La città spietata

This movie has everything, including and above all style. Finally a movie that's every bit as good as the title song! So many movies are inferior to their music. The subject is sleazy, gloriously so. And there is a good dose of compassion too. Great script inspires great acting. The song is quite original and catchy, and the singer, Gene Pitney, is an overlooked and neglected genius, both as a singer and as a songwriter. And let's have a hand of applause for Tiomkin, a Russian who wrote some of the most quintessentially American music!

I'm not someone who uses lots of superlatives, but "Town without Pity" is a movie, for which I would not mind using some of them (and only positively). I had no idea about this movie, nor I ever knew anything about it; yet I picked it up only because everytime I visited the Exposition Park Branch of the Los angeles Public Library, it was lying there in the shelf, for a long long time. Watching this movie was a very pleasant experience for me. I found this movie very "humane" in that it was able to successfully deal with the sensitive issue of rape. It's devoid of high drama, but rather very realistic. It involves the humane face of a ruthless defense lawyer, who knows his job, and yet is ready to spare the victim the second round of rape that occurs in the court-room during cross examination.

I recommend it to anyone who wants to watch an excellent, serious movie.

Not too many films had talked about rape before this one came out in 1961. But, while in some ways the film talks around the attack (seldom ever using the word 'rape'), it still is very obvious what the film is about and it was surprisingly adult and frank.

The film begins with four American servicemen in Germany raping a local lady. Major Garrett (Kirk Douglas) is called in to represent the men at their court martial and the men, if convicted, could receive the death penalty. Considering how angry the locals are and the overall mood, the military is hoping for a quick trial and execution of the men. However, as Garrett investigates the case, he's decided that while the men are guilty, they don't necessarily merit the death penalty...or at least one of them.

The film will no doubt anger many as the victim herself becomes the object of much of the cross-examination in court. She herself is on trial in a manner of speaking...which, sadly, does occur in many rape cases. Because of this, Garrett is neither a hero or really a villain...just a dedicated man doing his job in the face of a lot of opposition. Well worth seeing but NOT a film for everyone...especially kids and folks who themselves have been victimized.

Surprisingly this convincing drama is almost ignored by German TV stations nowadays though it features a very touching and impressive performance by Christine Kaufmann who won a Golden Globe for this one (as the first German actress ever). Kirk Douglas is very strong in the male lead having to deal with the awful job to defend four US soldiers who've gang raped a 16-years-old German beauty. Though Reinhardt's style has dated badly the movie's still worth watching. He definitely has done a good job capturing the heartless atmosphere needed for a story like this. There are some haunting moments.....and the sad realization that also more than 40 years after "Town Without Pity" most rape victims still are devastated twice.

By the way, I've seen the German version which is half-dubbed, half-original so that you have several characters speaking with two different voices. I'd prefer a complete English or German version respectively the use of subtitles.

This is a very serious movie. A local teenage girl is raped by four US soldiers on a hot summer day in a little German town. Her father wants the criminals to be killed. The soldiers' lawyer (Kirk Douglas) knows he must devastate the girl's seemingly innocent image to free his clients from the death sentence. It looks like this movie never really was produced to be a huge success at the box offices at all. It treats its story with honesty and no compromises. The acting is excellent. Douglas and Marshall give very impressive performances supported by a flawless German/ American cast. Christine Kaufmann is absolutely convincing as the victim which is raped a second, this time by the legal system. Reinhardt almost tends to a documentary style, something that probably doesn't appeal to all viewers. It's exciting, well written and very depressive. A perfect movie which leaves you speechless in the end.