The Big Knife (1955)

Robert Aldrich directed many stylish, yet somehow raw, melodramas. The Big Knife is a good example: stagey, yet immersive. An actor, Charlie is pursued by the big bosses of Hollywood to sign a contract. He is separated from his wife whom he still loves: she urges him not to sign and he tries to make up his mind what he considers to be important in his life. The story meanders and bad turns into worse (while every addresses one another with an icy 'darling'). The film almost entirely takes place in Charlie's very modern house and one of the great things about the film is how well the interiors work to evoke a chilly and threatening atmosphere. The story involves big business, big rumors, some love affairs (none of which are more than diversions) and you know how it is: a murder is plotted. Although the characters may not be that sharply outlined, The Big Knife manages to build up a sort of tension that keeps the viewer in thrall. This is a film where nobody is particularly sympathetic and the lines - based on Clifford Odet's play - drip of bitterness and sneaky persuasion (Ida Lupino is great at this). As a critique of the sordid culture of Hollywood, the film is awfully entertaining to watch. I wonder how Aldrich's colleagues took the film...? The image Aldrich paints of big-shot Hollywood executives and agents is far from flattering. Hollywood is the place where even the best people are corrupted and money rules over everything. The Big Knife may not change my life, but it was an entertaining, poisonous attack on the big buck in film.