The Verdict (1946 film)
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The Verdict is a 1946 film-noir drama directed by Don Siegel and written by Israel Zangwill and Peter Milne, based on Zangwill's novel The Big Bow Mystery. The film stars Sydney Greenstreet and Peter Lorre in one of their eight film pairings, as well as Joan Lorring and Ian Wolfe in a bit part as the jury foreman. Sidney Lumet's 1982 film by the same name is not a remake of this film.
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[edit] Plot Summary
Greenstreet portrays George Edward Goodman, a respected superintendent at Scotland Yard who makes a mistake in an investigation that causes the execution of an innocent man. He takes the blame for his error and is dismissed from his position as superintendent and replaced by the obnoxious and gloating John Buckley (portrayed by George Coulouris). Soured by the turn of events, Goodman sets out to make Buckley look too inept to perform his new job. He enlists the aid of his macabre artist friend, Victor Emmric, played by Peter Lorre, and when a mysterious murder occurs, they realize their chance to ruin Buckley may have arrived.
[edit] Don Siegel
The Verdict was Siegel's first full-length feature film. He began his career as an editor and second unit director, and in 1945 he directed two shorts, Hitler Lives and Star in the Night and won Academy Awards for both. He went on to direct the cult classic Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956), and ventured into television, directing episodes of "The Twilight Zone", "Bus Stop", "Breaking Point" and "The Legend of Jesse James". He also directed Elvis Presley in his finest performance in Flaming Star (1960). He had a long professional relationship and personal friendship with Clint Eastwood, who has often said that everything he knows about filmmaking he learned from Don Siegel. It was Siegel who directed Eastwood in Dirty Harry (1971), and when Siegel fell ill briefly, Eastwood stepped in to complete a critical scene involving a suicide jumper. This was Eastwood's first stab at (uncredited) directing. Eastwood's Unforgiven was dedicated to "Don" in honor of Siegel.
Siegel was the first director to be credited by the Director's Guild of America's universal pseudonym Alan Smithee, for Death of a Gunfighter (1969). He refused credit because the film's star, Richard Widmark, had fired director Robert Totten a week before filming ended, and Siegel felt the film was Totten's and not his. (Totten refused credit because he had been fired.) Siegel was married to Swedish actress Viveca Lindfors. Their son, Kristoffer Tabori, was born in Malibu, California in 1952 and has appeared in many films and television series.
Siegel is the author of A Siegel Film: An Autobiography and was interviewed for Peter Bogdanovich's book Who the Devil Made It.
[edit] Quotes
"If you shake a movie, ten minutes will fall out." -- Don Siegel
[edit] External link
- Don Siegel at http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0796923/bio (IMDb)
The Verdict • Night Unto Night • The Big Steal • Duel at Silver Creek • Count the Hours • China Venture • Riot in Cell Block 11 • Private Hell 36 • The Blue and Gold • Invasion of the Body Snatchers • Crime in the Streets • Baby Face Nelson • Spanish Affair • The Gun Runners • The Lineup • Hound Dog Man • Edge of Eternity • Flaming Star • Hell Is for Heroes • The Killers • The Hanged Man • Stranger on the Run • Coogan's Bluff • Madigan • Two Mules for Sister Sara • The Beguiled • Dirty Harry • Charley Varrick • The Black Windmill • The Shootist • Telefon • Escape from Alcatraz • Rough Cut • Jinxed!
