Clash By Night (1952)

90% of critics liked it
(10 reviews)
69% of users liked it
(1,775 ratings)

The opening credits appearing over a turbulent ocean serve as a foreshadowing of things to come in this standard-issue love triangle that shifts into high drama thanks to taut direction by Fritz Lang and a sizzling performance by Barbara Stanwyck. Returning to live with her brother, Joe (Keith… More The opening credits appearing over a turbulent ocean serve as a foreshadowing of things to come in this standard-issue love triangle that shifts into high drama thanks to taut direction by Fritz Lang and a sizzling performance by Barbara Stanwyck. Returning to live with her brother, Joe (Keith Andes), at her family's home in a small fishing village, Mae Doyle (Stanwyck) has reached rock bottom. Reeling from the pain of her previous romances, Mae slowly pieces things together and begins dating Jerry (Paul Douglas), a simple-minded fisherman. More along Mae's speed is Jerry's slick, boozy pal Earl Pfeiffer (Robert Ryan), a film projectionist who makes his feelings for her known right away despite the fact that he is married. Mae spurns his advances and decides to marry Jerry. Meanwhile, Joe has grown close to ditzy factory worker Peggy (Marilyn Monroe). Some time later, Mae and Jerry have had a baby, and things appear happy, but Mae is not in love with Jerry, and soon finds herself in Earl's arms. Jerry discovers the affair, and during a confrontation with the deceitful couple, Mae reveals that she is leaving to be with Earl. After some booze and a pep talk from his Uncle Vince (J. Carrol Naish), Jerry confronts Earl and proceeds to nearly strangle him until Mae arrives. Jerry storms off, but when Mae comes to their home to retrieve the baby, she discovers that Jerry has taken the child. Desperately upset, she explains the situation to Earl, but as they talk, she begins to arrive at a new realization about her life and what it takes to find happiness. ~ Patrick Legare, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 45 min.
Directed By: Fritz Lang
Written By: Clifford Odets, Alfred Hayes, David Dortort
Genres: Drama, Mystery & Suspense, Classics

In Theaters: Jun 18, 1952 Wide
On DVD: Jul 5, 2005

Critic Reviews

Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader
The Clifford Odets screenplay seems to have roused the realist in director Fritz Lang: the backwater atmosphere is as authentic as it is oppressive.
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
Lang's quintessential film noir offers Barbara Stanwyck a role that fits her like a silk glove
Michael E. Grost, Classic Film and Television
Interesting romantic drama, with vivid location filming in Monterey's fishing community.
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid
A moving, nervously effective film.
Christopher Null, Filmcritic.com
not terribly creepy or even that moody
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
The performances are stagy but filled with fiery emotion.

Read all 6 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Bob S

The potential ultimate noir coupling of Stanwyck and Ryan results in this solid but not quite socko near-noir. DVD features great Bogdanovich talk thru - for which, to judge by his level of enthusiasm and preparation, Peter was compensated a sandwich, a soda and chips.
Randy T

Come on, what hot blooded, wire bra-ed bombshell wouldn't choose the dashing Robert Ryan over the lumpy Paul Douglas? Except, of course, when Douglas is a kind-hearted, lovable teddy bear and Ryan is a self absorbed, misogynist prick. Barbara Stanwyck was a master at playing… More
Come on, what hot blooded, wire bra-ed bombshell wouldn't choose the dashing Robert Ryan over the lumpy Paul Douglas? Except, of course, when Douglas is a kind-hearted, lovable teddy bear and Ryan is a self absorbed, misogynist prick. Barbara Stanwyck was a master at playing flawed characters and her Mae Doyle is about as flawed as they come. Bad girl, good film, great actress.
Veronique K

fritz lang's "clash by night" is a psychological drama about the paradoxical mentality of female perplexity about life and its harboring cease. babara stanwyck would be the individualistic rebel lady who drifts everywhere to seek her dreams even eventually she winds up… More
fritz lang's "clash by night" is a psychological drama about the paradoxical mentality of female perplexity about life and its harboring cease. babara stanwyck would be the individualistic rebel lady who drifts everywhere to seek her dreams even eventually she winds up with "big dreams, small results" stanwyck plays mae doyle, a woman who wanders from home for 10 years, a prodigal daughter retreats back to her homeland with one bitter remark "home is the place to go when you run out of places", a woman who wants her man to "fight off the blizzards the floods" just to make her feel "confident"....a egoist who abides nothing but motivated by her anguishes to live and explore the world with novelty. a woman who claims that she would never be satisfied enough to give any man happiness since her character is webbed with too much ambivalent affirmations to be genuinely tamed by any man, and mae shrewdly sneers at the world with her sass and sharply sardonic wits until she meets her fellow rebel earl (robert ryan) who is a cynical grudgy man embittered with spousal tumults, uttering quibs like "wouldn't you wanna cut a beautiful dame up?" "i like the woman who stays on ceiling when i throw all of them above"...a volcanic man with enough individuality to rival mae....and this resistant ambiguity also arouses mae's animosity.....thus she chooses to marry her another suitor jerry with the clumsy looks of ape but has a generous heart of gold despite his simple-mindedness cannot provide the thrilling kicks of life mae's always craving for. it might appear somehow melodramatic but the script offers plenty of wisecracking wisdom between the lines to depict each character with enough distinctive contour of humanity. and the episode of marilyn monroe who plays the girlfriend of mae's brother is also quite pleasantly juxtaposed with her talks of feminism and refusal of being trapped as cannary in marriage.... inevitably mae's being lured away by charismatic earl who whispers love with more refined skills than stupified jerry....ultimately mae succumbs to her sense of feminine duty instead of her intense drive of egoism....accurately speaking, she lifts up the veil of her selfism to ripe into mature womanhood since the world is not always "her disappointment, her unhappiness"... only brilliantly talented stanwyck could incarnate into such fickle role with multiple outbursts of complexity conviningly....only stanwyck has enough charisma to redeem this character with comprehensible pathos...a well-performed stagy flick upon the theme of woman and her choices over the crossroad of life.
jay n

raw, emotional drama with top performances. interesting to see marilyn monroe playing just a regular girl.
Michael G

It's not that great, but I love it.
Walter M

In "Clash by Night," Mae(Barbara Stanwyck) has returned to Monterey after a ten year absence to be reunited with her younger brother Joe(Keith Andes) and meets his girlfriend Peggy(Marilyn Monroe) who work in the local cannery. Jerry(Paul Douglas), who owns his own fishing… More
In "Clash by Night," Mae(Barbara Stanwyck) has returned to Monterey after a ten year absence to be reunited with her younger brother Joe(Keith Andes) and meets his girlfriend Peggy(Marilyn Monroe) who work in the local cannery. Jerry(Paul Douglas), who owns his own fishing boat, runs across Mae in a bar where he has found his elderly father(Silvio Minciotti) who his uncle Vince(J. Carrol Naish) was supposed to have been looking after. Jerry wonders aloud if he has a chance with her. It turns out that yes he does and they go out for a date to the movies where he introduces her to his pal Earl(Robert Ryan) who works there as a projectionist. Directed by Fritz Lang, "Clash by Night" is a compelling slice of life movie, performed well by its eclectic cast, that is set in an insular community that has to work hard for everything that it gets. Jerry is his own boss and is considered a success. With that comes added responsibilities like taking care of his older relatives. At the same time, he looks up to Earl who has the slightest of connections to show business and through that to the outside world. That's where Mae just returned from, jaded from her experiences.