Une poignée de neige

Good drama showing how a family can be far different than what it appears when certain members refuse to live in the present. Nolan was good as the bantam rooster of a father and Franciosa shone as the drunken yet solid older brother. As always Silva, with that cruel face, was well cast as a heartless pusher whose love for money can only lead to disaster. I wanted to slap his hyper little helper; what a creep.

Back in the 1950's, it was not normal to see a movie that addressed a social problem such as Heroin addiction. The film also slightly implicates the US Army as the source of Johnny's addiction when he was in the Army Hospital following spending months in a cave in Korea. The film pulls no punches as it displays the ruthless pushers who will "put you in the hospital with Willie DeCarlo" if you don't pay what you owe for the Heroin. It also shows how addicts will do anything to get their next "fix". One really feels for Johnny's brother Polo who works as a bouncer to get money for Johnny's habit and at the same time trying to hide the fact that his brother is an addict from Johnny's wife and thier father. In addition, as one who grew up in a NYC housing project in the 1950's and 60's i have to say the on location filming in the projects brings back lots of memories of what my project looked like. I am happy to say i have a good VHS version of the film i took off the OLD AMC years ago (before they ruined AMC with commercials.)

A Korean war veteran (Don Murray) has developed a raging heroin habit which he hides from his pregnant wife (Eva Marie Saint)and his father (Lloyd Nolan). He has those classic "I've got a monkey on my back" mannerisms which the audience can appreciate, while the wife and father wonder why he seems nervous all the time. His dealer, a character known as Mother, played by Henry Silva, and Mother's sidekick, a beatnik type known as Chuch, played by Gerald S. O Laughlin, are memorable characters. Murray is great as his desperation grows, in debt to Mother, trying to keep his problem a secret, pushed to the extreme. The powerhouse drama features an utterly fantastic role, played by Anthony Franciosa, as Murray's heavy drinking brother, who protects Murray but is in love with his wife at the same time. It could have all been too stagey, but thanks to director Fred Zinneman, there's action to spare in this gritty New York drama.

I have had relatives addicted to street drugs. As this film shows, overdose is the least of your worries. Addicts not only throw their own lives away, they drag their loved ones down with them. They not only destroy the love you have for them but they endanger your life along with theirs. They make the character more sympathetic by being a veteran with PTSD. This film should be shown in all schools starting in third grade. Although realistic it is still more sanitized that reality.

I check at least once a month to see if this fabulous film has finally been released on video. Just like the way that "Days of Wine and Roses" tackled the subject of alcohol addiction, this film tackled the subject of drug addiction like none other before or since. Terrific performances by all, especially Don Murray and Anthony Franciosa as the two brothers, each held to a different standard by a overbearing father played by Lloyd Nolan. There is also an appearance by a very young William Hickey of "Prizzi's Honor" fame in one of his first roles. This film is a window back in time to life in New York City in the 50's. I urge whoever owns the rights to this film, please release it on DVD