What to expect
Samuel Fuller makes espionage tactile: a purse clasp, a necktie, a dumbwaiter, and a waterfront shack carry more force than abstract politics. The hard surfaces are balanced by Thelma Ritter’s moving portrait of a woman who sells information to survive.
How to ease in
You do not need to follow the politics in detail. Track possession of the microfilm and the price each character places on information, loyalty, and a way out.
Heads-up
A quick, non-exhaustive note Includes murder, severe physical assault, gun violence, coercion, misogyny, criminal activity, and Cold War propaganda.
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The microfilm is tiny enough to hide, but every person who touches it reveals a whole economy of need. I remember Moe because she understands the price of information and the cost of still being known.
— Momo
Credits & versions
- Cast
- Richard Widmark · Jean Peters · Thelma Ritter
- Screenplay
- Samuel Fuller
- Production
- Jules Schermer · Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corp.
- Cinematography
- Joseph MacDonald
Credits
Version map
Where to go next
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