Thieves' Highway (The Criterion Collection)
by Jules Dassin
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Barbara Lawrence, Jack Oakie, Lee J. Cobb, Richard Conte, Valentina CorteseDirector: Jules Dassin
Brand: Image Entertainment
Cinematographer: Norbert Brodine
Editor: Nick DeMaggio
Producer: Darryl F. Zanuck
Producer: Robert Bassler
Writer: A.I. Bezzerides
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; English (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; Italian (Original Language)
Format: Black & White, Closed-captioned, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC, Special Edition
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 94 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2005-02-01
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: Criterion
Movie Reviews of Thieves' Highway (The Criterion Collection)
Movie Review: Everybody's Out to Make a Buck...Selling Produce in SoCal.
Summary: 5 Stars
"Thieves' Highway" is based on A.I. "Buzz" Bezzerides' novel "Thieves' Market", inspired by the authors' experiences as a long-haul trucker. The novel was released the same year as the movie, and Bezzerides wrote the screenplay as well, which deftly adapts the novel for an hour-and-a-half Production Code-compliant film. Bezzerides' most noted contribution to film noir was probably his screenplay for the 1955 film "Kiss Me Deadly", which masterfully undermined its source material -Mickey Spillane's novel- to memorable effect. "Thieves' Highway" was director Jules Dessin's last Hollywood film, before he fell victim to the blacklist. Stunning documentary-style cinematography lends realism and beauty to the working-class environment of rural California and the San Francisco produce market. The composition and mise en scene of some shots are perfection. Exquisite cinematography, together with a great cast and characters, make it one of Dessin's greatest. Producer Darryl Zanuck tacked an implausible ending onto the film without Dessin's knowledge, and that is the film's weak point.
Nick Garcos (Richard Conte) returns to his family after traveling the world as a sailor, bearing gifts from abroad for everyone, including an engagement ring for his girlfriend Polly (Barbara Lawrence). But he finds that his father was crippled in an accident shortly after a San Francisco wholesaler, Mike Figlia (Lee. J. Cobb), got him drunk and neglected to pay him for a load of tomatoes. Determined to avenge his father's injuries, Nick visits Ed Kinney (Millard Mitchell), who now owns his father's truck. Ed proposes that Nick go in with him in purchasing 2 loads of the first crop of golden delicious apples, which they can truck to the city and sell at great profit. Nick agrees, as long as the city is San Francisco. Nick arrives in San Francisco several hours before Ed, and finds out quickly that Figlia plays dirty.
Lee J. Cobb and Richard Conte both turn in charismatic, emotionally energetic performances. Conte, something of a sex symbol of the day, plays Nick as a determined, tough, and angry proletarian hero, whose determination almost turns to mania. Lee J. Cobb is really something to see. He embraces Figlia's villainy and seems to be having a great time being a liar and a crook. Figlia's unhesitant corruption is captivating. The female characters are to some extent plot devices, but they're not easily forgotten. Italian actress Valentina Cortesa plays Rica, a woman employed by Figlia. Rica initially has all the markings of a femme fatale. She is very forward, mocking, world-weary, but somehow sympathetic as we get the impression she is used to being treated badly and expects nothing else. The audience is clearly supposed to dislike Nick's fiancée Polly. But she is only looking out for her interests, and Barbara Lawrence was so good at playing self-possessed but unlikable women.
The DVD (Criterion Collection 2005): This is a digitally restored print of the film. Bonus features include 2 featurettes, a theatrical trailer (2 minutes), and an audio commentary. "Dessin Interview" (10 minutes) is a recent interview with Jules Dessin in which he talks about story, cast, and making the film. "The Long Haul of A.I. Bezzerides" (4 minutes) is a trailer for an as yet unfinished documentary about Bezzerides. It includes some interview footage with the author. The audio commentary is by author and film noir theorist Alain Silver, who delivers a nonstop scene-by-scene analysis of the film's style, themes, characters, and comparisons to the book. The commentary is packed with information, and there is a scene index for the commentary as well as the film.
Summary of Thieves' Highway (The Criterion Collection)
Thieves? Highway is set in the world of "long-haul boys" who drive by night to bring their goods to the markets of America?s cities. Ex-G.I. Nick Garcos (Richard Conte) is a tyro trucker bent on satisfaction from the man responsible for crippling his father?ruthless market operator Mike Figlia (Lee J. Cobb). Along the way, he is seduced by siren Rica (Valentina Cortesa) and drawn into the San Francisco produce racket?landing him in a web of treachery and heartbreak. The Criterion Collection is proud to present this Jules Dassin masterpiece, the last film he completed in America before he was blacklisted.Similar DVD Movies
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