Scarlet Street

As Hans Salter’s music swells, we see a drawing of a lamppost lowering to reveal a street sign, Scarlet Street, as the opening credits roll. The scene begins with a shot of a busy cityscape. Inside one of the buildings, a lively group of ten people sings “Happy Birthday” to Chris Cross (Edward G. Robinson). One party-goer, the boss J.J., has to leave, but first presents a 14-carat, 17-jewel pocket watch engraved with “25 years of faithful service” to Chris. The group then sings “For he’s a jolly good fellow” after Chris gives a heartfelt speech. Another man departs with the crowd, but first hands Chris a cigar. As J.J. Hogarth (Russell Hicks) leaves, he says the party’s on him and encourages everyone to stay and enjoy themselves. The employees notice that the boss gets into a car with a young blonde, old enough to be his granddaughter. “The boss is stepping out!” one coworker remarks.

As Chris steps into the night with his friend Charlie Pringle (Samuel S. Hinds), he plans to take the East Side subway to Brooklyn. But first, Chris offers to walk his friend home in the rain since he has an umbrella. Chris wonders aloud what it's like to be loved by a young girl. “You know, nobody looks at me like that … not even when I was young,” Chris regrets. Both Charlie and Chris admit to failed dreams from their youth and how they still dream on. Chris says he wanted to be a great artist someday. “But I’m still a cashier,” he confesses, “and I still paint every Sunday.” While walking to the subway, he asks a policeman for directions, losing his way in the maze of city streets.

Walking further, Chris sees a man in a straw hat assault a woman, knocking her down and kicking her. Chris rushes to intervene, hitting the man with his umbrella, but quickly retreats in fear. The woman sits up, inspecting her neck and chin. She quickly stands up, noticing the unconscious man lying on the sidewalk. She asks Chris if her attacker is hurt, and Chris runs to find a policeman as the man regains consciousness. When he returns with an officer, the woman is alone. She points in the direction where he fled. While the cop chases the suspect, the woman, Kitty Marsh (Joan Bennett), seductively asks Chris to take her home.

Chris arrives at her apartment, and she apologizes for not inviting him up because she shares the space with another girl. There's a café downstairs, and Chris invites her for a cup of coffee; she agrees. Chris orders coffee, but Kitty opts for a Rum Collins, and he decides to get the same. Chris thinks he’s too old for Kitty, but she says he’s just “mature.”

The next scene shows Chris painting in his small apartment, with the flower that Kitty gave him on the bathroom sink. He’s actually painting the flower when the doorbell rings and his friend Charlie arrives, catching Chris completely unprepared. Adele, his wife, hovers in her bedroom, with Chris appearing like the stereotypical henpecked husband as he cleans last night’s dishes before dealing with Charlie. He’s been married for five years, he tells Charlie, mentioning that the relationship started out well, but “You know how these things go.” Charlie remarks that the actual flower doesn’t resemble Chris’s painting, just as half-dressed Adele (Rosalind) comes charging out of the bedroom, screaming in shock that another man’s present. The men quickly leave the bathroom.

Johnny Prince (Dan Duryea), the man who assaulted Kitty, receives a letter and smiles; a record plays in the background, soon getting stuck in a groove. Kitty lies on the couch. Johnny kisses her, but she wants more passion. While Johnny is jealous of Chris, Kitty tells him that Chris is rich and famous. Johnny says this chump is crazy about you and suggests that Kitty should date him, claiming it’s a setup since Chris is wealthy. Kitty responds, “I can’t take money off an old man like that!” Johnny advises Kitty to get smart, telling her that you need money to make money, and that for $3,000 or $4,000, he can be cut in for a percentage at the Acme Garage. Kitty responds that she can get a little money, but not the thousands he needs; she wouldn’t know how. Then she nuzzles Johnny’s body again, saying that she loves him.

Chris and Kitty are dining at an upscale restaurant. Kitty begins talking about her money problems, saying she’s broke and can’t pay her roommate, Millie Ray (Margaret Lindsay), the rent. Chris asks how much she owes, and Kitty starts to cry, dismissing the debt. “I couldn’t take anything from you, Chris. I’ve never taken money from a man, and I’m not going to now.” Then Kitty suggests renting her a studio apartment, saying she could pay him back by posing for a portrait. Guilt washes over him, and Chris confesses that he’s married. Then he admits that he does not love Adele and that he’s been lonely. Kitty pretends Chris was the victim and says she will let him help her by paying her $500, which worries Chris. He goes to the loan company and asks for the money, but he is told the paperwork must be co-signed by the property owner, so Chris leaves.

Later that evening, Chris sits in his apartment listening to Adele complain that he doesn’t make enough money to buy her a radio. As Chris eats, she continues to whine that he spends all his money on paints. “I would have been better off a widow!” Adele rants. They admit they are stuck in this marriage. She refuses to touch her former husband’s insurance money; it’s for old age. Adele threatens to give Chris’ painting to the junk man, considering it trash. Chris buries his face in his hands. Then, using a key he found under the bed mattress, he unlocks a drawer to steal some of Adele’s insurance money. Later, while re-reading the newspaper, Chris recounts the story he read about a man murdering his wife, but Adele reminds him that he ultimately got caught. Chris laments that nobody can get away with anything with “these New York detectives.” In a few scenes, his role in the marriage is symbolized by his wearing a floral apron, which emasculates him. To protect his paintings, he tells Adele he’s moving them to a friend’s apartment in Greenwich Village, which is actually Kitty’s place.

Meanwhile, Johnny and Kitty are looking at an apartment that used to be the tenant’s art studio. Both dislike the wallpaper, but the landlord will replace it if they sign a one-year lease. They agree to the deal. Kitty and Johnny are relaxing in the apartment, with Johnny rummaging through her purse for money. Johnny says, “Look, Kitty, I need at least a thousand dollars. So you got him softened up, push him around a bit. Listen, baby, you got him right where you want him … he’s on the hook and can’t get off.”

