Clash by Night

Clash by Night (1952)

Runtime: 105 minutes

Directed by: Fritz Lang

Starring: Barbara Stanwyck, Paul Douglas, Robert Ryan, Marilyn Monroe, J. Carrol Naish

From: RKO

A Fritz Lang noir starring Barbara Stanwyck, Robert Ryan, and Marilyn Monroe? Yes, please. I viewed this early yesterday evening, via Turner Classic Movies on Stanwyck’s birthday. Clash by Night is regrettably an example of a film noir (technically, a noir-tinged tale) filled w/ mostly awful men but thankfully the women shine even better, those poor suffering dames.

The life in Monterey, California & its status as a fishing city is established in the beginning, from the boats to the canneries to everything else. Stanwyck is Mae, returning to the city after a failed life out East. Her lout brother is dating Monroe; despite striking the jackpot there, he is an abusive SOB. Mae enters a relationship of convenience w/ Paul Douglas, a salt-of-the-earth fisherman who isn’t the most compatible and he has a dark underside… then there’s Paul’s buddy Robert Ryan-amusingly, a film projectionist-a particularly detestable person that often rants against women, is a drunk, and does a horrendously offensive impression of a Chinese person. Yet, both are lost souls so that’s the attraction in a love-hate relationship.

You may grow too frustrated with the sorrow these women endure; Babs can’t easily leave Douglas due to the little matter that they had a kid together. I was still invested for several reasons: the characters, Stanwyck delivering the best performance, Monroe’s natural presence (this helped mask acting limitations or how apparently, she at least sometimes required multiple takes), the Monterey setting well-realized-especially the rocky portion of the beach, the waves crashing against it-the acres of memorable dialogue and Lang’s direction, which included some tremendous moments w/ the camera.

While I didn’t always love Clash by Night, it was well-made and presented some interesting themes, especially for the early 50’s.