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The Big Clock (Universal Noir Collection) | 
 enlarge | Director: John Farrow
Actors: Ray Milland, Charles Laughton, Maureen O'sullivan, George Macready, Rita Johnson
Studio: Universal Studios
Category: DVD
List Price: $14.98
Buy New: $6.43
You Save: $8.55 (57%)
New (28) Used (20) from $4.99
Rating:  38 reviews
Sales Rank: 16470
Format: Black & White, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dvd-video, Full Screen, Subtitled, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Subtitled), French (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 96 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
MPN: MCAD25501D
ISBN: 1417011629
UPC: 025192550126
EAN: 9781417011629
ASIN: B00023P4FQ
Theatrical Release Date: April 9, 1948
Release Date: July 6, 2004
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: ******BRAND NEW****** ** Over 1.5 million orders shipped worldwide and more than 500 000 items in stock, BUY FROM A TRUSTED SOURCE, ESTABLISHED SINCE 1998 - INETVIDEO ~~~
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Product Description
A crime-magazine publisher kills his mistress then order his editor to lead a manhunt. Studio: Uni Dist Corp. (mca) Release Date: 07/06/2004 Starring: George Macready Bobby Watson Run time: 95 minutes Rating: Nr Director: John Farrow
Amazon.com
What if you were asked to investigate a murder in which you were the prime suspect? From this seemingly impossible notion comes a grandly entertaining nail-biter. Charles Laughton plays the punctuality obsessed, slave-driving head of a publishing empire who won't let his crime magazine's star editor (Ray Milland) take a day off to spend with his family. The overworked Milland, having just upset a delayed honeymoon trip for the umpteenth time, goes on a sorrow-drowning, bar-hopping bender with a mysterious woman who, it turns out, is Laughton's mistress. Later that night after Milland has gone home, Laughton murders her, and the next day he assigns Milland to investigate, since a number of clues point to her having spent time with another man that night. Milland, then, must not only find the real murderer but sidetrack the investigation away from himself. That both characters are solving the crime in tandem yet unwittingly working toward pinning the murder on each other is at the heart of The Big Clock's labyrinthine brilliance. Helping bring out the dark humor in this adaptation of Kenneth Fearing's noir novel (included in the Library of America's Crime Novels collection) is Elsa Lanchester as a high-strung painter who can sketch the prime suspect (Milland), a time-bomb plot device that only adds to the already unbearable suspense. This is a taut, lean thriller, superbly handled by director John Farrow, who never fails to remind his audience through repeated use of clocks, timepieces, and watches that all too often in our lives that ticking sound is the enemy. This was remade in 1987 with Kevin Costner as No Way Out. --Robert Abele
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| Customer Reviews: Read 33 more reviews...
 Ticking toward the climax December 2, 2008
Craig During (Long Beach, CA United States)
Ray Milland beset by events beyond his control, Charles Laughton at his feindish best, strange charactors galore. This is film noir at its peak. The (murder) mystery is far from solved even though we watch it take place because we have to wait and see WHO gets the blame.
Many charactor actors populate this movie - George Macready, Elsa Lanchester (Mrs. Laughton), Lloyd Corrigan, and others with familiar faces but forgotten names donate to the narrative. Moments of humor relieve the tension of watching our hero becoming entangled in the murder all the while trying to 'solve' it for his boss, the owner of the crime magazine where he works.
If there is one shortcoming it is the climactic point - a bit Deus ex-machina-ish, but make certain you watch ALL of the movie!
A fascinating, well-made crime film May 12, 2008
Genevieve Hayes (Australia)
Crime magazine editor, George Stroud (Ray Miland), is about to go on his first holiday in years when he finds himself involved in the murder of his boss's mistress. Not knowing that Stroud is involved, Stroud's boss, Earl Janoth (Charles Laughton), has Stroud search for the man that was with his mistress the night before her death (which happens to be Stroud), while Stroud searches for the true killer in order to acquit himself of the crime.
"The Big Clock" is not a murder-mystery, as the audience is made well aware of the identity of the killer, but is more a fascinating and well-made game of cat-and-mouse between the film's two main characters. What makes it so interesting is the fact that, although the audience knows what is going on, Stroud and Janoth do not know that each is searching for the other. The best part about this film, however, is Elsa Lanchester in a supporting role as an eccentric Greenwich Village painter. I have been a fan of Lanchester for as long as I can remember, but I would have to say that this is my favourite of all of her film roles. Every time she appears on screen she steals the show. Quite an achievement, considering whom she is working with.
