The Asphalt Jungle is a American film noir from 1950 film directed by John Huston starring Sterling Hayden and Louis Calhern.
The film is based on the novel of the same name by W.R. Burnett from 1949 and inspired several similar movies in the US and France. Films as Rififi (1955), Bob Le Flambeur(1956), and The Killing are indebted to the movie. It was one of the first so-called ' caper' movies and had, therefore, influence on later films as The Anderson Tapes, Thief, Reservoir Dogs, The Usual Suspects and The Score.
The Asphalt Jungle was nominated for four Oscars (Best Director, best supporting actor (Sam Jaffe), Best Screenplay and best cinematography). The film also received nominations at the Golden Globes, BAFTA Awards, Directors Guild of America, Venice Film Festival and the Writers Guild of America. He also won prices at the Edgar Awards, National Board of Review and Venice Film Festival, and received excellent reviews.
In 2008, The Asphalt Jungle preserved in the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress.
Content[]
Story[Edit][]
Read warning: text below contains details about the content and/or the end of the story.
The criminal Erwin "Doc" Riedenschneider is released. However, he has not improved his life. In prison, he has devised a detailed plan for a jewelry robbery. Through the seedy bookmaker Cobby met Alonzo Emmerich. Emmerich is a lawyer, but only in name. In reality he finances criminal activity. Emmerich agrees with Docs to finance the roof on the condition that he must sell the jewelry. Doc also agrees and goes his team. The team consists of the gangster Dix Handley, Gus Minissi, the driver of the getaway car and the safekraker Louis Ciavelli. Cobby participates as Jack of all trades. During the execution of the roof everything goes well until Ciavalli the vault door.The explosion rips not just open the door, but also sets the alarm of nearby businesses. The police are quickly on the spot and the jewel thieves take the legs with the spoils. Want to keep them as a security officer saves Dix him down. The gun of the man goes off and injures Ciavalli. Then everything goes wrong. A police officer keeps a confession out of him to Cobby and then stores. Cobby calls all the names of the gang. Meanwhile, bedondert Emmerich Doc and its people. He has needed the money for himself and his expensive mistress Angela Phinlay. Doc who arrives with Dix sees that Emmerich Bob Brannom, a seedy private detective, has hired to steal the jewels by force. Dix himself, but gets seriously injured Brannom kills. Police have meanwhile found the body of Gus nabbed and Ciavelli. Emmerich is arrested as Angela ratted him under pressure from the police. For they can do the handcuffs him to the lawyer commits suicide. Doc has now fled and rest in a local diner. If he is looking to a dancer, he is arrested. The Dix his own farm in Kentucky. He dies there between his animals.
Division Of Roles[Edit][]
| Actor | Character |
|---|---|
| Sterling Hayden | Dix Handley |
| Louis Calhern | Alonzo D. Emmerich ' Lon ' |
| Jean Hagen | Doll Conovan |
| James Whitmore | Gus Minissi |
| Sam Jaffe | Doc Erwin Riedenschneider |
| John McIntire | Hardy |
| Marc Lawrence | Cobb |
| Barry Kelley | Det. Lt. Ditrich |
| Anthony Caruso | Louis Ciavelli |
| Marilyn Monroe | Angela Phinlay |
| Brad Dexter | Bob Brannom |
Background[Edit][]
John Huston got the free hand of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to The novel The Asphalt Jungle by w. r. Burnett to edit into a film. Together with Ben Maddow Huston went to work. The studio was concerned about the completed scenario in particular because of the detailed depiction of the jewellery robbery and escape the justice by the fact that Emmerich to committing suicide. But one kept his word and there was no pressure exerted to the screenplay. Also the censorship left the movie later freely pass through. At the auditions for the film delivered the role of Angela Phinlay still most problems on. Huston left Georgia Holt Lola Albright and audition, but eventually opted for the still young and virtually unknown Marilyn Monroe. A striking feature of the film is the almost absence of music. In total there are six minutes of music heard on the total movie duration of 112 minutes. The music (by composer Miklós Rózsa) can be heard at the beginning and at the end if the film titles appear.
Sequel[Edit][]
In 1961 ABC Television made a TV series under The title The Asphalt Jungle with Jack Warden in the lead role. The series turned but a season in the summer of 1961 on ABC. Apart from the name, there were no other similarities to the film. The writers based their plots on real business of criminal investigation of the New York police force.