ON DANGEROUS GROUND is one of the finest and most enduring film noirs to emanate from Hollywood. Made by the undisputed home of noir RKO Pictures in 1952 it is fondly remembered chiefly for a blistering performance by Robert Ryan and a riveting score by the great Bernard Herrmann. Produced for the studio by John Houseman it was directed with great flair by Nicholas Ray and photographed in vivid monochrome by George E.Diskant. Based on a novel by George Butler it was expertly written for the screen by A.I. Bezzerides.
Robert Ryan is Jim Wilson the brutish cop in the city who just cannot control his temper when it comes to questioning suspects. He beats up on them with frightening vehemence. "We're just garbage men - cleaning the streets of garbage" he exclaims to his two colleagues Pop Daly and Pete Santos (Charles Kemper/Anthony Ross). To Pop Daly he asks "How do you live with this garbage"? Daly replies "I don't... I live with other people.....I never bring the job home with me......I leave it outside. To get anything out of this life you've got to put something into it with a heart". Wilson's boss Captain Brawley (Ed Begley) comes down hard on him over his violent methods. "I get results" Wilson retorts. To get him out of the city Brawley sends him on a murder case 70 miles up state. When he gets there he ties up with Walter Brant (Ward Bond) who's young daughter has been brutally murdered. Brent is bloodthirsty and will not rest until he empties his double barreled shotgun into the killer. In Brant's brutish behavior Wilson sees a reflection of himself. The killer happens to be the younger, yet deranged, brother of Mary Malden (Ida Lupino) a gentle blind girl who lives alone in a remote cabin in the snow covered hills. A perceptive woman she senses in Wilson a great loneliness and he in turn finds himself being drawn to her. Eventually - after a desperate pursuit across the snow - the killer falls to his death from a cliff. Wilson - the job now completed - begins his return to the city. But just as he gets there he suddenly turns back as he realises his destiny is by the side of Mary Malden.
One of the most striking elements of ON DANGEROUS GROUND is the outstanding score by the brilliant Bernard Herrmann. The main title over the credits is the frenetic "Hunt Theme" developed later in the picture for the scene where the killer is being chased across some snow covered terrain. The baying horns and yelping trumpets cleverly simulating the howls and barks of hunting hounds. Then there is the highlight of the score - the exquisite and persuasive "Viola de Amour" which characterizes not only the vulnerability but also the gentle nature of Mary Malden and poignantly provides a tender aura for her scenes with Jim Wilson. Herrmann himself was so taken by Virginia Majewski's Viola playing of the piece he insisted her name be included on the credits. A rare instance in film where a studio orchestra instrumentalist's name appears on the titles.
ON DANGEROUS GROUND is a defining creation of old Hollywood picture making! A masterpiece of ingenuity, exceptional performances, adroit writing, vibrant cinematography and brilliant music. IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE WE NEED??
Robert Ryan is Jim Wilson the brutish cop in the city who just cannot control his temper when it comes to questioning suspects. He beats up on them with frightening vehemence. "We're just garbage men - cleaning the streets of garbage" he exclaims to his two colleagues Pop Daly and Pete Santos (Charles Kemper/Anthony Ross). To Pop Daly he asks "How do you live with this garbage"? Daly replies "I don't... I live with other people.....I never bring the job home with me......I leave it outside. To get anything out of this life you've got to put something into it with a heart". Wilson's boss Captain Brawley (Ed Begley) comes down hard on him over his violent methods. "I get results" Wilson retorts. To get him out of the city Brawley sends him on a murder case 70 miles up state. When he gets there he ties up with Walter Brant (Ward Bond) who's young daughter has been brutally murdered. Brent is bloodthirsty and will not rest until he empties his double barreled shotgun into the killer. In Brant's brutish behavior Wilson sees a reflection of himself. The killer happens to be the younger, yet deranged, brother of Mary Malden (Ida Lupino) a gentle blind girl who lives alone in a remote cabin in the snow covered hills. A perceptive woman she senses in Wilson a great loneliness and he in turn finds himself being drawn to her. Eventually - after a desperate pursuit across the snow - the killer falls to his death from a cliff. Wilson - the job now completed - begins his return to the city. But just as he gets there he suddenly turns back as he realises his destiny is by the side of Mary Malden.
One of the most striking elements of ON DANGEROUS GROUND is the outstanding score by the brilliant Bernard Herrmann. The main title over the credits is the frenetic "Hunt Theme" developed later in the picture for the scene where the killer is being chased across some snow covered terrain. The baying horns and yelping trumpets cleverly simulating the howls and barks of hunting hounds. Then there is the highlight of the score - the exquisite and persuasive "Viola de Amour" which characterizes not only the vulnerability but also the gentle nature of Mary Malden and poignantly provides a tender aura for her scenes with Jim Wilson. Herrmann himself was so taken by Virginia Majewski's Viola playing of the piece he insisted her name be included on the credits. A rare instance in film where a studio orchestra instrumentalist's name appears on the titles.
ON DANGEROUS GROUND is a defining creation of old Hollywood picture making! A masterpiece of ingenuity, exceptional performances, adroit writing, vibrant cinematography and brilliant music. IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE WE NEED??