The doorbell rings, startling both Johnny and Kitty, as Johnny hides and Kitty removes his things. Millie, Kitty’s old roommate, enters with a peace offering—a bottle of liquor. She looks around, admiring the apartment, saying, “Not bad for a working girl.” Millie sees Johnny’s straw hat under the bed. She yells for Johnny to come out of hiding, and he quickly appears. The doorbell rings again, and all three gather. It’s Chris: “I brought over some of my things, Kitty (including several paintings). I’ll bring more tomorrow. The rest on Saturday.” Kitty introduces Chris to Millie and Johnny. The two leave the apartment so Chris and Kitty can be alone.

Chris half-recognizes Johnny and tells Kitty he doesn’t like the man. Chris asks about other important men in her life, and she says there was only one, but she has already forgotten him. Chris says if something happened that made him free—meaning something might happen to Adele—would she marry him? Kitty quickly changes the subject. Pretending to be an actress, Kitty asks Chris for $1,000 for her makeup and wardrobe,

Johnny comes back into the apartment, looks at the paintings, and, confused, wonders who would pay for this stuff. Then Johnny comes up with a plan. “I wonder if I couldn’t sell these?” Kitty asks what she should tell Chris if the paintings go missing. Chris advises her to say she stored them away. Johnny notices they haven’t been signed, which would make selling easier.

Chris works late at night in his cashier’s booth, and Chris tells the custodian that he’s leaving soon. When the custodian leaves, Chris quickly works to steal money from the company. Looking as though he has been caught red-handed, boss J.J. appears at Chris’ office with an envelope in hand. But all J.J. asks is for Chris to cash a check, with Chris looking at the stolen money directly between the boss and him. J.J. thanks him and leaves.

Meanwhile, Johnny carries an armful of paintings to a pawn shop. “The fella who painted those gets 50 grand for a single picture,” Johnny declares. The shop owner, Nick, says they look like they were painted by a Village longhair for the cost of the canvas. Nick says, “Take this junk back to Washington Square, where you got it.” Walking further down the street, he sees artists lined up on the sidewalk selling their wares. Johnny asks one of the artists for his opinion of Chris’s work. The artist says, “Well, they got something, certain peculiarities, something, but no perspective.” He offers to sell the paintings starting at $25.

Johnny meets Kitty in the little bar near the old apartment. He says that Kitty calls the old man a dope, but she must be the dope since the paintings aren’t worth 50 grand a piece, but only $25 apiece. “I’d tell you, the old boy’s a phony,” Johnny says. But Kitty reminds him that his money is good. He was so knowledgeable the day he took her to the Metropolitan Museum, and Johnny gets an idea to take the painting there. Johnny returns to the street vendor and finds both paintings by Chris gone. The vendor excitedly goes up to Johnny and says, Mr. Damon Janeway (Jess Barker), an art critic, brought all the paintings. The vendor says he’s the best authority in New York on modern art. Janeway says he wants to contact Johnny. The vendor uses a pay phone to contact Janeway, but he also sees Johnny running away, and soon hangs up.

Back at the old apartment, Kitty worries that Chris will miss the paintings since Janeway has a column in the local newspaper. Once again, they are disturbed by a knock on the door. It’s Janeway, his associate Dellarowe (Arthur Loft), and the vendor trying to locate the man who painted the canvases. Johnny confesses that his girl, Kitty, is the artist. Kitty is visibly upset, but Johnny claims the art critics know nothing. Janeway, prompted by Johnny, speaks to Kitty alone. “I can usually tell if a canvas has been painted by a man or woman, but you fooled me completely, Miss March. Your work is not only original, but has a masculine force. How long does it take you to paint a picture?” Kitty responds, “Sometimes a day; sometimes a year. You can’t tell, it has to grow. It’s a matter of feeling; how feeling grows, it’s like falling in love, I guess. Every painting that is any good is a love affair.” Dellarowe wishes to represent Kitty March exclusively and handle the sale of all her paintings. After meeting tomorrow at the gallery, Janeway plans to take Kitty out for lunch.

Johnny kisses Kitty excitedly after the visitors leave. “I don’t know what you told Janeway, but you got him eating out of your hand. Stop acting like a green kid!” referring to the fact that Kitty doesn’t think romance will cease with dinner. Kitty says if I had any sense, I would walk out on you! “ Johnny says Kitty lacks any sense and slaps her around. Kitty is shaken. Johnny has Kitty sign each painting when Chris walks in the apartment unannounced.

“I’d happen to be in the neighborhood,” Chris explains when he sees his painting on the easel. Prince makes up the excuse that he was just looking at his paintings. Chris says he doesn’t mind, but his face shows otherwise. Johnny excuses himself and leaves. Chris asks if he has been here long because he just doesn’t like him. Chris asks, “Was he the one?” and Kitty, in anger, flees to her bedroom. Chris calls to her outside her door, and she, still angry, tells him to paint, but Chris says he can’t while she’s upset. Dressed in a robe, Kitty comes out and apologizes. She is upset about being tormented over something that is over. Chris again asks her to marry him. “Of course I would marry you if you were free, but you’re not… let’s not talk about it,” he says. Chris asks if he could paint Kitty. Kitty says she was about to do that herself, but she provocatively sticks out her wiggling foot and asks Chris to paint her toenails. Kitty quietly states, “There’ll be masterpieces.”

Adele just happens to be passing the Dellarowe Gallery, where she sees several of Chris’ paintings displayed in the front window. Showing shock, Adele goes inside to ask Dellarowe about the paintings she observed. Going home to find the aproned Chris preparing dinner. Adele goes directly for the jugular, asking, “How long have you known Katharine March? Answer me!” Chris is obviously shocked, holding a butcher knife, replying, I don’t know what you mean. What are you talking about? Don’t get excited, let me help you off with your coat.” Adele says his painting was signed by March and accuses him of copying her work. She mentions the Dellarowe Gallery and the address. Chris is righteously confused as Adele tells him he gets $500 a picture. Adele threatens to tell the woman that you are stealing her ideas. “You’re a thief!” Adele declares, storming out to the bedroom.

