The Big Heat * 1953
It's A Man's World - or is it?
Review by Paulette Reynolds
January 10, 2022
It's A Man's World - or is it?
Review by Paulette Reynolds
January 10, 2022
The Big Heat
1953
Director: Fritz Lang
Screenplay: Sydney Boehm
Starring Glenn Ford/Dave Bannion, Gloria Grahame/Debby Marsh, Jocelyn Brando/Katie Bannion, Alexander Scourby/Mike Lagana, Jeanette Nolan/Bertha Duncan, Lee Marvin/Vince Stone, Dorothy Green/Lucy Chapman, Peter Whitney/Tierney, Edith Evanson/Selma Parker, Carolyn Jones/Doris
1953
Director: Fritz Lang
Screenplay: Sydney Boehm
Starring Glenn Ford/Dave Bannion, Gloria Grahame/Debby Marsh, Jocelyn Brando/Katie Bannion, Alexander Scourby/Mike Lagana, Jeanette Nolan/Bertha Duncan, Lee Marvin/Vince Stone, Dorothy Green/Lucy Chapman, Peter Whitney/Tierney, Edith Evanson/Selma Parker, Carolyn Jones/Doris
Glenn Ford may have been billed as the "star" of the The Big Heat, but he owes this big hit to the four women who inhabit the mean streets of NoirLand.
Ford plays Sgt. Dave Bannion, an honest cop who does not embrace the subtle art of diplomacy. His investigation into the suicide of high-ranking police officer Duncan throws him into the path of a notorious gang, led by top dog Mike Lagana (played to perfection by Alexander Scourby) and enforced by Vince (Lee Marvin, in what I consider to be his breakout role).
Ford plays Sgt. Dave Bannion, an honest cop who does not embrace the subtle art of diplomacy. His investigation into the suicide of high-ranking police officer Duncan throws him into the path of a notorious gang, led by top dog Mike Lagana (played to perfection by Alexander Scourby) and enforced by Vince (Lee Marvin, in what I consider to be his breakout role).
Like a stubborn bull in the proverbial china shop, he impatiently stomps everywhere, spitting out questions with so little finesse it's a wonder he got promoted at all. In almost record time the good sergeant manages to offend everyone - from the top brass down to the very witnesses he needs the most to close his case.
While all noir devotees are familiar with Heat's major plot points, I don't want to spoil it for those viewers who have the good fortune to stumble upon it. My main interest in this classic gem is the women of The Big Heat - especially Debby Marsh, Bertha Duncan, Lucy Chapman, and Selma Parker.
Like another noir classic Mystery Street *, Fritz Lang's thriller depends on the ladies and it should come as no surprise that scriptwriter Sydney Boehm penned both stories. Mystery Street's success hinges on the relationships between four women, and here too, these sisters of the underworld are interlocking pieces of a convoluted puzzle - one that they understand all too well.
Bertha Duncan, our conniving widow, has information that threatens the Lagana empire - but she's wise enough to stash it away for a rainy day payout. She starts the ball rolling by giving Bannion misinformation, which prompts some early mistakes on his part, and invites warnings from his superiors. Veteran character actor Jeanette Nolan gives a sly performance as the fearless woman who enjoys playing with the big boys.
Gloria Grahame steals the show as the soft-hearted femme fatale and girl friend of Vince. Like Bannion she's not shy about voicing her opinions, and like Bertha she gets a thrill out of frustrating the powerful men around her. Debby is willing to share information with our hero, but in her own good time.
Bannion barges into The Retreat, a popular night club where B-girl Lucy Chapman hangs out. After an altercation with Vince she reveals too much about Duncan for her own good, setting up yet another face-off with Bertha and forcing Lagana into some rash actions.
In a world where information is the only hard currency worth recognizing, Bannion is forced to rely on these four women who understand its value. But even then, his arrogant actions lead to little, as he helplessly watches death and violence increase around him.
Selma Parker, a secretary at an automobile graveyard, knows plenty and fearlessly helps Bannion set up the gang. After being roughed up by Vince, Debby settles scores with him and goes after Bertha, leaving Bannion to tie up loose ends and salvage his bruised ego.
One of film noir's signature themes focused on the existential crisis of the male, as he faced his personal angst about the meaning of life amid shifting gender roles in the post-war period. Glenn Ford - like Kirk Douglas in The Strange Love of Martha Ivers * - can't understand why his standard methods don't work, as he finds himself become more invisible and ineffective.
But for the women who lived - and thrived - during WWII, such a crisis of identity simply did not exist. Periods of global conflicts tested both men and women, but where men longed to return home to the old status quo, women were experiencing a heightened time of inner growth and empowerment. Men returned to discover their wives enjoyed working and many single women resisted the call to marry and make babies.
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The Big Heat explores the gender coda of Protectionism that society expects of men, where the Little Woman is tucked away at home, relying on her man to keep her safe. This works for Bannion and his wife, Katie, until - it doesn’t, throwing our hero into a tailspin - because after all, what good is he (as a man) if he can't meet society's basic expectation?
Ironically, Selma Parker is the only woman remaining as The Big Heat's end credits roll, sending us a subversive message that's best left for feminists to grin over.
* Mystery Street and The Strange Love of Martha Ivers are both featured in the NOIR GREATS section of this blog. Happy Reading!
COPYRIGHT 2012/2022. Paulette Reynolds. All CineMata Movie Madness blog articles, reviews, faux interviews, commentary, and the Cine Mata character are under the sole ownership of Paulette Reynolds. All intellectual and creative rights reserved.
