Oct 12, 2015 a telephone operator kills in selfdefense but cant remember the details of the encounter. The next morning she wakes up with a hangover and the terrible fear. The blue lamp was an immensely popular british crime film and the winner of the bfa award, concentrating on interrelated episodes in the lives of several. A telephone operator kills in selfdefense but cant remember the details of the encounter. Duncan grays rating of the film the blue gardenia duncan gray the first half hour is among the best work of langs american phase, a smart and welldrawn look at sexual tension and a predatorprey dynamic in ageofinnocence america. Norah, completely upset, accepts to blind date the don juan and photographer of calendar girls harry prebble. The blue gardenia us 1953 the case for global film. Later, after taking the drunken norah to his apartment and putting on a recording of blue gardenia, prebble tries to force himself on her. The trope of the haunting melody recurs in film noir of the classic era 19401959. Although their appearances in the completed picture have not been confirmed.
Norah leaves, but is arrested by haynes and his men, who were tipped off by the diner staff. The blue gardenia a cynical take on press coverage of a sensational murder case was the first installment of langs newspaper noir movie trio, being followed in 1956 by both while the city sleeps and beyond a. Gardenia blue is a kind of safe, nontoxic side effects of natural edible pigment, dark blue powder, soluble in water, china in 1990 in the development of new food additives to use the health standards when it will be included in the production of protein, sugar and starch and other food, especially in the production of wine, the gulla blue is a pomegranate red and other complex pigment in the. The blue gardenia was anne baxters movie all the way. May 12, 2018 a 1978 bombing and the1981 slaying of a mob figure outside the blue gardenia, gave the irondequoit restaurant a mafia hangout reputation. A telephone operator ends up drunk and at the mercy of a cad in his apartment. With anne baxter, richard conte, ann sothern and special guset star. Agatha christies marple the blue geranium tv episode.
The blue gardenia is a good noir film that benefits from some great performances, sharp writing, and langs typically assured hand. Rent the blue gardenia 1953 film for free as part of our trial offer. The only clues are a lace handkerchief and a blue gardenia broken off at the stem which are found at the scene. Knowing only that the killer, who beat the man to death with a. As it all comes together, the blue gardenia is a good noir film that benefits from some great performances, sharp writing, and langs typically assured hand. The blue gardenia becomes a more cynical film after the death of the burr character. The high point of the film is the interplay between the vulnerable baxter and burr at his smarmiest. And he stars in the lux radio theatre version of the blue. The blue gardenia is not exactly toptier fritz lang, but it is a testament to the fact that he can tell any story about any people and it will be good. The blue gardenia 1953 cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. Im really interested now in seeing the other two films in the socalled newspaper noir trilogy. An enterprising journalist named casey mayo richard conte turns the mysterious blue gardenia murderess into. They are located in an office building so you have to enter the building to find them.
Oscars best picture winners best picture winners golden globes emmys san diego comiccon new york comic con sundance film festival toronto. A stock story and handling keep the blue gardenia from being anything more than a regulation mystery melodrama, from a yarn by vera caspary. Fritz langs scathing critique of fifties americas hunger for bloodshed and scandal. Norah anne baxter, a young woman working as a telephone operator, gets a breakup letter from her soldier boyfriend and goes out for a. Classic hollywood film noir with a feminine twist, the blue gardenia stars anne baxter all about eve as norah larkin, a working girl who wakes up a murderess after passing out in the apartment of brutish playboy harry prebble raymond burr. Pity you couldnt point this out to those who watch the movie but dont know the music. Blue gardenia is the title of a torch song composed by lester lee and bob russell for the 1953 movie the blue gardenia in which a recording of the song serves as a crucial plot point. I recently completed a doctorate in film studies at trinity college. Blue gardenia now im alone with you and i am also blue. If so then you already know what its like to watch the blue gardenia. The blue gardenia 1953 not rated 1h 30min crime, drama, filmnoir 28 march 1953 usa a telephone operator ends up drunk and at the mercy of a cad in his apartment. Financed independently, the movie wasnt widely seen at the time of its release, despite being distributed by warner bros. An independent production distributed by warner bros. Released december 12th, 2004, the blue gardenia stars anne baxter, richard conte, ann sothern, raymond burr the movie has a runtime of about 1 hr 30 min, and received a score of out of 100 on.