Johnny Prince says Janeway claims the latest paintings are the best, but Kitty is annoyed by Janeway’s growing romantic interests. Johnny vows that a diamond ring, a shiny limo, and a penthouse will follow. Destroying this happiness, Chris storms in, looking at his paintings with confusion. “How did my pictures end up in Dellarowe’s window?” Kitty, backing away, tells Chris, “Oh, Chris, don’t be angry with me.” She cries on his shoulder and says she needs money or she’ll lose the furniture. Crying, Kitty says she was humiliated and can’t ask for more money. Chris is proud of selling Dellarowe some of his work, even if Kitty signed them. Smiling, Chris says it doesn’t matter whose name is on the painting, that she can keep selling his work the same way. Chris wants to celebrate by painting Kitty. As Chris gets ready to paint, Johnny sneaks out of the apartment.

Soon, Dellarowe Galleries will host an exhibition of Katherine March’s paintings. We see all the paintings hanging on the gallery walls as visitors pass by. Janeway confronts art collectors who admire his artistic taste, saying, “[she’s] Mona Lisa without the smile, something hidden, sometimes it seems as if she were two people,” and he shows the men a newspaper article he wrote about March.

Meanwhile, Chris stays content as can be in his cubicle cashier’s office, reading the newspaper about his paintings. The janitor interrupts him, saying a man wants to see him outside, a detective. When Chris goes outside, a rugged man wearing shabby clothes and an eyepatch approaches him. It turns out the man is Adele’s first husband, Higgins (Charles Kemper), who found $2700 in the suicide victim’s purse and sailed off to parts unknown. He asks what it would be worth for him to stay quiet and fade away. Chris says he can’t get any money until after the office closes at 6 o’clock. Later, Adele’s husband is disappointed that Chris only got him $200. He tells Higgins that Adele saved the insurance money from his so-called death, $2,000, and shows him where it is. Chris says this is her night to go to the movies, and he will let him in. Chris shows him where the money is, but surprisingly, Adele is in bed and wakes up screaming, reuniting the couple, much to Higgins’ chagrin. Chris was setting him up, all the time.

Chris has his bag packed and goes to Kitty’s new apartment, but first notices Johnny’s straw hat, then sees Johnny with Kitty. Kitty kisses Johnny passionately and tells him she loves him. Chris, in shock, loudly drops his suitcase and quickly leaves, with Johnny’s anger directed at Kitty. Johnny slaps her and leaves, saying he’s had enough of her. Chris sits alone in a bar, drinking and replaying the words he heard Johnny and Kitty say over and over. Abolitionists gather outside the bar, condemning all alcohol. As Chris stares into space, his dream is shattered.

Kitty phones Millie if she has seen Johnny, and she says he’s coming home to beat her up. “Listen, I can’t live without him just as he can’t live without me. If you were in love, you’d understand. That’s love, honey.” Someone enters the apartment, and Kitty thinks it is Johnny, but when the door opens, it is a distraught Chris. “You lied to me, Kitty. It was him, wasn’t it? Kitty defiantly answers, “Can I help it if I’m in love?” Chris tells her it’s just infatuation, that she couldn’t love a man like that. “He’s evil, he wouldn’t leave you alone, is that right?” Chris pleads. “I wanted to kill him,” Chris rants. He asks Kitty to marry him one more time. Chris tells her that Adele’s first husband turned up and he’s now free. Kitty turns over in bed, laughing. Chris thinks Kitty is crying and tells her how they can go away together. Kitty turns back over, mocking Chris, “I’m not crying, you fool, I’m laughing. Oh, you idiot, how can a man be so dumb? I wanted to laugh in your face ever since I first met you. You’re old and ugly, and I’m sick of you, sick, sick, sick! You kill Johnny, I’d like to see you try. He’d break every bone in your body. He’s a man. You want to marry me, you, get out.”

Chris, overwhelmed by humiliation and pain, reaches into the ice bucket for an ice pick and approaches Kittie, who is curled up under the covers. In a violent rage, Chris repeatedly stabs her. He then slowly walks out of the bedroom, broken. As he walks down the apartment staircase, Johnny breaks a glass to get inside, and Chris hides behind the stairs, unseen. While Johnny ascends the stairs, Chris sneaks out. The next morning, headlines report the ice pick murder of the famous painter Katherine March.

Chris is sequestered in a little office reading a newspaper when two policemen arrive. While the police go upstairs to the boss’ office, Chris puts on his coat and hat and flees. But as Chris goes down the stairs, J.J. calls out his name and directs him to his office. J.J. is with two cops, asking Chris why he did it, referring to a phone call he received from Mr. Higgins, referring to the discrepancy with missing cash. J.J. tells Chris that over $1,200 is missing. But J.J. cannot turn him over, dismissing the policemen. “Chris, it was a woman, wasn’t it?” He shamefully shakes his head, yes. “I’m not going to put you in jail, Chris, only you’re through.” Shaking his head in acceptance, he slowly exits the office without saying a word in utter moral defeat, the office staff curiously watching.

Meanwhile, Johnny Prince is at the police station being questioned, utterly defiant. They are trying to pin Kitty’s murder on him. The police have found a diamond ring and some cash taken out of her pocketbook. Police have recovered all of her jewelry, which Johnny pawned. They recovered the ice pick with Johnny’s fingerprints on it. Then a low-rent montage of Johnny’s trial is told in short sections. Johnny, heavily sweating, cries out that Chris was lying. And we flash to a newspaper headline: “Ice-pick Killer To Die in Chair at Sing Sing Tonight!”

Next, we see Chris aboard a train being greeted by several newspapermen. All the men are going to Sing Sing to cover the execution, saying how Johnny convicted himself. One of the reporters points to his heart and says, “ We all have a judge, jury, and executioner in here. Murder never solves anything; the problem just moves in here (pointing to his heart), where it can never get out. Right here in solitary, so you go right on punishing yourself. You can’t get away with it. Never! I would rather a judge give me the works rather than do it myself.” Chris asks what time they flip the switch. A reporter says 11 o’clock.

