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29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Superb slices of life!, May 17, 2006
This review is from: Naked City - Set 2 (DVD)
As previous reviewers have noted, this is a remarkable drama series from an earlier, more idealistic time. It's a pity we don't have a bit more of such earnestness & idealism today, because I'm not sure that the edgy, dark "realism" of some contemporary entertainment will age as well as this show has, for all that it's clearly rooted in its time. But what a time! TV was still open to literate, questioning, even experimental drama; and even with the network restrictions then, it pushed for truly adult entertainment. Indeed, it's quite possible that those network restrictions made the writers more creative & inventive.
Each episode is almost a small movie, with a distinctive look & vivid characters. Strict realism is often eschewed for intense characterization, sometimes a little larger than life, in order to illuminate one facet of the human soul. We get symbolic drama, absurdist farce, whimsy, elegy, regret ... all depending on the story being told.
Just to pick a few of the episodes:
"Today the Man Who Kills the Ants is Coming" shows us a decent, hardworking man, driven by gnawing demons both within & without, crumbling before our eyes. It's an early depiction of the toll exacted by life, when even doing your best isn't enough. John Larch gives a performance that's almost too painful to watch in its naked honesty.
"The Multiplicity of Herbert Konish" is more in the whimsical vein, although with a serious point. Here we have a man living several lives at once, because he sees no reason why he shouldn't try & experience life on as many levels as possible. A paean to non-conformity, Herbert Konish puzzles & bemuses the police attempting to track him down, because he isn't actually committing any crimes. He isn't in it for the money or any scams, he simply wants to sample as many possibilities as he can.
"Idylls of a Running Back" is probably one of the earliest depictions of the deluded celebrity stalker, with Sandy Dennis chilling as a young woman living in her own fantasy world. It's telling that even when the truth is revealed, the life of the innocent football star she claimed as her lover is still tainted, and it's clear that things will never be the same for him again. Aldo Ray is excellent as the man who's physically capable of overcoming any obstacle, but helpless in the face of this very different threat.
"Daughter Am I in My Father's House" is a truly fascinating, sexually twisted tale of an overprotective father, whose attempts to maintain his daughter's honor are gradually revealed as his own warped drive for control, for sexual release through violence, and an almost incestuous compulsion.
"And by the Sweat of Thy Brow" is practically a fairytale with a twist. Richard Jordan portrays a scarred young man who lives by night, almost in another world. Barbara Barrie is the somewhat too prim & self-denying young woman whose life he saves. It's rather like Beauty & the Beast, except that the story goes even deeper, revealing Barbara Barrie's own inner scars, even as Richard Jordan is eased into the daylight by a sympathetic but firm Detective Flint.
And let me comment here on the overall fine performances of the cast regulars, who serve as our guides into this complex & compelling New York. Even when they seem to take a back seat to the week's guest stars, they all have revealing lines & quirks which flesh them out fully over the course of the series' run. And the commercials are an extra treat, a real time capsule!
All in all, an exemplar of superior television, most highly recommended!
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19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Not to be Missed!, January 18, 2006
This review is from: Naked City - Set 2 (DVD)
OK, lest I sound with my raves like a paid PR man for the Naked City series, I am not.
For anyone interested in film noir, New York of the late 50's and 60's, and the early careers of some of our top actors today, this set of three DVDs is a must-have.
For those who don't know about Naked City, all the outdoor scenes were filmed on the streets of New York. It's a very different place than today with the series offering a realistic portrait of the sometimes raw, sometimes glorious city some 50 years ago. (When I watched it when it was first shown on TV, I knew I had to move to New York as soon as I could...and I did.)
This DVD offers stunning performances by a host of actors, many of whom would later become stars including Jean Stapelton, Barbara Harris, Dan Duryea, Maureen Stapleton, and Barbara Barrie. One of my favorites, Idylls of a Running Back, features ever wonderful Sandy Dennis and Aldo Ray. It's about a sensitive and pathetic young woman who goes too far with a football player she adores. He doesn't even know she exists.
Beyond the performances of these actors, you can't beat the "regulars," Paul Burke and Nancy Malone. They are totally real, touching and "New York."
While you are on the time machine and transported back to New York, you will laugh and cry. Don't miss it!
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21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Early '60s earnestness, February 19, 2006
This review is from: Naked City - Set 2 (DVD)
I used to think that "Naked City" was an antecedent of shows like "NYPD Blue," but nothing could be further from the truth. What each show is is a reflection of the times in which they were made. Det. Flint is always probing the psychological motives of the suspects and people involved in a case, much to the exasperation of Lt. Parker. Det. Sipowicz usually assumed the guilt of someone they've brought in for questioning, and wasn't above roughing someone up or telling them something deceitful to get a confession, methods that would horrify Adam Flint.
Many "Naked City" episodes spend much of their time on the inner torment of the criminal, in keeping with the Kennedy-optimistic "forward" thinking of the time. Thus the guest stars are guys who were good at portraying twisted minds, like Robert Duvall and William Shatner. "NYPD Blue" is very victim-focused, with two-dimensional creeps and weirdos for bad guys, with punishment extracted seen as justice done.
"Naked City" can come off as too earnest and idealistic, especially through Flint's character, but at least the motives are noble, and it's actually refreshing now to see such integrity.
The cast is terrific with Nancy Malone very attractive in a pert early-'60s way, very independent in her Broadway career and on a par with Flint as his gal, and often feeding him smart advice. It's a very believable relationship for the brief periods we see it. (The best is going to either of their apartments: It's a veritable catalog of mid-century modern design tips.)
From a pure viewing perspective, the NYC location shooting and overall cinematography is phenomenal, and on progressive-scan TV is so amazing you feel sad that such work could not be fully appreciated in its original airing, having been seem mostly on piss-poor B&W televisions averaging 19" diagonal.
Music -- what can you say about the intersection of the Sinatra world here with themes and incidental music from Billy May and Nelson Riddle?
Stories, acting, cinematography, music -- each episode plays out like a short noir. Being in the early '60s, though, gives it that added "anything seems possible" earnestness and optimism even amid the grimness of the stories.
I've been getting every DVD as they came out (and even wrote to Image after the first release to encourage more), and I love the new bigger sets with the original commercials and station-ID interstitials.
To see the attempts of ad agencies to manipulate viewers 45 years ago is to see crude early stages of techniques that seem laughable now in their transparency. However, you can see the basis for manipulations done in more sophisticated ways today. Aside from that, they're just a riot!
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