The blue gardenia 2004 cast and crew deeply distraught that her gi exboyfriend plans to marry another woman, norah larkin anne baxter agrees to go out on a date with lothario harry prebble. The blue gardenia aficatalog american film institute. The blue gardenia anne baxter richard conte ann sothern 1953 a drunken woman anne baxter hits her blind date with a poker, then reads about his death in the paper. One thing this film has going for itself is atmosphere. A central text for feminist film critics, the blue gardenia s ambiguous murder story is finally inextricable from its stark depiction of sexual politics in fifties america. The blue gardenia 1953 the blue gardenia 1953 user. Blue gardenia by fritz lang anne baxter, richard conte. This movie, marketed as film noir, falls far short of the mark. Faithfully is an album by american pop singer johnny mathis that was released on december 21, 1959, by columbia records and continues his trend toward covering ballads alongside an orchestra. The blue gardenia is a 1953 film noir directed by fritz lang and starring anne baxter, richard. The blue gardenia, while the city sleeps, beyond a reasonable doubt. Meanwhile, newspaperman casey mayo richard conte, looking for an angle, invites the blue gardenia murderess to turn herself in to him. May 19, 2018 the blue gardenia is such a good movie, one of those worth seeing more than once. When i first got into film noir i devoured as many of these dark films as i could based on what was available on dvd and on television.
The notes and intervals are played over and over in the movie. They go to the blue gardenia club, and norah drinks six strong cocktails polynesian pearl divers and gets completely drunk. What the blue gardenia seems to signal finally is the demise of film noir a genre which lang helped establish m 1931 and refine women in the window 1944, scarlet street 1945 and its possibilities of nocturnal passion and existential striving. Vintage sewing patterns for the snootiest fashionistas. Director fritz lang and cinematographer nicholas musuraca get busy when creepy artist harry raymond burr forces himself upon inebriated norah anne baxter, whom hes taken on a rebound date, in the blue gardenia, 1953 view the tcmdb entry for the blue gardenia 1953. Believing her to be guilty, the reporter urges her to confess. Lang manages to make blue gardenia his own, and he does so not by transcending the banality of the material but by giving this banality a thematic dare i say, philosophical significance. An impulsive telephone call leads to an accusation of murder. Many people have told us how unique, special, and fun our wedding was. Peter bogdanovich, director classic hollywood film noir with a feminine twist, the blue gardenia stars anne baxter all about eve as norah larkin, a working girl who wakes up a murderess after passing out in the apartment of brutish playboy harry prebble raymond burr.
He is never in a rush here, setting up all of the characters very precisely before finally dropping in the murderous hook in a rush of panic. The blue gardenia marked sotherns return to films after a twoyear absence. A woman finds herself accused of murdering the stranger she went home with in this film noir. It tells a pretty typical story about a murder, a guilty murderess, and a seedy journalist looking for a scoop. Woman anne baxter hits blind date with poker, then reads hes dead. I was overwhelmed at the prospect of planning the perfect wedding. Director fritz lang and cinematographer nicholas musuraca get busy when creepy artist harry raymond burr forces himself upon inebriated norah anne baxter, whom hes taken on a rebound date, in the blue gardenia, 1953. By 1926 he had completed 21 films, most of which are lost or exist in only. Miss marple turns up at little ambrose to visit her friend and local reverend dermot.
