Criss Cross(film)

Not to be confused withCrissCross.

Criss Cross
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Robert Siodmak
Screenplay by	Daniel Fuchs
Based on	Criss Cross 1934 novel by Don Tracy
Produced by	Michael Kraike
Starring	Burt Lancaster Yvonne De Carlo Dan Duryea
Cinematography	Franz Planer
Edited by	Ted J. Kent
Music by	Miklós Rózsa
Color process	Black and white
Production company	Universal-International
Distributed by	Universal-International
Release dates	January 19, 1949(1949-01-19)(Los Angeles) February 4, 1949(1949-02-04)(United States)
Running time	88 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Criss Crossis a 1949 Americanfilm noircrimetragedyfilm starringBurt Lancaster,Yvonne De CarloandDan Duryea,directed byRobert Siodmakand written byDaniel Fuchsbased on Don Tracy's 1934 novel of the same name.Thisblack-and-whitefilm was shot partly on location in theBunker Hill section of Los Angeles.Miklós Rózsascored the film'ssoundtrack.

Plot

Steve Thompson returns toLos Angeleslooking for his ex-wife Anna, eager to rekindle a new romance with her against all better judgment. He resumes his old job as a driver at an armored-truck company.

Anna is now married to mobster Slim Dundee, but continues a clandestine affair with Thompson. To deflect any hint of their affair, Thompson leads Dundee into a daylight armored-truck robbery caper, only to have Dundee double cross him when the crime is pulled off. Wounded during the botched robbery, Thompson is recovering in a hospital and considered the hero who wounded the robbers. Dundee has sent a man to the hospital to bring Thompson to him, but Thompson bribes the man to drive him to Anna's hiding place, where they're to meet and start a new life with the stolen money. But seeing Thompson's wounded condition and fearing that Dundee will track them down, Anna shocks him with her "criss cross" by telling him that she will take the money and leave him behind. Thompson is trying to reason with Anna when Dundee arrives. He assumed Thompson would bribe the driver and followed them. He kills both Anna and Thompson, but as he turns to leave, sirens fill the air.

Cast

• Burt Lancasteras Steve Thompson
• Yvonne De Carloas Anna
• Dan Duryeaas Slim Dundee
• Stephen McNallyas Det. Lt. Pete Ramirez
• Esy Moralesas Orchestra Leader
• Tom Pedias Vincent
• Percy Heltonas Frank
• Alan Napieras Finchley
• Robert Osterlohas Mr. Nelson
• Griff Barnettas Pop
• Meg Randallas Helen
• Richard Longas Slade Thompson
• Joan Milleras The Lush
• Edna Hollandas Mrs. Thompson
• John Doucetteas Walt
• Marc Krah as Mort
• James O'Rear as Waxie
• John 'Skins' Miller as Midget
• Tony Curtisas Gigolo (uncredited)

Production notes

Criss Crossfeatures the screen debut ofTony Curtis(then known as Anthony Curtis), who briefly appears as an uncredited extra in a key scene at the Round-Up Bar dancing with De Carlo to "Jungle Fantasy" performed byEsy Moralesand his Rhumba Band.

The production nearly derailed when producerMark Hellingerdied suddenly before filming began. Reportedly, Lancaster was unhappy with the way Siodmak and Fuchs had reworked Hellinger's idea of a racetrack heist into a fatal romantic triangle.

Locations

Criss Crosswas shot around downtown Los Angeles, beginning with an aerial panorama that ends at a nightclub just north of downtown. Lancaster's character lives with his mother at a house on Hill Street, just above the north entrance of the short Hill Street Tunnel at Temple Street in the Court Hill section of Bunker Hill. The tunnel and the hill above it (including the house) were razed in 1955 for expansion of theCivic Centerand a newLos Angeles County Courthouseon Hill Street, which can often be seen in episodes ofPerry Mason.For the planning of the heist, Siodmak used the exterior and interiors of the rambling, rundown Sunshine Apartments on the steep Third Street steps between Hill and Olive, just opposite theAngels Flightfunicular, seen in the background through the windows of the hotel room. This area of Bunker Hill was a favorite of noir directors, and unfortunately it was all torn down in the 1960s. There is also an extended scene inside and outsideUnion Stationon Alameda.

Reception

Critical Response

The New York Timesgave the film a mixed review, writing, "A tough, mildly exciting melodrama about gangsters and a dame named Anna who 'gets into the blood' of a guy named Steve and causes him no end of trouble...In many waysCriss Crossis a suspenseful action picture, due to the resourceful directing of Robert Siodmak. But it also is tedious and plodding at times, due partly to Mr. Siodmak's indulgence of a script that is verbose, redundant and imitative. However, the writers should be credited with having invested the old triangle-gangster formula with a couple of fresh if not exactly revolutionary twists. "

The film was reissued by Universal-International in 1959.

Reappraisal

In 2004, film critic Dennis Schwartz wrote, "Robert Siodmak... directs this cynical film noir of obsessive love and betrayal. It's 1940s film noir at its most influential as far as style goes, that is further enhanced by the beautiful dark photography of Frank Planer, the tight script by Daniel Fuchs, and the taut pacing by Siodmak. It's based on a story by Don Tracy... Siodmak keeps the suspense at a feverish pitch, and the characterizations are well drawn out.Criss Crossis one of the great examples of 1940s film noir at its most tragic. A must see film for fans of the genre. "

Dave Kehr, film critic for theChicago Reader,lauded the film and wrote, "Robert Siodmak was one of the most influential stylists of the 40s, helping to create, in films such asPhantom LadyandThe Killers,the characteristic look of American film noir. But most of his films have nothing more than their pictorial qualities to recommend them—Criss Crossbeing one of the few exceptions, an archly noir story replete with triple and quadruple crosses, leading up to one of the most shockingly cynical endings in the whole genre. "

Film Noir Foundation founderEddie MullerlistsCriss Crossas No. 2 in his Top 25 Noir Films saying: "Stupidly, I used to think there was something missing at the core. But it keeps getting better every time I see it. De Carlo in the parking lot pleading straight to the camera might be noir's defining moment."

On the review aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes,92% of critics gave the film a positive review, based on 12 reviews.

Awards

Nomination

• Edgar Allan Poe Awards: Edgar, Best Motion Picture, Daniel Fuchs and Don Tracy (novel); 1950.

Adaptation

The film was remade asThe Underneathdirected bySteven Soderberghin 1995.

External links

• Criss CrossatIMDb
• Criss CrossatAllMovie
• Criss Crossat theTCM Movie Database
• Criss Crossat theAFI Catalog of Feature Films
• Criss CrossatRotten Tomatoes
• Criss Crossis available for free viewing and download at theInternet Archive
• Criss Crossfilm cliponYouTube