Act of Violence Research Paper Proposal and Bibliography
Act of Violence is a 1948 film noir that exemplifies the genre stylistically, but plot-wise is rather thin; and so to attract audiences, the studio used marketing tricks to attract both male and female viewersrepresenting the film as a domestic drama for women, and as a violent, gun-filled flick for males with plenty of attractive women for the male gaze. In reality, the film was more of a psychological thriller within the film noir genre; the director used some technological innovations to advance the genre, such as reflective lighting, natural settings, and no makeup; but the story was a melodramatic one that served more as an opportunity for the director to show his stylistic abilities in the film noir genre than it did to interest audiences or offer them much that was new in terms of an enticing experience. Thus, to get viewers to the cinema, MGM resorted to the typical marketing gimmicks of the day, using women in the advertising and promotional material to attract the male gaze and spark the interest of the targeted male audience, and using the womens perspective and hinting at damsel-in-distress, domestic drama in the promotional material to target the female audience. Act of Violence was thus depicted as a stylish film noir for everyoneeven though it was a film that was rather more on the cerebral side than on the scintillating or visceral side of cinematic experiences.
Bibliography
1949 Janet Leigh Act Of Violence Vintage Print Ad Original Movie.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/262066198880?hash=item3d045cd960:g:aGUAAOSwsB9WBiQI
Act of Violence. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0041088/mediaviewer/rm2220548352/
Act of Violence. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0041088/mediaviewer/rm2357407488/
Act of Violence Trailer.
https://www.imdb.com/video/vi3175203097?ref_=tt_pv_vi_aiv_1
Crowther, Bosley. Act of Violence,' a Metro Film With Van Heflin, Janet Leigh, New
Feature at Criterion. The New York Times, Jan. 24, 1949, page 0.
Raven, Seymour. Movie, 'Act of Violence,' Is Powerful Fare: "ACT OF VIOLENCE"
Chicago Daily Tribune (1923-1963); Chicago, Ill.[Chicago, Ill].07 Mar 1949: A7.https://www.proquest.com/docview/177670289/177A2BE058484E2FPQ/1?accountid=14523&forcedol=true&forcedol=true
Surtees, Robert. "The Story of Filming Act of Violence.."American Cinematographer
(August 1948)(1948). https://lantern.mediahist.org/catalog/americancinemato29unse_0268
