Street Scene
Directed by King Vidor
Written by Elmer Rice from his play
1931/US
The Samuel Goldwyn Company
IMDb Page
First viewing/YouTube
Mrs. Anna Maurrant: I often think it’s a shame that people don’t seem able to live together in peace and quiet without making each other miserable.
Excellent adaptation of the stage play.
The action takes place on the stoop of a tenement in Hell’s Kitchen, New York City on a very hot summer day. The multi-ethnic occupants spend most of their time indulging in spiteful gossip when their neighbo/victim is not around. Beulah Bondi plays the nastiest of these women.
The story proper centers on the troubles of the Maurrant family. Father Maurrant (David Landau) is a mean and controlling bully. His wife Anna (Estelle Taylor) is having an affair with the milkman. Daughter Rose (Sylvia Sidney) is just about to fall in love with her Jewish neighbor.
This movie is absolutely stage-bound and it makes no difference. Vidor does an amazing job maintaining visual interest. The acting is first-rate and I always love Sylvia Sidney. Recommended.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxlqqIDgsfM
