A brief but memorable shot at the very beginning of Nicholas Ray's "They Live By Night" shows two young lovers in a few shared moments of contentment that seem incredibly intimate, romantic and precious. It provides an arresting image primarily because of its skillful composition but also because of the way in which light and shadow are so cleverly used to create an atmosphere of warmth and tenderness. This shot is important not only because it emphasises that the young couple's love story is the main focus of the action that follows but also because it signifies that the first-time director's approach to filmmaking is significantly more subjective and empathetic than the majority of his contemporaries who were making film noirs during the same period.
Bowie (Farley Granger) is a young man who was unjustly found guilty of murder and imprisoned at the age of sixteen. After having served seven years of his sentence, he takes the opportunity offered to him by two other inmates and together they escape from prison. When the car in which they're travelling develops a puncture, Chicamaw "One-Eye" Mobley (Howard Da Silva) and "T-Dub" Mansfield (Jay C Flippen) leave the injured Bowie behind and make their way on foot to Chicamaw's brother's cabin where they plan to hide out and they arrange for Chicamaw's teenage niece Keechie (Cathy O'Donnell) to use her father's vehicle to go and bring Bowie back to the cabin.
The young couple are instantly attracted to each other but their relationship is initially awkward and tentative primarily because of their common naiveté but also because of Keechie's hostility towards the criminals. Bowie takes part in a bank robbery with the other two escapees because he thinks that by doing so; he can get enough money together to hire a lawyer who could prove that his original conviction was a miscarriage of justice.
Following the robbery, Chicamaw and Bowie are involved in a car accident in which Bowie is injured and shortly after, Chicamaw shoots a police officer who arrives to check out what had happened. Chicamaw takes Bowie back to his brother's cabin where Keechie nurses him back to health and it's during this period that the couple fall deeply in love and decide to go on the run. Their dream of a normal life together is what drives them as they travel across country but their chances of success are constantly under threat.
A striking feature of this movie is the way in which expressionistic cinematography, tight framing and close-ups are used to create an environment which looks closed in and oppressive. Everyone seems to be physically trapped by their surroundings and this is even true in the outdoor sequences as the use of aerial photography creates an impression that the people below are being watched and can't escape the scrutiny that they're under.
Bowie and Keechie are both portrayed as being the products of their unfortunate backgrounds and people who are essentially good. Bowie never chose to follow a life of crime and his greatest ambition is to go straight. This being the case, it's fitting that he should be represented on screen by an actor who doesn't look like a stereotypical criminal and Farley Granger certainly meets this requirement. He gives a very credible performance as the misfit bank robber and Cathy O'Donnell steals the show as Keechie. Her skill in displaying the various characteristics of a girl who goes from being sullen and mistrustful to being rather warmer and more good humoured is both subtle and convincing.
The best of the supporting performances comes from Howard Da Silva who is very threatening as a vicious career criminal. The entire cast is also particularly good and certainly adds another level of enjoyment to the movie by the ways in which the eccentricities and corrupt natures of the colourful characters are portrayed.
Bowie (Farley Granger) is a young man who was unjustly found guilty of murder and imprisoned at the age of sixteen. After having served seven years of his sentence, he takes the opportunity offered to him by two other inmates and together they escape from prison. When the car in which they're travelling develops a puncture, Chicamaw "One-Eye" Mobley (Howard Da Silva) and "T-Dub" Mansfield (Jay C Flippen) leave the injured Bowie behind and make their way on foot to Chicamaw's brother's cabin where they plan to hide out and they arrange for Chicamaw's teenage niece Keechie (Cathy O'Donnell) to use her father's vehicle to go and bring Bowie back to the cabin.
The young couple are instantly attracted to each other but their relationship is initially awkward and tentative primarily because of their common naiveté but also because of Keechie's hostility towards the criminals. Bowie takes part in a bank robbery with the other two escapees because he thinks that by doing so; he can get enough money together to hire a lawyer who could prove that his original conviction was a miscarriage of justice.
Following the robbery, Chicamaw and Bowie are involved in a car accident in which Bowie is injured and shortly after, Chicamaw shoots a police officer who arrives to check out what had happened. Chicamaw takes Bowie back to his brother's cabin where Keechie nurses him back to health and it's during this period that the couple fall deeply in love and decide to go on the run. Their dream of a normal life together is what drives them as they travel across country but their chances of success are constantly under threat.
A striking feature of this movie is the way in which expressionistic cinematography, tight framing and close-ups are used to create an environment which looks closed in and oppressive. Everyone seems to be physically trapped by their surroundings and this is even true in the outdoor sequences as the use of aerial photography creates an impression that the people below are being watched and can't escape the scrutiny that they're under.
Bowie and Keechie are both portrayed as being the products of their unfortunate backgrounds and people who are essentially good. Bowie never chose to follow a life of crime and his greatest ambition is to go straight. This being the case, it's fitting that he should be represented on screen by an actor who doesn't look like a stereotypical criminal and Farley Granger certainly meets this requirement. He gives a very credible performance as the misfit bank robber and Cathy O'Donnell steals the show as Keechie. Her skill in displaying the various characteristics of a girl who goes from being sullen and mistrustful to being rather warmer and more good humoured is both subtle and convincing.
The best of the supporting performances comes from Howard Da Silva who is very threatening as a vicious career criminal. The entire cast is also particularly good and certainly adds another level of enjoyment to the movie by the ways in which the eccentricities and corrupt natures of the colourful characters are portrayed.