Disaster (film, 1946)

Late in the evening, a distraught man tries to break into the building of the Museum of Fine Arts in Manhattan , breaking the window. A policeman runs into the sound of the alarm, entering into a fight with the cracker, as a result of which one of the ancient statues falls and breaks. Members of the museum’s council who met on the second floor quickly make noise, among them Dr. Lowell ( Ray Collins ), Reynolds (Dean Harens), Stevenson (Damien O'Flynn) and museum director Barton (Erskine Sandford). They recognize George Steele ( Pat O'Brien ), an art critic and fake specialist who works as a lecturer in the museum, as an attacker, and they will forgive the police for not charging him. A quick look at George, Dr. Lowell suggests that George is either drunk or strangely ill.

George is transferred to one of the rooms and laid on a couch, after which Dr. Lowell asks him to tell what happened to him. George claims that he had a railway accident, but Lieutenant Cochran (Wallace Ford), checking this information, claims that there have not been any accidents lately. Moreover, according to Cochran, George faces a charge that he broke a window and hit a policeman. Dr. Lowell asks for an opportunity to speak with George. Calming down a bit, George begins to recall the events of the day ...

In the afternoon, he gave a public lecture in the museum about fine art, praising the works of old masters and mockingly, even mockingly characterizing the paintings of modernists and surrealists , which provoked a positive reaction from the vast majority of listeners and protests from individual fans of contemporary art. At the end of the lecture, George said that today, using special X-ray equipment, you can almost accurately distinguish the original picture from the copy, and promised to demonstrate at the next lecture the method of determining fakes using X-rays using the example of Dürer ’s Adoration of the Magi. Despite applause and thanks from the audience, Reynolds criticizes the lecture, and Barton, despite Stevenson's objections, makes a remark to George because his lectures are too populist and scandalous. In addition, Barton’s sharp protest provokes George’s promise to demonstrate the method of determining fakes at the next lecture and refuses to provide him with a picture of Dürer.

Leaving Burton’s office, George talks to his close friend, journalist critic Terry Cordell ( Claire Trevor ), who introduces him to Dr. Treybin ( Herbert Marshall ), a specially arrived art expert from the UK who must track the dispatch of paintings by old artists for display in the british museum. Dr. Trebin says that he knows George as a military captain, who was involved in identifying and exposing Nazi art fakes during World War II and even collaborated with him for some time.

Before dinner, when George drinks at the bar with Terry, he is unexpectedly called to the phone. He was informed that his mother, who lives in another city, was taken to a hospital in serious condition and asked to urgently come. George immediately goes to the station, buys a ticket for the nearest train and leaves for his mother. Among other passengers in a half-empty carriage, he sees a man who brings a heavily drunk on his hands, and they sit on a row next to him. After about 40 minutes, at 8:10 pm George sees the lights of the oncoming train that is approaching them, after which a disaster occurs. After that, George only remembers how he woke up on a couch in a museum. His story ends there.

Meanwhile, Cochran manages to find out that there is no train ticket in George’s pockets, his mother didn’t go to the hospital, and no one called him from the hospital. Lowell suggests that the state of George could have been very hard work in recent days, as well as his military experience. Leaving Cochran in the next room, Treybin thanks him for his help and says that none of the museum council members knows the true purpose of his visit. Further, despite Cochran’s fears about George’s mental state, Treybin asks for his release and two people to give him to follow George. When Cochran returns to the council, Barton, trying to avoid scandal, begs the detective not to detain George. Stevenson is also ready to vouch for him, and Lowell adds that from a medical point of view, George just needs a rest. As a result, Cochran agrees not to detain George, leaving him under the guarantee of members of the council.

After Cochran left, Barton fired George, blaming him for both the low level of his lectures, which the council members had already paid attention to, and the inadequacy of his behavior. Returning home with Terry and Treybin, George discovers that his apartment is turned upside down. George confesses to his girlfriend that he does not understand what is happening, and, apparently, his condition is caused by post-war stress, which Terry urges him to act on. Looking out the window, Terry sees two men watching George's house.

