Essay Database

Robert Aldrich Robert Aldrich was born into an extremely wealthy family. He became an assistant director in Hollywood, working in the 1945 - 1952 period with many directors. A notably high percentage of these were in the extreme left: Jean Renoir, Lewis Milestone, Robert Rossen, Joseph Losey, Charles Chaplin. Kiss Me Deadly Kiss Me Deadly (1955) is Aldrich's most remarkable film. Aldrich began directing in 1953, and by then, the film noir cycle had run its course as a …

…The clock is a very small space, but it becomes the center of the shot, because it is in such geometric alignment with the camera frame. The effect is to underline visually the various planes of the shot. It emphasizes the contrast between the camera plane, and the planes of the room and the table. The viewer becomes much more conscious of them then if the table were merely shot at a slightly off angle.