The Life and Times of John Garfield / Force of Evil / USA 1948
“Just think of him as being the same person you were in Body and Soul, only with a college degree” is how Abraham Polonsky (here both screenwriter and director) responds to Garfield’s reservations about playing Joe Morse, the main character in the cult film noir Force of Evil. His seasoned lawyer works for influential mobster Tucker, head of a gang controlling the numbers racket in New York City. Nevertheless, as in the case of the above-mentioned boxing masterpiece, the corrupt, cynical and seductive world of big money clashes with a moral dilemma, represented in Force of Evil by Joe’s complex relationship with his older brother Leo. This arresting film, which Martin Scorsese often cites as a major influence on his work, entered the cinematic pantheon as a standout crime drama with cardinal ethical dimensions.
Karel Och
Restored by the UCLA Film & Television Archive and The Film Foundation with funding provided by The Hobson/Lucas Family Foundation.
79 min / Black & white, 35 mm
Director Abraham Polonsky
/ Screenplay Abraham Polonsky, Ira Wolfert
/ Dir. of Photography George Barnes
/ Music David Raksin
/ Sound Frank Webster
/ Editor Art Seid
/ Art Director Richard Day
/ Producer Bob Roberts
/ Production Roberts Pictures Inc.
/ Cast John Garfield, Beatrice Pearson, Thomas Gomez, Marie Windsor, Howland Chamberlain, Roy Roberts
/ Sales Ignite Films Distribution Services b.v.
/ Contact Národní filmový archiv, UCLA Film & Television Archive
Abraham Polonsky (1910, New York – 1999, Beverly Hills, Los Angeles). Selected filmography: Force of Evil (1948) Oedipus Rex (1957, co-dir.), Willie Boy (1969), Romance of a Horsethief (Romansa konjokradice, 1971).
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