Christian Speech And The Arizona Shootings

Having heard a lot of confessions, some as a priest, some as a lawyer, I am rarely shocked by words. But I was taken aback by something I head in my parents’ living room a few years ago. My background is what sensitized me to this particular statement.<br /><br />When I was in Junior Hi in Texas, in the early 1960’s, it was not at all unusual to hear the other kids talking about how somebody needed to kill John Kennedy. His murder was a popular fantasy, but one taken lightly – until Nov. 22, 1963. The following days, for those of us who lived them, can never be forgotten. The flag draped casket, the riderless horse, Mike Mansfield’s eulogy “And she took the ring from her finger and placed it in his hand.” It was the first wave of national grief, but not the last in that bloody decade. That time marked me in a way I had not fully grasped until a few years ago.<br /><br />I was in my parents’ living room when one of my young relatives began talking of how he wanted to assassinate President Clinton. He wasn’t planning it. He didn’t express the intent to actually do it. But he thought it would be highly satisfying. He wanted to do it and said so freely. That is one time, I was truly shocked. Despite all the years that had passed, I felt myself once again to be a Texan, to remember the shame that the President had been murdered in my state, and now to hear this young Texan, my kin, eager to relive that evil day was more than I could grasp. I was not polite.<br /><br />I don’t know what to make of the murders in Arizona. I don’t know whether there is any direct connection to any ideology or the political rhetoric of our time. But I do turn to my faith and what little I know of human nature to help me reflect.<br /><br />I start with the premise that God does not make murderers and does not send people out like Manchurian candidates to do evil. And I take to heart the message of Reinhold Niebuhr’s classic, Moral Man, Immoral Society in which he said we are each much better as individuals than we are as a society, that society, though necessary to fully human life, is fallen and makes us do things that are beneath us. Mobs commit atrocities few individuals do. The lone gunman is not lowered by a machine onto the human stage. The lone gunman is formed in a society. The most broken fall prey to our darkest passions and perform the darkest acts on behalf of the worst sentiments in our collective spirit.<br /><br />My young kinsmen never took at shot at President Clinton but he gave voice to something that we have neither owned nor extinguished. Sometimes a broken person is too weak to resist it and becomes its agent. Language is our best way to know what a society believes, feels, and values. My young kinsman said the murder of a leader is good. The rhetoric of our contemporary politics is violent, murderous – “the second amendment alternative.”<br /><br />Christianity is, in an important sense, a special language. It is the language we speak to suggest, to hint at, to point toward “things to deep for words.” It is a language of creation, appreciation, mercy, and reconciliation. That makes it a language quite at odds with most contemporary political language. Yet it is not anti-political. Politics is by definition the practice of a common life, a sharing of authority, a caring for each other. It is the so-called “political” rhetoric of our time that is actually anti-political. It is the language of faith that makes an authentic politics possible.<br /><br />This is why it is absolutely essential that Christians speak on matters of the common good, that we speak in the public square, that we articulate the demands of justice. Christianity is not a political ideology, as much as some on the left and the right alike, have claimed. Christians do not necessarily agree on matters of politics and economics. But Christians speak (or when they are true to Christianity should speak) of these things in a distinctively Christian way – a way that is non-violent, because Christians live in hope, and violence is always an act of despair. (Robert Cover, Violence & The Word, Yale Law Journal).<br /><br />The voices of violence are shouting in our time. The anger and contempt are in long supply. And we speak too little, far too little. Sometimes, I see people in the church behave as if they were at a town hall meeting spewing hate. I see the ways of the world informing the Body of Christ, while the Body of Christ muzzles itself rather than inform the ways of the world. If Christians speak, and Christians are obliged by our Baptismal Vows to speak, on matters of justice, we speak differently in two ways. First, we speak in prayer – prayer for guidance, prayer of intercession, and prayer of contrition. Second, we speak prophetically – but prophetic speech is not simple or easy.<br /><br />To speak prophetically is to say what we believe to be God’s will. To speak prophetically, we have to subordinate so much. We have to subordinate our pride, our ego, our self-interest. Above all we have to sacrifice our political and economic ideologies. This is particularly hard for leftists with secularist anti-religious ideologies and for rightist with Darwinian ideologies – both of which are challenged by Christianity. It is hard, hard, hard to resist the temptation to paint the face of Christ on whatever already fits our ideology.<br /><br />Then, having died to self that we may speak for God, it is incumbent upon us to speak reverently. That means refusing to claim we know God with greater certainty or precision than we really do. We must be able to say “Thus sayeth the Lord – I think.” (Niebuhr, On Christian Tolerance) If we subject all our other beliefs to God, and acknowledge our uncertainty of God’s will, then we will, of necessity, speak more gently and listen more attentively to one another.<br /><br />Clearly, not all Christians have spoken with the kind of non-violence and humility. We have the regrettable Battle Hymn of the Republic in with “He hath loosed the fateful lightning of his terrible swift sword” etc. Christian violence is an oxymoron but one that has too often obscured the light of Christ. Our first duty is to repudiate evil spoken in the name of Jesus and to claim the truth of our tradition.<br /><br />If we add our voices, along with the voices of peace, wisdom, and hope from other faith traditions, we can, by grace, counter at least some of venomous voices that poison souls, especially the souls of broken, vulnerable people.<br /><br />In the wake of the Arizona shootings, I hope we will speak to God, to each other, and to the world in an authentically Christian way. I hope we will pray for the victims of violence and the perpetrators of violence who wound themselves most grievously. I hope we will repent of our own violence, our own intemperate words and deeds – knowing that every word and action ripples out into the world in good and evil ways greater than we intend or foresee. I hope we will rededicate ourselves to mercy and the mission to reconcile all people to each and to God in Christ.Dona nobis pacem.

