Violência

The movie has veterans of WWII being recruited to be part of a group that will use violence to accomplish the goals of bigger men. A young go-getter female reporter infiltrates it. Very early plot twist: on the way back to Chicago to file her stories, she gets in a motor vehicle accident, her typed-out stories are burned up in the car fire, and she gets amnesia. Dun-dun-duhhh....

Nancy Coleman is convincing as the reporter who is distressed about her loss of memory, although she rubs her temple too many times. Steve Fuller, who surely must have got his start as Kirk Douglas's stand-in, is a convincing male lead here, but he's clearly in support of Coleman.

It's gritty, adult fare for 1947. It might not be splattered-blood Bonnie & Clyde violence but sometimes implied violence is actually more dramatic.

At one of the rallies - these are all recently released WWII vets, remember - one guy stands up and gives a highly unlikely w0kified speech right out of 2024 about how "hate and violence alone won't solve any of our problems." He is quickly ushered out.

There are some unlikely plot twists that rely on characters making very bad decisions or things that happen a bit too conveniently to keep the running time tight and the sh00ting schedule on budget.

But it's an entertaining way to spend 90 minutes just the same.

There's enough meat to this plot that good writers with a respectable budget could churn out an excellent first season of a short-run prestige-cable show. Of course, the reporter would be a bl3ck tr2ns-g3nd3r and the underground club would all wear red baseball caps.

Which brings me to Eddie Muller's presentation of this movie on April 7, 2024. He suggested that movies such as Violence might have "inspired the House Un-American Activities Committee to launch investigations into 'purported' (here he gives an ironic hand wave) communist influences in Hollywood." It's well established by now that Hollywood (and Washington) were completely infiltrated by commies, as they are today. One's credibility takes a big hit to pretend otherwise. I expect better from Muller.

Don't go w0ke, TCM. Cause you know what rhymes with w0ke.

This 1947 Poverty Row film noir about some racketeers organizing returning vets into strong-arm squads has an awful score of overwrought music from Edward J. Kay. Nancy Coleman is investigating the organization, but comes down with amnesia.

Since we know the set-up before she comes down with memory loss, there's no sense of noirish what-in-hell-is-going-on suspense. It all comes down to a cozy non-mystery shot on small sets with occasional bouts of rear projection, punctuated by loud, frantic musical stings. Besides Coleman, we get Sidney Sheldon, Michael O'Shea and Emory Parnell.

There's a corruption plot here, and in almost every movie with a corruption plot, it is the dogooder politician behind the corruption. I'm not giving any secrets here. This movie is markedly different for some reason. My suspicion is they either ran out of film, money or time and had to wrap it up.

With peter whitney as the joker (no it's not set in gotham city) and sheldon leonard (no, he's not telling anyone which elevator or railroad train to take), the stage is set for a great reveal at the end of mr x's identity (no it's not elon musk or pierre watkin), but then the story just ends and michael o'shea goes off with the cute muckraking reporter. Also featured in here, as a doctor, was john (no he's not telling the copyboy don't call me chief) hamilton, a star on early tv. The most important thing in this movie is it prepared us for a corrupt, much bankrupted businessman to make a lot of noise about cleaning out the swamp, so to speak, while corrupting it himself.

"Violence" is a 1947 low budget black and white film dealing with the problem of veterans adjusting to a society that seemingly doesn't provide adequately for their post-war needs. Most viewers today may not understand the topic but in 1947 this was a major topic as returning servicemen tried to adjust to society and as society tried to absorb them back into the workforce and life in general.

During the War strikes were forbidden and women took on major roles in the workforce. With millions of returning servicemen looking for jobs, businesses took the opportunity to reduce wages. So jobs were in short supply and wages were low. Many industries were scaling down from war production. Strikes began in major industries.

In the Great Strike Wave of 1945-46 Truman threatened to take over railroads if strikes persisted. Democrats lost the election in 1946 and the Republicans passed the Taft-Hartley Act limiting the ability of unions to strike.

On top of this, many veterans had mental health problems that were not being treated, promoting Truman to establish NIMH in 1946.

In the middle of this turmoil, HUAC was created in 1945 and became extremely active in 1947.

By the early 50s the Cold War was well in progress and the U.S. experienced enormous prosperity, and this transitional period between 1945 and 1950 was forgotten.

This film, as ordinary as it is, reflects some of the concerns of the times.

My favorite films about this era are "The Best Years of Our Lives" (1946), "Till the End of Time" (1946), "Home of the Brave" (1949), and "The Men" (1950).

From 1947, Violence stars Nancy Coleman, Michael O'Shea, Sheldon Leonard, and Emory Parnell.

Coleman is Ann Mason, a reporter working undercover as a secretary for United Defenders, a fascist group using veterans by taking their money and encouraging them to be violent over issues such as housing and jobs.

Veterans had problems readjusting to society after World War II, and in this and another film I saw recently, their disenfranchisement made them a target for both communist and fascist groups.

Nancy is gathering evidence for her editor in Chicago, but on a trip there, she's in a car accident and develops amnesia. She meets a man, Steve (Michael O'Shea) who claims they are engaged.

Little by little, Ann remembers she works for the Defenders but not that she's undercover. Steve returns to Los Angeles with her and goes to work for the organization.

Ann begins to believe Steve is working against the Defenders and informs her boss. Trouble follows.

Cliche-ridden noir with Coleman constantly touching her head when she's trying to remember. And we all know what brings a memory back - another hit on the head.

Well, Ann falls and hits her head. A woman staying with her, whose husband was murdered by the Defenders, puts a dry handkerchief over her forehead. Big help.

You knew that charming, lively Michael O'Shea could never be evil. Sheldon Leonard was your typical meanie.

Interesting for what was going on in the US at the time, but not great.