Two greats

Cinema is losing its heroes in pairs at the moment. After Bergman and Antonioni passed-away in quick succession last year, the past week has seen the deaths of Richard Widmark and Jules Dassin – my favourite screen actor and one of my favourite directors, respectively. Apart, they were involved in some sublime movies. Together, they created one of the finest noir films – Night and the City.  I’ll be writing a fuller appreciation of these two greats later this week, but for now my Widmark and Dassin top-5 lists will have to suffice. I’d recommend that you buy, borrow or rent as many of these films as possible - they’re all essential:

Richard Widmark

Pickup on South Street

Panic in the Streets

Night and the City

The Street with No Name

Kiss of Death

Jules Dassin

Brute Force

Night and the City

The Tell-Tale Heart

Du rififi chez les hommes

Thieves’ Highway