Christian Speech And The Arizona Shootings

Having heard a lot of confessions, some as a priest, some as a lawyer, I am rarely shocked by words. But I was taken aback by something I he...

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Questions…Answered!

<p>Hello friends! Please don’t disown me for being a bad blogger! The past week has been nuts! I’m pretty sure I put in close to 60 hours at work last week. I know that is the norm for some people, but man it sure did take a toll on this momma-to-be! I’m proud to say even with the busy-ness and the fact that I didn’t blog my eats each day, I was still smart about my choices!  </p> <p align="center"><b>Vitamin C</b><img alt="DSC09673" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpuMG9M0bw6jZNjK1iqTLMFlrtP2i7H7Gb24CNlbFk5TcDlqXWRSifNYhTw5Mzmfw_Yk_yoTgimCCZousCFUAGeWbv-TXOYVMRdKL69F8t9x_l1S48jQaWm7TQNaRYoG6OlnWSghqMf-s4/?imgmax=800" style="border-top-width: 0px; display: block; border-left-width: 0px; float: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border-right-width: 0px" title="DSC09673" width="404"><b></b></p> <p align="center"><b>Calcium </b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnQfhOzFcUCYMwiraIGSR6ejngLig9T47bPkObIT-K-lIaxULPnFbiYk1-RZZISz_2zW_IfYoyyBxJfgk8Qj2o4b2v2ytsQToV1GBDEER9SjXmIzkseEiDIepnIm-T7rDuZhwbKzNlImqL/s1600-h/DSC09680%5B3%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC09680" border="0" height="404" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiIwX6-QxMgmgv16yOxW3Z0RWLfhcyltTzAwEP1E5QggZLv5IetABGjH-EdsrsGWhECpiaGRsEIs3NKKQyhpVJY4-Z7eAhFro4kjQia33oXAOAvwZH6s6y6SgTwhzSloRnrwGdtC8CQtUg/?imgmax=800" style="border-top-width: 0px; display: block; border-left-width: 0px; float: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border-right-width: 0px" title="DSC09680" width="304"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqY8zdVl7HqzCuYj5k2qMe_vzIG-a-vL4mnbS7RgpnfCOiE95E5rePccPMmXWZKq53grEMMzUMuFoA0I-Kse_iq89WfobSNksIc_uEkIDjWE4F14XuocOHocppn6aM1CGmRTJX41COhkdy/s1600-h/DSC09674%5B3%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC09674" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu2J_8BHMmUXcSEmFZS25tL7V7JKPXxIHy7UM3795RADnbIVF5al1T5pwX66Zkv6O7fG0ImhyphenhyphenUTOtPBEOl19n7Fi0izKODZkoBTGYkC2Qr962bvz_FAIBkIgWV0uO4NFhrJG3gplpk1K5H/?imgmax=800" style="border-top-width: 0px; display: block; border-left-width: 0px; float: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border-right-width: 0px" title="DSC09674" width="404"></a><b></b></p> <p align="center"><b>Yellow, Green and Leafy Veggies and Fruits</b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtSGfLCKy_e4CtLeNZypTzoLQTYo06J-1_gjDuPL6QXDhTAHIentN7kn7IImPAwZUZz-IULc9QnbzR-jiH0JLKu8ZsSSvCdgaKc5-A3ney3ct1fvnaQvy7Eu-vhLDAfj_up4cXq18OLCkT/s1600-h/DSC09678%5B3%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC09678" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinvREjjouYi9r7mVMaEmVUwFYMnwm4famhFm_SxZZN5ZxDgIYKIBkTVwsdfYCKc2OZEbOqKdQeNJB7yGC4UyqPi78foafx5Z7PQCQcgboidmAFi4V9NKHqeHZp_ToBvcvKVnrQPftqEHjm/?imgmax=800" style="border-top-width: 0px; display: block; border-left-width: 0px; float: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border-right-width: 0px" title="DSC09678" width="404"></a><b></b></p> <p align="center"><b>Whole