It adds to ones appreciation of the film and to its dark character. The blue gardenia was a low budget film adapted from a story by vera caspary, a writer with real pedigree and a long list of hollywood credits including otto premingers laura 1944 and joe mankiewiczs a letter to three wives 1949. Directed by fritz lang, i thought this 50s thriller was a nobrainer especially after seeing scarlet street and woman in the window on tcm. The blue gardenia is a really good film noirmurder drama with norah larkin anne baxter being unable to remember if she killed harry prebble raymond burr. Yes, there is a murder and there is a mystery but the plot and screenplay keep the veiwer rather bored. Some of the longest scenes in the blue gardenia take place in the apartment shared by the movies three heroines, norah anne baxter, crystal. Film noir starring anne baxter and richard conte addeddate 20140731 18. She hailed from michigan city, indiana and was the granddaughter of worldrenowned architect frank lloyd wright. The blue gardenia 1953, featuring anne baxter as a woman accused of murdering a lecher raymond burr, was a neatly plotted film noir, but it caused much less of a stir than langs other film of 1953, the big heat. However, the still officially unsolved case and the film s plot bear little similarity to. The song was recorded for the blue gardenia by nat king cole who also performs the song in the film as a lounge singer. The blue gardenia 2004 stream and watch online moviefone.
The blue gardenia is a 1953 film noir directed by fritz lang. The blue gardenia, where the patterns are always counted. Like in many film noir thrillers, the pat conclusion seems wholly arbitrary, the. Belindas open, relaxed presence and exacting attention to detail took every ounce of worry and stress off my shoulders and let me focus on the best part. With anne baxter, richard conte, ann sothern, raymond burr. The next morning she wakes up with a hangover and the terrible fear she may be a murderess. The best view of the blue gardenia is that it is also a womans picture with anne baxter as the disillusioned heroine and murder suspect. Norah contacts mayo pretending to be a friend of the murderess with information on the case and the two begin to fall in love. While the city sleeps and beyond a reasonable doubt. The blue gardenia is a 1953 film noir directed by fritz lang and starring anne baxter, richard conte, and ann sothern. Casey mayo, trying to develop a story angle, comes up with the idea of publishing an open letter to the blue gardenia murderess, to turn herself in with protection from the newspaper. While his previous lps usually offered one or two songs that had not been previously recorded, that number on this project leaped to five, and although the other seven selections were established by other. I really cant say much about this linear plot without spoiling the ending for you. Norah anne baxter, a young woman working as a telephone operator, gets a breakup letter from her soldier boyfriend and goes out for a night on the town.
The blue gardenia 1953 a telephone operator ends up drunk and at the mercy of a cad in his apartment. Making it all seem relevant is the featured song, more than just a theme, an integral part of the movie, sung by the enchanting man with the melodious voice, nat king cole, who makes a much too brief appearance as the piano man in the club called the blue gardenia. For many years, the blue gardenia was virtually a lost fritz lang film. A serial killer has been killing beautiful women in new york and the new owner of a media company offers a high ranking job to the first of his senior executives who can get the earliest scoops on the case. Anne baxter richard conte ann sothern 1953 a drunken woman anne baxter hits her blind date with a poker, then reads about his death in the paper. She cant recall if she did but all the clues point to her direction as if she did.
In the letter he tells her that he met an army nurse stationed in japan and plans to marry her. With dana andrews, rhonda fleming, george sanders, howard duff. The composer obviously knew it, doubtless anne baxter knew it, and many in the original audience knew it. After surprising casey with the revelation that she is the blue gardenia, norah realizes that caseys offer to help was a trick to get a story. Discover what genre the blue gardenia, 1953, directed by fritz lang, with anne baxter, richard conte, ann sothern, belongs at turner classic movies. Winners best picture winners golden globes emmys san diego comiccon new york comiccon sundance film festival toronto intl film festival awards central festival central all events. Overview of the blue gardenia, 1953, directed by fritz lang, with anne baxter, richard conte, ann sothern, at turner classic movies. She and the reporter meet each other at the blue gardenia several times and gradually fall in love. The blue gardenia is a 1953 film noir crime film directed by fritz lang and based on a novella by vera caspary, starring anne baxter, richard conte, raymond burr and ann sothern.
329 217 446 1507 282 1277 1094 326 1512 671 691 1426 1479 997 1244 225 437 1345 856 1318 1064 579 341 1485 613 549 465 551 457 1325 964 761 878