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Richard Boone is terrific as the violent cop with a terrific hunch, found peeping, creeping, never sleeping, punching and shouting and best of all, and in the most aggravating urban New York big city cop style of noir, just deciding that a person is guilty - in this case merely from a photograph - and then simply beating them and shouting at them and others too if that's what ti takes, beating and shouting repeatedly until the case is closed.
Vicki is the ambitious young model making her way, and somehow not forgiven for her pushiness and willingness to mould the truth to her amorality, from time to time. She pays for this upfront, and is murdered, a murdered glamour girl in an uncaring city.
This is certainly a peril of noir and a solid theme, that the city does not care. Film noir serves as a visual representation of the intricate process of identity formation. It reveals the mechanisms that build and consolidate identity, such as displacement, condensation, repression, matricide, and uncanny doubling.
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| Marketing smokes — Vicki (1953) |
In film noir, identity is often fortified against unconscious threats, acting as a defensive mechanism. This identity construction is portrayed as a means of protection from ambiguous borders, represented by elements like feminine power in men, incomprehensible language in foreigners, uncertain identity, racial mixing, and maternal sexuality. These threats are embodied in film noir through characters like the femme fatale, racial stereotypes, and the good and bad mother, among others.
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The very process that strengthens identity in film noir also creates voids and anxieties within it, manifesting as vertigo, phobia, melancholia, abulia, or fatalism. This duality is further illustrated through the representation of space in film noir.
The psychological state of the subject, their emotions, and morals are mirrored in the architecture and geography of the film. The sets, filming techniques, soundtracks, and narrative structures all contribute to making the process of identity formation visible.
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The hero’s quest for a moral center and understanding of their origins and purpose is mapped onto a symbolic geographic landscape, with northern mountains, western coasts, eastern cities, and southern borders forming a moral topography. This journey through the moral landscape helps define the noir hero’s identity against the backdrop of these symbolic coordinates.
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Vicki, this 1953 film, a late film noir were we to be faithful to the technical temporal restraints of the noir paly, often receives undue criticism, particularly when compared to its predecessor, the bolder and grittier I Wake Up Screaming (1941). While not brilliant, Vicki is a beautifully filmed and tightly edited noir with competent performances, though it does fall short in several areas.
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| Jeanne Crain — Vicki (1953) |
One of the film's shortcomings is the miscasting of the main detective, a role that is pivotal yet pales in comparison to Laird Cregar's portrayal in the original.
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| Jeanne Craine and Jean Peters — Vicki (1953) |
This casting choice hampers the film's impact, though Jeanne Crain’s portrayal of the female lead provides a refreshing contrast to Betty Grable's performance in the earlier version. Crain brings a coolness and crystalline beauty that Grable lacked. However, the night clerk character, originally portrayed with astonishing menace by Elisha Cook Jr., is awkwardly overacted in Vicki, further diminishing the film's effectiveness.
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The plot of Vicki mirrors that of its predecessor, leading to comparisons. You would have to have comparisons. The film unfolds through a series of flashbacks, creating a deliberately choppy and constructed narrative. This structure, while interesting, detracts from the film's potential for suspense and psychological depth. The lead male character, though likable, lacks the complexity one might expect from a noir protagonist, and the film’s Hitchcockian touches fail to fully engage.
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Vicki (1953) serves as a fairly close remake of the 1942 high-noir classic I Wake Up Screaming. Despite being released eleven years later, the film unmistakably echoes the style and themes of its predecessor, while also evoking the elegant noir aesthetic of Laura (1944). The resemblance is so striking that even the title fonts of Vicki and Laura seem eerily but not wearily similar.
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| Film noir visuals — the classic window reflection — Vicki (1953) |
This version of the tale features a cast of lesser-known names compared to the original, but it follows the same narrative trajectory. Jean Peters takes on the role of Vicki Lynn, originally portrayed by Carole Landis—a New York City model on the cusp of stardom who is murdered before her big Hollywood break.
Jeanne Crain, a significant upgrade in both looks and acting ability from Betty Grable, plays Vicki's sister, providing the film with a touch of elegance and emotional depth. Elliott Reid, a relatively unknown actor, steps into the shoes of Victor Mature, playing the publicity man who propels Vicki’s career.
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Richard Boone portrays the obsessive detective Ed Cornell, a role that, while competent, doesn’t quite match the imposing presence of Laird Cregar from the original.
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The film is compact, with little extraneous content, and benefits from a moody score by Leigh Harline. Director Harry Horner, more renowned for his work as an art director and production designer, does an admirable job here, particularly in his use of light and shadow to create the film’s noir atmosphere. The presence of Carl Betz as a sympathetic cop brings to mind another Fox noir, Dangerous Crossing, which also stars Jeanne Crain.
