Guest Host James Lott Jr talks On Dangerous Ground (1951), directed by Nicholas Ray and starring Robert Ryan and Ida Lupino:
- Release year: 1951.
- Runtime: 82 minutes.
- Genre: Film noir / crime drama.
✅ Critical & Audience Reception
- On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a Tomatometer rating of 89% (based on 19 Critics).
- On Metacritic, its score is listed as “Generally Favorable” with a score of 78.
- The film is appreciated for its striking visuals, contrasting urban and snowy rural settings, and its score by Bernard Herrmann.
📌 Notable Production & Artistic Details
- Produced by John Houseman for RKO Radio Pictures.
- Screenplay by A. I. Bezzerides (based on the novel Mad with Much Heart by Gerald Butler).
- Music composition by Bernard Herrmann, known for his evocative style that enhances the film’s emotional tone.
- Cinematography by George E. Diskant.
🧮 Additional Notes
- The film’s structure: It begins in a gritty urban setting and transitions into a snowy countryside — a rare shift in classic noir for that era.
- Though well-regarded now, contemporary reception was mixed; for example, critic Bosley Crowther of the New York Times gave it a less favorable review upon release.