Johnny sits alone in his cell, listening to a priest. When the warden walks in, signaling it’s time for the final long walk. Johnny screams, “I’d tell you, I didn’t do it!” Then Johnny is led to his death.

Chris returns to his new apartment, whistling. Bare bones, some beer bottles, a coffee cup, and a coffee pot sit on a simple table. Chris relaxes on a couch but gets up to turn off the light when he imagines hearing a woman call out, “Johnny!” seductively, followed by Johnny’s voice whispering to Kitty. The voices continue as Chris stands frozen in the dark. Still dressed, he slumps onto his bed, but the voices of Johnny and Kitty persist. When he hears Kitty’s voice ridiculing him, he abruptly stands and, in distress, yelling, "Kitty, no!” Voices echo as a flashing light appears outside, breaking the darkness. Chris is tormented. Delusionally, he starts responding to the voices. Finally, he screams, “Kitty!!!" Still tormented, he covers his ears, then looks up at the ceiling light.

A neighbor from another apartment looks at Chris’ door and says something's wrong inside. The door is still locked, but the flashing light outside shows a silhouette of Chris hanging from the ceiling. The neighbor busts in and lowers Chris’ body, a thick rope wrapped around his neck. Chris gradually revives, opening his eyes. Almost immediately, he hears Kitty’s voice calling for Johnny. He half-smiles, leaning on his arm, crying.

Time has passed, it’s winter, and Chris is sleeping on a park bench as two policemen pass by. They use their baton to wake Chris up and yell for him to move on, “Over to the Bowery where you belong!” The other policeman asks about the vagrant. “Oh, he has a crazy idea; he killed a couple of people five or six years ago. Can’t get it off his mind. Always trying to give himself up. Wants to be tried and executed, you know these nuts.” Chris is walking down a city street as Christmas music plays, shuffling along wearing a winter coat and carrying a small package as he passes the Dellarowe Galleries and sees his painting of Kitty being carried outside. He silently stares at the so-called self-portrait. As the painting goes to a new owner, a man and woman declare, “There goes a masterpiece, as Chris passes by them.” Chris continues walking down now deserted streets, still hearing the haunting voices as music swells and “The End” appears.

This Fritz Lang-produced film, also directed by Lang, is a film noir of irony. Christopher Cross is a man with unfulfilled dreams, and when they finally come true, they bring misery and frustration. Chris once wonders if a younger woman could ever love him, and when he imagines it’s actually happening, he finds himself being used and humiliated. While Chris ultimately murders Kitty, it is Johnny Prince who goes to the electric chair for the crime. At the end of the picture, Chris passes the Dellarowe Galleries a pauper, while two people claim his painting of Kitty is a masterpiece.

Even though Chris initially comes to the rescue of a damsel in distress, Johnny beats and kicks Kitty ruthlessly, but Kitty, despite being abused, still loves Johnny and sees Chris's intervention as a total bother and interference. She says, “That’s love, honey!” While Chris receives an expensive watch from J.J., the boss, for 25 years of faithful service, it is Chris who embezzles $1,200 from the company. Johnny uses Kitty just as Kitty uses Chris. Initially, Kitty believes he is a wealthy artist selling her paintings for $50,000 each, but his paintings aren’t for sale. So Johnny and Kitty cleverly assume they are selling great art. The double irony occurs when Damon Janeway and Dellarowe think Chris’s art is the next big thing to explode in the art world and is worth big bucks.

When Chris sends Adele’s ex-husband upstairs to steal insurance money in order to further escape her, believing the house is empty, Chris is actually sending him to Adele in bed and trapping him once again in a romantic conflict that he wants to avoid. While Chris gets away with murder, his conscience and hallucinations torment him, leading him to attempt suicide. He is ultimately saved by a good Samaritan and continues to live as a broken, shattered man. He wants to die, not be saved!

As shown in the last example, this movie presents a distorted moral view. Chris is far beyond being hen-pecked, as shown by his floral apron and complete submission to his wife, Adele. He is a timid man who admits no young woman has ever been attracted to him, and he has never seen a woman naked. He is, by the standards, a clean-living man, until he murders out of pure frustration— the last person expected to behave so immorally.

People often act contrary to their supposed good morals. We saw just how much Chris’ character and morals have changed. Higgins, a well-known police detective, turns into a wandering Bohemian who wears tattered clothes and an eye patch. Adele is a spiteful woman who takes advantage of her husband's kindness, even wishing she had stayed a widow. Johnny and Kitty pretend to be typical lower-middle-class, but they are schemers and connivers exploiting honest people for their own benefit. Kitty delusionally believes that being slapped around and kicked is a sign of love. J.J. looks down on Chris when he shows moral weakness, such as embezzling company money, but he leaves Chris’ party to have an affair with a much younger woman. Not a crime, but a moral indiscretion.

Chris, after the murder, is haunted by memories of the act he committed. When he is forced to move while caught sleeping on a park bench by two policemen, one of them tells the other that he has confessed to murder several times and wants to be tried and punished. But such penance will never be achieved, because such a vagrant would never commit such a heinous act, or so it is thought. However, Chris wants to die (even trying to hang himself) for the crime he’s committed, and Johnny dies for a crime he did not commit, declaring his innocence until the very end. Johnny receives the ultimate punishment, but his crimes would never be punished by execution.

Director Fritz Lang portrays the powerful force of fate destroying the life of an insignificant man, Chris Cross, who appears to harm no one. He goes out of his way to help abused Kitty, even though she would rather he leave her alone. His life is cruelly controlled by his wife, Adele. All he wants to do is paint on Sundays, for the love of the hobby. But fate steps in and changes everything, leaving Chris a mere shell of his former self. Love is twisted and manipulated, making him think Kitty is crying when she is actually laughing at him. Scarlet Street is one of the cruelest film noirs, and Edward G. Robinson submits a character portrayal for the ages.

CHRIS CROSS (EDWARD G. ROBINSON) PAINTS THE TOES OF KITTY MARCH (ANN BAXTER)

JOHNNY PRINCE (DAN DURYEA) AND KITTY MARCH CONNIVE TOGETHER.