Grains, <b>Calcium, & Protein</b></b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcMn1Xqr917ruSYey2mtEmzI8IeQAiKhihNtSIlbGCmt8r7RUXT4GIM7BXxZDdLIiqrNUXNgYNf-k2talPgJ_lWgx5QEYxWozHFpgs-DPO1-hHLq6VGjyPD3tkfwP8Aov9AdIyT7T4moDr/s1600-h/DSC09676%5B3%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC09676" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-iu449lgWtg4XHOaunYjboxdw-GDtOVYGFl5Y6tvB4LtyFnddxh5cHPpg8zHmmr8JFIeiNmj2okk1R0b_loELSgLtIW3X5dfAbVK0dBd8SzsIDWWJ2PErcYOA1DeZl28ToHVumoGzVf2r/?imgmax=800" style="border-top-width: 0px; display: block; border-left-width: 0px; float: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border-right-width: 0px" title="DSC09676" width="404"></a></p> <p align="left">Obviously I ate more than just those things, but I was conscious about my choices, making sure they were nutritious & not just empty calories. </p> <p>Luckily today we had an early out because of a snow storm! Btw, we are supposed to have 10 inches of snow by the time it’s over! Sheesh, but hey I’ll take the extra time off! My fingers are now crossed for a late start tomorrow!</p> <p>I thought I would take some time to answer the multitude of questions I’ve been getting about my pregnancy!</p> <ul> <li><strong><em>Are you going to find out the sex?</em></strong> YES!!! January 25^th is our ultrasound! <ul> <li>The next question we get is <em>“Don’t you want it to be a surprise?</em>” My response is that we’re going to be surprised 4 months early! ;) Come on people, I’m a planner!!</li></ul> <li><strong><em>Have you had morning sickness?</em></strong> None, which I am SSSOOO thankful for! :) <li><strong><em>Any weird food cravings yet?</em></strong> Nothing really. I eat a lot of Mexican, but I think that’s pretty normal! ;) <li><strong><em>When is your due date?</em></strong> June 16, 2011 <li><strong><em>Do you have any names picked out?</em></strong> Nothing set in stone yet. We have a few favorites, but will probably narrow those down once we find out what we’re having! <li><strong><em>Are you working out while pregnant?</em></strong> To be honest, I haven’t very much lately. And cancelling our gym membership to save $$ doesn’t help with that! I plan to do things at home, for example, I’ve found a few different specific pregnancy work out videos on You Tube that I want to try and I have a plethora of work out videos to do. <li><strong><em>Nursery plans? </em></strong>Oh yes!! Kyle & I got a great start when we were off over Christmas break, but I’ll save that for another post!</li></ul> <p>So far I really enjoy being pregnant & I hope that feeling continues! It’s hard to believe I’m almost half way, Thursday I will be 18 weeks!</p> <p align="center"><em>16 weeks, 1.3.2011</em><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDSMVReUAg4hR4KMO7JomXK4rUFj1vvmmd10swUC7CZDgju8T4IAthGJo1BSHoO-9ygEwrmk6nb1_073dpIWhqNvCPYC-DZN_2YvEGyHJ6TlR9zBXla7DqmJbDafGIZEpbsJKubCE49I3I/s1600-h/16%20weeks%20-%201.3.11%5B3%5D.jpg"><em><img alt="16 weeks - 1.3.11" border="0" height="404" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguubi1doy41PDJiyAOBpuzfI5gg9ujuBf3FWQE43-OV7FeRS0SP4U9k7TO1OyuOM17WKFfUOpE7GDb6CgivlQIkl1MnkmfmtNfPB5CYY7Yww1sKaw5W8v8HfHqVH0EDPgyx_TsPy4Akn6E/?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-bottom: 0px" title="16 weeks - 1.3.11" width="304"></em></a> </p> <p>Usually Monday nights I spend solo, but because of the weather Kyle’s classes were cancelled! So I’m off to enjoy some extra time with my main man! Later peeps!</p>