The next evening, George meets with Terry in a cafe, informing her that he is being watched. Terry persuades him to calm down, but George decides to figure it out on his own. Having deceived his pursuer, George escapes through the toilet window and leaves for the station. He gets on the same train and in the same place as yesterday, interrogating the cashier, merchants and controller, whether they recognize him, but none of them can remember anything. Finally, when at 8:10 a train was passing by, a train shining its headlights, George decided to get off the train. At the station, George finds out from the employee that two people left the train yesterday at the station, who brought out a strong drunk man, and suggests that he himself could have been this man. At the station, someone is secretly watching George.

George immediately returns to the city and goes to his friend Stevenson, informing him that he is sure that he was riding that train yesterday and something happened there, after which two guys took him to the station under the guise of a drunk. George suggests that this event is in some way connected with the ban on lecturing and, accordingly, with the museum in which something is happening, and he clearly prevented someone. In turn, Stevenson confidentially informs him that some time ago, during a transport on a ship, a Gainsborough painting disappeared as a result of the explosion. And recently, Barton received a letter from a certain Monagyu, stating that the explosion was not an accident. Despite the late time, George wants to immediately get into the museum to figure it out, but Stevenson stops him, saying that he will immediately be seized by the police, and decides to go to the museum himself. Soon, Stevenson calls him from the museum and tells him that Barton is there, and that something is happening there. Stevenson asks George to urgently come to the museum and go through the service entrance to the store.

Having penetrated the museum vault, George discovers there the body of the murdered Stephenson, who opened the drawers and probably tried to examine the paintings intended for shipment to the exhibition. George turns on the light in the vault and tries to study the contents of the boxes himself, at this moment Barton descends the stairs from the second floor. Seeing George, he calls the police, who immediately arrives, and George only at the last moment manages to escape. Barton tells the cops that he recognized George.

George, who is already widely sought after on suspicion of murder, secretly meets with Terry in the arcade. He tells her that, of course, he did not kill Stevenson, who helped him in the investigation. He further reminds Terry of the explosion on a ship sailing to England, during which the Gainsborough painting disappeared, and that their museum was the last place it was exhibited in America. She says the painting was insured and insurance paid. According to George, that explosion was not an accident, and Stevenson in the museum discovered something and called him, and therefore was killed. Trebin suddenly appears, and together with Terry tries to persuade George to go and tell the police about everything. Trebin claims that he cannot tell everything right now, but that if they worked together, it would help the cause. However, George does not believe them and leaves.

George finds Mary (Mary Weir), Barton's young secretary, convincing her that he did not kill Stevenson. He asks for help in the investigation and, in particular, to talk about Monagyu. According to Mary, this is an art dealer who has been doing business with Barton for many years, but his letters are sent to the director’s home mail and she is not aware of the nature of their affairs. Then he asks her to arrange a meeting with Barton, otherwise threatening to tell that Barton was present in the museum at the time of the Stevenson murder. At the meeting, Barton confirms George’s suggestion that the missing Gainsborough was a fake, as proved by an examination in Britain of preserved pieces of the painting. George assumes that Stevenson was killed because he discovered in the storehouse a fake of some other painting, intended to be sent abroad. To George’s demand to go to the museum and check the paintings prepared there for dispatch for authenticity, Barton replies that he cannot do this at the moment, as one of the museum’s trustees, Reynolds, intimidated him and ordered him to come to his house in the evening .

George secretly makes his way up the fire escape to the second floor of the Reynolds house and watches from the street what is happening at the reception. Reynolds jokes with the frightened Barton about the fact that the crashed statue was also a fake. Meanwhile, George hears Treybin being invited to the telephone, who, along with Terry, also came to this reception. From the conversation it becomes known that the picture of Dürer , which was to be sent two weeks later, was unexpectedly transferred to tonight. Trebin presents his documents to Barton, and demands to inform on what basis the painting is sent by Dürer today, but the frightened Barton does not know anything about it and that he gave his secretary Mary clear instructions to send the painting in two weeks.