As Hans Salter’s music swells, we see a drawing of a lamppost lowering to reveal a street sign, Scarlet Street, as the opening credits roll. The scene begins with a shot of a busy cityscape. Inside one of the buildings, a lively group of ten people sings “Happy Birthday” to Chris Cross (Edward G. Robinson). One party-goer, the boss J.J., has to leave, but first presents a 14-carat, 17-jewel pocket watch engraved with “25 years of faithful service” to Chris. The group then sings “For he’s a jolly good fellow” after Chris gives a heartfelt speech. Another man departs with the crowd, but first hands Chris a cigar. As J.J. Hogarth (Russell Hicks) leaves, he says the party’s on him and encourages everyone to stay and enjoy themselves. The employees notice that the boss gets into a car with a young blonde, old enough to be his granddaughter. “The boss is stepping out!” one coworker remarks.

As Chris steps into the night with his friend Charlie Pringle (Samuel S. Hinds), he plans to take the East Side subway to Brooklyn. But first, Chris offers to walk his friend home in the rain since he has an umbrella. Chris wonders aloud what it's like to be loved by a young girl. “You know, nobody looks at me like that … not even when I was young,” Chris regrets. Both Charlie and Chris admit to failed dreams from their youth and how they still dream on. Chris says he wanted to be a great artist someday. “But I’m still a cashier,” he confesses, “and I still paint every Sunday.” While walking to the subway, he asks a policeman for directions, losing his way in the maze of city streets.

Walking further, Chris sees a man in a straw hat assault a woman, knocking her down and kicking her. Chris rushes to intervene, hitting the man with his umbrella, but quickly retreats in fear. The woman sits up, inspecting her neck and chin. She quickly stands up, noticing the unconscious man lying on the sidewalk. She asks Chris if her attacker is hurt, and Chris runs to find a policeman as the man regains consciousness. When he returns with an officer, the woman is alone. She points in the direction where he fled. While the cop chases the suspect, the woman, Kitty Marsh (Joan Bennett), seductively asks Chris to take her home.

Chris arrives at her apartment, and she apologizes for not inviting him up because she shares the space with another girl. There's a café downstairs, and Chris invites her for a cup of coffee; she agrees. Chris orders coffee, but Kitty opts for a Rum Collins, and he decides to get the same. Chris thinks he’s too old for Kitty, but she says he’s just “mature.”

The next scene shows Chris painting in his small apartment, with the flower that Kitty gave him on the bathroom sink. He’s actually painting the flower when the doorbell rings and his friend Charlie arrives, catching Chris completely unprepared. Adele, his wife, hovers in her bedroom, with Chris appearing like the stereotypical henpecked husband as he cleans last night’s dishes before dealing with Charlie. He’s been married for five years, he tells Charlie, mentioning that the relationship started out well, but “You know how these things go.” Charlie remarks that the actual flower doesn’t resemble Chris’s painting, just as half-dressed Adele (Rosalind) comes charging out of the bedroom, screaming in shock that another man’s present. The men quickly leave the bathroom.

Johnny Prince (Dan Duryea), the man who assaulted Kitty, receives a letter and smiles; a record plays in the background, soon getting stuck in a groove. Kitty lies on the couch. Johnny kisses her, but she wants more passion. While Johnny is jealous of Chris, Kitty tells him that Chris is rich and famous. Johnny says this chump is crazy about you and suggests that Kitty should date him, claiming it’s a setup since Chris is wealthy. Kitty responds, “I can’t take money off an old man like that!” Johnny advises Kitty to get smart, telling her that you need money to make money, and that for $3,000 or $4,000, he can be cut in for a percentage at the Acme Garage. Kitty responds that she can get a little money, but not the thousands he needs; she wouldn’t know how. Then she nuzzles Johnny’s body again, saying that she loves him.

Chris and Kitty are dining at an upscale restaurant. Kitty begins talking about her money problems, saying she’s broke and can’t pay her roommate, Millie Ray (Margaret Lindsay), the rent. Chris asks how much she owes, and Kitty starts to cry, dismissing the debt. “I couldn’t take anything from you, Chris. I’ve never taken money from a man, and I’m not going to now.” Then Kitty suggests renting her a studio apartment, saying she could pay him back by posing for a portrait. Guilt washes over him, and Chris confesses that he’s married. Then he admits that he does not love Adele and that he’s been lonely. Kitty pretends Chris was the victim and says she will let him help her by paying her $500, which worries Chris. He goes to the loan company and asks for the money, but he is told the paperwork must be co-signed by the property owner, so Chris leaves.

Later that evening, Chris sits in his apartment listening to Adele complain that he doesn’t make enough money to buy her a radio. As Chris eats, she continues to whine that he spends all his money on paints. “I would have been better off a widow!” Adele rants. They admit they are stuck in this marriage. She refuses to touch her former husband’s insurance money; it’s for old age. Adele threatens to give Chris’ painting to the junk man, considering it trash. Chris buries his face in his hands. Then, using a key he found under the bed mattress, he unlocks a drawer to steal some of Adele’s insurance money. Later, while re-reading the newspaper, Chris recounts the story he read about a man murdering his wife, but Adele reminds him that he ultimately got caught. Chris laments that nobody can get away with anything with “these New York detectives.” In a few scenes, his role in the marriage is symbolized by his wearing a floral apron, which emasculates him. To protect his paintings, he tells Adele he’s moving them to a friend’s apartment in Greenwich Village, which is actually Kitty’s place.

Meanwhile, Johnny and Kitty are looking at an apartment that used to be the tenant’s art studio. Both dislike the wallpaper, but the landlord will replace it if they sign a one-year lease. They agree to the deal. Kitty and Johnny are relaxing in the apartment, with Johnny rummaging through her purse for money. Johnny says, “Look, Kitty, I need at least a thousand dollars. So you got him softened up, push him around a bit. Listen, baby, you got him right where you want him … he’s on the hook and can’t get off.”