Although this film was made in 1948, it has weathered the passage of time extremely well. It is fast-paced, cleverly-written and does not seem dated at all. This film was remade in 1987 as "No Way Out". However, in my opinion, a remake was unnecessary.
Milland, Laughton, Lanchester and Macready in a minor gem from the great Studio days September 15, 2007
L. E. Cantrell (Vancouver, British Columbia Canada)
This film is classified as a film noir but visually, at least, it is fairly bright. While the prologue and one scene near the end are enveloped in satisfyingly inky shadows, the most memorable scenes and the moments of highest tension take place beneath a cold, corporate glare. As far as the drama goes, though, it's noir all the way: an ordinary schnook does something that he knows perfectly well he ought not to do and all-too soon finds himself in a cold sweat as he attempts to wriggle out of the deadly consequences of his own folly.
Both the original book by Kenneth Fearing and the movie took the classic elements of a whodunit and mischievously turned them inside out. The who-, how- and whydunit are perfectly clear. The story is about how the noirish human rat (so to speak) attempts to escape from a trap of his own making.
For those familiar with the book, it is enlightening (or perhaps depressing) to see the then all-powerful Hollywood Code at work. Stroud, the protagonist of the book, is distinctly not a heroic or even admirable character on the printed page. His attitudes, his motives and his actions are, to put the most favorable spin on them, unsavory. To a considerable extent, he deserves the misery that falls on his head. On screen, he is still not a paragon, but he's sidled a heck of a lot closer to Jim Anderson of "Father Knows Best" and Mr. Cleaver of "Beaver" fame. He is even faithful, more or less, to his wife, portrayed by Maureen O'Sullivan. (Alas, she is demurely clothed throughout and long past the great old days when she was Tarzan's barely dressed main squeeze.)
Ray Milland is fine as the poor schnook trapped in the gears. He has presence, rakishness, charm and the rare ability to project inner turmoil and aching discomfort through all three of those other qualities.
Charles Laughton, that prince of bulky character actors, is delightfully revolting as an egotistical, self-centered swine with a continent-sized sense of entitlement, who presides over a vast publishing empire and is absolute lord of his New York skyscraper kingdom. Elsewhere it has been suggested that his character bears some resemblance to Henry Luce in the glory days of Time and Life Magazines. More current reference might be made by Canadians to Conrad Black and by Americans to Rupert Murdoch. For the era of the book and movie, Condé Nast Publications or even Street and Smith might have served as a better match for Laughton's publishing behemoth than Time-Life.
This is a movie that provides an unusually large number of small speaking parts for people whose features are familiar but whose names hardly register. Two character actors stand out, however. George Macready may have had a limited acting range, but nobody ever bettered him as an icy, uptight SOB. He's at the top of his form here as Laughton's chief henchman. More impressive yet is the wonderful Elsa Lanchester, who--as always!--owns every scene in which she appears. She was Laughton's wife, in a marriage strange even by Hollywood standards. I suspect that her role, really not very much as written, grew as she took the bit between her teeth and director John Farrow had enough sense to let her go where she would.
This story was updated, rethought and remade with Kevin Costner under the title, "No Way Out": deplorable, deplorable, deplorable and deplorable.
"The Big Clock" is not a great picture nor even a great film noir, but it is vastly entertaining. That's enough for five stars by my reckoning.
****
A MINOR OBSERVATION: The director of this film was John Farrow. His wife was Maureen O'Sullivan (hence, I suppose, the modest outfits and even more modest performance.) Their daughter is Mia Farrow. John Farrow may be seen with Milland in the trailer for "The Big Clock" as they jointly tout the forthcoming picture.
The Big Clock June 25, 2007
John Farr
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Memorable for its edgy dialogue and tense, sinister atmosphere, John Farrow's 1948 adaptation of Kenneth Fearing's novel boasts an ingenious plot device: two characters, one guilty and one innocent, both attempt to "solve" a crime in which they are circumstantially implicated. Milland, solid as ever, anchors the action as the cornered protagonist, while portly Charles Laughton is superbly loathsome as the controlling, megalomaniac killer. Fine support from Maureen O'Sullivan, Elsa Lanchester, and Harry Morgan--chilling as Janoth's mute, gun-toting bodyguard--round out this time-tested thriller.
 hardly the noir classic id been led to believe April 6, 2007
Jonathan Lapin (Brooklyn, NY USA)
1 out of 9 found this review helpful
poor ray milland gets caught up in a wacko murder plot and illicit love affair in this overrated film noir from director john farrow, who is best remembered for directing second-rate movies and siring a second-rate actress. even charles laughton is dull here!
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