Questions…Answered!

Hello friends! Please don’t disown me for being a bad blogger! The past week has been nuts! I’m pretty sure I put in close to 60 hours at wo...

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No Loss, But No Gain Either!

I'm not exactly SUPER thrilled to be reporting that I had no loss this week.  However, J & I did take a trip to Charlottesville, VA, and we did a lot of good eatin'! As a result, I'm happy to see that I managed to keep myself enough in check that I did not gain any weight.<br /><br />Some positives of this week: I managed to make it to the gym all 5 days, for <i>at least</i> 30 min each day!  So far this week, I can cross off Monday as a trip to the gym with at least 30 min of the elliptical.  Yay! <br /><br /><a href="http://www.3fatchicks.net/index11.php"><img border="0" src="http://www.3fatchicks.net/img/tulip-bar/slider-scale/lb/0/95.2/0/.png" /></a>

No Loss, But No Gain Either!

I'm not exactly SUPER thrilled to be reporting that I had no loss this week.  However, J & I did take a trip to Charlottesville, VA,...

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Focus on Film Noir: Warner Home Video's Film Noir Classic Collection, Vol. 5

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2cC8d544zbvgk3C5EChDBjeuqaqE2bn9oaS-n6UuHeBCOXKtaSSKhJl8jYJpyLn0XBgesGpAmmn3o61vQ9UPeOE6l4ekqb5LyVZYOBI7rSJucV7qa0z6ffH8ybmMLPdOXG9qlgY5fxBoN/s1600/film+noir+vol+5+box+art%255B1%255D%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2cC8d544zbvgk3C5EChDBjeuqaqE2bn9oaS-n6UuHeBCOXKtaSSKhJl8jYJpyLn0XBgesGpAmmn3o61vQ9UPeOE6l4ekqb5LyVZYOBI7rSJucV7qa0z6ffH8ybmMLPdOXG9qlgY5fxBoN/s1600/film+noir+vol+5+box+art%255B1%255D%255B1%255D.jpg" /></a></div><div style="line-height: 15pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;"><span style="font-family: Arial Unicode MS;">Released by Warner Home Video in 2010, <i>Film Noir Classic Collection, Volume 5</i>  is a four-disc showcase of eight double-featured films, a sampling of thrillers ranging from the acclaimed to the all-but-forgotten.</span></div><div style="line-height: 15pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: 15pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;"><span style="font-family: Arial Unicode MS;">Disc one is a strong pairing of Edward Dmytryk's <b>Cornered </b>(1945) with Anthony Mann's <b>Desperate</b> (1947). <b>Cornered </b>was the second hit teaming of star Dick Powell with director Dmytryk, and it followed their private-eye noir masterpiece, <b>Murder, My Sweet</b>, by a year. In this outing, Powell is a Royal Canadian Air Force vet doggedly tracking his wife's killer across the globe.</span><br /><a name='more'></a></div><div style="line-height: 15pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6RqBC_QarrhLp7aGGMcayoG43xHevM-oRuUii_YaujwhuVU-wgmPE0YdIF7nHbpoe54rec4XXnFCc2uk4pgAQieTLePx12Kmqq09pFuQjKcVe1GMsX41GY6BYUiMU0UVhSC0xcl-olT4f/s1600/desperate%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6RqBC_QarrhLp7aGGMcayoG43xHevM-oRuUii_YaujwhuVU-wgmPE0YdIF7nHbpoe54rec4XXnFCc2uk4pgAQieTLePx12Kmqq09pFuQjKcVe1GMsX41GY6BYUiMU0UVhSC0xcl-olT4f/s1600/desperate%255B1%255D.