THE ASPHALT JUNGLE [1950 / 2016] [The Criterion Collection] [Blu-ray] [USA release]
A Masterpiece among Thrillers . . . the Most Exciting Film EVER!
The Criterion Collection, a continuing series of important classics and contemporary films, presents ‘THE ASPHALT JUNGLE’ – In a smog-choked city somewhere in the American Midwest, an aging criminal mastermind, newly released from prison, hatches a plan for a million-dollar jewel heist and draws a wealthy lawyer and a cherry-picked trio of outlaws into his carefully devised but inevitably doomed scheme. Anchored by an abundance of nuanced performances from a gifted ensemble and including a tight-jawed Sterling Hayden and a sultry Marilyn Monroe in her breakout role and this gritty crime classic by John Huston climaxes in a meticulously detailed anatomy of a robbery that has reverberated through the genre ever since. An uncommonly naturalistic view of a seamy underworld, ‘THE ASPHALT JUNGLE’ painstakingly depicts the calm professionalism and toughness of its gangster heroes while evincing a remarkable depth of compassion for their all-too-human fragility, and it showcases a master filmmaker at the height of his powers.
The Criterion Collection is dedicated to gathering the greatest films from around the world and publishing them in editions of the highest technical quality. With supplemental features that enhance the appreciation of the art of film.
FILM FACT No.1: Awards and Nominations: 1950 New York Film Critics Circle Awards: 2nd place: Best Director for John Huston. 1950 Venice Film Festival: International Award Win: Best Actor for Sam Jaffe. Golden Lion Nominated: Best Director for John Huston. 1951 Academy Awards®: Nominated: Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Sam Jaffe. Nominated: Best Director for John Huston. Nominated: Best Writing, Screenplay for Ben Maddow and John Huston. Nominated: Best Cinematography in Black-and-White for Harold Rosson. 1951 Golden Globes: Nominated: Best Director for John Huston. Nominated: Best Writing, Screenplay for Ben Maddow and John Huston. Nominated: Best Cinematography in Black-and-White for Harold Rosson. 1951 BAFTA Film Awards: Nominated: Best Film from any Source [USA]. 1951 Directors Guild of America: Nominated: Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures for John Huston. 1951 Edgar Allan Poe Awards: Win: Best Motion Picture for Ben Maddow. 1951 Writers Guild of America: Nominated: Best Written American Drama for Ben Maddow and John Huston. Nominated: The Robert Meltzer Award (Screenplay Dealing Most Ably with Problems of the American Scene) for Ben Maddow and John Huston.
FILM FACT No.2: The film was an adaptation by director John Huston and screenwriter Ben Maddow of the 1949 novel by W. R. Burnett. It was backed by the major film studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, where it was green-lighted by production chief Dore Schary, over the objections of studio head Louis B. Mayer. From the publication of W. R. Burnett's first novel, Little Caesar in 1929, W. R. Burnett had a strong track record of books that were adapted into films shortly after publication. Huston and Ben Maddow wrote the adaptation, which emphasized the crooks' story, which reduced the police procedural aspect. W. R. Burnett was consulted as the shooting script was being written, and he approved the final version. The studio allowed the production a relatively free hand. Production on ‘THE ASPHALT JUNGLE’ took place from the 21st October, 1949, to late December of that year. Location shooting took place in Lexington and Keeneland, Kentucky and in Cincinnati, Ohio. In shooting the film, John Huston was influenced by European neorealist films such as ‘Open City’ [1945] and ‘Bicycle Thieves’ [1948]. John Huston combined the naturalism of that genre with the stylized look of film noir and Hollywood crime films. When the film was complete Louis B. Mayer said of it “It's trash. That Asphalt Pavement thing is full of nasty, ugly people doing nasty things. I wouldn't cross the street to see a picture like that.” The Production Code Administration's main concerns with the script were the detailed depiction of the heist and the fact that the character of the corrupt lawyer Alonzo D. Emmerich seemed to cheat justice by killing himself. Neither the studio nor the censors interfered significantly with the script, however, and both the heist and the suicide featured in the final cut. The suicide scene was, however, re-written: the original scene had Alonzo D. Emmerich finishing a suicide note, while the revised scene has him not being able to write the note and being extremely agitated about the decision to kill himself. John Huston's first choice for the role played by Marilyn Monroe was Lola Albright, who was not available. John Huston brought in Marilyn Monroe for a screen test, and rehearsed for it with her in his office. John Huston wasn't convinced that Marilyn Monroe was right for the part, and dismissed her, but changed his mind when he watched her leave the room. According to film noir authority Eddie Muller, Huston later said that Marilyn Monroe was "one of the few actresses who could make an entrance by leaving the room." The role was a breakout for Marilyn Monroe. Both John Huston and star Sterling Hayden, a war hero, were members of the Committee for the First Amendment, which opposed the blacklisting of alleged communists active in the film industry during the Red Scare. In 2008, ‘THE ASPHALT JUNGLE’ was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." According to M-G-M records the film made $1,077,000 in the US and Canada and $1,060,000 overseas resulting in a profit of only $40,000.
Cast: Sterling Hayden, Louis Calhern, Jean Hagen, James Whitmore, Sam Jaffe, John McIntire, Marc Lawrence, Barry Kelley, Anthony Caruso, Teresa Celli, Marilyn Monroe, William 'Wee Willie' Davis, Dorothy Tree, Brad Dexter, John Maxwell, Mary Anderson (voice) (uncredited), Ray Bennett (uncredited), David Bond (uncredited), Chet Brandenburg (uncredited), Benny Burt (uncredited), Harry G. Butcher (voice) (uncredited), Frank Cady (uncredited), Mack Chandler (uncredited), David Clarke (uncredited), John Cliff (uncredited), Harry Cody (uncredited), Gene Coogan (uncredited), Henry Corden (uncredited), John Crawford (uncredited), Ralph Dunn (uncredited), Gene Evans (uncredited), Pat Flaherty (uncredited), Sol Gorss (uncredited), Fred Graham (uncredited), William Haade (uncredited), Don Haggerty (uncredited), Thomas Browne Henry (uncredited), Wesley Hopper (uncredited), George Lynn (uncredited), Ethel Lyons (voice) (uncredited), Fred Marlow (uncredited), Strother Martin (uncredited), Tim Ryan (uncredited), James Seay (uncredited), Jack Shea (uncredited), Charles Sherlock (uncredited), J. Lewis Smith (uncredited), J.J. Smith (voice) (uncredited), Joseph Darr Smith (uncredited), Jack Stoney (uncredited), Ray Teal (uncredited), William Washington (uncredited) and Jeff York (uncredited)
Director: John Huston
Producers: Arthur Hornblow Jr. and John Huston (uncredited)
Screenplay: Bed Maddow, John Huston and W. R. Burnett (novel)
Composer: Miklós Rózsa
Costume and Wardrobe Department: Joan Joseff [costume jewellery] (uncredited) and Joseff-Hollywood [costume jewellery] (uncredited)
Cinematography: Harold Rosson, A.S.C. (Director of Photography)
Audio: English: 1.0 LPCM Mono Audio
English: 1.0 Dolby Digital Mono Audio
Subtitles: English
Image Resolution: 1080p (Black and White)
Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1
Running Time: 112 minutes
Region: Region A/1
Number of discs: 1
Studio: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer / The Criterion Collection
Andrew’s Blu-ray Review: ‘THE ASPHALT JUNGLE’ [1950] is an early masterclass in the art of the caper “film noir,” John Huston's 1950 thriller stands up wonderfully well, even if we've got used to far more convoluted scheming by film robbers in the intervening period. The outfit's chief is scrawny “Doc” Erwin Riedenschneider [Sam Jaffe], who plans to bust into a jewellers' safe, but the story mostly revolves around bruiser Dix Handley [Sterling Hayden], who conceals a doomed fragility beneath a hard-boiled exterior. It all looks totally fabulous too, a Brechtian ode to the urban wasteland. ‘THE ASPHALT JUNGLE’ is brilliant for two reasons: its humanity and John Huston directs from a script he co-wrote with Ben Maddow, and based a novel by W. R. Burnett.
‘THE ASPHALT JUNGLE’ is a stylish, corrupt lawyer, Alonzo D. Emmerich [Louis Calhern], puts his money up for an elaborate jewel heist, hatched by criminal mastermind "Doc" Erwin Riedenschneider and executed by a crew of career thieves, made up of Dix Handley, Gus Ninissi [James Whitmore] , and Louis Ciavelli [Anthony Caruso]. But the meticulous planning for the heist begins to unravel, causing the den of thieves to spiral towards its ultimate fate.
‘THE ASPHALT JUNGLE’ is a different kind of “film noir” from John Huston, director of ‘The Maltese Falcon’ [1941] and ‘Key Largo’ [1948], two key entries from the heyday of the classic “film noir” period. Instead of the cramped, claustrophobic settings of ‘The Maltese Falcon’ and ‘Key Largo,’ John Huston adopts an open, smooth, and uncluttered style of framing. This is an ironic gesture, since other films noir, such as ‘The Stranger on the Third Floor’ [1940] and the later ‘Killer's Kiss’ [1955], are oppressive and threatening. But the city is more than an incidental setting of the plot. It is a crucial element to the story, one that influences the story, the characters, and how we respond as viewers. John Huston understood that the city was, in a sense, the most important character in the film.