The doorbell rings, startling both Johnny and Kitty, as Johnny hides and Kitty removes his things. Millie, Kitty’s old roommate, enters with a peace offering—a bottle of liquor. She looks around, admiring the apartment, saying, “Not bad for a working girl.” Millie sees Johnny’s straw hat under the bed. She yells for Johnny to come out of hiding, and he quickly appears. The doorbell rings again, and all three gather. It’s Chris: “I brought over some of my things, Kitty (including several paintings). I’ll bring more tomorrow. The rest on Saturday.” Kitty introduces Chris to Millie and Johnny. The two leave the apartment so Chris and Kitty can be alone.

Chris half-recognizes Johnny and tells Kitty he doesn’t like the man. Chris asks about other important men in her life, and she says there was only one, but she has already forgotten him. Chris says if something happened that made him free—meaning something might happen to Adele—would she marry him? Kitty quickly changes the subject. Pretending to be an actress, Kitty asks Chris for $1,000 for her makeup and wardrobe,

Johnny comes back into the apartment, looks at the paintings, and, confused, wonders who would pay for this stuff. Then Johnny comes up with a plan. “I wonder if I couldn’t sell these?” Kitty asks what she should tell Chris if the paintings go missing. Chris advises her to say she stored them away. Johnny notices they haven’t been signed, which would make selling easier.

Chris works late at night in his cashier’s booth, and Chris tells the custodian that he’s leaving soon. When the custodian leaves, Chris quickly works to steal money from the company. Looking as though he has been caught red-handed, boss J.J. appears at Chris’ office with an envelope in hand. But all J.J. asks is for Chris to cash a check, with Chris looking at the stolen money directly between the boss and him. J.J. thanks him and leaves.

Meanwhile, Johnny carries an armful of paintings to a pawn shop. “The fella who painted those gets 50 grand for a single picture,” Johnny declares. The shop owner, Nick, says they look like they were painted by a Village longhair for the cost of the canvas. Nick says, “Take this junk back to Washington Square, where you got it.” Walking further down the street, he sees artists lined up on the sidewalk selling their wares. Johnny asks one of the artists for his opinion of Chris’s work. The artist says, “Well, they got something, certain peculiarities, something, but no perspective.” He offers to sell the paintings starting at $25.

Johnny meets Kitty in the little bar near the old apartment. He says that Kitty calls the old man a dope, but she must be the dope since the paintings aren’t worth 50 grand a piece, but only $25 apiece. “I’d tell you, the old boy’s a phony,” Johnny says. But Kitty reminds him that his money is good. He was so knowledgeable the day he took her to the Metropolitan Museum, and Johnny gets an idea to take the painting there. Johnny returns to the street vendor and finds both paintings by Chris gone. The vendor excitedly goes up to Johnny and says, Mr. Damon Janeway (Jess Barker), an art critic, brought all the paintings. The vendor says he’s the best authority in New York on modern art. Janeway says he wants to contact Johnny. The vendor uses a pay phone to contact Janeway, but he also sees Johnny running away, and soon hangs up.

Back at the old apartment, Kitty worries that Chris will miss the paintings since Janeway has a column in the local newspaper. Once again, they are disturbed by a knock on the door. It’s Janeway, his associate Dellarowe (Arthur Loft), and the vendor trying to locate the man who painted the canvases. Johnny confesses that his girl, Kitty, is the artist. Kitty is visibly upset, but Johnny claims the art critics know nothing. Janeway, prompted by Johnny, speaks to Kitty alone. “I can usually tell if a canvas has been painted by a man or woman, but you fooled me completely, Miss March. Your work is not only original, but has a masculine force. How long does it take you to paint a picture?” Kitty responds, “Sometimes a day; sometimes a year. You can’t tell, it has to grow. It’s a matter of feeling; how feeling grows, it’s like falling in love, I guess. Every painting that is any good is a love affair.” Dellarowe wishes to represent Kitty March exclusively and handle the sale of all her paintings. After meeting tomorrow at the gallery, Janeway plans to take Kitty out for lunch.

Johnny kisses Kitty excitedly after the visitors leave. “I don’t know what you told Janeway, but you got him eating out of your hand. Stop acting like a green kid!” referring to the fact that Kitty doesn’t think romance will cease with dinner. Kitty says if I had any sense, I would walk out on you! “ Johnny says Kitty lacks any sense and slaps her around. Kitty is shaken. Johnny has Kitty sign each painting when Chris walks in the apartment unannounced.

“I’d happen to be in the neighborhood,” Chris explains when he sees his painting on the easel. Prince makes up the excuse that he was just looking at his paintings. Chris says he doesn’t mind, but his face shows otherwise. Johnny excuses himself and leaves. Chris asks if he has been here long because he just doesn’t like him. Chris asks, “Was he the one?” and Kitty, in anger, flees to her bedroom. Chris calls to her outside her door, and she, still angry, tells him to paint, but Chris says he can’t while she’s upset. Dressed in a robe, Kitty comes out and apologizes. She is upset about being tormented over something that is over. Chris again asks her to marry him. “Of course I would marry you if you were free, but you’re not… let’s not talk about it,” he says. Chris asks if he could paint Kitty. Kitty says she was about to do that herself, but she provocatively sticks out her wiggling foot and asks Chris to paint her toenails. Kitty quietly states, “There’ll be masterpieces.”

Adele just happens to be passing the Dellarowe Gallery, where she sees several of Chris’ paintings displayed in the front window. Showing shock, Adele goes inside to ask Dellarowe about the paintings she observed. Going home to find the aproned Chris preparing dinner. Adele goes directly for the jugular, asking, “How long have you known Katharine March? Answer me!” Chris is obviously shocked, holding a butcher knife, replying, I don’t know what you mean. What are you talking about? Don’t get excited, let me help you off with your coat.” Adele says his painting was signed by March and accuses him of copying her work. She mentions the Dellarowe Gallery and the address. Chris is righteously confused as Adele tells him he gets $500 a picture. Adele threatens to tell the woman that you are stealing her ideas. “You’re a thief!” Adele declares, storming out to the bedroom.

