New York’s Film Forum is serving up a real treat — a two-week helping of Fritz Lang’s Hollywood pictures. 
I love Metropolis (which I once had the extreme pleasure of watching with Forrest Ackerman) and M and all that, but I actually prefer Lang’s American films. (Please don’t beat me up.)
To name a few, Ministry Of Fear (1944), The Big Heat (1953) and Human Desire (1954) are all terrific. And the very thought of seeing Man Hunt (1941), on film, actually projected on a screen gives me goosebumps.
But the one that raises my blood pressure is a rare chance to see his whacked-out Western Rancho Notorious (1952), starring Marlene Dietrich and Arthur Kennedy. It’s showing February 6th and 7th. This overlooked masterpiece may even out-weird the only thing I can think of to compare it to — Nicholas Ray’s Johnny Guitar (1954).
They’re also running a night (Feb. 2nd) of two more Lang Westerns, The Return Of Frank James (1940) and Western Union (1941).
I’m also crazy about Clash By Night and I have a thing for Cloak And Dagger, which makes Gary Cooper look like Matt Helm (the novel version, not Dean Martin), but you nailed most of my favorites. I might also throw in Slightly Scarlet and The Woman In The Window. As for Nicholas Ray, I’ve always thought of You Only Live Once as a precursor to They Live By Night. Ever see the Peter O’Toole version of Man Hunt?
I have NOT seen the O-Toole thing. Good?
Man Hunt is one of the best movies I’ve ever seen.
The critical consensus is usually that Lang’s American pictures are inferior to his earlier work. However, I couldn’t care less about that consensus – I’m with you in preferring his Hollywood movies.
I don’t know about the critical consensus, but Lang’s American material far outweighs his German output, and I don’t know a single critic who doesn’t place The Big Heat, Human Desire, Man Hunt and a couple of other on their best lists.
Man Hunt–I have to say, one of my favorites as well, though Joan Bennett is either annoying or laughable most of the time. Sanders and Pigeon are wonderful, John Carradine is fantastically sinister.
The O’Toole version from ’76, Rogue Male, is not as good because it’s in color, but it’s definitely worth watching. O’Toole’s torture is hard to bear because they pull out his fingernails and he spends some part of the film wearing bloody mittens. Makes me wince even now, thinking about it. I looked and Timeless has it–they’re the ones who put out all the box set collections of TV Westerns. I’m actually writing reviews of The Deputy and the 2nd season Wagon Train box now. I want to see the Whispering Smith, which just cleared a legal hurdle, if only to see if it’s as bad as Audie Murphy said, and to see the guy with the modern-era sunglasses duck off camera in the opening credits.
By the way, the Australian film, Red Hill, is pretty good.
“is not as good because it’s in color”
That’d make a great t-shirt.
In my opinion, Samuel Fuller’s “Forty Guns” is easily weird enough to merit a place beside “Johnny Guitar” and “Rancho Notorious”. Personally, I don’t care much for either of those. Of Fritz Lang’s westerns I much prefer “Western Union” – not least because of the great performance of Randolph Scott. That movie is also a great early example of the teamwork between producer Harry Joe Brown and Randolph Scott
You’re right — Forty Guns is plenty weird. It’s a big favorite around here. How much you care for it, or for Rancho Notorious and Johnny Guitar, is a matter of personal taste. I can certainly understand folks not caring for them. To me, they’re fascinating — both to watch and to try to wrap my head around how they got made in the first place.
I couldn’t agree more about Western Union. It’s a terrific picture.