‘THE ASPHALT JUNGLE’ was also different in that the criminal element is given human dimensions. John Huston not only creates sympathy for the gang, but he shows respect for the way they do their jobs. Furthermore, instead of painting them as soulless, murderous brutes, John Huston imbues them with human weaknesses, frailties, and certain aspects of humanity that viewers at the time would not expect in a “film noir” about criminals.
‘THE ASPHALT JUNGLE’ was criticized for its liberal attitude towards the underworld," wrote film scholar Carlos Clarens in Crime Movies: An Illustrated History. In John Huston's own word: “My defence . . . was that unless we understand the criminal . . . there's no way of coping with him.” This is a proposition that John Huston conveyed, at its simplest, by having the straights misconstrue the hoods, their dark-mirror images. 'When I think of all those awful people you come in contact with, downright criminals, I get scared,' says the lawyer's crippled wife May Emmerich [Dorothy Tree]; to which her husband replies, “There's nothing so different about them.”
As usual with John Huston, greed and a yearning for the unattainable bring each character to his downfall. "Doc" Erwin Riedenschneider wants to retire to Mexico and ogle the girls. His fence and bankroller, a brilliantly self-loathing performance from Louis Ciavelli [Anthony Caruso], wants to run away with his mistress Angela Phinlay [Marilyn Monroe]. The key to all their aspirations is a bag of gems which, much like the eponymous statue in John Huston's ‘The Maltese Falcon,’ prove to be unusable. Shot with an eye for the grimy beauty of the underworld and utterly merciless to its characters, ‘THE ASPHALT JUNGLE’ is a biting, bitter espresso of a brilliant “film noir.”
Today, ‘THE ASPHALT JUNGLE’ is regarded by film historians and critics as a seminal “film noir” in the film noir genre and its style and storyline were imitated repeatedly in a string of crime thrillers that followed in its wake. More importantly, ‘THE ASPHALT JUNGLE’ as you will of read above, garnered three Oscar nominations for Best Director, Best Screenplay and Best Cinematography and gave Marilyn Monroe one of her first significant roles as the naïve mistress of Louis Ciavelli's crooked lawyer.
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Blu-ray Image Quality – Once again The Criterion Collection brings you this top notch Blu-ray in a brand “New 2K Digital Restoration” 1080p encode image via an Lasergraphics Director film scanner from a 35mm fine-grain master positive that was performed by L’Immagine Ritrovata in Bologna, Italy and it is presented in its original 1.37:1 aspect ratio. It retains a lot of clean images and gives a nice look whether it’s the closeness of Sterling Hayden’s stubble or the beauty of a young Marilyn Monroe appearing in small parts of the film. In collaboration with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and The Criterion Collection retains a very nice image that has its own share of some little flaws now and again but the positives outweigh the negatives visually and the image stays solid throughout the film.
Blu-ray Audio Quality – The Criterion Collection gives us a 1.0 LPCM Original Monaural Audio soundtrack experience that is all geared towards the centre channels for the dialogue and also the brilliant Miklós Rózsa’s memorable composed film score filled with many strings and the occasional horns now and then. Clicks, thumps, hiss, hum, and crackle were manually removed using a Pro Tools HD as well as the iZotope RX that has really cleaned up the audio. All the activity comes out really clear as the track comes out really nicely despite the limitations of the source materials supplied. Overall this is a really good and outstanding Original Monaural Audio soundtrack.