Johnny Prince says Janeway claims the latest paintings are the best, but Kitty is annoyed by Janeway’s growing romantic interests. Johnny vows that a diamond ring, a shiny limo, and a penthouse will follow. Destroying this happiness, Chris storms in, looking at his paintings with confusion. “How did my pictures end up in Dellarowe’s window?” Kitty, backing away, tells Chris, “Oh, Chris, don’t be angry with me.” She cries on his shoulder and says she needs money or she’ll lose the furniture. Crying, Kitty says she was humiliated and can’t ask for more money. Chris is proud of selling Dellarowe some of his work, even if Kitty signed them. Smiling, Chris says it doesn’t matter whose name is on the painting, that she can keep selling his work the same way. Chris wants to celebrate by painting Kitty. As Chris gets ready to paint, Johnny sneaks out of the apartment.

Soon, Dellarowe Galleries will host an exhibition of Katherine March’s paintings. We see all the paintings hanging on the gallery walls as visitors pass by. Janeway confronts art collectors who admire his artistic taste, saying, “[she’s] Mona Lisa without the smile, something hidden, sometimes it seems as if she were two people,” and he shows the men a newspaper article he wrote about March.

Meanwhile, Chris stays content as can be in his cubicle cashier’s office, reading the newspaper about his paintings. The janitor interrupts him, saying a man wants to see him outside, a detective. When Chris goes outside, a rugged man wearing shabby clothes and an eyepatch approaches him. It turns out the man is Adele’s first husband, Higgins (Charles Kemper), who found $2700 in the suicide victim’s purse and sailed off to parts unknown. He asks what it would be worth for him to stay quiet and fade away. Chris says he can’t get any money until after the office closes at 6 o’clock. Later, Adele’s husband is disappointed that Chris only got him $200. He tells Higgins that Adele saved the insurance money from his so-called death, $2,000, and shows him where it is. Chris says this is her night to go to the movies, and he will let him in. Chris shows him where the money is, but surprisingly, Adele is in bed and wakes up screaming, reuniting the couple, much to Higgins’ chagrin. Chris was setting him up, all the time.

Chris has his bag packed and goes to Kitty’s new apartment, but first notices Johnny’s straw hat, then sees Johnny with Kitty. Kitty kisses Johnny passionately and tells him she loves him. Chris, in shock, loudly drops his suitcase and quickly leaves, with Johnny’s anger directed at Kitty. Johnny slaps her and leaves, saying he’s had enough of her. Chris sits alone in a bar, drinking and replaying the words he heard Johnny and Kitty say over and over. Abolitionists gather outside the bar, condemning all alcohol. As Chris stares into space, his dream is shattered.

Kitty phones Millie if she has seen Johnny, and she says he’s coming home to beat her up. “Listen, I can’t live without him just as he can’t live without me. If you were in love, you’d understand. That’s love, honey.” Someone enters the apartment, and Kitty thinks it is Johnny, but when the door opens, it is a distraught Chris. “You lied to me, Kitty. It was him, wasn’t it? Kitty defiantly answers, “Can I help it if I’m in love?” Chris tells her it’s just infatuation, that she couldn’t love a man like that. “He’s evil, he wouldn’t leave you alone, is that right?” Chris pleads. “I wanted to kill him,” Chris rants. He asks Kitty to marry him one more time. Chris tells her that Adele’s first husband turned up and he’s now free. Kitty turns over in bed, laughing. Chris thinks Kitty is crying and tells her how they can go away together. Kitty turns back over, mocking Chris, “I’m not crying, you fool, I’m laughing. Oh, you idiot, how can a man be so dumb? I wanted to laugh in your face ever since I first met you. You’re old and ugly, and I’m sick of you, sick, sick, sick! You kill Johnny, I’d like to see you try. He’d break every bone in your body. He’s a man. You want to marry me, you, get out.”

Chris, overwhelmed by humiliation and pain, reaches into the ice bucket for an ice pick and approaches Kittie, who is curled up under the covers. In a violent rage, Chris repeatedly stabs her. He then slowly walks out of the bedroom, broken. As he walks down the apartment staircase, Johnny breaks a glass to get inside, and Chris hides behind the stairs, unseen. While Johnny ascends the stairs, Chris sneaks out. The next morning, headlines report the ice pick murder of the famous painter Katherine March.

Chris is sequestered in a little office reading a newspaper when two policemen arrive. While the police go upstairs to the boss’ office, Chris puts on his coat and hat and flees. But as Chris goes down the stairs, J.J. calls out his name and directs him to his office. J.J. is with two cops, asking Chris why he did it, referring to a phone call he received from Mr. Higgins, referring to the discrepancy with missing cash. J.J. tells Chris that over $1,200 is missing. But J.J. cannot turn him over, dismissing the policemen. “Chris, it was a woman, wasn’t it?” He shamefully shakes his head, yes. “I’m not going to put you in jail, Chris, only you’re through.” Shaking his head in acceptance, he slowly exits the office without saying a word in utter moral defeat, the office staff curiously watching.

Meanwhile, Johnny Prince is at the police station being questioned, utterly defiant. They are trying to pin Kitty’s murder on him. The police have found a diamond ring and some cash taken out of her pocketbook. Police have recovered all of her jewelry, which Johnny pawned. They recovered the ice pick with Johnny’s fingerprints on it. Then a low-rent montage of Johnny’s trial is told in short sections. Johnny, heavily sweating, cries out that Chris was lying. And we flash to a newspaper headline: “Ice-pick Killer To Die in Chair at Sing Sing Tonight!”

Next, we see Chris aboard a train being greeted by several newspapermen. All the men are going to Sing Sing to cover the execution, saying how Johnny convicted himself. One of the reporters points to his heart and says, “ We all have a judge, jury, and executioner in here. Murder never solves anything; the problem just moves in here (pointing to his heart), where it can never get out. Right here in solitary, so you go right on punishing yourself. You can’t get away with it. Never! I would rather a judge give me the works rather than do it myself.” Chris asks what time they flip the switch. A reporter says 11 o’clock.

