I Wake Up Screaming is a defining 1941 film in the shadowy crime genre that would later be called film noir. Victor Mature stars as Frankie Christopher, a sports promoter who is also the prime suspect in the murder of a beautiful model (Carole Landis) he helped to attain celebrity success. The film opens with Frankie getting the third degree under the glare of a blinding lamp while the victim's sister (Betty Grable) is treated more gently nearby. Flashbacks fill in their stories and set up their romance while an obsessive police detective (Laird Cregar) promises to get the evidence he needs to send Frankie away for murder. Set in New York City, the film was shot on the Fox backlot, which gives the city scenes that slightly artificial, exaggerated quality, and director H. Bruce Humberstone, a veteran of Fox musicals and Charlie Chan mysteries, shows a knack for the expressionist images and hard shadows that would come to define the genre. Mature's glib confidence is a good fit for his character and Grable takes on the first dramatic role of her career, while Cregar sets the templates for both the obsessive, intimidating police detective and the stocky, soft-spoken noir heavy, using his bulk to dominate and intimidate while his quiet delivery carries a sinister threat with every line. It's a fine early noir and solid Hollywood thriller with star power and impressive style, making its Blu-ray debut with extras including audio commentary by film historian Eddie Muller, an alternate opening title sequence, a deleted scene, and a photo gallery. Recommended. (S. Axmaker)
I Wake Up Screaming
Kino Lorber, 82 min., not rated, Blu-ray: $29.95 Volume 32, Issue 1
I Wake Up Screaming
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