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Blu-ray Special Features and Extras:
New 2K digital restoration
Special Feature Audio Commentary featuring Drew Casper and archival recordings of James Whitmore [2004] 1080p] [1.37:1] [112:18] With this featurette, we get to hear the 2004 2004 audio commentary that features film historian Dr. Drew Casper (Postwar Hollywood: 1946 – 1962) and archival recordings of actor James Whitmore. To listen to the audio commentary while viewing the movie ‘THE ASPHALT JUNGLE,’ then press the AUDIO button on your remote control to select 1.0 Dolby Digital Mono Audio experience. First to comment about the movie ‘THE ASPHALT JUNGLE,’ and especially by the “film noir” specialist and effete effeminate affected, over-refined, and boring ineffectual Dr. Drew Casper who gives an audio commentary like as though it is a lesson in film history up to this period in film in dealing with studios and his own take on John Huston’s gangster crime caper. Dr. Drew Casper also informs us that he holds the Alma and Alfred Hitchcock Chair of American Film in the Critical Studies division in Los Angeles and the author of several books on cinema, but also teaches Undergraduates and Graduates and again mentions his book “Postwar Hollywood: 1946 – 1962.” Dr. Drew Casper after what seemed like a very long gap, talks about the movie ‘THE ASPHALT JUNGLE’ and feels that average Joe viewing the film will only get a slight idea about 30 minutes into the film of what it is all about. Dr. Drew Casper also informs us that throughout the film we get to hear now and again the archival recordings of actor James Whitmore who played the character Gus Minissi. One thing that shocked Dr. Drew Casper is seeing M-G-M logo at the start of the film and could not understand why the company M-G-M would contemplate getting involved in a gangster move like ‘THE ASPHALT JUNGLE’ and also mentions in the credits the novel by W. R. Burnett who wrote about real live gangsters and was involved in the film ‘Little Caesar’ for Warner bros. Pictures and is also puzzled why the director John Huston wanted to get involved with the movie ‘THE ASPHALT JUNGLE,’ and on top of all that, Dr. Drew Casper mentions that the studio M-G-M is always associated with the famous Hollywood Musicals and also the famous comedy films and Dr. Drew Casper finally gets down to how Louis B. Mayer wanted to get involved with the movie ‘THE ASPHALT JUNGLE,’ and reveals the real person at M-G-M who persuaded Louis B. Mayer to get involved with this crime movie and especially the B-Movie genre. As a viewer I felt like I was being informed in a Dr. Drew Casper’s class and the audio commentary track has inclusions of separate soundbites from actor James Whitmore, who gives his brief feedback of his experiences with the film, who I personally would of preferred hearing actor James Whitmore than effete effeminate affected Dr. Drew Casper. Great things never change and through the years, James Whitmore’s voice has never changed and his voice is much welcomed on this audio track. Please Note: due to the limited amount of space provided for my Blu-ray Reviews, these audio commentaries have had to be edited quite a lot, so I hope this will not disappoint your enjoyment in my review of this particular audio commentary.
Special Feature: John Huston [2004] [480i] [1.37:1] [0:50] With this featurette, we are presented with a very short archival interview in which director John Huston quickly comments on ‘THE ASPHALT JUNGLE.’ In this brief clip, John Huston assesses ‘THE ASPHALT JUNGLE’ as a “story told from the inside out,” one that's “melodramatic in form but not in context,” where all the characters have nasty vices. For me the sound is totally atrocious and had a job understanding what John Huston was saying, and because it is so short, I cannot understand why The Criterion Collection allowed this featurette to be included.
Special Feature: Pharos of Chaos [1983] [480i] [1.37:1] [119:02] With this featurette, we get a very candid 1985 documentary about the actor Sterling Hyden and was directed by Wolf-Eckart Bühler (1945 – 2020) and actor Manfred Blank. With this in-depth documentary about the actor Sterling Hayden (1916 – 1986). The film documentary features discussions with the actor Sterling Hayden concerning his life and career, intercut with clips and stills from his films. It follows the actor through several long and digressive afternoon conversations with the German filmmakers aboard the barge in the Netherlands on which he was living. Sterling Hayden smokes hashish and drinks heavily throughout, telling the filmmakers that they “have a record of exactly what alcoholism is.” Sterling Hayden recounts his shame at having co-operated with the House Un-American Activities Committee during the Second Red Scare, his pride in his achievements as a sailor, and adopts a scornful attitude towards his illustrious career as a Hollywood film icon. The film was shown at the 1983 Edinburgh Film Festival, where it was one of a few independent films singled out for praise by critic Steve McIntyre in an otherwise disappointing event. Contributors include Sterling Hayden, Burkhard Driest, Hannes Wader and Hanns Zischler. Directed by Manfred Blank and Wolf-Eckart Bühler. Screenplay by Manfred Blank and Wolf-Eckart Bühler. Cinematography by Bernd Fiedler.
Special Feature: Eddie Muller [2016] [1080p] [1.37:1 / 1.78:1] [24:10] With this featurette, by The Criterion Collection, that was filmed in 2016 and we get to view an interview with “film noir” historian Eddie Muller (Dark City: The Lost World of Film Noir) and delves into the movie ‘THE ASPHALT JUNGLE.’ Eddie Muller is an American writer based in San Francisco and is known for writing books about movies, particularly “film noir,” and is the host of “Noir Alley” on Turner Classic Movies. Eddie Muller studied with filmmaker George Kuchar at the San Francisco Art Institute in the late 1970’s.
