Fritz Lang’s Scarlet Street is populated with some of the worst human beings you’ve ever encountered, onscreen or in real life. The characters lie, cheat, steal, and eventually murder.

Scarlet Street was the second film made as a team by Lang, Edward G. Robinson, Joan Bennett, and Dan Duryea. The Woman In The Window was a hit in 1944, so they got the band together again.

By 1945, Edward G. Robinson (hereinafter EGR) was tired of playing gangsters. He longed for more variety in his roles. Scarlet Street helped kick start the second act of his distinguished career as he played a series of mousy men. It’s as if Little Caesar was neutered and replaced by meek men like Scarlet Street’s Christopher Cross. Cue the obvious musical reference:

We meet the meek guy played by EGR at a drunken banquet honoring his 25 years of work as a cashier for a Wall Street firm. At least I think so, they don’t tell us what kind of business it is, only that EGR got a gold pocket watch for his service. Their loyalty was not reciprocated: EGR steals from the company to support his femme fatale habit.

Joan Bennett plays Kitty Marsh. She’s one of the most heartless and conniving femme fatales in film noir history. Her partner in crime, Johnny Prince is played by Dastardly Dan Duryea who came by his nickname honestly:

The two con artists have an easy mark in EGR. He’s married to a harridan played by Rosalind Ivan who he dislikes. The feeling is mutual. The virago wife threatens to throw out EGR’s prime possessions, his paintings. He’s a talented amateur painter whose style is best described as outsider surrealism.

After lying to her about being a rich artist, EGR sets Bennett up in an apartment and she and Duryea proceed to milk him for everything he’s got. You’d have thought she’d be grateful for this portrait:

EGR’s character’s super power is making the women in his life dislike him. Bennett hates him as much as Mrs. EGR. Notice the sneer on her face below or is that a smirk?

Looks like a sneering smirk to me, y’all.

Oddly enough, Bennett adored Fritz Lang who was a notorious taskmaster. She’s looking serious, not smirky in this shot with the director.

Duryea expands the con by flogging EGR’s artwork:

A gallery owner and a critic like EGR’s work but they’re told that Bennett is the artist. This is when things begin to go south for our gang of grifters and their mark. That’s all the story I’m willing to share. This feature is called pulp fiction, not pulp spoilers. Suffice it to say that our three main characters suffer at the hands of each other, the law, and themselves. The end is bleak enough to please the Noir Czar DBA Eddie Muller. Now, that’s bleak.

Fritz Lang was a master of film noir. Scarlet Street is one of his best movies. While there are other characters, Lang and screenwriter Dudley Nichols rightly focus on EGR, Bennett, and Duryea. The three have a sick chemistry in their scenes together and elevate the pulpy material into a classic.

Grading Time: I give Scarlet Street 4 stars and an Adrastos grade of A. It’s a stone cold classic.

Art is as crucial to Scarlet Street as it is to this feature. The paintings in the movie were done by Hollywood set designer, John Decker.

Let’s check out the posters. Here’s a side-by-side image of the US and Spanish language posters:

I suspect you don’t need the Spanish title translated. Perversity would have an excellent American title. Who was more perverse than Bennett and Duryea?

Let’s visit quad corner, it’s a phrase, not a place:

Here’s a neo-quad, publicizing a showing at the British Film Institute:

I feel the need for some fresh air and after spending 102 minutes with these villains. Let’s all go to the lobby and see what we can see:

All we saw were dancing treats and lobby cards.

All aboard the trailer for this lurid classic:

The last word goes to Eddie Muller’s Noir Alley intro and outro: