Cinematic Cities: New York 1953

– September 22, 2010Posted in: Lobby, Noir Cities

The Glass Wall (1953) Dir: Maxwell Shane DP: Joseph F. Biroc | Locale: New York

Marcos Mateu

Posted September 23, 2010 at 8:48 PM

Love a captivating low camera angle, automatically and literally changing the perspective we have of our everyday lives. Your posts, as interesting as usual.
Sam Juliano

Posted September 23, 2010 at 9:51 PM

Ha! Even the visit of the milkman is reminder of a time long since vanished. It’s a shot that drips with atmoshere.
Tony D'Ambra

Posted September 24, 2010 at 10:37 AM

Thanks guys.

The mis-en-scene when you think about it is quite brilliant. The milk bottle is not only a focal point for the perspective but it is a complex symbol. There is deadline in the plot of 7am, when a ship is scheduled to sale. So the bottle of milk tells that it early morning, that time is running out, but also that there is still a chance as the bottle has not yet been taken in. The milk bottle is not only symbolic of sustenance, but also of nurture, of purity of purpose, of innocence, which echo the character of the desperate protagonist and the nature of his struggle, as he stumbles toward ‘the glass wall’ of the title – the UN building.
Sam Juliano

Posted September 27, 2010 at 12:12 AM

Wow, this is a brilliant discussion of the symbolism here!