- The greatest virtue of Fritz Lang's film Clash by Night is its impressive and believable cast of characters. Mae (Barbara Stanwyck) is a regretful depressive who returns to the small fishing town of Monterey to escape her former life, whatever it may have been. Jerry (Paul Douglas) is a hard-working fisherman in want of a wife who takes care of his adventurously senile father (Silvio Minciotti) and deadbeat uncle (J. Carrol Nash). Earl (Robert Ryan) is an irresponsible cad in a deteriorating marriage who constantly antagonizes the women around him. Mae's brother Joe (Keith Andes) and Joe's girlfriend Peggy (Marilyn Monroe) are two typically rugged residents of Monterey who exchange (mostly) playful punches instead of kisses. Robert Ryan and Barbara Stanwyck are excellent, as expected, but it is the quality of the entire ensemble that so perfectly defines life in Monterey.
- The film that surrounds these people is slightly less interesting than the characters themselves, but Clash by Night still manages to be a pretty good film noir. The basic story revolves around the strange love triangle formed by Jerry, Mae, and Earl. Jerry is a simple man who is unequivocally in love with Mae. Mae admires the security that Jerry has to offer, but fears (justifiably, as it turns out) that her straying nature will one day cause her to mistreat him. Earl, meanwhile, is convinced that Mae is a perfect match for him, and he's willing to step over Jerry to have her. It's difficult to imagine why either pairing would seem sensible to anyone involved, but perhaps that is part of what makes the film believable.
- In fact, I think it is exactly this believability that differentiates Clash By Night from a more stereotypical film noir. For starters, the story takes place in a fishing town rather than the usual nightmarish urban landscapes and smoke-filled bars. There are no detectives or gangsters, just fishermen, cannery workers, and film projectionists. Mae doesn't quite fit in with the usual noir archetypes, either. She's not innocent enough to be an "angel in trouble," but her efforts to repel Earl at least land her on the respectable side of femme fatale. Although Mae does succumb to her--let's call it wanderlust?--she and Jerry are decent enough people that the film even achieves a happy ending. In fact, the conflict is resolved without any gunplay or murder, although Jerry comes pretty close at the inducement of his rather Mephistophelean uncle. Still, it is rare to find a noir that doesn't produce at least one corpse. I never thought I'd intend that as a compliment, but there you go.
