Noir City Double Feature: Ace in the Hole (1951) & Scarlet Street (1945) | Saturday Evening 8pm

Turner Classic Movie host and Film Noir Foundation President Eddie Muller returns with a selection of crime classics, half in rare 35mm film prints, with a focus on women related to his book Dark City Dames.

Saturday 8pm

Ace in the Hole (1951). Paramount. 111 minutes. 35mm.

On its release, critics called this the most bitter, cynical, mean-spirited movie ever made. It still might hold the honor. What’s certain is how scarily prescient Wilder’s tale of media manipulation (originally released as The Big Carnival) turned out to be. Kirk Douglas is stupendously rotten as a disgraced reporter reclaiming the spotlight by prolonging the plight of a trapped miner. Jan Sterling is unforgettable as the miner’s less-than-compassionate wife. It may not feature many of the tropes and iconography of classic noir, but its withering depiction of human nature and American culture is as pitch-black as any film of the era. A genuine masterpiece.

Scarlet Street (1945). Universal–International. 102 minutes. Digital.

On the night of his retirement, aging, mild-mannered cashier Christopher Cross (Edward G. Robinson)becomes an accidental hero—rescuing a gorgeous young woman, Kitty March (Joan Bennett) from a would-be attacker. The poor sap doesn’t realize he’s stumbled upon a dust-up between a hooker and her pimp, and before long the devious duo is playing him for a prize chump, selling to tony galleries the amateurish paintings the love-struck Cross bestows on Kitty. This wretched roundelay can only end in tragedy. One of the truly definitive noir films, Scarlet Street is a perfectly directed and acted immorality play. Edward G. Robinson’s performance—so achingly sincere and utterly delusional—is at times almost painful to watch.

This is one of four double features in the Noir City Film Festival. Check out our other screenings here: https://redfordtheatre.com/events/

All-Access Passes are available here: https://redfordtheatre.com/events/noir-city-detroit/

You may also like the following events from Redford Theatre:

• Next month, 8th August, 08:00 pm, On the Town (1949) | Friday Evening Screening 8pm | Live Performance by Shall We Dance in Redford
• Next month, 15th August, 08:00 pm, The Devil Wears Prada (2006) | Friday Evening Screening 8pm in Redford
• Next month, 16th August, 02:00 pm, The Seven Year Itch (1955) | Saturday Matinee 2pm | 70th Anniversary in Redford

Also check out other Entertainment events in Redford, Arts events in Redford, Fine Arts events in Redford.