This is the first English language study of Jules Dassin (1911–2008), who began as a contract director at MGM in 1941 and earned his reputation with the films noirs Brute Force (1947), The Naked City (1948), Thieves’ Highway (1949), and Night and the City (1950). Exiled to Europe after being unofficially blacklisted by the House Un-American Activities Committee, Dassin re-surfaced to direct such popular hits as Rififi (1955), Never on Sunday (1960; he married Melina Mercouri), and Topkapi (1964). After a brief biographical chapter that also covers Dassin’s work for the theatre, each of the director’s 25 films is given its own chapter analysis, with cast and crew credits, synopsis, release information and reviews.

Peter Shelley is a playwright, screenwriter and author of several books on film. He lives in Umina Beach, Australia.

Peter Shelley
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 256
Bibliographic Info: 62 photos, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2011
pISBN: 978-0-7864-6045-8
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments      vi

Preface      1

Introduction      5

THE FILMS      49

The Tell-Tale Heart (1941)      49

Nazi Agent(1942)      52

The Affairs of Martha (1942)      58

Reunion in France (1942)      63

Young Ideas (1943)      70

The Canterville Ghost (1944)      77

A Letter for Evie (1946)      86

Two Smart People (1946)      95

Brute Force (1947)      101

The Naked City (1948)      112

Thieves’ Highway (1949)      122

Night and the City (1950)      132

Rififi (1955)      141

He Who Must Die (1957)      150

Where the Hot Wind Blows (1959)      157

Never on Sunday (1960)      164

Phaedra (1962)      173

Topkapi (1964)      185

10:30 P.M. Summer (1966)      195

Survival 1967 (1968)      203

Up Tight! (1968)      205

Promise at Dawn (1970)      217

The Rehearsal (1974)      223

A Dream of Passion (1978)      227

Circle of Two (1980)      234

Bibliography      243

Index      249