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Steve Brodie in Desperate</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="line-height: 15pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;"><span style="font-family: Arial Unicode MS;"><b>Desperate</b> was a breakout film for director Anthony Mann, the first in the series of late-'40s noirs that launched his career. Mann's signature is his strong visual style, and this fast-paced story of an innocent man on the run is boosted by stylish set-pieces (including the classic of a fierce back room beating that sets an overhead light swaying, see clip below), a smart script and George Diskant's cinematography. Steve Brodie, a powerhouse as the honest truck driver turned fall guy, delivers a stand-out performance. With creamy Audrey Long as his bride, menacing Raymond Burr as his nemesis and Jason Robards, Sr., as the cynical/genial police lieutenant. <b>Desperate</b>, a staple at noir festivals and Mann retrospectives, is one of the gems of this collection.</span></div><div style="line-height: 15pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: 15pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;"><span style="font-family: Arial Unicode MS;">Disc two is more eclectic and opens with a fact-based crime expose, <b>The Phenix City Story</b> (1955), directed by Phil Karlson. Veteran LA newsman Clete Roberts kicks it off with a 13+ minute segment of news report/interviews. Then the dramatized story of the 1954 assassination of an Alabama politician begins. It's a brutal (with a capital 'B') piece of history. With John McIntyre, Richard Kiley and the future Mrs. Bing Crosby, Kathryn Grant. Next up, <b>Dial 1119</b> (1950), a mad-killer-on-the-loose tale directed by Gerald (Louis B's nephew) Mayer. The crazed killer (Marshall Thompson) holes up in a neighborhood bar and holds staff and patrons hostage during a police stand-off. Virginia Field takes a nifty turn as a barfly/seductress and William Conrad appears briefly as "Chuckles," the bartender. Otherwise, this one's mostly interesting for its depiction of the era's bar culture and attitudes toward the "insanity defense."</span></div><div style="line-height: 15pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSvaUkLyHbEv6vkzIxMEZ0geevFIaAPbR90ERk1h34sN7joV4KmjV_eB0XVFpe1_MK1-Jam4H8IMLPJc3Imx-uZZNjkZ4pbs3J1nvLb3bDn4a4JJoNkT5oQyZR_aetHVojauwSswFYqXsI/s1600/Armored_Car_Robbery_50_b%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSvaUkLyHbEv6vkzIxMEZ0geevFIaAPbR90ERk1h34sN7joV4KmjV_eB0XVFpe1_MK1-Jam4H8IMLPJc3Imx-uZZNjkZ4pbs3J1nvLb3bDn4a4JJoNkT5oQyZR_aetHVojauwSswFYqXsI/s320/Armored_Car_Robbery_50_b%255B1%255D.jpg" width="280" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">William Talman and Adele Jergans in Armored Car Robbery</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="line-height: 15pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;"><span style="font-family: Arial Unicode MS;">Disc three features the formidable down-and-dirty <b>Armored Car Robbery</b> (1950). It runs a very fast and intense 68 minutes - that's no surpise with action/suspense master Richard Fleischer directing. Gravel-voiced noir stalwart Charles McGraw stars as a grimly determined LAPD lieutenant bent on avenging the murder of his partner during an armored car robbery. William Talman, a few years before he became D.A. Hamilton Burger on TV's "Perry Mason," is chillingly reptilian as the heist mastermind; hard-boiled, slightly worn femme fatale Adele Jergens isn't <i>quite </i>Virginia Mayo, but she's not bad at all. With solid Steve Brodie, this time as the getaway car driver. <b>Armored Car Robbery</b> is ferocious and works from start to finish; the film ends with buddy moment as the jaded lieutenant shares a cynical laugh with his new (and newly manned-up) partner. I imagine Jean-Pierre Melville must've watched this a couple of times before he made <b>Bob le flambeur</b> (1955).</span></div><div style="line-height: 15pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: 15pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;"><span style="font-family: Arial Unicode MS;">Also included on disc three is <b>Crime in the Streets </b>(1956), a juvenile delinquent drama directed by Don Siegel, starring John Cassavetes. The story originally aired as a teleplay and the film looks, sounds and feels like Golden Age TV. Cassavetes' performance as an overheated teenage gang leader on the verge of mayhem is the main reason to watch this one. He's spellbinding. With Sal Mineo and James Whitmore. <i><span style="color: #f1c232;"><b>Crime in the Streets</b> airs today, Jan. 10, on TCM at 4:15pm Eastern/1:15 Pacific.</span></i></span></div><div style="line-height: 15pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: 15pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;"><span style="font-family: Arial Unicode MS;">Disc four offers the final double feature, <b>Deadline at Dawn</b> (1946) and <b>Backfire </b>(1950).</span></div><div style="line-height: 15pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: 15pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4xPzynHSjzkyuiXDTbpZwNdgkxT_t9Mlsjzz4UkwrNADjD5X301ony6dyxCF2JzN41nX4clArCDiQ72IrvbNZ-uqcO02BFHeFt6HW5Ak2uiSeaNEpn9ewSSauY1O96p1vBWe9jOIK0nMc/s1600/deadline-at-dawn-poster%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4xPzynHSjzkyuiXDTbpZwNdgkxT_t9Mlsjzz4UkwrNADjD5X301ony6dyxCF2JzN41nX4clArCDiQ72IrvbNZ-uqcO02BFHeFt6HW5Ak2uiSeaNEpn9ewSSauY1O96p1vBWe9jOIK0nMc/s1600/deadline-at-dawn-poster%255B1%255D.jpg" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial Unicode MS;"><b>Deadline at Dawn</b>, adapted from a novel by Cornell Woolrich/aka/William Irish (<b>Rear Window</b>), boasts a screenplay by Clifford Odets and is the only film New York theater legend Harold Clurman ever directed. It got my attention with an opening shot of a sleeping woman's face...and the fly crawling over it...Bill Williams stars as a sailor on shore leave who may be guilty of murder and has only till dawn to clear himself. Susan Hayward plays the taxi dancer who helps him out and Paul Lukas is their cabbie sidekick. While quirky dialogue and various red herrings pique interest, it's primarily the evocative cinematography (Nicholas Musuraca) and Susan Hayward's vibrant performance that keep things moving.</span></div><div style="line-height: 15pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: 15pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8OAUztaqjb7GotgrYCIs6jOAeHbm_Ax4Djo60fYJPJaVGhQebwTPiDsI0bsnwENtQtKxIKsjyAXLGXhE-5uROSfFepvEBoezmkiP_m2Sohwy0Wi2V5gWoHsGw7aCt_QsQR5ZMvpVHhRt7/s1600/0+virginia-mayo-1948%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8OAUztaqjb7GotgrYCIs6jOAeHbm_Ax4Djo60fYJPJaVGhQebwTPiDsI0bsnwENtQtKxIKsjyAXLGXhE-5uROSfFepvEBoezmkiP_m2Sohwy0Wi2V5gWoHsGw7aCt_QsQR5ZMvpVHhRt7/s200/0+virginia-mayo-1948%255B1%255D.