Odd Man Out Reflection
Spring 2020 — THF205 Film History
This was an assignment I had in my Film History Class. After reading Chapter 9 from our textbook, Flashback a Brief History of Film by Louis Giannetti and Scott Eyman, we were to screen a film from the 1940s and write a one-page analysis.
Source: https://live.staticflickr.com/3133/3163382364_99ec3c46f6_b.jpg
I’d chosen to view the film Odd Man Out(1947), director Carol Reed. Reed’s work carries heavy into ideology and realism. This noir, by trait, also carries with it expressionism through strange moving pictures, illustrations, and impressive editing for the time. At the movie’s release, the world was still rebuilding physically and emotionally after World War II. The main character, Johny McQueen, played by James Mason, is a part of an “organization” (The IRA) that is not favored in Britain. It starts as a heist gone wrong. Each character has a similar flaw — they all want something from Johny. This seedy noir has great visuals and storytelling, I was glad I chose this film to reflect on.
The film contains dark and shadowy characters. Most of which are deeply flawed. One of the underlying themes was mentioned by the chief inspector of police, “In my profession, there is neither good nor bad. There is innocence and guilt. That’s all.” But is it really that black and white? The expressionist style of storytelling hits well with the era this film came out in (the years following WWII). The ideology, overall expression, and Shakespearean-like ending put the director’s stamp on this film.
Source: https://tinyurl.com/3vtu24te
Considering the years following WW2 was emotional, why wouldn’t we expect a sense of realism? At this time, many of Britain’s best films were literary and theatrical adaptations. The director did well, the film seemed an action film in the first act. With a slowed pace in Acts 2 and 3. Director Carol Reed came from theater and did well for himself directing program films (also known as b-films). Reed has a similar style to John Ford, obviously, Ford is far more realistic. Reed wished to follow his father in becoming an actor and did so in theater, working his way to film.
I have not seen other films by Reed, if I did I would hope to see more creative visual sequences like seeing a face in the bubbles of his spilled beer or his guiding vision of father Tom.
Each character has a vice that the theme challenges them with. The quote from earlier by the chief inspector of police is an example of this. People are not all bad, and people are not all good. Shadowy sets reflect the darkness inside the characters. Even in Kathleen, we see a sweet woman who cares so much for Johnny; she just wants to be with him, in life or death. We see her dark side when she decides to leave her home in pursuit of Johnny and her intentions should things go south. I believe the central theme is based more or less upon Johnny — and all who see him as an asset. People try their damndest to find/get what they want but never achieve it. The characters backstab and trade information for personal gain, leading to Johny’s death. The theme of Odd Man Out is timeless and the film carried my attention the entire way through.
