Pickup on south street 1953 the criterion collection. On a crowded subway, skip mccoy picks the purse of candy. The quick tempo and short running time really works in its favor. Summary pickup on south street 1953 the working title of this film was canon, which is slang for a pickpocket. Pickup on south street is also one of the few movies where, even though the characters arent perfect, you do care about them perhaps because they have been somewhat branded by their pasts in. Pickup on south street by samuel fuller richard widmark. A crime reporter turned filmmaker, writerdirector samuel fuller is famous for adhering to the who, what, when, where, and why of cinematic storytelling, an aggressive tendency that is fully realized in pickup.
Skip has just gotten out of jail after his third arrest, and one more bust would mean going to the clink for life. Fuller completed shooting, he had 177,000 feet of film totaling. Eddie mullers intro to pickup on south street 1953. Barely out of prison, loner and pickpocket skip mccoy richard widmark quietly helps himself to the contents of a womans. She fails to get back the film and falls in love with him. Film noir has been described as a genre in which tinpot crimes are merely the outer manifestations of the churning unconscious. It speeds along, hits all the right notes and never once feels like it overstays its welcome. Pickup on south street is a 1953 film noir about a pickpocket who unwittingly lifts a message destined for enemy agents and becomes a target for a communist spy ring. At 80 minutes, pickup on south street 1953 is a really brisk little film noir. Jun 26, 2016 pickup on south street 1953 is a cold war spy film noir written and directed by samuel fuller and released by the 20th century fox studio.
That description aptly fits this pulsatingly complex film, so ostensibly simple in its narrative seething with. Pickup on south street dvd its been said that if you dont like the rolling stones, then you dont like rock n roll, martin scorsese says in his introduction to director sam fullers indispensable memoir a third face. Pickup on south street 1953 cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. The film is know for being a bruising, crackling, frenetic and brutal. Among his take, although he does not know it at the time, is a piece of topsecret microfilm that was. Pickup on south street 1953 crime movies full length 1080 hd.
Metrograph is a new manhattan movie theater devoted to screening archivequality 35mm prints and new films in stateofthe. Also involved are jean peters as a tough broad who is used as a courier by her evil exlover richard kiley. Samuel fullers pickup on south street is an amazing example of what. It was screened at the venice film festival in 1953.
I saw that someone categorized this as a mystery, and after watching pickup on south street 1953 last night, and i wondered if we saw the same film. Candys amusing line id rather have a live pickpocket than a dead traitor says a great deal about a capitalist society that tolerates petty crime in contrast to its fear of. Pickup on south street 1953 directed by samuel fuller. Released by classic soundtrack collector in 2014 containing music from pickup on. Sep 06, 2015 pickup on south street 1953 crime movies full length 1080 hd. Movie title from the film noir pickup on south street 1953, directed by samuel fuller, starring richard widmark and thelma ritter. Throw in some interesting camera work and a conclusion that fits the story and you have a. Pickup on south street sam fuller, 1953 richard widmarks pickpocket becomes a communist target in a stunningly seamy noir of street life, with thelma ritter quite extraordinary. Pickup on south street is fresh, pulpy, and savage, a still hot, hardboiled classic. Very much a cold war psychodrama, pickup on south street sees smalltime hoods as heroes united against the new criminal threat to society, the communist hoodlum. Samuel fuller scarcely used dwight taylors source material, a languid courtroom romance, in crafting this pugnacious potboiler.
Its a brilliant performance that belongs in the pantheon of film. Like many crimefilm directors, fuller regards his crooks fondly as the. A brutal examination of losers on the outer edges of society, the story revolves around the communist underworld. Pickup on south street is a 1953 cold war spy film noir written and directed by samuel fuller, and released by the 20th century fox studio. Pickup centers on skip mccoy, a new york city pickpocket played by richard widmark at his slimiest, antihero best.
Fullers movies were made in black and white, and all were made. Here, right in the middle of her fiveyear burst of bmovie fame, she is beautiful and engaging as the whore with the golden heart. Pickup on south street is a 1953 cold war spy film noir written and directed by samuel fuller and released by the 20th century fox studio barely out of prison, loner and pickpocket skip mccoy richard widmark quietly helps himself to the contents of a womans purse. Pulp the way fuller cooks itsnappy, violent, and meanmakes it own sense, right being peterss pleading, artless look, wrong a matter for us in the real world to fuss with. Pickup on south street soundtrack from 1953, composed by leigh harline. Fullers down and dirty 1953 commiefighting picture is as visceral and thrilling.
Pickup on south street 1953 crime movies full length 1080. Rent pickup on south street 1953 starring richard widmark and jean peters on dvd and bluray. The film stars richard widmark, jean peters and thelma. Directed by samuel fuller, who also wrote the screenplay, pickup on south street is a tough, brutal, well made film about a pickpocket richard widmark who inadvertently aquires topsecret microfilm and becomes a target for espionage agents. In pickup on south street, house of bamboo and underworld, u. Visually there is plenty to appreciate and enjoy with pickup on south street but fullers use of the closeup is the visual element that resonates deepest with me. Pickup on south street 1953, directed by movie maverick samuel fuller, contains a stunning opening that establishes a double complication. Pickup on south street film by fuller 1953 britannica.
With its dazzling cast and director samuel fullers signature raw energy and hardboiled repartee, pickup on south street is a true film noir classic by one of americas most passionate cinematic craftsmen. Pickup on south street is one of the most brilliant movies ever made. Jun 02, 2015 but only one, pickup on south street 1953, is being revived this week at film forum, in new york. Samuel fuller wasnt the type of director to beat around the bush, and his economic narrative style is highly evident in pickup on south street 1953, one of the alltime great film noir pictures. Read famous quotes from pickup on south street, 1953, directed by samuel fuller, with richard widmark, jean peters, thelma ritter. Pickup on south street is a great film noir by samuel fuller, not only crafting a coherent cold war thriller but filling it with visceral violence backed up by emotional intensity.
Pickup on south street 1953 crime thriller richard widmark. Pickup on south street 1953 is a cold war spy film noir written and directed by samuel fuller and released by the 20th century fox studio. Pickup on south street 1953 samuel fuller synopsis. Subway rider candy susan peters collides with pickpocket skip mccoy richard widmark dipped in shades of sinatra cool. Still image of jean peters and richard widmark in pickup on south street.
But when watching the film nowadays, it seems quite exaggerated, because the. Candy discovers the whereabouts of the film through moe williams, a police informer. Pickup on south street 1953 letterboxd your life in film. Pickup on south street is strictly fuller film noir lean and wicked straight to its core. Samuel fullers bilious, streetwise drama, from 1953, links sex and politics, romance and violence, crafty cynicism and threadbare sentiment. He judiciously uses the tight facial frame sparingly, but maximizes its effectiveness when. I certainly wouldnt classify this as a mystery but a hardboiled just like i like my eggs thrillercaper populated by interesting characters caught up in a situations beyond their control. Coming early in the career of director samuel fuller, pickup on south street is a strong crime melodrama. Among his take, although he does not know it at the time, is a piece of topsecret microfilm that was being passed by candys consort, a communist agent. Rent pickup on south street 1953 on dvd and bluray dvd. Pickup on south street 1953 crime thriller richard. Pickup on south street is one of the most beloved films from a.
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