Moriarty had competition!
As Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes tales debuted and garnered astounding popularity (1887-1927), competing detective characters swelled in number. Some authors preferred to focus on the victims of crime. However, a number of bold fiction writers shifted the spotlight to the criminals themselves. The finest and most fun works penned by this last group make up the Curated Crime Collection, a sort of nine-volume anthology. Culled from a wide variety of novels and short-story series, the CCC features thirteen singular sinners and two felonious fraternities.
The CCC is almost fully available now. As an extension to it, I’m writing a series of recommendations for movies that similarly showcase criminal characters. I’ll update this list as posts become available. Click on the title to read about the movie.
- They Live by Night (1948), directed by Nicolas Ray. Loosely speaking, this is a Romeo-and-Juliet story about a young couple on the wrong side of the law, blending soft touches of sentimental romance with hard punches of gritty realism. Ray, who went on to direct Rebel Without a Cause (1955), includes innovative visual and audio techniques, including some of the very first helicopter tracking shots.
- Going in Style (1979), directed by Martin Brest and starring George Burns, Art Carney, and Lee Strasburg. Given the premise is three men decide to enliven their declining years by robbing a bank—and given that Burns and Carney star—one might assume this is a broad comedy. Not the case. Though balanced with humor, this is a poignant story of men seeking something more than a dull, dreary end to life.
I hope to avoid movies that have already garnered a lot of attention. For example, films such as Ocean’s Eleven (1960) and The Godfather (1972)—along with their remakes, sequels, and spin-offs—are well known. I’d rather draw attention to works that are less famous yet equally impressive. This fits with the philosophy I used when picking and choosing the CCC. It’s nice when I’m able to inspire a reader or a film fan to respond: “This is terrific! How did I not know about it?”
My posts will follow a 1-2-3 pattern. First, “At Large” provides some basic information about the film, its director and stars, and its history. Second, “Arresting Features” explains why I chose it as something that, ahem, warrants watching. Third, “In Cahoots” will match the movie with one or more of the volumes in the CCC, inviting a viewer who liked a particular movie to take a chance on a similar book or vice versa.
BROM BONES BOOKS 