Street Scene

In a hot summer afternoon in New York, Emma Jones (Beulah Bondi) gossips with other neighbors of her residential building about the affair of Mrs. Anna Maurrant (Estelle Taylor) and the milkman Steve Sankey (Russell Hopton). When the rude Mr. Frank Maurrant (David Landau) arrives, they change the subject. Meanwhile, their teenage daughter Rose Maurrant (Sylvia Sidney) is sexually harassed by her boss Mr. Bert Easter (Walter Miller); however, she likes her Jewish neighbor Sam (William Collier Jr.) that has a crush on her. On the next morning, Frank tells that is traveling to Stanford on business. Mrs. Maurrant meets the gentle Sankey in her apartment, but out of the blue Frank comes back home in an announced tragedy.

"Street Scene" is an unknown early sound movie directed by King Vidor based on a play of Elmer Rice that explores the new technology to the maximum. The awesome story of gossips, small talks, adultery and murders in a hot day in New York has witty and feral dialogs associated to excellent performances and magnificent camera work. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "No Turbilhão da Metrópole" ("In the Whirlpool of the Metropolis")