Johnny sits alone in his cell, listening to a priest. When the warden walks in, signaling it’s time for the final long walk. Johnny screams, “I’d tell you, I didn’t do it!” Then Johnny is led to his death.

Chris returns to his new apartment, whistling. Bare bones, some beer bottles, a coffee cup, and a coffee pot sit on a simple table. Chris relaxes on a couch but gets up to turn off the light when he imagines hearing a woman call out, “Johnny!” seductively, followed by Johnny’s voice whispering to Kitty. The voices continue as Chris stands frozen in the dark. Still dressed, he slumps onto his bed, but the voices of Johnny and Kitty persist. When he hears Kitty’s voice ridiculing him, he abruptly stands and, in distress, yelling, "Kitty, no!” Voices echo as a flashing light appears outside, breaking the darkness. Chris is tormented. Delusionally, he starts responding to the voices. Finally, he screams, “Kitty!!!" Still tormented, he covers his ears, then looks up at the ceiling light.

A neighbor from another apartment looks at Chris’ door and says something's wrong inside. The door is still locked, but the flashing light outside shows a silhouette of Chris hanging from the ceiling. The neighbor busts in and lowers Chris’ body, a thick rope wrapped around his neck. Chris gradually revives, opening his eyes. Almost immediately, he hears Kitty’s voice calling for Johnny. He half-smiles, leaning on his arm, crying.

Time has passed, it’s winter, and Chris is sleeping on a park bench as two policemen pass by. They use their baton to wake Chris up and yell for him to move on, “Over to the Bowery where you belong!” The other policeman asks about the vagrant. “Oh, he has a crazy idea; he killed a couple of people five or six years ago. Can’t get it off his mind. Always trying to give himself up. Wants to be tried and executed, you know these nuts.” Chris is walking down a city street as Christmas music plays, shuffling along wearing a winter coat and carrying a small package as he passes the Dellarowe Galleries and sees his painting of Kitty being carried outside. He silently stares at the so-called self-portrait. As the painting goes to a new owner, a man and woman declare, “There goes a masterpiece, as Chris passes by them.” Chris continues walking down now deserted streets, still hearing the haunting voices as music swells and “The End” appears.

This Fritz Lang-produced film, also directed by Lang, is a film noir of irony. Christopher Cross is a man with unfulfilled dreams, and when they finally come true, they bring misery and frustration. Chris once wonders if a younger woman could ever love him, and when he imagines it’s actually happening, he finds himself being used and humiliated. While Chris ultimately murders Kitty, it is Johnny Prince who goes to the electric chair for the crime. At the end of the picture, Chris passes the Dellarowe Galleries a pauper, while two people claim his painting of Kitty is a masterpiece.

Even though Chris initially comes to the rescue of a damsel in distress, Johnny beats and kicks Kitty ruthlessly, but Kitty, despite being abused, still loves Johnny and sees Chris's intervention as a total bother and interference. She says, “That’s love, honey!” While Chris receives an expensive watch from J.J., the boss, for 25 years of faithful service, it is Chris who embezzles $1,200 from the company. Johnny uses Kitty just as Kitty uses Chris. Initially, Kitty believes he is a wealthy artist selling her paintings for $50,000 each, but his paintings aren’t for sale. So Johnny and Kitty cleverly assume they are selling great art. The double irony occurs when Damon Janeway and Dellarowe think Chris’s art is the next big thing to explode in the art world and is worth big bucks.

When Chris sends Adele’s ex-husband upstairs to steal insurance money in order to further escape her, believing the house is empty, Chris is actually sending him to Adele in bed and trapping him once again in a romantic conflict that he wants to avoid. While Chris gets away with murder, his conscience and hallucinations torment him, leading him to attempt suicide. He is ultimately saved by a good Samaritan and continues to live as a broken, shattered man. He wants to die, not be saved!

As shown in the last example, this movie presents a distorted moral view. Chris is far beyond being hen-pecked, as shown by his floral apron and complete submission to his wife, Adele. He is a timid man who admits no young woman has ever been attracted to him, and he has never seen a woman naked. He is, by the standards, a clean-living man, until he murders out of pure frustration— the last person expected to behave so immorally.

People often act contrary to their supposed good morals. We saw just how much Chris’ character and morals have changed. Higgins, a well-known police detective, turns into a wandering Bohemian who wears tattered clothes and an eye patch. Adele is a spiteful woman who takes advantage of her husband's kindness, even wishing she had stayed a widow. Johnny and Kitty pretend to be typical lower-middle-class, but they are schemers and connivers exploiting honest people for their own benefit. Kitty delusionally believes that being slapped around and kicked is a sign of love. J.J. looks down on Chris when he shows moral weakness, such as embezzling company money, but he leaves Chris’ party to have an affair with a much younger woman. Not a crime, but a moral indiscretion.

Chris, after the murder, is haunted by memories of the act he committed. When he is forced to move while caught sleeping on a park bench by two policemen, one of them tells the other that he has confessed to murder several times and wants to be tried and punished. But such penance will never be achieved, because such a vagrant would never commit such a heinous act, or so it is thought. However, Chris wants to die (even trying to hang himself) for the crime he’s committed, and Johnny dies for a crime he did not commit, declaring his innocence until the very end. Johnny receives the ultimate punishment, but his crimes would never be punished by execution.

Director Fritz Lang portrays the powerful force of fate destroying the life of an insignificant man, Chris Cross, who appears to harm no one. He goes out of his way to help abused Kitty, even though she would rather he leave her alone. His life is cruelly controlled by his wife, Adele. All he wants to do is paint on Sundays, for the love of the hobby. But fate steps in and changes everything, leaving Chris a mere shell of his former self. Love is twisted and manipulated, making him think Kitty is crying when she is actually laughing at him. Scarlet Street is one of the cruelest film noirs, and Edward G. Robinson submits a character portrayal for the ages.

CHRIS CROSS (EDWARD G. ROBINSON) PAINTS THE TOES OF KITTY MARCH (ANN BAXTER)

JOHNNY PRINCE (DAN DURYEA) AND KITTY MARCH CONNIVE TOGETHER.