Violent Saturday
Directed by Richard Fleisher
Feb. 29–March 6
at Film Forum
Melodrama abounds in Richard Fleisher’s Violent Saturday, the incessantly amusing 1955 noir screening this week at Film Forum, but it’s basically a red herring. Much like Dog Day Afternoon did two decades later, Violent Saturday gives the bank robbery an ensemble touch, with a story set in the kind of petite town that opens up nicely to vignettes. Most of the movie consists of build up, but the payoff makes it worth the wait. The residents struggle with soap opera woes, but the glorious Cinemascope—and the threat of something major lurking around the bend—elevate their plights. The would-be robbers, lead by a calculated Stephen McNally and the hilariously mean-spirited Lee Marvin, have concocted the perfect plan. It’s only fitting that they’re eventually thwarted by the innocence they hope to outwit.
With no less a self-prophetic title than There Will Be Blood, Violent Saturday climaxes with a staccato rhythm, and it’s never quite clear (until the big finish) who has the upper hand. The bank robbery brings everything into focus, but this occurs only after an hour of disparate story lines, including a juicy one involving bank employee Elsie (Sylvia Sydney), who has resorted to a smaller type of thievery to pay bank loans, and the voyeuristic impulses of her boss (Tommy Noonan). Suddenly, their woes seem less important when men with guns enter the picture. Fleisher (aided by screenwriter Sidney Boehm) shows both disdain for the shortsightedness of isolated American lifestyles and admiration for the simplicity of their problems.
That’s enjoyable for what it is, but the real satisfaction of Violent Saturday arrives late in the third act: We’ve already become familiar with the diverse cast when one of them emerges as the hero. Copper miner Shelly Martin (Victor Mature) takes a last stand against the thieving villains from his vantage point in a barn, aided by an unwitting Amish man (Ernest Borgnine). The contrast between these two men, which isn’t apparent until the climax, defines the elegance of the movie’s theme. After dealing with the madness of misguided romances, washed up drunkards and two-bit crooks, Violent Saturday settles on the importance of familial cohesion.
Shelly’s young son is disappointed in his father for not seeing combat during World War II, but once he stands up to the bad guys, the boy finds immediate satisfaction. The Amish man, meanwhile, refuses to resort to forceful defense maneuvers until his own son’s safety is threatened. Borgnine conveys authentic inner conflict as his character decides to fight back, but the activity doesn’t disabuse him of his faith. Violent Saturday seems rooted in tradition, but as an exciting pulp story with a profound center, it manages to break all the rules.
Directed by Richard Fleisher
Feb. 29–March 6
at Film Forum
Melodrama abounds in Richard Fleisher’s Violent Saturday, the incessantly amusing 1955 noir screening this week at Film Forum, but it’s basically a red herring. Much like Dog Day Afternoon did two decades later, Violent Saturday gives the bank robbery an ensemble touch, with a story set in the kind of petite town that opens up nicely to vignettes. Most of the movie consists of build up, but the payoff makes it worth the wait. The residents struggle with soap opera woes, but the glorious Cinemascope—and the threat of something major lurking around the bend—elevate their plights. The would-be robbers, lead by a calculated Stephen McNally and the hilariously mean-spirited Lee Marvin, have concocted the perfect plan. It’s only fitting that they’re eventually thwarted by the innocence they hope to outwit.
With no less a self-prophetic title than There Will Be Blood, Violent Saturday climaxes with a staccato rhythm, and it’s never quite clear (until the big finish) who has the upper hand. The bank robbery brings everything into focus, but this occurs only after an hour of disparate story lines, including a juicy one involving bank employee Elsie (Sylvia Sydney), who has resorted to a smaller type of thievery to pay bank loans, and the voyeuristic impulses of her boss (Tommy Noonan). Suddenly, their woes seem less important when men with guns enter the picture. Fleisher (aided by screenwriter Sidney Boehm) shows both disdain for the shortsightedness of isolated American lifestyles and admiration for the simplicity of their problems.
That’s enjoyable for what it is, but the real satisfaction of Violent Saturday arrives late in the third act: We’ve already become familiar with the diverse cast when one of them emerges as the hero. Copper miner Shelly Martin (Victor Mature) takes a last stand against the thieving villains from his vantage point in a barn, aided by an unwitting Amish man (Ernest Borgnine). The contrast between these two men, which isn’t apparent until the climax, defines the elegance of the movie’s theme. After dealing with the madness of misguided romances, washed up drunkards and two-bit crooks, Violent Saturday settles on the importance of familial cohesion.
Shelly’s young son is disappointed in his father for not seeing combat during World War II, but once he stands up to the bad guys, the boy finds immediate satisfaction. The Amish man, meanwhile, refuses to resort to forceful defense maneuvers until his own son’s safety is threatened. Borgnine conveys authentic inner conflict as his character decides to fight back, but the activity doesn’t disabuse him of his faith. Violent Saturday seems rooted in tradition, but as an exciting pulp story with a profound center, it manages to break all the rules.