Trebin and Terry immediately leave for the port in order to be able to board the ship, but even earlier George is in the port. Under the guise of a loader, he makes his way aboard the ship, enters the cargo compartment and notices a suspicious man who passes into the compartment where especially valuable goods are stored. When George opens the compartment door, thick smoke comes from there. A fire begins, but George finds a box in the fire, intended for shipment to the English museum, takes out a picture of Dürer from it, removes it from the frame and carries it with him. George runs to the exit, however, the man who started the fire closes the compartment outside. When the sailors who arrived in time for a fire signal open the compartment, George manages to quietly get out, bypassing the crew and the police. After extinguishing the fire, the sailors determine that the picture was removed even before it was affected by the fire, after which Treibin, who arrived with them, quickly leaves. Cochran notices George on board and chases after him, but Trebin stops him, saying that George will help them solve this case faster. George walks down the rope from the ship and Terry drives up to him in order to get away from the police pursuing him. On the way, she tells George that Treybin is an expert at Scotland Yard , who was sent specifically to investigate the disappearance of the Gainsborough painting. Then George says that he took the Dürer painting from the ship, and it urgently needs to be checked for authenticity.

They are sent to Mary, through whom they agree to conduct an examination of the picture in a laboratory equipped with special x-ray equipment. Examination shows that the picture that George brought from the ship is a copy of Durer's work. While Mary leaves for a moment, George says that Stevenson’s death led him to the idea that there’s a fake in the museum. And if this picture died in a fire, everyone would decide that the original was destroyed, and no one would look for it. The same thing happened with Gainsborough. When George decides to call Cochran and tell him everything, Mary rushes into the laboratory and says that they should immediately leave through the front door. On the street in the institute’s courtyard, a strange sound distracts George for a moment, after which someone hits his head, depriving him of consciousness, and Mary suddenly takes out a gun and directs it to Terry.

They find themselves in the house of Dr. Lowell, who claims to have both the Gainsborough painting and the Dürer painting, and for this he killed Stevenson, and Mary works for him. He asks Terry who else knows about replacing the original Dürer painting with a copy. She replies that the police are aware of this, as George from the laboratory managed to call Cochran and warn him at the moment Mary went out to report to Lowell over the phone. Lowell decides to verify the truth of Terry's words by injecting a serum of truth to George, who has still not recovered. Under the influence of drugs, George reports that he did not have time to call the police. After making sure that he won, Lowell decides to explain to Terry the motives of his actions, saying that he was driven by an obsession to take possession of these paintings as something unattainable that cannot be bought, and these masterpieces mean everything to him in life. And she and George put his dream come true. Lowell is going to shoot Terry and then kill George, thus destroying, in his opinion, all those who could know about his crimes. Lowell waits a few minutes before the train passes by, the noise of which drowns out the shots. When Lowell is about to shoot George with the sounds of a train, Cochran and Trebin burst into the room, killing Lowell.

George is still in a drug nightmare, imagining a train accident, and Trebin realizes that the last time Lowell also somehow gave him the drug. Cochran and Treybin then turn to Mary, promising to ease her punishment for complicity in crimes, if she shows where the paintings are hidden. She points to a picture in a frame above the fireplace, inside which Trebin finds both missing canvases. Trebin says that all the time they were in Lowell’s house, he controlled the situation, hoping to get information where he hid the stolen paintings. Trebin explains that from the very beginning he knew that paintings were being replaced in the museum, but his task was to find the originals. And while George was conducting his investigation, his agents were watching him, and that George’s investigation ultimately helped solve the crime. When George comes to, Treybin wishes him a happy wedding.

As critic Jack Arnold points out, “ Claire Trevor ’s presence in the film reinforces his noir sensation,” as she just before played in classic films of the genre “ This Murder, My Darling ” (1944) and “ Johnny Angel ” (1945), and soon will appear in three no less significant noirs - “ Born to Kill ” (1947), “ Key Largo ” (1948) and “ Dirty Deal ” (1948). “Trevor was a real icon of the film noir and, quite unusual, played in them both positive heroines and fatal women” ^[2] .

Unlike Trevor, “starring Pat O'Brien is a bit of an anomaly for the film noir genre, although he played San Quentin (1937) and Angels with Dirty Faces in the protonoire crime drama “(1938), and later will play the prosecutor in the noir court drama People Against O'Hara ” (1951) ” ^{[4] [2]} .

According to Arnold, “Catastrophe” is the only noir of Irving Reis , and probably his best and most famous film. The next film that he directed was an eccentric romantic comedy with the participation of Carey Grant , Mirna Loy and Shirley Temple “The Bachelor and the Girl ” (1947), which was a 180-degree turn from the Holocaust ^[2] . Other commemorative films of Reis were the noir drama “ All My Sons ” (1948) with the participation of Bert Lancaster and Edward Robinson and the romantic melodrama “ Charm ” (1948) ^[5] .

