What a wonderful thrill it is to discover a film I had never heard of and find it to be so enjoyable and fascinating. I found this one while browsing the DVDs at the library and checked it out based on the fact that it was a film noir and had a picture of Betty Garble and her famous legs on the DVD cover. "I Wake Up Screaming" has a crazy title which has little to do with the film's plot, but it's one of the most beautifully shot film noirs I've ever seen, and according to the interesting commentary track by noir expert Eddie Muller it's one of the earliest examples of that genre.
The story is sort of silly, but Victor Mature is well cast as a New York promoter and he has plenty of chemistry with his love interest, the lovely Miss Grable. Personally I found Carole Landis, who plays Grable's tough-talking sister, more attractive. She is stunning as the waitress-turned-starlet who manipulates all the men in the film. I was very sad to learn of her tragically short life. There's a real fire to her performance here in a relatively brief role.
But the real star of "I Wake Up Screaming" is Laird Cregar as the creepy, soft-spoken Inspector Cornell. As the lead detective on the a murder case Cornell is bent on convicting Mature's character, so much so that he follows him around like a vulture and even sneaks into his bedroom while he's sleeping. Cregar with his dark presence and huge body reminds me of a younger version of Orson Welles's crooked detective Hank Quinlin in "A Touch of Evil". He taunts Mature with a miniature hangman's noose and bullys Grable into admitting her love for Mature. It's a totally unexpected performance. Most actors would have played Cornell tough and hard, but Cregar uses his soft voice and intelligence as a counterpoint to his intimidating size. By the end of the film we care less about the murder mystery than we do about Cornell's fate. It's a fascinating performance and Cregar certainly belongs on any list of actors unfairly ignored by Oscar.
If you enjoy Film Noir and want a pleasant surprise, rent this movie.
The story is sort of silly, but Victor Mature is well cast as a New York promoter and he has plenty of chemistry with his love interest, the lovely Miss Grable. Personally I found Carole Landis, who plays Grable's tough-talking sister, more attractive. She is stunning as the waitress-turned-starlet who manipulates all the men in the film. I was very sad to learn of her tragically short life. There's a real fire to her performance here in a relatively brief role.
But the real star of "I Wake Up Screaming" is Laird Cregar as the creepy, soft-spoken Inspector Cornell. As the lead detective on the a murder case Cornell is bent on convicting Mature's character, so much so that he follows him around like a vulture and even sneaks into his bedroom while he's sleeping. Cregar with his dark presence and huge body reminds me of a younger version of Orson Welles's crooked detective Hank Quinlin in "A Touch of Evil". He taunts Mature with a miniature hangman's noose and bullys Grable into admitting her love for Mature. It's a totally unexpected performance. Most actors would have played Cornell tough and hard, but Cregar uses his soft voice and intelligence as a counterpoint to his intimidating size. By the end of the film we care less about the murder mystery than we do about Cornell's fate. It's a fascinating performance and Cregar certainly belongs on any list of actors unfairly ignored by Oscar.
If you enjoy Film Noir and want a pleasant surprise, rent this movie.