Street Scene
1295.STREET SCENE (1931-usa). With sylvia sidney, william collier, jr., estelle taylor, beulah BONDi. Directed by KING VIDOR. Produced by SAMUEL GOLOWYN. Adapted for the screen by ELMER RICE from his Pulitzer Prize winning play, this is a stark, realistic drama Of New York City tenement life. The setting is one anonymous city block during a sweltering summer, when- the residentsÑItalian and Jew, Swede and German and IrishÑserve as representatives Of the not-very-idealized American molting pot. There is idle chitchat…idle gossip…jealousyÉracism…adultery… and, suddenly but not unexpectedly, a murder. The cast is large and impressive. The direction Of King Vidor, whose best films elicit a touching, humanistic quality, is textbook perfect; it’s crammed with striking camera angles and richly fluid camera movement. ALFRED NEWMAN’S evocative, Gershwin-esque score is considered a classic. Street Scene, which played on Broadway for 601 performances back in 1929 and 1930, is a must-see. Recommended. 78 minutes. Drama