CLASH BY NIGHT

DIRECTOR:
Fritz Lang

WRITERS:
Clifford Odets
Alfred Hayes

CAST:
Barbara Stanwyck
Paul Douglas
Robert Ryan
Marilyn Monroe
Keith Andes


Jerry ( Paul douglas ) owns a fishing boat in Northern California. Jerry takes care of his alcoholic-troublemaking-father and his ungrateful , opportunistic 'political-uncle'. Jerry ends up marrying Mae and having a baby with her. He's a big guy with a big heart. Jerry is loyal, loving, and always tries to 'do-the-right-thing'. In other words, he's doomed!


Mae ( Barbara Stanwyck ) is Jerry's wife and mother of their child. She's also an arrogant, selfish, thoughtless, and heartless-homewrecking-harlot. Mae loves 'bad-boys', then when they behave badly she complains about it. She wants Earl to scratch her libidinous itch. She's extremely bitter about her life and takes out her frustrations on others.


Earl ( Robert Ryan ) is Jerry's best friend. He's just as bitter about life as Mae. He also has the charisma of a bigot ( he loves to make fun of Chinese folks ). Mae makes his loins burn with forbidden passion.


Peg & Joe ( Marilyn Monroe & Keith Andes ). Peg is Joe's girlfriend and soon-to-be-wife. She acts tough but is really just scared of being emotionally vulnerable. Joe is Mae's brother and Peg's boyfriend. Even though he's more honest about his feelings than Peg, he still shares her fear of emotional vulnerability.

Anyway, Jerry smells something fishy in the air. Is it because Mae has a hygiene problem? Nooo! It's something far more insidious than that! Jerry thinks Mae has been sharpening Earl's pencil ( think about it folks ). Jerry's suspicions are confirmed after he goes snooping in Mae's drawers and finds lingerie that he didn't buy.

Mae comes home with Earl in tow and one thing leads to another. Before you know it, the ugly truth has exposed it's horrifying face.

Later on, uncle Vince exploits Jerry's heartbreak, confusion and anger by convincing him to confront Earl. So Jerry visits Earl at the movie theater projection booth. Jerry's hands decide to have an intimate discussion with Earl's neck ( think about it folks ). A few moments later, Mae walks in and keeps Jerry from murdering Earl.

Jerry takes their baby and heads to his boat. Mae goes to the boat and asks Jerry to give her another chance.

Will Jerry kill Earl?

Will Jerry forgive Mae? Or will he murder the bitch and throw her body into the ocean?



QUOTES:
Peg: "You marry a fellow and the first thing he does is boss you"

Earl: "Don't you ever want to cut-up a beautful dame?"

Jerry: "I suppose that's what everyones afraid of; getting old and lonely"

Mae: "I'm one of those women who are never satisfied"

Jerry: "You're no good. You're rotten"

Joe: "Listen to me blondie. The woman I marry, she don't take me on a wait-an-see basis. I ain't a dress she brings home to see if it fits and if it don't, back it goes. In my book, marriage is a two way proposition. You're just as much responsible as I am. So if that little eye is going to roam, if what you think is, Joe is alright until something better comes along. Honey, you better take another streetcar."

Mae: "We're tough. We're hard. If someone suffers becuase of us, that's just too bad. That's the way life is... how many times have I told myself that?"

VIDEO INFO:
DVD
FULLscreen
Black & white
Region one
Company - Warner Bros.
NOT rated
Extra #1 - Commentary by Peter Bogdanovich ( plus audio snipits by Fritz Lang )
Extra #2 - Theatrical trailer
Inserts - None

OBTAINED AT - Big Lots

PRICE - $3.00

DO I WANT MY MONEY BACK?:
No!... I love this flick!...

Nobody dies physically, but there are many emotional deaths.

The many ways in which these folks hurt their 'loved-ones' is something that even semi-functional human beings can identify with.

If I were Jerry, my foot would have countless intimate conversations with Mae's slutty-betrayful-behind. Then I'd kick her betrayful-ass to the curb! As for Earl, I'd set him on fire! Too harsh? Or not harsh enough?... LOL.