The Sniper (1952)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

Edward Dmytryk

Writers:

Edna Anhalt (story)
Edward Anhalt (story)

Release Date:

9 May 1952 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Film-Noir | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

Hungrily, he watched her walk down the street...and then he squeezed the trigger!

Plot:

Apparently rejected by women all his life, a loner with a high-power rifle starts on a trail of murder...

Plot Keywords:

Police | Murder | Psychopath | Cat | Gun

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar.

Cast

Adolphe Menjou	...	Police Lt. Frank Kafka
Arthur Franz	...	Edward 'Eddie' Miller
Gerald Mohr	...	Police Sgt. Joe Ferris
Marie Windsor	...	Jean Darr
Frank Faylen	...	Police Insp. Anderson
Richard Kiley	...	Dr. James G. Kent
Mabel Paige	...	Landlady
Marlo Dwyer	...	May Nelson
Geraldine Carr	...	Checker
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ken Terrell	...	Guy with glasses pressing clothes at machine

Runtime:

87 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

USA:Approved (certificate #15575) | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

San Francisco, California, USA

Company:

Stanley Kramer Productions

Movie Connections:

Referenced in A Tribute to Stanley Kramer (2004) (V)

another rare and excellent noir travelogue

Someone previously has mentioned the value in this sort of location- driven film noir. As 60% of THE SNIPER was filmed on the 1951 streets of San Francisco, we and our descendants will benefit from these wonderful glimpses into the past. The story itself, perhaps somewhat naive as an earlier reporter comments, is intense and strangely current. Richard Wiley's psychiatrist makes a long,and not a little tedious, call for better treatment for sexual predators. Society is still unable to provide early diagnosis not to mention sufficient resources for treatment. As a film noir thriller, we are drawn into the sniper's pathetic personal pain. As a cautionary note, one might well choose to learn from the missteps of victims in this film and stay home and never take unnecessary risks such as meeting new people or expressing any public views that might set someone off on a killing spree. Fortunately we are garrulous beings for the most part and likely won't hibernate our lives away. Still, this film captures the randomness of psychotic death dealers fairly efficiently. The cast is uniformly excellent. I wonder if Adolf Menjou watched NAKED CITY and picked up a few disheveled pointers from Barry Fitzgerald. As a final note, I have to wonder why this excellent little film, like so many. has been hidden from us. Surely I'm not one of so few who love these gems?