PORT OF NEW YORK
US, 1949, 82 minutes, Black and white.
Scott Brady, Richard Rober, K .T. Stevens, Yuk Brynner, Arthur Blake, Lynne Carter.
Directed by Laszlo Benedek.
Port of New York was film locally on the waterfront and wards of New York City, showing the work of narcotics agents, the going undercover, the police investigations, the dangers and deaths. There is a voice-over narrative giving it something of a semi-documentary ton.
The film stars Richard Rober and Scott Brady as tough agents, courageous in their work, prepared to go undercover, take risks, even die.
The film anticipates the vast work of the DEA in decades to come and the preparation of the smuggling and distribution of drugs.
The film is directed by Laszlo Benedek who had made the Katherine Grayson- Frank Sinatra musical, The Kissing Bandit, went on to make this film and then tackled Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman. While his later films were fairly conventional and he worked a lot in television, he did make the headlines with Marlon Brando in 1954 for The Wild One.
The main interest for the film viewer in retrospect is seeing Yull Brynner in his first film role, suave and respectable -looking gangster, yet ruthless, killing, importing drugs, doing deals. In these years before The King and I, he appeared in a number of television roles and did some directing and television. With the King and I, he was identified with the King of Siam but actually had quite prolific career in a variety of films for the next 20 years.
1. A semi-documentary on the importation of narcotics into the Port of New York and the work of the agents, detection, infiltrating gangs, dangers? A tribute to the agents?
2. Location photography, New York City, the ports and the wharves, buildings and apartments, police precincts and agents? Chicago airport? Musical score?
3. The voice-over, the commentary, semi-documentary, action, characters, tributes?
4. The opening on the ship, the purser, taking the lifeboat, rescued, killed, dumped? Toni and her watching? Her luggage? The drugs and the importation?
5. Paul, suave in manner, control of the operation, ruthless, Toni and her threats, going to the agents, his killing her? The interstate dealings, the agent coming from California? His dealing with the locals, his henchmen? The buildup to the meeting with Wiley? The girl arriving, his suspicions and questions? The pursuit by the Coast Guard, the drugs overboard, his fight, arrested?
6. The agents, Mickey, Jim, working together, their boss, the investigations, the leads, meeting with Toni at the station, her death? The links and contacts? The addicts and the
drugs? The girlfriend? Going to the warehouse, the thugs arriving, discovery, Jim and his fight, his death?
7. Jim, the name of the agent California, his arrest and interrogation, the doctored photos? Jim taking his place in Chicago? Arrival in New York, the signal with his hat, the photo? Being taken to the underlings? The audience having seen them kill Dolly? Taking them to Paul? His bluff with Paul about the money, the phone call, the tipoff, waiting? The arrival of the girl, her hesitation? Paul taking advantage, the gun, Jim and his fight? The Coast Guard, the fight and the rescue?
8. The film as illustrating the work of the narcotics agents, the gangs and importation – and the foreshadowing of the vaster importation of drugs, dealers in the decades to come?
