Scarlet Street

A remake of Renoir's La Chienne of 1931, and a key psychological film noir, one of Holly wood's most tortuous and bleak visions of the delusive power of the imagination. Edward G Robinson's meek, middle-aged, middle class cashier/Sunday painter suffers with 'problems with perspective' when driven into an obsessive infatuation with Joan Bennett's sensual, scheming prostitute/actress; and a potent combination of Fate, an unusually incisive script, Lang's claustrophobic visuals, and a haunting score are enough to shape him into the essential portrait of tragic vulnerability. The film, taking representation and perception as its dominant themes, practically begs for close textual analysis while rushing headlong towards its subversive climax - offering further proof that the tight framework of American narrative genres provided the ideal context for Lang to work in.