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As an interesting take on an unusual social issue, The Night Runner is one of a run of film noir B pictures from Universal, offers a unique and intense viewing experience as serious but seriously misunderstood social and medical issues are collided into exploitation fiction.
Directed by Abner Biberman and based on a story by Owen Cameron, the film stars Ray Danton, an actor who, despite his talent and distinctive voice, never quite achieved the fame he deserved. Danton’s performance in The Night Runner is particularly noteworthy, showcasing his ability to portray complex characters with sensitivity and skill, or what passes for such in an emergent beat and media controlled era of North American hope and expansionism
The film’s plot revolves and turns and circles and goes around and around around a young man, Roy Turner, who is prematurely released from a mental hospital where he was being treated for schizophrenia.
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| Care in the community in The Night Runner (1957) |
The hospital, overcrowded and under pressure, decides that two years of treatment is sufficient, despite ongoing concerns about his condition. Turner, played by Danton, is a skilled draftsman with a mild and pleasant demeanour in his so-called normal state, in which he passes as an average young American. However, he struggles to handle stress and can erupt into violence unexpectedly.
This duality in his character is portrayed with what may be called nuance by Danton, who captures the confusion and disbelief Turner feels when he comes round after a violent episode.
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An early exploration into job hunting for Roy Turner turns into a freak out in the job centre, and when faced with some of the more defining questions about himself as a citizen, bringing to light various questions about expectation and social norms, and expected behaviours for young people.
These are the more heavyweight noir aspects of this adventure, the secret and inward mental decline of the bright American façade, and the wild and crazed mental interiors that emerged from the 1940s, but in the cases of the males, must by necessity now reside behind the suit and tie, the world-killing normality of the strongly constituted continent.
On that continent these noir impulses are expressed in crime, and in the later 1950s, full on corporate crime was a common film noir subject, and in psychopathy, with largely young men who were not fitting in at all, actions expressed in the rebellions of the soul. As schizophrenia was an remains a difficult illness to convey and express, so cliché emerges, although as far as these maters are conveyed, The Night Runner is broadly sympathetic.
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| Schizophrenic in the city in The Night Runner (1957) |
This story of Roy Turner then takes a tragic turn as Turner attempts to reintegrate into society. Initially, he plans to move to Los Angeles and find a job, but the city’s noise and crowds overwhelm him. Instead, he takes a Greyhound bus tour along the California coast and settles in a quiet, small town. There, he finds solace in a secluded motel and falls in love with the owner’s daughter, played by Colleen Miller. Miller’s character is the optimal American girl next door, and their budding romance offers a glimmer of hope in Turner’s troubled life.
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| American Dream-girl — Colleen Miller in Ray Danton in The Night Runner (1957) |
However ,this is film noir and it is America, and so what is beneath the surface does not long stay there, and the tranquillity is short-lived. Colleen’s father, portrayed by Willis Bouchey, becomes suspicious of Turner and opens a confidential letter from his doctor. The tension escalates when the father confronts Turner, calling him a lunatic.
This confrontation triggers a violent outburst from Turner, leading to a dramatic and tragic climax. The film’s depiction of Turner’s struggle with his mental illness is both empathetic and harrowing, highlighting the challenges faced by individuals with similar conditions.
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| American dad — Willis Bouchey in The Night Runner (1957) |
The Night Runner is a curious but necessary film noir title, notable for its atmospheric direction and stylistic cinematography by George Robinson. The film captures the essence of 1950s California, with its quiet coastal towns and bustling cities.
Biberman’s direction is particularly effective in building tension, using techniques such as a television turned on too loud at a crucial moment to heighten the suspense. Despite its slow pace, the film maintains a latent tension throughout,
The title The Night Runner is somewhat misleading, as it has little to do with the actual story. It seems to have been chosen by the studio for its dramatic effect rather than its relevance to the plot. Nevertheless, the film starts promisingly, with a compelling story idea, yes it is a great idea, a night running ex-lunatic's lunatic, free on the West Coast and done with such competent acting. However, the pace never quite quickens as expected, and the anticipated eruption of violence takes longer to arrive. When it does, it is arrestingly staged, with a loud western soundtrack providing a dramatic counterpoint.
After this climactic episode, the story takes more time to resolve than its interest warrants, perhaps, and like a great deal of late 1950s cinema, it feels like it is sliding into television. There is a certain kind of attempt to build suspense with a subplot involving stained money, but the resolution is somewhat off-beat by Hollywood standards.
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| Film noir tackles schizophrenia as a paradigm for deadly romance in The Night Runner (1957) |
Despite these shortcomings, The Night Runner remains a glimpse into the mind of a troubled individual and the societal challenges that any unwell person may face.
It is a curious phenomenon that film noir, a genre seemingly tailor-made for the exploration of psychological complexities, seldom delves into the realm of mental illness. The 1957 film The Night Runner does appear to be an intriguing anomaly within this context, revolving around and turning around and spinning while it focuses on centering on a protagonist recently discharged from a psychiatric institution, burdened with a history of violence.
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Initially, one might anticipate a narrative imbued with empathy towards individuals grappling with mental disorders. However, the film ultimately posits a rather bleak assertion: that such individuals are inherently incapable of reintegrating into societal norms.
It's film noir, and we have to get straight to the bleaks, and we have to elevate the freaks of the human soul fit to burst out and reveal the emptiness of the great American Dream.
