Odd Man Out

Odd Man Out
Odd Man Out

Odd Man Out movie poster
Directed by Carol Reed
Produced by Carol Reed
Written by F. L. Green
R. C. Sherriff
Starring James Mason
Robert Newton
Cyril Cusack
Kathleen Ryan
F. J. McCormick
Music by William Alwyn
Cinematography Robert Krasker
Editing by Fergus McDonell
Studio Two Cities
Distributed by Rank Organisation
Release date(s) February 1, 1947 (1947-02-01)
Running time 116 minutes
Country United Kingdom
Language English

Odd Man Out is a 1947 Anglo-Irish film noir directed by Carol Reed, starring James Mason, and is based on a novel of the same name by F. L. Green.

Contents

Plot

The film's opening intertitle reads:

"This story is told against a background of political unrest in a city of Northern Ireland. It is not concerned with the struggle between the law and an illegal organisation, but only with the conflict in the hearts of the people when they become unexpectedly involved."

The city and the illegal organisation are never explicitly named in the film, but the protagonist is a chieftain in an IRA-like organization. James Mason plays Johnny McQueen, who is trying to escape from the police after an ill-advised mill robbery meant to replenish the organization's coffers. The film follows McQueen, who has been wounded in the robbery, through an increasingly surreal odyssey over a day and a night. The bleak city (almost certainly Belfast), with its labyrinth of havens and traps, draws Johnny ever deeper into itself as the night wears on.

Production

Kathleen Ryan

Aside from Mason, the supporting cast was drawn largely from Dublin's Abbey Theatre. Among the other members of the Organisation are Cyril Cusack, Robert Beatty, and Dan O'Herlihy. On his travels, Johnny meets an opportunistic bird-fancier played by F. J. McCormick, a drunken artist played by Robert Newton, a barman (William Hartnell) and a failed surgeon (Elwyn Brook-Jones). Denis O'Dea is the Inspector on Johnny's trail, and Kathleen Ryan, in her first feature film, plays the woman who loves Johnny. Also of note are W. G. Fay -- a founder of the Abbey Theatre—as the kindly Father Tom, Fay Compton, Joseph Tomelty, and Eddie Byrne. A number of non-speaking parts were filled by actors who later went on to achieve a modicum of fame, including Wilfrid Brambell, Dora Bryan, Geoffrey Keen, Noel Purcell, and Guy Rolfe. Few of the main actors in the film actually manage an authentic Ulster accent.

The cinematographer was Robert Krasker, in his first film for director Reed, lighting sets designed by Ralph Brinton and Roger Furse.

This was the first screen appearance of Steptoe and Son actor Wilfrid Brambell who began his 35 year career as a standing passenger in the tram scene of this film.

The main set was based on the Crown Bar in Belfast; contrary to some sources, it was a studio set built at D&P Studios in Denham, Buckinghamshire, and was not filmed in the real Crown.[1] However, much of the film was shot on location: exterior scenes were shot in West Belfast,[1] although some were shot at Broadway Market, Hackney in London.[2]

Composer William Alwyn was involved writing the leitmotif-based score from the very beginning of the production. It was performed by the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Muir Mathieson.

Reception

The film's violent ending attracted advance criticism from the censors, and had to be toned down in the finished film.[3] The film received the BAFTA Award for Best British Film in 1948. It was nominated for the Golden Lion award at the Venice Film Festival in 1947, and nominated for a Best Film Editing Oscar in 1948.

Filmmaker Roman Polanski has repeatedly cited Odd Man Out as his favourite film.[4] Polanski feels that Odd Man Out is superior to The Third Man, generally considered to be Reed's masterpiece:

I still consider it as one of the best movies I've ever seen and a film which made me want to pursue this career more than anything else... I always dreamt of doing things of this sort or that style. To a certain extent I must say that I somehow perpetuate the ideas of that movie in what I do.[4]

In Popular Culture

In the 2011 computer game L.A. Noire, Odd Man Out can be seen billed on the RKO Theatre located on the corner of 8th and Hill Streets in downtown Los Angeles.

References

Notes

  1. ^ a b 'BBC seeks stars of Belfast film noir', BBC News 23 February 2007
  2. ^ 'Filming locations for Odd Man Out The Internet Movie Database
  3. ^ Rogers, Steve. Soldier in the Snow: A Look at the Making of Odd Man Out, its Key Players and Critical Recognition. (Network, 2006).
  4. ^ a b Roman Polanski: Interviews. University Press of Mississippi, 2005. ISBN 9781578068005. Pages 159, 189.

Bibliography

  • The Great British Films, pp 106–109, Jerry Vermilye, 1978, Citadel Press, ISBN 080650661X

External links


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • odd-man-out — «OD MAN OWT», noun, adjective. –n. 1. a person or thing left out of a group; a person who does not fit or belong in a group: »He is an odd man out of his native world (Harper s). 2. a) the person singled out, as by tossing a coin or in some… …   Useful english dictionary

  • odd man out — n. 1. a) a method, as in a game, for singling out one person from a group, as by matching coins b) the person thus singled out 2. any atypical or unconventional person or thing …   English World dictionary

  • odd man out — odd′ man out′ n. 1) gam a way of selecting or eliminating a person from a group, esp. in a game, as by tossing coins 2) gam the person so selected or eliminated 3) outsider • Etymology: 1885–90 …   From formal English to slang

  • odd man out — noun someone regarded as eccentric or crazy and standing out from a group • Syn: ↑kook, ↑odd fellow, ↑odd fish, ↑queer bird, ↑queer duck • Derivationally related forms: ↑kooky (for: ↑ …   Useful english dictionary

  • Odd Man Out — Huit Heures de sursis Huit Heures de sursis Titre original Odd Man Out Réalisation Carol Reed Acteurs principaux James Mason Robert Newton Scénario R.C. Sherriff F.L. Green d après ce dernier Genre Thriller Drame P …   Wikipédia en Français

  • odd man out — no matter what our group planned to do over school vacations, Cassidy was always odd man out Syn: outsider, exception, oddity, nonconformist, maverick, individualist, misfit, fish out of water, square peg in a round hole …   Thesaurus of popular words

  • Odd Man Out — Filmdaten Deutscher Titel: Ausgestoßen Originaltitel: Odd Man Out Produktionsland: Großbritannien Erscheinungsjahr: 1947 Länge: 111 Minuten Originalsprache: Englisch …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • odd man out — 1. a method of selecting or eliminating a person from a group, as by matching coins, esp. in preparation for playing a game. 2. the person so selected or eliminated. 3. a game consisting of this method. 4. outsider (def. 2). Also, odd man out.… …   Universalium

  • odd man out —  All alone.  ► “That would leave Sprint the odd man out among AT&T and MCI Communications Corp. in the race to establish global partnerships.” (Network World, Feb. 13, 1995, p. 1) …   American business jargon

  • Odd Man Out (disambiguation) — Odd Man Out is a 1947 British film directed by Carol Reed and starring James Mason. Odd Man Out may also refer to: Odd Man Out (Frasier episode) Odd Man Out (Prison Break episode) Odd Man Out (TV series), a 1999 American sitcom Odd Man Out (UK TV …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”