The Big Heat (film)
"The Big Heat" is a notable film noir released in 1953, directed by Fritz Lang. The film revolves around Detective Dave Bannion, portrayed by Glenn Ford, who seeks to uncover the truth behind the suspicious death of a colleague and the subsequent murder of his wife at the hands of mobsters controlling the city. The narrative is based on a crime novel by William P. McGivern, which was adapted for the screen by Sydney Boehm. Initially, there were plans to cast Marilyn Monroe for the role of femme fatale Debby Marsh, but this was ultimately abandoned in favor of Gloria Grahame, whose performance contributed to the film's acclaim.
The plot intricately weaves themes of revenge and moral ambiguity, challenging the norms of the era's filmmaking through its depiction of violence and corruption. Despite facing obstacles due to the Hays Code, which imposed strict moral guidelines, the film was recognized for its strong direction and compelling performances. After its release, "The Big Heat" garnered positive reviews and moderate box office success, later earning a place in the National Film Registry for its significance in cinema history. Today, it is celebrated as a classic of the film noir genre, reflecting the stylistic and thematic elements that define this influential category of filmmaking.
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The Big Heat (film)
- Release Date: 1953
- Director(s): Fritz Lang
- Writer(s): Sydney Boehm
- Principal Actors and Roles: Jocelyn Brando (Katie Bannion); Glenn Ford (Detective Sgt. Dave Bannion); Gloria Grahame (Debby Marsh); Lee Marvin (Vince Stone)
- Book / Story Film Based On: The Big Heat by William P. McGivern
The Big Heat is a film noir classic. Film noir is a genre of film and a term that is generally used to describe the highly stylized Hollywood crime dramas popular in the 1940s and 1950s. The Big Heat tells of a detective, Dave Bannion, who is determined to take down the local mob controlling the entire city after the suspicious death of his colleague and subsequent murder of his wife. The story was based on a crime novel written by William P. McGivern in 1953, which originally appeared as a serial in the Saturday Evening Post. Columbia Pictures purchased the rights to the story for $40,000, and former crime reporter Sydney Boehm wrote an adaptive screenplay.
Producers of The Big Heat originally wanted to hire Marilyn Monroe to play the lead role of femme fatale Debby Marsh. However, at the time, Monroe was under contract with 20th Century Fox, and Columbia would have to pay in order to cast her. Plans for using Monroe were eventually scrapped when Columbia found 20th Century Fox’s asking price to be prohibitive. Instead, producers cast actress Gloria Grahame, a less well known actress who would go on to win the Academy Award for best actress two years later in the film Oklahoma! (1955).
Fritz Lang’s directorial work, such as Metropolis (1927)and M (1931), as well as his work on The Big Heat, is considered to be central and influential for the genre of film noir at large.
Plot
The Big Heat begins as an honorable homicide detective, Dave Bannion, is investigating the death of his fellow officer, Tom Duncan. While the department believes Duncan’s death is an obvious suicide, Bannion feels there is more to the story. Soon, Bannion receives a tip from Duncan’s mistress, Lucy Chapman, who claims Duncan had a second home. To further investigate this, Bannion pays a visit to Duncan’s late wife, Bertha, who becomes defensive when Bannion suggests she is hiding something.
When Chapman is found dead, covered in cigarette burns, Bannion is convinced that local mob boss Mike Lagana is behind both deaths. Lagana is well known for controlling the city, including the police department. Bannion begins investigating Chapman’s death, but soon receives pressure from the department to close Duncan’s case and leave it alone. Bannion begins receiving threats from Lagana’s camp, and after repeatedly ignoring them, has his car blown up, resulting in the death of his wife Katie.
Convinced that everyone is too afraid to stand up to the mob, Bannion loses faith in the police department, resigns his position, and vows to bring down Lagana and his second-in-command, Vince Stone, independently. Bannion confronts Stone at a nightclub, garnering the attention of Stone’s girlfriend, Debby Marsh, who develops an interest in Bannion. When Debby returns to Stone’s apartment, he thinks she is guilty of giving Bannion privileged information, and throws boiling coffee in her face. After returning from the hospital, Debby goes to Bannion and agrees to give him information, including the name of Larry Gordon, a companion of Stone and the man who planted the dynamite that killed Bannion’s wife.
Debby and Bannion confront Gordon, who admits his crime, and tells them Duncan was murdered because he obtained papers that could bring down Stone and Lagana. Duncan was going to bring them to the District Attorney, and now Bertha is keeping them in order to receive blackmail money from Lagana. Gordon is killed soon after his bosses discover he has talked to Bannion. Bannion decides to confront Stone in person and runs into Lieutenant Wilks on the way, now convinced that he wants to stand up to the mob.
Meanwhile, Debby pays Bertha a visit and kills her to obtain the incriminating papers. When Stone arrives back at his apartment, Debby is there, and throws boiling coffee in his face, just like he did to her. Enraged, Stone shoots Debby, but then is captured by Bannion who had followed. Debby dies from her gunshot wounds as Stone is arrested. Soon, Duncan’s evidence is released, leading to the indictment of Lagana, Stone, and corrupt members of the police force. His job complete, Bannion resumes his position as a homicide detective.
Significance
As a result of the Hays Code, which was a set of moral guidelines films released by major studios had to follow until 1968, the original script for The Big Heat was rejected. The script was deemed inappropriate due to the film’s portrayal of revenge as being justifiable, as well as including "immoral" relationships. In addition, the script was considered too brutal and gruesome for audiences. Per the Hays office comments, the script was modified and took out the relationship between Detective Bannion and femme fatale Debby Marsh. However, much of the original brutality was left in the script, but its portrayal onscreen modified. In the famous coffee-throwing scene, Lang placed Grahame off-screen, to reduce the graphic nature of the shot.
The Big Heat opened on October 14, 1953 to positive reviews from audiences and critics alike. The film was a moderate box office success, grossing $1.25 million domestically. Despite its lack of Academy Award nominations, critics still applauded the film for Lang’s great direction, as well as strong performances by the entire acting ensemble.
More recent views of the film are more positive, and it is now considered a classic, as well as a representative film of the entire film noir genre. In 2011, the Library of Congress selected The Big Heat to included in its National Film Registry, heralding it as "one of the great post-war films," and praising Lang’s characteristic directorial choices.
Bibliography
"2011 National Film Registry More Than a Box of Chocolates." Library of Congress. N.p., 28 Dec. 2011. Web. 20 July 2015. <http://www.loc.gov/today/pr/2011/11-240.html>.
Dirks, Tim. "The Big Heat (1953)." AMC Filmsite. American Movie Classics, 2015. Web. 20 July 2015. <http://www.filmsite.org/bigh.html>.
Ebert, Roger. "The Big Heat." Chicago Sun-Times. Chicago Sun-Times, 6 June 2004. Web. 20 July 2015. <http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-the-big-heat-1953>.
Mayer, Geoff, and Brian McDonnell. Encyclopedia of Film Noir. Westport: Greenwood, 2007. Print.
McArthur, Colin. The Big Heat. BFI, 1992. Print.
McGivern, William. The Big Heat. New York: Berkley Group, 1987. Print.
"The Big Heat (1953)." Turner Classic Movies (TCM). Turner Entertainment, 2015. Web. 20 July 2015. <http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/68673/The-Big-Heat/>.