Viewing tip: THE BIG CLOCK

May 4th, 2009 at 08:51am Will Pfeifer

If you happen to have Turner Classic Movies on your cable line-up, you can check out one of my favorite movies at 8:30 tonight: 1948’s THE BIG CLOCK.

Set almost entirely in a (then) ultra-modern office building, THE BIG CLOCK is a suspense thriller that delivers plenty of tension and danger but somehow manages to be funny — and fun — at the same time. Ray Milland plays George Stroud, a magazine editor working for publisher Earl Janoth (Charles Laughton). When Janoth kills his mistress and Stroud happens to witness the crime, Janoth (not knowing it was Stroud who saw him) assigns Stroud to track down that man, claiming he must be the murderer. In other words, the movie is all about a man searching for himself while he’s desperately trying to divert all attention away from himself. (If the plot sounds familiar, that’s because it was used for the Kevin Costner thriller NO WAY OUT.)

It’s very entertaining, with plenty of lightning-quick plot twists, quirky characters (including Laughton’s real-life wife, Elsa Lanchester, as a kooky artist), and dark corners you think Stroud can’t possibly back himself out of. Plus it features a young Harry Morgan — M*A*S*H’s Col. Potter — as Janoth’s creepy thug. The movie looks great, with some amazing sets and slick direction from John Farrow (Mia’s dad — Mia’s mom, Maureen O’Sullivan, plays Milland’s wife).

Here’s the amusing trailer:

Entry Filed under: Viewing tip, videos, Classic movies