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Wednesday, Jul 5, 2017
7 PM (90 mins)
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BAMPFA
SUBJECTS
The Blue Gardenia
Based on “The Gardenia” by Vera Caspary
Anne Baxter, Richard Conte, Ann Sothern, Raymond Burr,
Vera Caspary’s 1952 story survives mainly in this film’s working-girl heart: switchboard operator flatmates Anne Baxter, Ann Sothern, and Jeff Donnell—only Judy Holliday is missing—wisecrack their way into genuine affection and, importantly, mutual protection. Predatory sketch artist Raymond Burr, cynical newspaperman Richard Conte, even director Fritz Lang might have asked themselves what they were doing in a women’s picture if there wasn’t a murder involved. But there is. The film takes its name from a nightclub where the signature drink is a “Polynesian pearl diver” and Nat "King" Cole plays piano in rainy film noir L.A.
FILM DETAILS
Screenwriter
- Charles Hoffman
Based On
the story “The Gardenia” by Vera Caspary
Cinematographer
- Nicholas Musuraca
Language
- English
Print Info
- B&W
- 16mm
- 90 mins
Source
- Classic Films (Spain)
CINEFILES
CineFiles is an online database of BAMPFA's extensive collection of documentation covering world cinema, past and present.
View The Blue Gardenia documents
The blue gardenia (program note), National Film Theatre (London, England), 2000
Fritz Lang, the image and look -- book excerpt (book excerpt), British Film Institute, Stephen Jenkins, 1981
The blue gardenia (review), Variety, Brog., 1953
The films of Fritz Lang (program note), Pacific Film Archive
The art of Fritz Lang (program note), Los Angeles County Museum of Art
The blue gardenia (program note), Los Angeles County Museum of Art
The blue gardenia (program note), Lotte H. Eisner
Displaying 7 of 7 publicly available documents.