Brute Force 1947  N/R, 95 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Jules Dassin
Cast: Burt Lancaster, Charles Bickford, Hume Cronyn, Art Smith, Howard Duff, Yvonne De Carlo, Ann Blyth, Ella Raines, Jeff Corey, Jay C. Flippen, Anita Colby, Sam Levene, John Hoyt, Jack Overman, Roman Bohnen
Joe Collins (Burt Lancaster) is locked up in a prison where the warden (Hume Cronyn) employs inhumane treatment to keep inmates under control. Reaching the breaking point, Collins plots his escape.
|  | |
The Naked City 1948 N/R, 96 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Jules Dassin
Cast: Barry Fitzgerald, Howard Duff, Dorothy Hart, Don Taylor, Ted de Corsia, Adelaide Klein, House Jameson, Frank Conroy, David Opatoshu, Paul Ford
This is one of "eight million stories in the naked city." In this story, the search for a killer leads to a ring of jewelry thieves and a wild chase through the city. Very good for its time and a model for cop shows to follow on TV and in the movies.
| | |
Never on Sunday 1960  N/R, 91 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Jules Dassin
Cast: Melina Mercouri, Jules Dassin, George Foundas, Titos Vandis, Mitsos Liguisos, Despo Diamantidou, Dimos Starenios, Dimitris Papamichael, Alexis Solomos, Nikos Fermas, Faidon Georgitsis
American tourist Homer (Jules Dassin) visits Athens and falls in love with fun loving, popular prostitute Ilya (Melina Mercouri). He tries to change her, but is unsuccessful as Ilya is too much of a free spirit. The title song won an Academy Award, and there were four other nominations, including Best Actress (Mercouri) and Director.
| | |
 Night and the City 1950  N/R, 96 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Jules Dassin
Cast: Richard Widmark, Googie Withers, Gene Tierney, Hugh Marlowe, Francis L. Sullivan, Herbert Lom, Charles Farrell, Mike Mazurki, James Hayter, Edward Chapman
Fight promoter Harry Fabian (Richard Widmark) unsuccessfully tries to stay ahead of his debtors by hustling in the wrestling world.
| | |
Reunion in France 1942  N/R, 104 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Jules Dassin
Cast: Joan Crawford, John Wayne, Philip Dorn, Reginald Owen, Albert Bassermann, John Carradine, Henry Daniell, Howard Da Silva, J. Edward Bromberg, Moroni Olsen
During World War II and the Nazi occupation of France, a Parisian woman (Joan Crawford) teams up with an American pilot (John Wayne) to escape the clutches of the Gestapo.
| | |
Rififi 1954  N/R, 115 min.
Genre: Foreign / Action / Drama / Thriller
Director: Jules Dassin
Cast: Jean Servais, Carl Mohner, Robert Manuel, Jules Dassin, Magali Noel, Marie Sabouret, Janine Darcey, Pierre Grasset, Robert Hossein, Marcel Lupovici, Dominique Maurin, Claude Sylvain, Andre Dalibert, Emile Genevois, Maryse Paillet
This is the prototype heist film that set a high standard for those to come. Tony (Jean Servais), recently out of prison, puts together a team to rob a large jewelry store. The burglary itself is fascinating, with no talk or music as the team plies their trade in a half-hour sequence. Problems develop after the successful job. This is Director Dassin's second film in France after the House Un-American Activities Committee started its investigations.
| | |
Thieves' Highway 1949 N/R, 94 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Jules Dassin
Cast: Richard Conte, Valentina Cortese, Lee J. Cobb, Barbara Lawrence, Jack Oakie, Millard Mitchell, Joseph Pevney, Morris Carnovsky, Tamara Shayne, Kasia Orzazewski, Norbert Schiller, Hope Emerson
World War II vet Nick Garcos (Richard Conte) returns home and finds himself in the middle of another war. This time, the enemy is Mike Figlia (Lee J. Cobb) who heads up a racketeering and smuggling ring in California. As a result of this film, Director Jules Dassin was labeled a Communist sympathizer and was blacklisted from Hollywood.
| | |
Topkapi 1964 N/R, 120 min.
Genre: Adventure / Drama / Comedy / Thriller
Director: Jules Dassin
Cast: Melina Mercouri, Peter Ustinov, Maximilian Schell, Robert Morley, Akim Tamiroff, Jess Hahn, Titos Vandis, Amy Dalby, Despo Diamantidou, Gilles Segal, Ege Emart, Senih Orkan, Ahmet Danyal Topatan, Joseph Dassin, Jules Dassin
Elizabeth Lipp (Melina Mercouri) and Walter Harper (Maximilian Schell), with help from inventor Cedric Page (Robert Morley) and tourist guide Arthur Simon Simpson (Peter Ustinov), plot to relieve the Topkapi Museum of its priceless dagger. When Arthur crosses the Greek-Turkish border, the Turkish police find arms in his car and suspect him of arms smuggling for terrorists and arrest him. Arthur is released after he agrees to act as a spy for them. Now, Arthur has the dilemma of saving himself or remaining loyal to Elizabeth and the plans for the robbery. Ustinov received his second Oscar as Best Supporting Actor.
| | |
| 1. Brute Force (1947)
2. The Naked City (1948)
3. Never on Sunday (1960)
4. Night and the City (1950)
5. Reunion in France (1942)
6. Rififi (1954)
7. Thieves' Highway (1949)
8. Topkapi (1964)
In The News
|
