The Asphalt Jungle is a 1950 film noir directed by John Huston. Considered one of the classics of film noir and one of the first of the caper films, the film is based on the novel of the same name by W.R. Burnett and stars an ensemble cast including Sterling Hayden, Jean Hagen, Sam Jaffe, Louis Calhern, and Marilyn Monroe. It tells the story of a group of men planning and executing a jewel robbery. Image File history File links The_Asphalt_Jungle_poster. ... John Marcellus Huston (August 5, 1906 – August 28, 1987) was an American film director and actor. ... William Riley Burnett (November 25, 1899 - April 25, 1982), often credited as W. R. Burnett, was an American novelist and screenwriter. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Sterling Hayden (March 26, 1916 - May 23, 1986) was an American actor. ... Louis Calhern (February 19, 1895 - May 12, 1956) was an American stage and screen actor. ... Jean Hagen (August 3, 1923 - August 29, 1977) was an Oscar-nominated American film actress. ... Whitmore in The Asphalt Jungle James Allen Whitmore (born October 1, 1921) is an American film actor. ... Sam Jaffe (1891-1984) Sam Jaffe (March 8, 1891 – March 24, 1984) was an American actor, teacher and engineer. ... Marilyn Monroe (born Norma Jeane Mortenson on June 1, 1926 – August 5, 1962), was a Golden Globe Award-winning American actress, singer, model and pop icon. ... For alternate meanings of MGM, see MGM (disambiguation). ... is the 143rd day of the year (144th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1950 (MCML) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... See also: 1949 in film 1950 1951 in film 1950s in film 1940s in film years in film film // Events February 15 - Walt Disney Studios animated film Cinderella debuts. ... This still from The Big Combo (1955) demonstrates the visual style of film noir at its most extreme. ... John Marcellus Huston (August 5, 1906 – August 28, 1987) was an American film director and actor. ... A big caper movie or a heist film is a movie that has an intricate plot woven around a group of people trying to steal something. ... William Ripley Burnett (November 25, 1899 - April 25, 1982), often credited as W.R. Burnett, is a novelist and screenwriter. ... Sterling Hayden (March 26, 1916 - May 23, 1986) was an American actor. ... Jean Hagen (August 3, 1923 - August 29, 1977) was an Oscar-nominated American film actress. ... The name Sam Jaffe can refer to: Sam Jaffe (1891-1984); American actor Sam Jaffe (1901-2000); Hollywood talent agent, studio executive, film producer This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Louis Calhern (February 19, 1895 - May 12, 1956) was an American stage and screen actor. ... Marilyn Monroe (born Norma Jeane Mortenson on June 1, 1926 – August 5, 1962), was a Golden Globe Award-winning American actress, singer, model and pop icon. ...

Plot

Classic low-key lighting in The Asphalt Jungle

Recently paroled from prison, legendary burglar "Doc" Riedenschneider (Sam Jaffe), with funding from Emmerich (Louis Calhern) a crooked lawyer, gathers a small group of veteran criminals together for a big heist. The film was shot in Los Angeles and Cincinnati, but the name of the city is never mentioned, giving the impression of an "urban jungle", rather than of real location. Doc's gang consists of: Dix (Sterling Hayden), a hood with a gambling problem who sees the upcoming jewel heist as a means to finance his dream of buying back the horse farm that he lost during the Great Depression; a hunchbacked diner owner named Gus Minissi (James Whitmore), who is hired on to be the driver for the heist; Louis Ciavelli (Anthony Caruso), a professional safecracker, and a bookie (Marc Lawrence) acting as the go-between. Image File history File links Asphalt_Jungle_Noir. ... Image File history File links Asphalt_Jungle_Noir. ... A Black and White low-key portrait. ... For other uses, see The Great Depression (disambiguation). ... Whitmore in The Asphalt Jungle James Allen Whitmore (born October 1, 1921) is an American film actor. ...

In a tense scene during the well-planned crime (an eleven minute sequence in the film), the criminals confidently carry out the jewel heist in a patient and calm manner. Ciavelli climbs down into a manhole, walks along a tunnel, pounds his way through a brick wall, climbs the basement stairs to the jewelry store, deactivates the door's alarm and lets the other thieves in, and then heads to the main safe. With care, he slides flat on his back under the electric-eye system, picks the gate's lock, drills holes into the safe's door, gingerly opens a corked bottle of nitroglycerin (called "the soup" by the characters), and sets off a charge on the jewelry store safe. The explosion sets off the alarms of several nearby businesses and brings the police to the scene quicker than expected. Another mishap occurs at the end of the caper when a security guard drops his gun as he's being hit by Dix, and the gun fires and wounds Ciavelli.

