Palác Lucerna Europa Cinemas
TripadvisorFacebook

Lucerna Cinema                                                                                 

Force of Evil

Force of Evil

2DCS12
Director:Abraham Polonsky
Cast:John Garfield, Thomas Gomez, Marie Windsor, Howland Chamberlain
Premiere:8. June 2022
Length:78 minutes
Genre:Drama

Director: Abraham Polonsky  •  Cast: John Garfield, Thomas Gomez, Marie Windsor, Howland Chamberlain, Paul Fix, Barry Kelley, Paul McVey, Beau Bridges, Arthur O'Connell

In the remarkable period between the first and second waves of interrogations of film industry workers by the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), Abraham Polonsky made Force of Evil, which is often seen as a testament to the left-wing filmmakers. Soon after its completion, Polonsky was blacklisted and did not get to direct again until 21 long years later.

Polonsky's film - made as an adaptation of a novel by Ira Wolfert, who personally co-wrote the screenplay - is anything but a routine film noir. The director combines the iconographic and stylistic attributes of the gangster film and noir cycle with a political statement and, at times, a poetic preoccupation with language. The result is a unique artistic vision that in many ways breaks out of the classic noir format. Through the story of two estranged brothers, Joe and Leo Morse (the unforgettable John Garfield and Thomas Gomez), both of whom are somehow involved in an illegal lottery, Polonsky comments on and critiques the mafia practices and corruption that he believes characterize modern capitalism. The system is dominated by a handful of powerful and wealthy men who, in their hunger for profit, do not hesitate to destroy the lives of all who stand in their way. Given its subject matter, the film is conveniently set in New York's Wall Street.

Length: 78 min

Year: 1948
Local premiere date: 8. June 2022
World premiere date: 25. December 1948

Country of origin:

  • United states of America

Director: Abraham Polonsky  •  Cast: John Garfield, Thomas Gomez, Marie Windsor, Howland Chamberlain, Paul Fix, Barry Kelley, Paul McVey, Beau Bridges, Arthur O'Connell

In the remarkable period between the first and second waves of interrogations of film industry workers by the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), Abraham Polonsky made Force of Evil, which is often seen as a testament to the left-wing filmmakers. Soon after its completion, Polonsky was blacklisted and did not get to direct again until 21 long years later.

Polonsky's film - made as an adaptation of a novel by Ira Wolfert, who personally co-wrote the screenplay - is anything but a routine film noir. The director combines the iconographic and stylistic attributes of the gangster film and noir cycle with a political statement and, at times, a poetic preoccupation with language. The result is a unique artistic vision that in many ways breaks out of the classic noir format. Through the story of two estranged brothers, Joe and Leo Morse (the unforgettable John Garfield and Thomas Gomez), both of whom are somehow involved in an illegal lottery, Polonsky comments on and critiques the mafia practices and corruption that he believes characterize modern capitalism. The system is dominated by a handful of powerful and wealthy men who, in their hunger for profit, do not hesitate to destroy the lives of all who stand in their way. Given its subject matter, the film is conveniently set in New York's Wall Street.

Year: 1948
Local premiere date: 8. June 2022
World premiere date: 25. December 1948

Country of origin:

  • United states of America