Special Feature: John Bailey [2016] [1080p] [1.78:1 / 1.37:1] [20:12] With this featurette, was made by The Criterion Collection in 2016, this piece features cinematographer John Bailey and addressing the visual technique employed by the director of photography Harold Rosson and director John Huston for the film ‘THE ASPHALT JUNGLE.’
Special Feature: City Lights [1979] [1080i] [1.37:1] [48:28] With this featurette, we get to view an episode of an Canadian television program “City Lights” that was broadcast on the 10th October, 1979 and features director John Huston discussing his life, work and family. Among the things that John Huston discusses are how he learned all about writing and directing from an acclaimed stage director, how it was easier to direct his father Walter Huston than it was his daughter Angelica Huston. Marilyn Monroe lying on the ground for her audition for ‘THE ASPHALT JUNGLE,’ the arduous shooting of ‘The African Queen,’ and Humphrey Bogart nicknaming him “The Monster” because he took Bogart to locations he didn't want to go to. Moreover, John Huston relates a funny story about how Robert Morley once tried to make him buy an old racehorse that was well past its prime. Definitely worth a watch for John Huston fans.
Special Feature: The Huston Method [Audio only] [2016] [1080p] [1.78:1 / 1.37:1] [6:01] With this featurette, we have a new piece edited together from several updated audio interviews conducted by film critic Gideon Bachmann, where director John Huston discusses his methods for writing and directing a feature film. With these audio interviews we get to view several black-and-white images of John Huston, plus some clips from the film ‘THE ASPHALT JUNGLE.’ Despite running just one second over 6 minutes, it was a totally fascinating featurette, where director John Huston reveals his fascinating inner thoughts on his outlook on how he feels a “film noir” gangster movie like ‘THE ASPHALT JUNGLE’ should be made and especially saying the film would have been totally ruined if they had made him direct the film in colour and would of also ruined the whole genre and tension of the film.
Theatrical Trailer [1950] [1080p] [1.37:1] [2:37] This is the Original Theatrical Trailer for the film ‘THE ASPHALT JUNGLE.’ The film’s original premise declares it as the “most powerful picture of the year.”
PLUS: Beautiful Printed Reversible Blu-ray sleeve featuring new original artwork. Sadly we are not informed who the designer was.
BONUS: Includes a brilliant illustrated leaflet featuring an in-depth essay on the film ‘THE ASPHALT JUNGLE’ and featuring writings on the film entitled A LEFT-HAND FORM OF HUMAN ENDEAVOUR and is by critic Geoffrey O’Brien. Geoffrey O'Brien is an American poet, editor, book and film critic, translator, and cultural historian. In 1992, he joined the staff of the Library of America as executive editor, becoming editor-in-chief in 1998.
Finally, ‘THE ASPHALT JUNGLE’ is an absolute classic “film noir” experience, and is a remarkably tense heist film that stands as an excellent example of just how compelling “film noir” can be. This shows us a director at the height of his abilities, telling a great story with a wonderful cast and talented crew. The Criterion Collection Blu-ray release offers up a nice upgrade over the previous inferior DVD release in terms of audio and video quality and provides a wealth of supplemental material, all of which fans should enjoy pouring over. ‘THE ASPHALT JUNGLE’ is a brilliantly conceived and executed anatomy of a crime or, as director John Huston and screenwriter Ben Maddow put it, "is a left-handed form of human endeavour." Lust, greed, and corruption lurk around every corner in director John Huston's ‘THE ASPHALT JUNGLE,’ the definitive caper film. The “film noir” distinguishes itself from other examples of the genre not merely through its intricate plotting but in the complex web of relationships it portrays among cops and criminals alike. Depth of characterization is John Huston's strong suit, and it shows: Every role is brilliantly cast; every performance a total gem. A clear standout is Sam Jaffe, who portrays the scheme's elderly mastermind, as a cross between a German psychoanalyst and a Zen master. But the moral centre of the story is a low-rent hoodlum played by the inimitable Sterling Hayden whose screen presence is stunning, and despite his predominantly B-movie career, he must rank among the most compelling American screen actors of the century. And while there are traces of sentiment in the film, they quickly yield to a more detached observation of characters whose destinies seem to emerge inevitably from their flaws. This, combined with a powerful sense of irony, places the film squarely in the realm of the great American cinema. Very Highly Recommended!
Andrew C. Miller – Your Ultimate No.1 Film Aficionado
Le Cinema Paradiso
United Kingdom
