Night and the City (1992 film)
Encyclopedia
Night and the City is a 1992
remake
of the 1950 film noir
of the same name
, itself an adaptation of Gerald Kersh
's novel of the same name
. The film stars Robert De Niro
and Jessica Lange
and is directed by Irwin Winkler
from a script by Richard Price
.
Harry's debts mount, causing him to approach the ruthless loan shark Mr. Peck and to count on a loan by bar owner Phil Nassaro, who secretly hates Harry and has become aware of his wife Helen's affair with him. Helen, the one true friend Harry has, is also betrayed when Harry pretends to acquire a liquor license for her new restaurant, giving her a forged one instead.
Everything that can go wrong does go wrong, including Al Grossman's collapse from a heart attack. Harry runs out of chances as he desperately tries to avoid the wrath of those he has crossed.
. Like the original 1950 film noir
with the same name
, the film was released by 20th Century Fox
.
1992 in film
The year 1992 in film involved many significant films. -Top grossing films:-Awards:Academy AwardsGolden Globe AwardsNational Film Awards...
remake
Remake
A remake is a piece of media based primarily on an earlier work of the same medium.-Film:The term "remake" is generally used in reference to a movie which uses an earlier movie as the main source material, rather than in reference to a second, later movie based on the same source...
of the 1950 film noir
Film noir
Film noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. Hollywood's classic film noir period is generally regarded as extending from the early 1940s to the late 1950s...
of the same name
Night and the City
Night and the City is a film noir based on the novel by Gerald Kersh, directed by Jules Dassin, and starring Richard Widmark and Gene Tierney. Shot on location in London, the plot evolves around an ambitious hustler whose plans keep going wrong....
, itself an adaptation of Gerald Kersh
Gerald Kersh
Gerald Kersh was a British writer. Born in 1911, he began to write at the age of 8. After leaving school he worked as, amongst other things, a cinema manager, bodyguard, debt collector, fish & chip cook, travelling salesman, French teacher and all-in-wrestler whilst attempting to 'make it' as a...
's novel of the same name
Night and the City (novel)
Night and the City is the third novel by British author Gerald Kersh, published in 1938. It is a crime thriller set in 1930s London but also deals with social realism themes in the aftermath of the Great Depression.-Plot:...
. The film stars Robert De Niro
Robert De Niro
Robert De Niro, Jr. is an American actor, director and producer. His first major film roles were in Bang the Drum Slowly and Mean Streets, both in 1973...
and Jessica Lange
Jessica Lange
Jessica Phyllis Lange is an American actress who has worked in film, theatre and television. The recipient of several awards, including two Academy Awards, four Golden Globes and one Emmy, Lange is regarded as one of the première female actors of her generation.Lange was discovered by producer...
and is directed by Irwin Winkler
Irwin Winkler
Irwin Winkler is an American film producer and director. He is the producer or director of 50 major motion pictures, dating back to 1967's Double Trouble, starring Elvis Presley. The fourth film he produced, They Shoot Horses, Don't They? , starring Jane Fonda, was nominated for nine Academy Awards...
from a script by Richard Price
Richard Price
Richard Price was a British moral philosopher and preacher in the tradition of English Dissenters, and a political pamphleteer, active in radical, republican, and liberal causes such as the American Revolution. He fostered connections between a large number of people, including writers of the...
.
Plot
A two-bit New York lawyer named Harry Fabian gets caught up in his own scams. First he infuriates local crime figure and boxing promoter Ira "Boom Boom" Grossman by filing a baseless lawsuit against one of his boxers. Then he compounds the situation by recruiting Boom Boom's estranged brother, former professional prizefighter Al Grossman, to be his partner as he attempts to stage a boxing promotion himself.Harry's debts mount, causing him to approach the ruthless loan shark Mr. Peck and to count on a loan by bar owner Phil Nassaro, who secretly hates Harry and has become aware of his wife Helen's affair with him. Helen, the one true friend Harry has, is also betrayed when Harry pretends to acquire a liquor license for her new restaurant, giving her a forged one instead.
Everything that can go wrong does go wrong, including Al Grossman's collapse from a heart attack. Harry runs out of chances as he desperately tries to avoid the wrath of those he has crossed.
Cast
- Robert De NiroRobert De NiroRobert De Niro, Jr. is an American actor, director and producer. His first major film roles were in Bang the Drum Slowly and Mean Streets, both in 1973...
as Harry Fabian - Jessica LangeJessica LangeJessica Phyllis Lange is an American actress who has worked in film, theatre and television. The recipient of several awards, including two Academy Awards, four Golden Globes and one Emmy, Lange is regarded as one of the première female actors of her generation.Lange was discovered by producer...
as Helen - Alan King as Boom Boom Grossman
- Jack WardenJack WardenJack Warden was an American character actor.-Early life:Warden was born John Warden Lebzelter in Newark, New Jersey, the son of Laura M. and John Warden Lebzelter, who was an engineer and technician. He was of Irish and Pennsylvania Dutch ancestry...
as Al Grossman - Cliff GormanCliff GormanCliff Gorman was an American stage and screen actor. He won an Obie award in 1968 for the stage presentation of The Boys in the Band, and went on to reprise his role in the 1970 film version....
as Phil - Eli WallachEli WallachEli Herschel Wallach is an American film, television and stage actor, who gained fame in the late 1950s. For his performance in Baby Doll he won a BAFTA Award for Best Newcomer and a Golden Globe nomination. One of his most famous roles is that of Tuco in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly...
as Peck - Barry PrimusBarry PrimusBarry Primus is an American television and film actor.Primus is primarily an actor, but has also doubled and tripled as writer and director. He worked on stage for the first decade of his career. He gained some experience on TV in shows like The Defenders, East Side/West Side and The Virginian...
as Tommy
Production
This version of Night and the City departs from the source novel and the original film by substituting the sport of pro wrestling, which was by the early 1990s targeted mostly at children, with boxingBoxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
. Like the original 1950 film noir
Film noir
Film noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. Hollywood's classic film noir period is generally regarded as extending from the early 1940s to the late 1950s...
with the same name
Night and the City
Night and the City is a film noir based on the novel by Gerald Kersh, directed by Jules Dassin, and starring Richard Widmark and Gene Tierney. Shot on location in London, the plot evolves around an ambitious hustler whose plans keep going wrong....
, the film was released by 20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
.