Black Widow

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Nunnally Johnson directs. Charles G. Clarke behind the camera. Leigh Harline scores. Dorothy Spencer cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

• 172 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
• 2Directed by Nunnally Johnson, shot by Charles G. Clarke. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
• 3Original score by Leigh Harline. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
• 4Editor Dorothy Spencer shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
• 5Van Heflin and Reginald Gardiner and Gene Tierney carry the top of the cast.
• 6Marketing tagline: "Someone will kill this girl tonight!".
• 7IMDB entry: tt0046791 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
• 8Only 56 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
• 9Classified under 11 themes, including "new york city", "murder", "broadway", "murder investigation".

The technical file

Cinematography

Charles G. Clarke

Original score

Leigh Harline

Editing

Dorothy Spencer

Costume design

Travilla

Makeup / hair

Ben Nye

Runtime

95 min · 1h 35m

Status

Released

Original language

EN

IMDB

Black Widow (1954) ↗

IMDB rating

6.7/10 · 3,333 votes

MPAA

Approved

Also by

Nunnally Johnson

• 
  The Three Faces of Eve

  1957 · ★ 7.2
• 
  The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit

  1956 · ★ 6.7
• 
  Oh, Men! Oh, Women!

  1957 · ★ 6.2
• 
  Night People

  1954 · ★ 6.1
• 
  The Angel Wore Red

  1960 · ★ 5.0
• 
  How to Be Very, Very Popular

  1955 · ★ 4.6

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

• 

  ▶
  Black Widow (1954) ORIGINAL TRAILER [HQ]

  Trailer

Community reviews

What people are saying

• John Chard2019-06-09
  ★ 7/10

  The Black Widow, deadliest of all spiders, earned its dark title through its deplorable practice of devouring its mate. The Black Widow, deadliest of all spiders, earned its dark title through its deplorable practice of devouring its mate. Black Widow is written and directed by Nunally Johnson. It stars Ginger Rogers, Van Heflin, Gene Tierney, George Raft, Peggy Ann Garner and Reginald Gardiner. Music is by Leigh Harline and cinematograpgy by Charles G. Clarke. A young writer insinuates herself into the life of a Broadway producer – with dire consequences… A CinemaScope/De Luxe colour production out of 20th Century Fox, Black Widow flirts with the boundaries of colour film noir. Heflin is the Broadway producer who has his world turned upside by what at first we think is a femme fatale, only the pic isn’t as straight forward as that. In fact, the title is a bit of a bum steer for this is not about some male murdering femme fatale, quite the opposite in fact, so expectation of that will only cause disappointment. Essentially this ends up as a who and why done it? And for the most part the pic holds the attention as the narrative pitches Peter Denver (Heflin) as the Broadway producer frantically trying to prove himself innocent of a murder. Cards are kept close to the chest as Johnson’s screenplay drips suspicion into the play at various points. We the audience are forced into questioning the manoeuvres of the lead protagonists, which gains momentum once Raft’s Detective Bruce starts investigating the case. However, some have cried out that the revelation was too easy to spot, maybe so if one is so desperate to do so, but of course we do hear this a lot from folk not happy with the film they have watched. Personally, I didn’t see it coming, but conversely, I was personally disappointed with the reveal. So, there you go, roll the dice and take a chance with it really. Tech aspects are hit and miss. The CinemaScope format doesn’t quite work here, given that most of the play is performed in apartments. When it comes to the cityscapes of New York – and the framing of characters within them – it’s a treat, especially as Clarke’s colour lenses are splendid, but Johnson the director doesn’t appear to get a handle on the format. Acting is also an interesting parade. Heflin is great, draws you into his “on the run to clear my name” malarkey with conviction, while Rogers is having a blast as the waspish lead lady with delusions of grandeur. Raft is a one note let down in a “for the money” role, and Tierney (sadly getting closer to succumbing to her mental health problems) is poorly written and Gardiner likewise. Garner (stepping in when Maggie McNamara fell ill) is fine, slinky and suspiciously delicate, but the course of the story leaves us short of more from her. As a whole? it’s a mixed bag, but definitely it’s on the good side of good, particularly for Heflin and Rogers fans and for those of a noir persuasion. 7/10

  Read full review ↓

Production companies

Who made it

• 

  20th Century Fox

  US

Key crew

• ProducerNunnally Johnson
• EditorDorothy Spencer
• Makeup ArtistBen Nye
• HairstylistHelen Turpin
• SoundEugene Grossman
• SoundRoger Heman Sr.
• Art DirectionMaurice Ransford
• Art DirectionLyle R. Wheeler
• Set DecorationDorcy Howard
• Set DecorationWalter M. Scott
• Costume DesignTravilla
• Assistant DirectorA.F. Erickson
• Special EffectsRay Kellogg
• ConductorLionel Newman
• OrchestratorEdward B. Powell

Themes & keywords

What it's about, really

• new york city
• murder
• broadway
• murder investigation
• aspiring writer
• broadway star
• broadway producer
• stage actress
• jealous wife
• adulterous husband
• voiceover narration

Release history · US

When it landed

• Theatrical1954-10-28