THE BREAKING POINT

Showings

THEATER 1 Tue, Jul 9 6:00 PM
Presented on 35mm
THEATER 1 Sat, Jul 20 12:45 PM
Presented on 35mm
Film Info
Runtime:97
Release Year:1950
Production Country:USA
Original Language:English
Cast/Crew Info
Director:Michael Curtiz
Cast:John Garfield
Patricia Neal
Phyllis Thaxter
Juano Hernández
Wallace Ford
Screenwriter:Ranald MacDougall

Description

Nearly a decade after CASABLANCA (which also boasts a terrific last shot), Michael Curtiz crafted this humanistic and devastating daylight noir (which was the inspiration for our Last Shot series) based on Ernest Hemingway’s To Have and Have Not. John Garfield stars as honest charter-boat captain and devoted family man Harry Morgan. After a passenger stiffs him on payment, Harry is seduced by the slimy lawyer Duncan (Wallace Ford) to make a quick buck, and by the slippery Leona (Patricia Neal) for a quick thrill. These temptations are tempered by the good people who love Harry: his devoted wife Lucy (Phyllis Thaxter) and daughters, and his loyal partner Wesley (Juano Hernandez). The conclusion of this working-class tragedy sneaks up on you, the final shot suggesting a world of loss that lives just beyond the frame, and serving as a profound, devastating reminder of the consequences of our actions.