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Virginia Mayo</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Arial Unicode MS;"><b>Backfire </b>stars Gordon MacRae before he rose to film stardom in a pair of Rogers and Hammerstein musicals. It features two future Oscar winners, Edmond O'Brien and Ed Begley, <i>plus</i> Virginia Mayo - this time as a good girl, MacRae's nurse. Vincent Sherman directed and, though the film is erratic, it's enjoyable...like a fun-house ride. MacRae is well-cast as a recovering war veteran who dreams of a farm of his own. When his Army buddy (O'Brien) disappears and is implicated in a murder, he sets out to clear his pal's name. The flashback-driven story twists and turns and, oddly, the final plot twist may be given away by images on the product package and DVD disc. Also starring Viveca Lindfors and Dane Clark. Noteworthy original music by Daniele Amfitheatrof who scored Max Ophuls' <b>Letter From an Unknown Woman </b>(1948). <i><span style="color: #f1c232;"><b>Backfire </b>will air Monday, Jan. 24, on TCM at 4:00pm Eastern/1:00pm Pacific.</span></i></span></div><div style="line-height: 15pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: 15pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;"><span style="font-family: Arial Unicode MS;">From 2004 - 2007, Warner Home Video released a film noir collection every July, like clockwork. Then nothing...for three years. It's not surprising, then, that <i>Film Noir Classic Collection, Volume 5</i> was greeted with much fanfare.</span></div><div style="line-height: 15pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: 15pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;"><span style="font-family: Arial Unicode MS;">The must-see films in this collection are Anthony Mann's <b>Desperate</b> and Richard Fleischer's <b>Armored Car Robbery</b>. Also worthwhile are Edward Dmytryk's <b>Cornered</b> and Harold Clurman's <b>Deadline at Dawn</b>. Vincent Sherman's <b>Backfire</b> goes off the rails but has enough B-star power and plot packed into it to keep it entertaining. Once the news story and interviews end, Phil Karlson's <b>The Phenix City Story</b> begins to build. It's violent, but fascinating. A historical footnote adds interest: After the candidate (John McIntyre) was murdered, his son (Richard Kiley) ran for Attorney General of Alabama in his place. The son, John Patterson, won and went on to become Alabama's youngest governor.</span><br /><br /></div><div style="line-height: 15pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;"></div><object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/s3wfy8ociHU?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/s3wfy8ociHU?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object> <br /><div style="line-height: 15pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;"> (<i><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">available on DVD and Blu-ray)</span></i></div><div style="line-height: 15pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: 15pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial;">When <b>Film Noir Classic Collection, Vol 5 </b>was released,</span></i><i><span style="font-family: Arial;"> Warner Home Video provided me with a review copy of the DVD set</span></i></span></div>

Anthony Mann Armored Car Robbery Charles McGraw Desperate Film Noir Film Noir Classic Collection Vol. 5 Richard Fleischer Steve Brodie The Lady Eve (author) The Phenix City Story Virginia Mayo Focus on Film Noir: Warner Home Video's Film Noir Classic Collection, Vol. 5

Released by Warner Home Video in 2010, Film Noir Classic Collection, Volume 5   is a four-disc showcase of eight double-featured films, a sa...

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