Stranger on the Prowl () is a 1952 film noir directed by Joseph Losey, written by Ben Barzman, and starring Paul Muni, Joan Lorring, and Vittorio Manuta.Palmer and Riley, 1993 p. 157-158: FilmographyHirsch, 1980 p. 234: Filmography

A co-production between Italy and the United States, the picture was the first to be made abroad by any blacklisted Hollywood director.Palmer and Riley, 1993 p. 9: In 1952, Losey “directed in Italy… the first film to be made abroad by a blacklisted artist…” And: See her for repercussions of HUAC investigations and blacklists on Hollywood filmmakers. Due to the blacklist, both Losey and Barzman were uncredited.Hirsch, 1980 p. 60: “Because of the Hollywood blacklist, Losey wrote and directed the film under the name of Andrea Forzano.”Callahan, 2003: See here for repercussions from blacklisting. “he never shot another film in the USA.”

Plot A disillusioned vagrant accidentally kills a shop owner, and is joined in his flight by a rebellious youngster who is fleeing from apprehension for stealing milk from the same shop.Hirsch, 1980 p. 58: Plot sketch.

Cast

Production The film was Joseph Losey's first film after leaving the United States due to the Hollywood blacklist the year prior, and the first film overall by a blacklisted American filmmaker produced overseas. As the film was being distributed by American studio United Artists, both Losey and Ben Barzman were fronted by Italian filmmaker . Losey replaced the original director, Bernard Vorhaus, also a blacklistee.

The film was based on an unpublished short story by Bulgarian-French author , whose writings were later adapted into the films Elevator to the Gallows and Tiger Bay. Calef also produced the film, his only such credit.

Paul Muni traveled to Italy to star in the film partly as an act of solidarity and support for blacklisted friends living there in exile. This was his first film role in over eight years, following 1946's Angel on My Shoulder.

Release The film premiered in Italy on March 12, 1952.

Reception

Retrospective appraisal

Film historian Foster Hirsch considers the Stranger on the Prowl deserving of “more attention than it has received.”Hirsch, 1980 p. 60: “...the film is rarely shown…”

The film, with its location shooting and large cast that included some non-professional actors, is clearly influenced by Italian neorealism and consequently is “markedly different” in its mise-en-scene from Losey’s previous Hollywood, and his subsequent British produced films, notably lacking in their claustrophobic “closed qualities.”Hirsch, 1980 p. 59-60 Hirsch writes:

Hirsch reserves special mention for American film star Paul Muni, who brings pathos and genuine dignity to the impoverished outcast and fugitive he portrays.Hirsch, 1980 p. 60

Footnotes

Sources Callahan, Dan. 2003. Losey, Joseph. Senses of Cinema, March 2003. Great Directors Issue 25.https://www.sensesofcinema.com/2003/great-directors/losey/#:~:text=The%20dominant%20themes%20of%20Losey's,love%20story%20in%20his%20films. Accessed 12 October, 2024. Hirsch, Foster. 1980. Joseph Losey. Twayne Publishers, Boston, Massachusetts. Palmer, James and Riley, Michael. 1993. The Films of Joseph Losey. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, England.

External links