The Big Clock (1948)

Universal has released several film noir movies on DVD recently and viewers are in for a treat if they decide to see this one!

The Big Clock is one of those sleepers that really knocks you down the first time you see it. It makes you wonder “why don’t they make movies like this, nowadays?”

A little-seen film noir classic, the movie stars Ray Milland (The Lost Weekend ) backed up by a star-studded cast featuring Charles Laughton (Mutiny on the Bounty), George Macready (Paths of Glory), and Elsa Lanchester (Bride of Frankenstein), along with a host of other familiar faces - Harry Morgan - Colonel Potter on TV‘s M*A*S*H* - for example, plays a thuggish bodyguard, if you can believe that.

The story, adapted for the screen by Jonathan Latimer from the Kenneth Fearing novel, is intriguing; it involves a murder hunt by a man confined to a New York skyscraper. The kicker is, he, the hunter, is also the hunted. Perhaps you’ve seen No Way Out with Kevin Costner - well, it’s a remake of The Big Clock, and a good movie also, if you haven’t seen it.

Ray Milland has a high pressure job as editor of a weekly crime magazine at a publishing firm on Madison Avenue The publisher is Charles Laughton, and the firm is the Janoth Corporation, an empire with tentacles extending around the globe.

Milland has promised his wife (Maureen O’Sullivan) that he will take her and their five year-old on a belated honeymoon but Janoth keeps him late and his disappointed wife leaves on the train. To get revenge Milland goes out with Janoth’s mistress, falls asleep in her apartment, and just escapes through the back door as Janoth is coming in the front. Janoth does not see him but knows there was hanky panky going on. A spat over her extracurricular activities occurs and Janoth brains her with a convenient object.

Enter Janoth’s right hand man, George Macready, who helps him cover up. Milland is recalled from his honeymoon and assigned to identify the murderer before it is reported to the police. The trouble is, the two conspirators have rigged the crime scene to make it look like the unknown boyfriend (Milland) was the murderer! The story just keeps getting better and better as the hunt proceeds, witnesses are questioned and the field of inquiry narrows.

The acting is really outstanding with Ray Milland putting all the right emotions across, and nobody can deliver glib-tongued repartee any better than Ray Milland. Charles Laughton, one of the greatest actors, is a versatile villain, and George Macready is a hatchet man ready to put a frame on an innocent man to protect his meal ticket. Elsa Lanchester (Rembrandt) gets to play an eccentric artist hired to do a sketch of the “criminal.” There is considerable comic relief spread among all the characters that adds to the viewing pleasure. A fine Victor Young dramatic score tops off the experience.

Directed by John Farrow, The Big Clock is a top quality film with first class sets and costuming to go with the “A” list actors. Lensing was by the master John F. Seitz, who has cinematographer credits for Double Indemnity , The Lost Weekend, and Sunset Boulevard on his résumé. A great tracking shot opens the film showing the nighttime NY skyline focusing on the Janoth Building and entering into the lobby where the big clock resides. You’ll have to see the film yourself to find out how that big clock comes to take so prominent a place in the story.

The Universal DVD is presented in black and white, in 1.33:1 theatrical format and clocks in at 96 minutes. Drama fans as well as film noir fans will want to see The Big Clock.

Watch a good movie tonight!


Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening