Nude street

One night, under the Brooklyn Bridge in New York, two bandits kill a loan shark and set fire to his corpse. At this moment, a couple of random witnesses appear, and the bandits, having not completed the destruction of the traces of the crime, are hiding, as a result of which the police manage to identify the body of the murdered. The next morning, the head of the Brooklyn Mafia power actions, Phil Rigal ( Anthony Quinn ), harshly chastises his bandits for the unsuccessful rally and sends them to a temporary shelter to his partner in Detroit . Soon, the correspondent of the New York Chronicle newspaper Joe MacFarland ( Peter Graves ) comes to Phil's office. He asks to comment on the statement of the district attorney that Phil is the executor of the mafia’s military actions, and that many strings connected with the murders and disappearances are drawn to him, and witnesses in cases against him have a strange habit of changing their testimonies. However, Phil replies that he does not know anything about this, he is engaged in a legitimate business in the field of private lending. Then Phil leaves the house to go to his mother for a traditional Sunday lunch, offering Joe a ride. Near the car, Phil is approached by his girlfriend, who asks to take her with him and introduce her to Phil's family, but he categorically refuses her, saying that "the family is different." Phil arrives in a poor Brooklyn quarter, to the house in which he was born and raised. Climbing the stairs to the apartment where his mother Mrs. Rigalchik and sister Rosalie ( Ann Bancroft ) still lives, he meets a neighbor, an old acquaintance, on the stairs. He is interested in the health of Rosalie, saying that the other day I met her at a reception at the gynecologist. Entering the apartment, Phil gently kisses his mother, and together with his sister, the three of them sit down at the table. When asked by Phil about studying at college, Rosalie replies that she left him and will go to work. Phil says that she does not need to work, as he fully provides her and tries to make her a happy life - she pays for her studies and bought a new car. He then wonders why she hid that she was with the doctor, quickly finding out that Rosalie was pregnant. As Phil further finds out, Rosalie fell in love with local petty criminal, handsome Nikki Bradna ( Farley Granger ). They wanted to get married, but Nikki was convicted of murder and is awaiting electrocution on death row, due to take place in 60 days.

... Two months before the events described, Nikki, walking down the street in the evening, saw through the window how the owner of the liquor store, Barrick, hid the daily proceeds. He goes into the store, supposedly to buy alcohol, asks the owner to bring him cold tonic from the refrigerator, and while he goes into the back room, he goes over the counter and tries to get the hidden money. However, at this moment the owner returns, and enters into a fight with Nikki, which goes into the street. In the end, Nikki takes out a knife and kills Barrick in front of two witnesses, and then runs away. Soon they catch him, and on the basis of testimony, the court sentenced him to death ...

The action is currently being returned. Phil pays a visit to reputable local lawyer Michael Flanders, asking him to take up Nikki’s case immediately to “give the guy another chance.” Phil then bribes the judge to agree to review the case. After which Phil, with his henchmen, threatening the witnesses with physical violence, demands that they change their testimonies, and then he also persuades the street vendor to provide Nikki an alibi at the time of the murder in court. During the trial, the lawyer makes a convincing speech, and all the witnesses speak as Phil indicated to them, after which the prosecutor Blaker drops all charges against Nikki and is released in the courtroom. The prosecutor is well aware that the evidence was obtained as a result of intimidation of witnesses, and promises, sooner or later, to expose the false witnesses and achieve the punishment of those responsible. Understanding Nikki asks who paid for his salvation. The lawyer introduces him to Phil, who says he saved him because of Rosalie. He further says: “She loves you and will give birth to a child from you, and therefore you will live. Your wedding will take place tomorrow. ” The wedding is going well, Rosalie is happy. Nikki thanks Phil for what he did for him, and expects Phil to take him to work. However, Phil claims that he got Nikki a truck driver at a transport company, where he will have to work honestly.

A few weeks later, the police catch in the water the body of another murdered person associated with illegal gambling. This murder is again associated with Phil, although there is no evidence against him. Joe receives an editorial assignment to write an article analyzing a series of unsolved Mafia murders in New York. He comes to Phil asking for an interview, but Phil instead tells him about his harsh school of life that he went through in poor Brooklyn quarter, and then invites Joe to a Sunday family dinner. In Mrs. Rigalchik’s apartment, Joe meets Rosalie, and it turns out that they were in the same school, and Joe was even in love with her. It turns out Joe was born and raised a few blocks from their home. During lunch, tired Nikki returns from work in his soiled overalls, getting to know Joe. Phil says he is in charge of Rosalie’s unborn baby and will be uncle soon. Then Phil and Joe leave, after which Nikki tells Rosalie that he is not satisfied with the control and closure of Phil, but Rosalie takes the side of his brother. She gives her husband a slap in the face and asks him never to say so, as Phil worries about them and takes care of their happiness. After this, Nikki and Rosalie live quite happily for some time, Nikki works honestly and even achieves a salary increase.

However, then a fracture occurs when their child dies in the hospital during childbirth. Phil immediately accuses Nikki of this, and, having not suffered, he pounces on Phil with his fists. After a short skirmish, Phil threateningly tells Nikki to stay away from him. Nikki decides to break out of Phil's control and start his own business. Together with a group of accomplices, he organizes a series of truck robberies of the company in which he works, and soon he will form a small equity. Having saved some more money, Nikki is going to run away to California, where to open his own business. Meanwhile, he forgets about his wife, spending time in the company of barmaid Marjorie. Some time later, Attorney Blaker invites Joe to his house, offering to write a revealing article about Phil's criminal activities. He expects that Phil's associates, fearing further revelations, will turn their backs on him. Before publishing the article, Joe shows her to Rosalie, but she refuses to believe her brother’s guilt, despite Joe’s words that the truth must be accepted as it is. Shortly afterwards, Phil and his mother come to Rosalie's house, without forcing Nikki to be at home. Rosalie says he is at work, but noticing the driver's cap, Phil quickly finds out that Nikki is almost never at home. Rosalie asks her brother to give Nikki another chance. Soon, while driving, Phil notices a cheerful Nikki in the company of Marjorie on the street. When the next day Phil sees bruises in annoyed Rosalie, he decides to crack down on Nikki. Nikki comes to Phil's office, awkwardly trying to justify himself, but Phil doesn't want to listen to him. After that, Phil instructs two professional gamblers, including Nikki's best friend, Latsi Franks ( Jerry Paris ), to substitute Nikki in the murder. At the same time, Phil tells Lutzi to forget about personal relationships, otherwise he will never succeed in life. They host a poker game with Nikki, in which Harry Goldish, a stolen jewelry buyer, takes part. After Harry runs out of cash, he puts the gamble on the line. He soon leaves the game, but Latsi persuades Nikki to stay for a couple more hours. While Nikki continues the game, Phil’s people kill Harry and the jewelry is thrown into Margie’s apartment. When Nikki returns to her house, the police are already waiting for him. They find jewelry in the apartment, after which Nikki is accused of killing Harry, they find the missing jewelry, as well as four “witnesses” who claim that Nikki went out right after Harry. For the second time in 13 months, Nikki was convicted of murder and sentenced to death, despite his desperate cries that Phil had set him up. Joe asks Rosalie if this is true, but she replies that this cannot be, because Phil only helped Nikki.

Three days before the sentence is executed, while on death row at Sing Sing Prison , Nikki sends two telegrams requesting a meeting: the first to Phil, and the second to Joe. At a meeting with Phil, Nikki asks for his release, threatening to otherwise tell the whole truth about how Phil organized the abolition of the sentence in the Barrick case, where Nikki was really guilty of murder. However, Phil refuses to help Nikki, saying that he spoiled everything himself, and therefore the punishment returned for him. After that, Nikki meets with Joe, who records their conversation on a tape recorder. Nikki asks Joe to help him make a deal with the prosecutor, promising to testify against Phil about how he pulled him out of Barrick’s case, intimidating witnesses. In the case of a deal with the prosecution, Nikki expects to retrain his case for second-degree murder and, accordingly, to save his life. The next day, Joe publishes in the newspaper the whole story that Nikki told him. The next day, on Phil's orders, his henchmen attack Joe and brutally beat him. Then Joe issues another article directly accusing Phil of murder. Bandits establish constant surveillance for Joe. The day before the execution, Joe comes to Nikki, however, as it turns out, none of the witnesses changed their testimonies, and Nikki's sentence remained in force. Joe records on Nikki's last monologue, in which he claims that Latsi is his best friend, and he does not hold resentment against him.

The next day, Nikki is executed. After that, Joe goes to Latsi, hoping to convince him to change his testimony and talk about the true role of Phil in the murder of Harry. After listening to the recording of Nikki's monologue, in which he calls him his best friend, Latsi comes into a state of excitement, regret about his act. At the same time, Joe says that in this case he will be able to conclude a deal with the prosecution, and even avoid punishment. Under the influence of his bride, Latsi decides to tell the whole truth about Phil's activities, thereby ending his criminal life. They agree to meet the next day. However, the moment Latsi walks up to Joe’s car, Phil’s men shoot him right in the street. However, Latsi survives, giving evidence to the district attorney in the hospital, on the basis of which he writes out a warrant for Phil's arrest. Meanwhile, Joe rushes to Mrs. Rigalchik’s apartment to warn Rosalie, finding her on the roof of the house. He tells her about the murder of Harry and the testimony of Latsi, but Rosalie replies that he will not back down from his brother. While Joe leaves to warn the police that Phil will be arriving for a traditional Sunday lunch, he arrives, rising to Rosalie's rooftop. She accuses her brother of having forced her to live with a killer, and now everyone will know that she is the wife of the killer and the sister of the gangster, and now she will never be able to meet a decent man and lead a normal life. Phil answers that he always did everything just for her happiness. Their argument is interrupted by Joe, who reports that the police will arrive soon. Phil is trying to shoot Joe, but Rosalie is stopping him. The fight begins, Phil breaks out, but he is chased by the police. Phil tries to jump onto the roof of a neighboring building, as he did in childhood, but breaks down, falls down and crashes. While Joe consoles Rosalie, an unsuspecting Mrs. Rigalczyk, approaching her porch, passes by the crowd surrounding the body of her crashed son.

As a screenwriter and director, Maxwell Shane created such noir films as Fear in the Night (1947), City Beyond the River (1949), Glass Wall (1953) and Nightmare (1956) ^[1] .

Farley Granger's most famous work was the Noir film “ They Live at Night ” (1948) by Nicholas Ray and “ Lane ” (1950) by Anthony Mann , the Hitchcock thrillers “ Rope ” (1948) and “ Strangers on the Train ” (1951), as well as historical Luchino Visconti 's melodrama Feeling (1954) ^[2] .

Anthony Quinn was twice nominated for an Oscar for starring in the films Wild Wind (1957) and Greek Zorba (1964), and also won two Oscars for supporting roles in the films Viva, Zapata! "(1952) and" Thirst for life "(1956) ^[3] . Among the memorable paintings with Quinn's participation are also the case of The Occasion at Oaks Bow (1943), Federico Fellini 's drama The Road (1954) and David Lean 's military adventure drama Laurence of Arabia (1962) ^[4] .

Anne Bancroft won the Oscar for starring in the film " The Miracle Worker " (1962), in addition, she was nominated four times for the Oscar for starring in the films " Pumpkin Eater " (1964), " Graduate " (1967), " Turning Point " ( 1977) and The Lamb of God (1985) ^[5] . She also starred in the Noir Secrets of New York (1955) and Twilight films (1957) ^[6] , as well as in David Lynch 's The Elephant Man (1980).

Overall rating of the film

Criticism gave the film a low rating, noting for the best only the actors who performed the main roles. Film critic Bosley Krauser immediately after the film was released called “Naked Street” “a dull and boring show” and “a small passing film”, once again proving that “crime is an unprofitable form of enterprise” ^[7] .

The contemporary critic Dennis Schwartz gave a similar assessment to the film, calling the film “an unconvincing second-rate film noir, directed by the mediocre Maxwell Shane , who fails to cope with a dull story both as a director and as a co-author of the script” ^[8] . Craig Butler characterizes the picture as “a difficult combination of a hard thriller about organized crime and the social drama of the 1950s, which does not succeed in either quality” ^[9] .

Movie Feature

Describing the content of the picture, Krauser writes: “The character of the underworld, played by Anthony Quinn , uses gangster methods and criminal tactics to get everything that his soul desires. One of the things that he really wants is to see his unmarried sister marry a young petty criminal who created a “problem” for her before buying a one-way ticket for an electric chair. Then our great uncle organizes false witnesses, as a result of the testimonies of which the sentenced young bandit is released, and then organizes a marriage based on flying. Everything looks good for our big man. But the child is born dead, and the young father, played by Farley Granger , takes on all the hardships, starting a criminal career, to get out of dependence on his brother-in-law. ” Naturally, a confrontation arises between them, and “Mr. Quinn substitutes Mr. Granger, after which their brotherly relations collapse to such an extent that Mr. Granger is executed and Mr. Quinn is killed while trying to escape from the police” ^[7] .

Director Feature

Butler writes that “although Shane’s efforts to combine the two genres in an attempt to create a more“ meaningful ”crime film are admirable,“ the sad fact is that he does it in a clumsy, cliched and unconvincing manner. ” The critic believes that "the final result could have been better if Shane tried to make just a gangster movie (or a simple drama of" mundane realism ")." Butler further notes that “Shane also loses in trying to tell a story too literary; too often he uses words for general descriptions instead of using visual images for this purpose, and the meaning expressed by words could be deeper ” ^[9] .

Actor Characteristics

The most powerful side of the picture, according to critics, was the acting in the lead roles. So, Butler emphasizes that “fortunately, Shane uses a very good cast, starting with the ruthless criminal lord. Definitely playing a gangster, Quinn fills his image with sufficient humanity, capturing the interest of the audience, and even generating a significant amount of sympathy. ” He further indicates that “ Farley Granger is also strong in his poorly written role, but he was overshadowed by the very young Anne Bancroft , who takes possession of the screen every time she appears in the frame” ^[9] . Summing up the film, Butler writes: “Actors make the film worth watching, it’s only a pity that the material does not match their level” ^[9] . On the other hand, according to Schwartz, “the talented cast was among those sentenced on death row due to the tense history, uninteresting characters and how boring they are personally” ^[8] .

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