Zelle R 17 (1947)

Zelle R 17: Directed by Jules Dassin. With Burt Lancaster, Hume Cronyn, Charles Bickford, Yvonne De Carlo. At a tough penitentiary, prisoner Joe Collins plans to rebel against Captain Munsey, the power-mad chief guard.

“Iu0026#39;ve read recent reviews of this film that condemn it for being u0026quot;outdatedu0026quot; or not u0026quot;relevantu0026quot;. Um, hello? This movie is is fifty-seven years old! As such, we are treated to typical 1940s Hollywood stereotypes and acting methods, not to mention references to the recently completed war. Yet, even within the pitfalls of the studio system, this film shines as a great example of film noir. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eDirector Jules Dassin is brilliant with light, and sets the example for the French u0026quot;new waveu0026quot; of cinema. Lighting Burt Lancaster from the side, or from underneath, makes him and the other actors look almost surreal.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eMost of the dialogue is u0026quot;clippedu0026quot; and preposterous, but films from this era often suffer from this same problem. Yet u0026quot;Brute Forceu0026quot; retains its original power simply by virtue of the dynamite performances, the stirring score, and the gritty techniques of Dassin. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eI had to smile during the scene where Hume Cronynu0026#39;s character turns up the Wagner on his hi-fi so the guards outside his door wonu0026#39;t hear the inmate heu0026#39;s about to beat scream. This was mimicked during David Lynchu0026#39;s ground-breaking TV series u0026quot;Twin Peaksu0026quot; when a character turned up his radio before he beat his wife. Of course beating people isnu0026#39;t funny, but seeing obvious references in cinema is always a kick. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eI highly recommend u0026quot;Brute Forceu0026quot; to anyone who appreciates the art of film, great directing, and fine performances.”