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| Boone lights a burner — Vicki (1953) |
Steve Christopher: Slug me with those, Cornell, and I'll square you off if it takes me the rest of my life.
Lt. Ed Cornell: You're not gonna have a very long life, Stevie. You're like a rat in a box, without any holes. But they're gonna make a hole for you...six by three, filled with quicklime.
Lt. Ed Cornell: When I put all my evidence together, I'll have you strapped in that chair so tight, you'll scream.
Vicki Lynn: We're all very gay--you'd think I'd just died or something.
Police Capt. J. 'Chief' Donald: I know your record as well as you do - it's great! But you're not the only man in the Department.
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“If men want to look at me, why shouldn’t they pay for it?” Vicki asks, revealing how quickly fame can corrupt even the purest of hearts. The film seems poised for a biting exploration of dark themes, yet its reluctance to delve deeply into moral complexities weakens its impact.
Fantastic as all this was, and perhaps even dating in a mild manner as late as 1953, when the new noir era was already opened, Vicki still did ship with some exciting lobby tags:
She Had Everything a Man Could Ever Want And Lived the Way No Woman Ever Should!
If men want to look at me. . .why shouldn't they pay for it?
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Vicki hesitates to cast its characters in a harsh light, which diminishes the story's suspense and moral ambiguity. The Rashomon-esque setup, where Vicki's character is revealed through the perspectives of those who knew her, holds promise but ultimately disappoints by reducing complex figures to mere stereotypes.
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| Richard Boone in Vicki (1953) |
The actors do their best with the material, particularly Jean Peters, who brings a grounded charm to Vicki, portraying her as a sweet yet fame-hungry figure. Jeanne Crain delivers a solid performance as her supportive but skeptical sister, while Richard Boone injects his role with intensity, albeit with a somewhat mismatched tone. Despite these strong performances, the screenplay fails to fully explore the characters' potential, resulting in a film that lacks the depth it initially hints at.
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| Midnight sneakin in film noir — Vicki (1953) |
Visually, the film impresses with Milton Krasner’s shadowy cinematography, but the narrative is undermined by a romantic subplot and an ending that’s too upbeat for a true noir. Despite its flaws, Vicki remains a serviceable thriller, with sturdy performances and atmospheric visuals, though it falls short of the greatness it aspires to.
Lt. Ed Cornell: I know it doesn't mean much by itself but when I put all my evidence together I'll have you strapped in that chair so tight you'll scream.
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Vicki demonstrates the pitfalls of miscasting. Richard Boone plays an obsessive, decorated cop, but his portrayal falters when he’s expected to be wimpy—except when violently overpowering others, which feels fitting. His credibility plummets when he becomes a punching bag for Elliot Reid’s character, a successful promoter.
The film starts with a montage of Jean Peters’s model ads across New York, ending with her corpse being removed. Boone’s character, though on leave for his intensity, fixates on the case, setting up a promisingly odd story that ultimately falls short of delivering the expected thrills.
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Lt. Ed Cornell: [advancing on the handcuffed Steve with knuckledusters] Stevie, you shouldn't have tried to resist arrest.Steve Christopher: Slug me with those Cornell, and I'll square you off if it takes me the rest of my life.
Lt. Ed Cornell: You're not gonna have a very long life Stevie. You're like a rat in a box without any holes. But they're gonna make a hole for you - 6' by 3', filled with quicklime.
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Men and portraits of women in film noir — Vicki (1953)
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So for the film noir completist and the academic curious to visit the quotidian of the style, Vicki may not reach the heights of its predecessors, but it remains an enjoyable and well-crafted noir. The film's closing twist, revealing a character's obsessive shrine to Vicki, might even prompt viewers to reconsider their own cinematic idolizations.
Despite its shortcomings, Vicki is not a disaster. The film's true standout is its cinematography by Milton R. Krasner, which elevates the visual experience. However, the film falls short in delivering the tension and depth that could have made it remarkable.
For those intrigued by Vicki, it's worth revisiting I Wake Up Screaming or the far superior Laura (1944), which clearly influenced this film. Vicki offers a decent watch, but it leaves viewers yearning for the brilliance that its elements suggest but fail to fully deliver.
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Vicki (1953)
Directed by Harry Horner
Genres - Crime, Drama, Mystery-Suspense, Romance, Thriller | Sub-Genres - Film Noir | Release Date - Sep 7, 1953 | Run Time - 85 min.
