Saturday, August 5, 2023

Call Northside 777 (1948)

 This oddly titled film is based on the true story of a Chicago journalists investigations, which got a man wrongly convicted for the murder of a police officer released. (The woman whose testimony convicted him lied, afraid of retribution from the real killers.) Sometimes mistakenly identified as a film noir, which its really not. The movie is done in a then popular quasi documentary style, one which I don't much care for, though there are exceptions like 'The Snake Pit' which came out that same year. 

James Stewart is the reporter, he elevates this thing, it would be forgotten without him. I also liked the polygraph scene, which manages to both explain the then newish process to the audience, and be somewhat tense. On the whole though not much to this. I'm glad the guy got released, but suspect the reporters articals were more interesting then this movie. ** (One of those stars is for James Stewart's performance alone.)

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