Die lange Nacht

I just have to say... It seems as though every negative comment about this film starts out with "this is a bad REMAKE of..." Surely, I suppose it's nearly impossible to view THE LONG NIGHT as itself when you have already seen Marcel Carne's 1939 flick (and maybe even harder if you have created within yourself a dedication to anything foreign, slightly obscure, or non-Hollywood). The great thing about this movie, if one can get over the remake aspect of it, is that it is truly LOADED with great things! The set design and artwork are fantastic! Tiomkin's music is, once again, a fine creation! Polito's cinematography, camera work, and use of light are brilliant! Sure, the great story is, for the most part, taken from somewhere else, but the screenplay by the great John Wexley is excellent. I might be reading a bit to much into this, but I saw working class heroism, touches of popular justice, and just a hint of bourgeois deceit. The latter showed in the fantastic performance by Vincent Price as his character continued to try to sell a fantasy to Jo Ann (Barbara Bel Geddes) by means of magic and falsehood. All in all, I think this one is just like any good work of art: if you put a little into it, you can get a lot out of it.