Robert Aldrich - Kiss Me Deadly (1955)
Thorkell A. Ottarsson
of his films but I was in the mood for a Robert Aldrich film :)
MILD SPOILERS HERE!!! I started my Aldrich by watching Kiss Me Deadly
again, the one with Pandora's Box. I saw it first when I took a course
in Film Noir where this was listed as one of the most important Noir
films ever made. It is an interesting film, for more reasons than the
end or the strange McGuffin. For one, the style is a mixture of visual
splendor and very odd, often baffling editing. One often wonders if
Aldrich was in too much of a hurry to bother with continuity between
shots or if he intentionally wants to disorient us, even remind us of
the fact that we are watching a film. And then there are strange
camera settings and blocking, like the one where Gabriela/Carver lies
down on the bed and her face is hidden behind some boxes. No one is in
the room with her and nothing is happening. Her face is just hidden.
Is Aldrich telling us something about the lady or is this a work of a
lazy director? It is not before quite late we find out there was a
clue there.
Nick is the weakest link in this film. Too much of a stereotype for my
taste. A Greek straight out of a comic strips. But still there is
something fascinating about the mixture of classic cinema and
borderline amateurism in the film. It becomes almost surreal. A beast
like nothing else. And what's inside the box? Anyone who thinks that
is an important question missed the point of the film. The film isn't
about the box, it is about Mike Hammer and his evil habits. His
selfishness. His greed. Maybe that's what the box stands for?