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Stanley
Kubrick's career has produced landmark films that even today
receive much notoriety and acclaim. But his early film efforts
have been unfairly ignored by mainstream audiences. The Kubrick
discussions I have witnessed among casual movie fans tend
to only reach back to 1960's Spartacus, adding to my belief
that not very many people have seen the earlier films. Not
only is The Killing worth seeing, it is also one of the finest
examples of the film noir genre.'
The plot
of The Killing concerns a group of conspirators who are planning
to rob a racetrack of two million dollars. Johnny Clay, who
has obviously had plenty of free time to ponder his future
during a past penal incarceration, is planning to make "a
killing" on this job, and he has meticulously thought
out how it can succeed. But such a grand heist is not going
to be easy, as Clay requires the help of several people, including
track employees and even a policeman. Exact timing and precision
are essential. Complicating matters are George (Elisha Cook),
an impotent member of the conspiracy who blabs about the job
to his manipulative and conniving wife Sherry (Marie Windsor).
Many of
the scenes do not follow a chronological format. Instead the
film jumps back and forth, although these jumps are only a
few hours or minutes in time. At one point a sequence is shown
for a second time, but from a different perspective. Such
a technique has been employed by Quentin Tarantino, and not
surprisingly Pulp Fiction is referenced in the liner notes.
I'm not sure if Tarantino was directly influenced by this
film, but Kubrick's influence cannot be underestimated in
the world of cinema.
The voice-over
narration is annoying and largely unnecessary. Such narration
is common in film noir, but The Killing really doesn't need
a narrator. Perhaps the studio insisted on a narrator to avoid
confusion caused by the time shifts. This is speculation on
my part, but if Kubrick only included the narration to placate
the studio, then I wish the narration had been removed for
this dvd edition a la the director's cut of Bladerunner.
The characters
are not fleshed out as much as I would like, but motivations
are explained enough to enforce the believability of the story.
But had more time been spent on the characters the pacing
of the film might have been disrupted. At only 89 minutes
the film moves by quickly, and this brisk pace is surely connected
to the timing and precision that is so important to the plot.
The performances
hit the mark, except for Coleen Gray, who seems very stiff
and unnatural. Fortunately her screen time is limited. It
is strange that she receives second billing behind Sterling
Hayden. She must have been a studio favorite, and it wouldn't
surprise me if her part was originally larger but fell to
the cutting room floor thanks to judicious editing by Kubrick.
More memorable
are the roles of the married couple played by Elisha Cook
and Marie Windsor. Windsor nails the characterization of femme
fatale Sherry, and it is easy to see how she could effortlessly
dominate her weak and pathetic husband, whom she probably
married simply because she could control him. Cook has no
problem playing a submissive George, and the subtleties of
his performance lend credence to George's actions at the end
of the film.
Packaging:
Does It Dress Well?
Following
past form, MGM uses an Amaray case for this dvd. But there
is something different about this case. The inside is made
of a glossy plastic that has a different feel than the typical
Amaray case. I don't know if there is a practical reason for
this change. It is probably just for cosmetic purposes.
The cover
art is very effective, with the gun toting guy in the clown
mask really standing out. One of the pages of the booklet
contains a frame from a scene in the film that could have
been used as a less menacing cover. Another attractive cosmetic
piece is the main menu screen animation and sound, which appropriately
uses a short horseracing scene from the film as the background
setting.
Video:
How Does The Disc Look?
For a film
over 40 years old, The Killing looks better than average.
While it does not approach the excellent It's A Wonderful
Life, many films from 1956 would certainly pale in comparison.
Contrast is excellent. Deep blacks, pure whites, and many
shades in between are the highlight of the image. While I
would not say the picture is soft, it does not have the detail
or sharpness of other films I have seen from that period (in
contrast to the sharpness of 1957's Paths of Glory). The image
is somewhat grainy, and perhaps this is the reason why the
detail is lacking. More detail might have enhanced the graininess
to an undesirable point, so maybe detail was compromised slightly
to avoid more grain. There are also a few minor scars and
a couple reel change markers at various points in the film,
but these are the defects of the original film element. I
do believe that The Killing could look a little better if
given a full restoration, but its low profile status probably
prevents this from being economically feasible.
Audio: How Does The Disc Sound?
The mono
soundtrack does sound its age. At high volume levels a hiss
is detectable, but at normal listening level this is not a
distraction. The sound does deteriorate during chapter 17,
but except for these few minutes the sound is acceptable.
Voices are clearly audible and the score has some punch at
high volume levels with very little distortion. Dynamic range
is limited. Deep bass would have added depth and reality to
the thunder of the horse races and the gunfire sequences,
but this sound characteristic just is not found on a vintage
mono soundtrack.
Supplements: What Goodies Are There?
The extras
are disappointing. The back of the packaging advertises a
four page booklet, but do not be fooled by this. One page
of the booklet is an alternate cover picture, and another
page contains the chapter titles and the movie credits. The
other two pages contain some scattered production notes and
historical data.
The theatrical
trailer has me baffled. I have never seen a trailer that revealed
so much about key sequences of the film. The trailer plays
up the action in the film, but the action parts are full of
spoilers. Anyone who has not seen the film should avoid this
trailer, even though the quality of The Killing is such that
the film would be enjoyable even after seeing this poorly
assembled trailer.
Parting Thoughts
The Killing
is not to be missed. Film noir fans will not be disappointed,
and I doubt Kubrick fans will be either, although this film
does not have the ambition or scope of some of Kubrick's other,
better known films. MGM's presentation is acceptable, although
additional extras like a critical or scholarly commentary
track would have made this release much more appetizing for
consumers.
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