Overall rating of the film

The film received mixed, but mostly positive reviews. Immediately after the release of the picture on the screens, the New York Times columnist Bosley Crowther took it negatively, noting that “Catastrophe” is not only a name, but also a very accurate critical assessment of this new melodrama by RKO Radio Pictures studio. He further notes that “the explosive and promising action scene at the very beginning of the film sets in motion a chain of events that, without a doubt, have puzzled the scriptwriters themselves, since they are unable to give any logical explanations for what is happening” ^[6] . On the other hand, “ Variety ” called the film “an action movie that moves at a fairly fast speed and is made with good quality” ^[2] .

Later, most critics rated the film positively. So, Craig Butler believes that “although the film does not reach the classic”, nevertheless it is “a very good detective thriller that will bring the desired pleasure to those fans of the genre who are looking for something outside the well-known routes”, completing his assessment with words that “perhaps this film is not entirely“ upper echelon “, but it is full of suspense and pleasure” ^[7] . Arnold believes that “Catastrophe” is “a magnificent, but not appreciated example of the film noir genre,” “the usual components of which are madness, amnesia, and vice” ^[2] . Assessing it as “a modest but exciting little thriller,” TimeOut magazine wrote that “a little intriguing with his eyes on art, he turns into a thriller thanks to the excellent supporting actors and the elegant noir camera work of Robert de Grasse ” ^[1] . Dennis Schwartz also draws attention to the fact that "the film takes a populist position, promoting" art for the masses "and negatively portraying supporters of elitist art (art critics and collectors) who prefer artistic styles such as Surrealism ." The protagonist "sees this art form as destructive and disruptive, and not as tame as the classic Gainsborough style." Schwartz summarizes his opinion with the words: “The art lesson hits the target, but as the thriller“ Catastrophe ”finds the right path” ^[8] .

Description of the work of the director and creative team

Directing Reis received mixed reviews. Crowther believes that Reis, as a director, could not solve the problems facing the film, in particular, “if the film was played at a puzzling speed, it could hide the plot confusion with the help of the action.” However, according to the reviewer, “The flight chose a performance at the pace of the waltz , and this gives you time to think about the strangeness of motivation, and when you think about it, you will be overwhelmed by the feeling of inadequacy of what is happening” ^[6] . Butler, on the contrary, believes that “The flight, whose work was often uneven, this time completely controls the situation, and perhaps this is its most clear and robust work,” further noting that “The flight turns the Holocaust into an exciting little race that allows you to hide some noticeable cracks in the plot and help the viewer to take some far-fetched turns of history ” ^[7] .

Butler also points out that “The flight takes full advantage of De Grasse's power, and together they form a formidable team. The episode in a railway accident especially clearly shows how well they work together. ” He further writes that although the film “is often classified as a noir film , it does not fully fit into this category; he is usually placed there due to the exceptional work of cameraman Robert de Grasse. His masterful, contrasting lighting and unexpected angles are tightly connected with noir, and his atmospheric work is unusual and original throughout the film ” ^[7] . Schwartz also points to the noir character of camera work, noting that "De Grasse's ghostly shot was done in stylish contrasting shadows, giving the film an eerie feel" ^[8] .

Actor Characteristics

Crowther negatively assessed the play of Pat O'Brien , saying that he “walks in the picture with an expression so distracted that you can’t be sure that he really didn’t hurt his brain.” At the same time, he believes that Claire Trevor , Herbert Marshall , Ray Collins and Erskine Sandford “demonstrate a competent game, and the mystery is how they managed to play in the picture, hopelessly not getting lost in it” ^[6] .

Schwartz is of the opinion that “O'Brien is convincing as a stupid unsuspecting American” ^[8] , and Butler notes that “the cast is a large asset of the picture, from Pat O'Brien, an ordinary person set up as a victim, to a loyal girl performed by Trevor and a suspicious Trebin performed by Herbert Marshall ” ^[7] .

• Accident at IMDB  
• Disaster on the Allmovie website  
• Crash on Turner Classic Movies
• Disaster movie in the public domain at Archive.org