The Killers (1946); Criss Cross (1949)

May 4, 2013 - 7:30 pm

In-person:

author Alan K. Rode.

The Killers (1946)

"...[the] picture is a hard-hitting example of forthright melodrama in the best Hemingway style. Performances without exception are top quality." — Variety

Directed by Robert Siodmak

Burt Lancaster shot to stardom in his screen debut as an ex-boxer lured into ruin by Ava Gardner's treacherously irresistible femme fatale in this taut noir classic. Robert Siodmak's exemplary adaptation of the Ernest Hemingway short story opens with hit men gunning down Lancaster's stoically accepting target. A fractured puzzle of flashbacks reveals the backstory of the killing in this stylishly hard-edged tale of robbery, unrequited love and betrayal.

Universal Pictures Company, Inc. Producer: Mark Hellinger. Based on the short story by Ernest Hemingway. Screenwriter: Anthony Veiller. Cinematographer: Woody Bredell. Editor: Arthur Hilton. Cast: Burt Lancaster, Ava Gardner, Edmond O’Brien, Albert Dekker.

35mm, b/w, 105 min.

Watch the trailer below.

Criss Cross (1949)

"...an archly noir story replete with triple and quadruple crosses, leading up to one of the most shockingly cynical endings in the whole genre." — Chicago Reader

Directed by Robert Siodmak

A brooding narrative of betrayal and obsession set in the seedy nightclubs and back alleys of post-war downtown Los Angeles, Criss Cross stars Burt Lancaster as an armored car guard duped into committing a brazen heist in an ill-fated attempt to win back his duplicitous ex-wife (De Carlo) from her gangster husband (Duryea). Directed with atmospheric suspense by Robert Siodmak.

Universal Pictures Company, Inc. Producer: Michel Kraike. Based on the novel by Don Tracy. Screenwriter: Daniel Fuchs. Cinematographer: Frank Planer. Editor: Ted J. Kent. Cast: Burt Lancaster, Yvonne De Carlo, Dan Duryea, Stephen McNally, Esy Morales.

35mm, b/w, 88 min.

Part of:

Burt Lancaster: A Centennial Celebration

Search form