Kiss of Death (1947)
(Henry Hathaway, US 1947, 99 min., 35mm)
The remaining films in our Noir ’47 series were all nominated for Academy Awards the following year, demonstrating the quality of the film noirs released that year. Kiss of Death’s most famous nomination was for Richard Widmark’s indelible supporting performance as Tommy Udo, a psychotic criminal on a path of revenge. He is in search of our protagonist, Nick Bianco (Victor Mature), who ratted on his criminal associates once he learned that his wife had committed suicide and his daughters placed in an orphanage while he was in prison. Realizing that he can’t escape his showdown with Tommy, Nick seeks him out to settle the score. Eleazar Lipsky, a New York prosecuting attorney, was also nominated for his original story.
Post-screening discussion with Curator of Film Exhibitions Jared Case.