After finding out about the crime, a corrupt cop (Barry Kelley), angry that his "patsy" (Lawrence) didn't let him in on the caper, beats the bookie into confessing and fingering the other criminals involved. From this point on, the meticulously planned crime falls apart as the cops begin closing in on the gang one by one.

Reaction

Film reviews today, as when the film was released, are almost universally positive.^[1] Following the 2004 DVD release, Glenn Erickson wrote, "The cinematography is expressive and Miklós Rózsa's nervous score - great noir music - rises to an almost cosmic emotional pitch."^[2] Film writer David M. Meyer notes "The robbery is among the best-staged heists in noir. The simple visual treatment, the precise movements of the actors, and the absence of music on the sound track raise the tension to a boiling point." ^[3] Miklós Rózsa (IPA: ) or Miklos Rozsa (April 18, 1907 - July 27, 1995) was a Hungarian-born composer, best known for his film scores, most notably the score to the 1959 epic Ben-Hur. ...

Awards and nominations

• The Asphalt Jungle was nominated for four Academy Awards; two for Huston (nominated as director and as co-writer), one nomination for its cinematography (for Harold Rosson), and a best actor in a supporting role nomination for Sam Jaffe.
• It was nominated for three Golden Globes; Best Cinematography (Rosson), Best Director (Huston), and Best Screenplay (Huston and Ben Maddow).
• It was also nominated for the 1951 British Academy Film Award for Best Film.
• Maddow and Huston won the 1951 Edgar Award for Best Motion Picture Screenplay.

Academy Award The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are the most prominent and most watched film awards ceremony in the world. ... The Academy Award for Directing is one of the awards given to directors working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. ... The Academy Award for Writing Adapted Screenplay is one of the Academy Awards, the most prominent film awards in the United States. ... Charles Rosher the first recipient in 1928 The Academy Award for Best Cinematography is awarded each year to a cinematographer for his work in one particular motion picture. ... Harold G. Hal Rosson (August 24, 1895 – September 6, 1988) was an American Cinematographer during the early and classical Hollywood cinema. ... The Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor is one of the awards given to male actors working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; nominations are made by Academy members who are actors and actresses. ... The Golden Globe Awards are American awards for motion pictures and television programs, given out each year during a formal dinner. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), is a British organization that hosts annual awards shows for film, television, childrens film and television, and interactive media. ... The Edgar Allan Poe Awards (popularly called the Edgars), named after Edgar Allan Poe, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America. ...

Trivia

• This highly regarded film noir was one of the first thrillers to show a crime and the consequences from the point-of-view of the burglars and their accomplices. According to film critic Tim Dirks, "[This was] something usually considered morally improper under the Production Code."
• When The Asphalt Jungle was made, Marilyn Monroe was a little known actress and given a small part. Whenever the film is reissued, Monroe usually figures prominently in the print ads or cover art.
• The Asphalt Jungle was based on the novel of the same name by the prolific W.R. Burnett, who earlier wrote the novel that became the well-known 1931 film Little Caesar.
• Regarding the overall theme of this film noir, film critic Lawrence Russell writes, "The approach is out of the tradition of American naturalism as seen in the novels of Norris, Dreiser, Lewis, and others, where character is determined by environment, the architect of fate. The characterizations are driven by the human need for freedom rather than the psychopathic need to kill."
• W.R. Burnett's novel The Asphalt Jungle was also the basis of the western film The Badlanders (1958) directed by Delmer Daves.
• According to film scholar Carlos Clarens in Crime Movies: An Illustrated History, "[The film] was criticized for its liberal attitude toward the underworld . . . in Huston's words: 'My defense...was that unless we understand the criminal...there's no way of coping with him.'"

This article is being considered for deletion in accordance with Wikipedias deletion policy. ... The Production Code (also known as the Hays Code) was a set of industry guidelines governing the production of American motion pictures. ... Little Caesar is a 1931 crime film made during the Pre-Code era which tells the story of a man who works his way up the ranks of the mob until he reaches its upper heights. ... The Badlanders (1958). ... Delmer Daves (July 24, 1904 – August 17, 1977) was an American screenwriter, director, and producer. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Wikiquote is a sister project of Wikipedia, using the same MediaWiki software. ...

External links

• Review and detailed plot summary
• The Asphalt Jungle at the Internet Movie Database
• The Asphalt Jungle at Rotten Tomatoes
• "Out of the Past: Investigating Film Noir" podcast episode 8

The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is an online database of information about movies, actors, television shows, production crew personnel, and video games. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...

Notes

1. ^ Reviews of The Asphalt Jungle. as compiled by Rotten Tomatoes
2. ^ Erickson, Glenn. Review The Asphalt Jungle. DVD Savant.
3. ^ David M. Meyer (1998). A Girl and a Gun: The Complete Guide to Film Noir on Video. Avon Books. ISBN 0-380-79067-X. 

This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...

References

1. DVD Savant's review