Cry of the City

"From the heart of its people comes the ... cry of the city."

1948 1h 35m EN

👍

6.7

SOLID

★6.7TMDB · 76

CrimeDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Petty crook and cop-killer Martin Rome, in bad shape from wounds in the hospital prison ward, still refuses to help slimy lawyer Niles clear his client by confessing to another crime. Police Lt. Candella must check Niles' allegation; a friend of the Rome family, he walks a tightrope between sentiment and cynicism. When Martin fears Candella will implicate his girlfriend Teena, he'll do anything to protect her. How many others will he drag down to disaster with him?

“From the heart of its people comes the ... cry of the city.”

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Cast

Victor Mature
Lt. Candella
Richard Conte
Martin Rome
Fred Clark
Lt Collins
Shelley Winters
Brenda Martingale
Betty Garde
Miss Pruett
Berry Kroeger
W. A. Niles
Tommy Cook
Tony Rome
Debra Paget
Teena Riconti

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Robert Siodmak
Writers: Richard Murphy
Languages: English, Italian
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

78 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Italian.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Robert Siodmak, shot by Lloyd Ahern Sr.. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Alfred Newman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Harmon Jones shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Victor Mature and Richard Conte and Fred Clark carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "From the heart of its people comes the ... cry of the city.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0040257 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Robert Siodmak directs. Lloyd Ahern Sr. behind the camera. Alfred Newman scores. Harmon Jones cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English, Italian.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

178 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Italian.
3Directed by Robert Siodmak, shot by Lloyd Ahern Sr.. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Alfred Newman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Harmon Jones shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Victor Mature and Richard Conte and Fred Clark carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "From the heart of its people comes the ... cry of the city.".
8IMDB entry: tt0040257 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 76 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Lloyd Ahern Sr.
Original score: Alfred Newman
Editing: Harmon Jones
Costume design: Bonnie Cashin
Makeup / hair: Ben Nye
Sound: Eugene Grossman
Runtime: 95 min · 1h 35m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: Cry of the City (1948)

Also by

Robert Siodmak

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2023-05-22
★ 7/10
Maybe not my first choice as leading man here, but to be fair to Victor Mature he turns in one of his better efforts as officer "Candella". When low-life "Rome" (Richard Conte) finds himself lying in an hospital bed, badly bruised and being pressured by the odious lawyer "Niles" (Barry Kroeger) to admit to a robbery he didn't commit, it falls to the policemen to try to verify who did/knew what - and soon we discover that we have a cop-killer to find. Now "Candella" has been an integral part of this close-knit community for a very long time. He is treated almost like a son by "Ma Rome" and is pretty conflicted as he balances what is right for his job with his local loyalties and his conscience. Things take a turn for the worse for "Rome" when his girlfriend "Teena" (Debra Paget) starts to become embroiled in the investigation and quickly he is faced with tough choices that could put lives at risk as they go into hiding before trying to flee. This is a well paced and scored thriller with an on form Conte rather effective as the borderline smug hoodlum gelling well with both the flighty Paget and the at times almost menacing Mature. It twists and turns a little, giving us a slight indication of the internecine fashion in which these "Little Italy" communities were built and thrived, and the denouement is not quite what you might expect. A tight cast help keep the story focussed and make for an intriguing crime drama with just a little bit extra.

Production companies