Blast of Silence (1961, Allen Barron) (1 Viewer)

[The Drifter]

I've seen the b&w film Blast of Silence several times over the years, on the Criterion DVD. Excellent movie, which focuses on a lone hitman who travels to NYC during the Christmas holidays to perform a "job".

Great atmosphere, acting, period jazz score, and location. Early ’60’s NYC may as well be another character in the film. I also think that setting & filming the movie in Winter added to the intentional starkness; even the daytime scenes were gloomy and morose. Also setting the film at Christmas-time emphasized the alienation/loneliness of the main character.

The second-person narration took some getting used to, but ultimately I found it very appropriate.

Kudos to the Criterion Collection – if it weren’t for the DVD, I would never have gotten a chance to see the film (or hear of it, for that matter).

If you like b&w noir films and haven’t already seen this, do yourself a favor and check it out.

 

[Jim517]

Thanks. I love old movies.

 

[The Drifter]

To add to my last post, it's worth noting that this film has some similarities to the iconic 1976 NYC film Taxi Driver, which may be completely coincidental; I don't think Scorsese has ever cited BOS as an influence, but since I'm a big fan of both films, I definitely noticed:

In BOS, the main character is rejected by a woman (as Travis Bickle was in TD), and things go downhill from there. This definitely reminded me quite a bit of TD, re: the lone sociopath who has problems forming any kind of personal connection with anyone, the NYC setting, etc. There is also "second-person" narration in BOS which somewhat delves in the main character's psyche - this brings to mind the first-person narration by TB in TD.

 

[JoeStemme]

Offbeat Christmas movies - how about a Noir Holiday film?
BLAST OF SILENCE (1961) - Allen Baron's BLAST OF SILENCE is a fascinating if quite flawed outlier in the history of film noir. One could argue that it was one of the very last gasps of the classic noir period, while also making a case that it is an early example of what later became known as neo-noir. What isn't mentioned as often is that BLAST has some indirect but distinct connections with the French noir movement, particularly the films of Jean Pierre Melville (BOB LE FLAMBEUR, LE DOULOS) along with examples from Jean Luc Godard (BREATHLESS) and Francois Truffaut (SHOOT THE PIANIST). Indeed, the film that BLAST most closely resembles may be Melville's later LE SAMOURAI.

As to the film itself, BLAST is truly a one man show by Baron, who raised the $20,000, borrowed the equipment and played the lead himself (performing his own stunts to boot!). Baron's screenplay is minimal. Hitman Frank Bono goes through the basic paces of getting the murder contract, acquiring the weapon and tailing his target, Troiano (Peter Clune). Much of the picture is shot without synch sound as Frank wanders through New York City killing time until the hit is to take place. Along the way, he deals with a scuzzy gun dealer, Big Ralph (Larry Tucker), and runs into an old female friend, Lori (Molly McCarthy) who he kills time with.

The script is so limited that it required a full narration track in post-production to tie it all together. That narration is what has made the film a cult item over the years. Ghost written by blacklisted writer Waldo Salt (as Mel Davenport) and voiced by another blacklistee in Lionel Stander (uncredited), the narration track gives the film an existential layer that the main movie only hints at. It's a double-edged sword because it is so flowery, and Stander's voice is so gruff that it rarely matches up with what Director, writer and actor Baron is doing on screen - or, what Baron could possibly have achieved on his own. If Baron's initial idea of casting Peter Falk in the role had come to fruition, he may have been able to pull off both the acting and the narration. There are times it plays almost like a parody of film noir narrator cliches: “ You're alone. But you don't mind that. You're a loner. That's the way it should be. You've always been alone. By now it's your trademark. You like it that way.” Still, there is no question that Salt's writing elevates BLAST.

What also works is the silent location footage around NYC. Baron's figure walking alone in the streets gives the film a stark sense of time and place (somewhat reminiscent of Stanley Kubrick's early low budget noir KILLER'S KISS). Setting the film around Christmas adds to the verisimilitude (the touch where even a rat cage has Christimas ornaments is a good one). One can really feel Frank's solitary existence in the big city, being alone during the holidays in a strange city with only his 'mission' keeping him going.

BLAST OF SILENCE is a curio, but one worth visiting for noir devotees and those interested in ultra-low budget period cinema.
BLAST OF SILENCE airs on TCM occassionally, including this Wednesday. It is available on Criterion DVD. It also pops up on Youtube, Internet Archive etc.