The narrative commences with the institution, overwhelmed by an influx of patients, grappling with the dilemma of managing its population. The protagonist, portrayed by Ray Danton, becomes a casualty of this systemic inadequacy.
The institution’s decision to release him, despite the vehement objections of his psychiatrist, underscores a disconcerting reality that, regrettably, mirrors contemporary issues within mental health care systems. The film conspicuously omits any detailed exposition of Danton’s prior act of homicidal rage, committed a mere eighteen months earlier, thereby inviting speculation about the institution’s criteria for patient discharge.
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Danton’s subsequent journey to Los Angeles, with aspirations of securing employment as a draftsman, is abruptly diverted when he disembarks from a Greyhound bus mid-journey. His encounter with a mechanic, played by Harry Jackson, who inexplicably takes an immediate liking to him, and a subsequent interaction with a local policeman, highlight the protagonist’s aimless drift.
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This sequence of events culminates in his arrival at a cluster of summer cottages, largely deserted due to the off-season. Here, he rents a cabin from the suspicious proprietor, Willis Bouchey.
This drifter narrative aspect of the adventure is a sly riff on the great 1930s drifter narratives, which remain open to Hollywood to this day. It is one of the greatnesses of this great country that it is a place to drift, and that drift is always in social and here mental opposition to the narratives of place, security and family.
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| Look what you done did — Ray Danton in The Night Runner (1957) |
The plot is neither thin nor thick as Danton forms a romantic attachment with Bouchey’s daughter, portrayed by Colleen Miller. Their relationship, alongside double dates with Jackson and his pregnant wife, Merry Anders, unfolds under the shadow of Bouchey’s growing mistrust. The tension reaches a crescendo when Bouchey intercepts a confidential letter from the hospital, leading to a confrontation that precipitates his own demise at Danton’s hands. The protagonist’s clumsy attempt to stage the murder as a robbery is fortuitously accepted by the authorities, allowing him to evade immediate repercussions.
Ray Danton, later notable for his role as a homicidal beatnik in The Beat Generation (1959), delivers a performance that is both sympathetic and engaging—at least initially. The film’s primary shortcoming lies in its handling of Turner’s character.
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| Ray Danton in The Night Runner (1957) |
His mental illness manifests in disparate ways, appearing conveniently to serve the narrative rather than emerging organically. While inconsistency might be an expected critique for a character with schizophrenia, these moments often feel contrived, but the contrived nature of later 1950s noir drama is a contrivance of interest, not for its realism, but for its other effects.
So yes thus, the film is not without merit. Danton’s portrayal is commendable, and the supporting cast, though largely unknown, performs adequately. Colleen Miller, cast as the love interest, delivers a natural and endearing performance, though her career appears to have been brief and unremarkable.
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| American schizophrenic — Ray Danton in The Night Runner (1957) |
The cinematography, hampered by the poor quality of the available print, does not feature any particularly striking visuals, yet it manages to convey the film’s low-budget aesthetic without detracting significantly from the overall experience.
The musical score, at times excessive, is effective during a pivotal scene, where its over-the-top nature heightens the dramatic tension.
The Night Runner may be an essential entry in the psychiatric film noir genre, and it possesses certain intriguing elements that warrant consideration. While the film’s execution
Despite the tragic turn of events, Miller’s character remains steadfast in her affection for Danton, who secures employment as a draftsman. However, the film, constrained by the moral imperatives of the Production Code era, ensures that justice is ultimately served.
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The denouement, while consistent with Danton’s established behavioral patterns, strains credulity and underscores the character’s lack of depth. This ambiguity in Danton’s portrayal raises questions about whether the deficiencies lie in the actor’s performance or the script’s limitations.
Miller delivers a commendable performance within the confines of a superficially written role, while Bouchey excels in his portrayal of the suspicious patriarch, whose instincts, though abrasive, prove accurate. The Night Runner, despite its intriguing premise, emerges as a middling entry in the noir canon, unlikely to warrant repeated viewings.
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| Young persons' 1950s beach party in The Night Runner (1957) |
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Its most notable aspect may well be its prescient echoes of Psycho, particularly in its depiction of a socially awkward, mentally unstable man navigating the aftermath of a violent act within the confines of a motel-like setting. This parallel invites a re-evaluation of the film’s place within the broader landscape of psychological thrillers.
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Here we conclude yet, that doing the right thing is an option even for the unwell.
In conclusion, The Night Runner is a film worth checking out for its unique storytelling, strong performances, and atmospheric direction. Ray Danton’s portrayal of Roy Turner is particularly memorable, showcasing his talent and leaving viewers wondering why he never became a bigger name in Hollywood. The film may not be perfect, but it provides an engaging and thought-provoking viewing experience.
This experience shipped to the lobbies with the incredible taglines:
The state asylum called him 'cured'!
Are Mental Patients Turned Loose too Soon?
And the picture seems to take a view on that, although what the audiences could reasonably said to take away from that is moot, as it would be close to nothing. Throughout the era, film noir remains a black-and-white existence most often populated with broken people making broken choices.
Credited to writers Owen Cameron and Gene Levitt, this pot-boiler noirish psycho drama film was directed by Abner Biberman and stars Ray Danton, Colleen Miller, Merry Anders, Willis Bouchey, and Harry Jackson in major roles.
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The Night Runner (1957)
Directed by Abner Biberman
Genres - Crime, Drama, Thriller | Sub-Genres - Film Noir | Release Date - Feb 6, 1957 | Run Time - 79 min.
