorly rendered black and white contrast. Having previously owned VHS and LaserDisc releases of this title, I can attest that there exist better prints from which WHV might have mastered the DVD. The disc also includes the rarely seen Original Theatrical Trailer, and a very interesting commentary track by director and film historian Peter Bogdanovich who introduces portions of an old (but fascinating) interview he once conducted with Fritz Lang regarding the making of the film. Despite the annoying flaws in the master print, the quality of the movie itself and the wonderful bonus features on the disc make this DVD worthy of inclusion in your home library of classic movies.

Clash by Night reminded me why I think of Barbara Stanwyck as one of my favorite actresses. She stands out in this movie as the depressed, hard boiled Mae Doyle who returns to her small fishing hometown after hitting a rough patch in the city. She meets two potential suitors; the likeable Jerry who she sees as security and the tempermental Earl who she immediately takes a dislike to because he is so much like herself.
She settles for security, and then quickly gets bored. This is an interesting movie that explores adultry, the reasons behind it, the lives it destroys and the reprecussions. This movie really brings into mind the idea of you don't know what you have until it's suddenly gone.
As I said earlier, Barbara Stanwyck is beautiful and wonderful as Mae. Robert Ryan as Earl is Mae's equivalent, and he is also terrific.
Of course I'm sure most people who watch this movie watch it with the interest of Marilyn Monroe, who plays Mae's affable sister-in-law. Monroe is good (especially in the part when her husband tells her his thoughts on marriage) but it's Stanwyck who shines in this movie.

"Clash By Night" is a movie from the "film noir" genre that appears to have been written for Barbara Stanwyck to play the lead. We're lucky that the studio system of the 50's didn't have the same standards as today - casting actresses aside as "too old" as soon as they appear old enough to legally drink. Such a standard would have deprived us of some of the finest performances of Bette Davis, Katherine Hepburn, and of course, Barbara Stanwyck, this being one of her finest but less known performances. For that matter, the casting of the entire picture is just perfect.

Ms. Stanwyck plays Mae, a woman who left her home town of Monterrey ten years earlier in search of love and adventure, fell in love with a married man who died on her, and was cast aside by the man's legitimate family and friends. Thus she returns home hardened and cynical, with a less than warm welcome from her long lost brother, Joe. Jerry, played by Paul Douglas, is a fisherman, large both in body and in heart, who falls in love with Mae, but seems somewhat emotionally needy. Mae reluctantly decides to marry him because she is seeking stability. After a year or so of marriage and the birth of a daughter, Mae realizes she feels trapped in her dull routine of a marriage. The love that gives the daily routine of life meaning to most people is just not there for her, although Jerry adores her. Earl, played by Robert Ryan, is Jerry's "friend" and is also a kindred spirit of Mae's. He, too, has been kicked around in life and has developed a hard and cynical outlook. He has everything that Jerry lacks, but seems to lack everything that Jerry has, starting with decency and a strong work ethic. Mae realizes that Earl is bad for her, but ultimately loses her fight in being attracted to him. The fact that Mae is his best friend's wife doesn't stop Earl from seducing Mae in Jerry's own home, and then carrying on a clandestine affair with Mae for months, until clueless Jerry is alerted to the situation by his nimrod uncle.

Confronted by her husband, Mae must choose between the two men, and probably most definitely would have chosen Earl over Jerry if it had not been for her daughter. This is the most forced part of the plot development. We don't just see Mae deciding to stay with Jerry because of her daughter. Instead, she seems to have a complete about face in attitude that comes out of nowhere. The film would have us believe that the change came from hearing her own callous attitudes coming from the lips of her lover, but then she's probably been hearing these kinds of words from him for the last several months that they have been carrying on their affair, so this epiphany does not make a lot of sense.

Some parts of this movie are timeless - love and security versus passion and danger, dealing with the consequences of one's actions, and how life's inevitable disappointments make some people hard and cynical. However, some are dated - the most prominent example being Mae's brother Joe and his relationship with his fiancee, Peggy, played by a young Marilyn Monroe. Joe might have appeared as a man who was taking charge of his situation in his rough treatment of Peggy in 1952, but over 50 years later he comes across as a wife batterer in the making.

This movie is probably best classified as a film noir epic, although that term usually refers to crime dramas that set their protagonists in a world perceived as inherently corrupt and unsympathetic. Although that definitey fits the view of the world offered here, this is a psychological melodrama rather than a crime drama. However, the movie does have the low-key black-and-white visual style that is typical of the film noir genre. I recommend the movie, but as another reviewer already remarked, you might get a better total value buying one of the boxed sets that includes this film.

The term 'film noir' may have been coined with CLASH BY NIGHT in mind. This gritty film explores an underside of relationships that often got overlooked even then. Barbara Stanwyck plays a jaded woman who left her small town fishing village ten years earlier to find some excitement that she felt sure was somewhere beyond the village limits. She loved vainly and was hurt more than once, all the while growing a thicker shell that she used to protect herself from further hurt. Then, one day she returns home, much to the surprise of her brother, played with a tough edge by Keith Andes, who makes it clear to her that he wishes she had never returned. The first part of the movie focuses on Keith Andes' relationship with a young, pre-star Marylin Monroe, who despite her second tier status shows the smart, brassiness that was to mark both her film persona and her personal life. Andes is the brute who likes to dominate his women; Monroe is the equally tough-talking short-haired blonde who can give as well as get. More than once she slaps Andes' face when he goes too far. By the start of the second half, the dramatic center reshifts back to Stanwyck, who decides that the honest love of a good but cloddish Paul Douglas is preferable to the sort of uncertainty that had marked her previous search for a foundation upon which she could build a life. Enter Robert Ryan, an alcoholic yet sexy man whose obvious sensuality resonates with a Stanwyck who is torn between the good yet boring Douglas and Ryan.

The movie, in its twin examination of the Andes-Monroe and Stanwyck-Douglas pairings, suggests that relationships often grow or flounder on the basis of the strength of the commitments involved. This strength to commit is necessarily influenced both by well-meaning if inept family members and by the willingness of the partners to place the welfare of the others above their own. CLASH BY NIGHT emphasizes that those relationships that hope to survive a brutal clash of divergent personalities will do so, but the cost is sometimes too high to pay. The emotional bills that Stanwyck and Monroe had to pay will, by the closing credits, be paid only in coin that was dearly earned.