3. Niagara (1953)
Dir. Henry Hathaway
Believe it or not, though black-and-white cinematography is synonymous with noir, there were a number of them that were shot in color. And not just regular color, either: we’re talking overbearing, glaring, three-strip Technicolor. The best of these is probably Henry Hathaway’s Niagara. Shot on location at Niagara Falls, the film sees a not-so-newly-wedded couple on a late honeymoon who become embroiled in their next-door-neighbor’s murder plot. Playing against type as a sultry femme fatale, Marilyn Monroe has never been more sinfully delicious as a voluptuous housewife who schemes to bump her man off. Even more so than any other noir, Niagara needs to be seen on a big screen. Only then can the true scope of Joseph MacDonald’s outdoor vistas and his claustrophobic interiors be appreciated. A bell-tower assassination filmed in a rigidly geometric bird’s-eye view ranks among the best scenes of director Henry Hathaway’s considerable career. But Niagara is more than just a visual experience: overflowing with sexuality, it’s one of the most uncomfortable examinations of domestic discomfort of its era. And I’m talking about the supposedly happily married couple, not Monroe. Note how unusually eager the husband is to speak for and over his wife; how eager he is to blow her off—on their honeymoon—and spend time fishing with a powerful businessman.
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