Dick powell stars as new york detective john kennedy, who learns of the assassination plot early on. Gabe leibowitz film and felt february 14, 2009 for all its social relevance, the tall target is first and foremost a 50s drama, full of action, whiskey, and saucy characters. Siskoid the tall target is a nearnoir historical thriller based on the alleged baltimore plot that would have seen lincoln assassinated while he was still president elect by secessionist agents. When we see him somehow the mythos around him is broken and he becomes another actor more than the idea of the man we know as our 16th president. The nations divisions were even more profound, of course, when the victorious republican. The tall target is one of the best thrillers ever popmatters. Metrograph is a new manhattan movie theater devoted to screening archivequality 35mm prints and new films in stateoftheart digital projection. A girl whose lovely hands were never meant to hold a gun a detective tries to prevent the assassination of a mysterious tall man during a train ride.
Warner archive wednesday the tall target 1951 by raquel stecher on aug 14, 20 from out of the past a classic film blog. For all its social relevance, the tall target is first and foremost a 50s drama, full of action, whiskey, and saucy characters. The movie has that film noir quality we usually see in 1940s detective films. The tall target 1951 cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. The plot to kill lincoln as he passed through baltimore on his way to washington d.
February 56 wedthu the tall target 1951, anthony mann on board abraham lincolns inaugurationbound train, freelancing nyc cop dick powell. The tall target is a 1951 american historical thriller film directed by anthony mann and starring dick powell, paula raymond and adolphe menjou. With dick powell, paula raymond, adolphe menjou, marshall thompson. For all its social relevance, the tall target is first and foremost a 50s drama, full of. Fortunately, warner brothers has finally released it on dvd as part of its warner archive, introducing it to a new generation.
The tall target 1951 movie moviefone abraham lincoln will be traveling by rail to his inauguration in washington and a plot is being hatched to assassinate him as he passes through baltimore. Blacksmith shop, blacksmithing, blacksmithing scene, man on the train, the blacksmiths forge. Read the full synopsis of the tall target, 1951, directed by anthony mann, with dick powell, paula raymond, adolphe menjou, at turner classic movies. This historical thriller is set shortly after president abraham. For me, the illusion was broken in the final moments because up until that time the picture has kept its eponymous hero masked. The tall target 1951 rotten tomatoes movie trailers. The tall target trailer the bodyguard of newly elected president lincoln finds out there is a plan to kill his tall boss. The tall target 1951 posted on february 20, 2019 by 4starfilmfan to set the scene our storytellers enlist an opening crawl that runs over the unmistakable strains of train noise. Powell stars as a police sergeant who tries to stop the assassination of abraham lincoln at a train stop as lincoln travels to his inauguration. Bridging the gap between director anthony manns film noir b movies and the noir westerns that he would make with james stewart during the 1950s, the tall target is one of his lessknown movies. Anthony manns the tall target, a great thriller and one of the finest suspense films of its decade or any other. Enter your location to see which movie theaters are playing the tall target devils doorway near you. Anthony manns historical film noir the tall target, which i discuss in.
The tall target synopsis a new york policeman dick powell thwarts an 1861 plot to kill president lincoln on a train. Movies the tall target this historical film noir, set in 1861, is centered on a plot against presidentelect lincolns life as he travels to his inauguration. Powell lets his superiors know about this, but when they laugh and tell. This 1951 movie feels modern for several reasons, most subtly. A new york city detective, traveling by train between new york and baltimore, tries to foil an onboard plot to assassinate presidentelect abraham lincoln before he reaches baltimore to give a. Anthony manns historical film noir the tall target, which i discuss in this clip, dramatizes those divisions efficiently and emotionally, distilling the coming furies of the civil war. Short clip from the 1951 historical noir drama the tall target starring dick powell, paula raymond and adolphe menjou. The tall target is set in 1861 and tells the story of john kennedy powell, a new york police detective who desperately attempts to unravel a. The drama comes from a fictitious new york police sergeant discovering the plot and boarding the last train to washington, dc, to protect the new president to be. The tall target 1951 is a historical detective story based on the disputed baltimore plot. Set mostly aboard a train, manns the tall target is a very tight noirish type period thriller that sees powells gruff detective try and protect abe lincoln from assassins lurking within the confines of the locomotive hauled express. The first director attached to this subject, several years before the film was. Slave rachel ruby dee, finally convinced of a plot against presidentelect lincoln, tells policeman kennedy dick powell what she knows, then her owner paula raymond intrudes, in anthony manns the tall target, 1951.
When his superiors refuse to believe his wild tale, kennedy quits the force and boards the presidential train, hoping to prevent the killing on his own. Art cohn, screenwriter of the tall target, had previously written for such diverse films as the setup 1949, the noirish boxing picture directed by robert wise, and roberto rossellinis neorealist film stromboli 1950. The tall target 1951 cast and crew abraham lincoln will be traveling by rail to his inauguration in washington and a plot is being hatched to assassinate him as he passes through baltimore. Nov 29, 2008 ive seen quite a number of dick powell movies this year links are provided at the end of this post and i think my favorite thus far was tonights movie, the tall target, directed by anthony mann. The historical fact of a possible assassination attempt on the presidentelect abraham lincoln makes the movie very interesting. The tall target 1951 movie moviefone abraham lincoln will be traveling by rail to his inauguration in washington and a plot is being hatched to. Watch the tall target online stream full movie directv. Watch the tall target starring dick powell in this drama on directv. Dec 03, 2014 an independent former ranch foreman is kidnapped along with an heiress, who is being held for ransom by trio of ruthless outlaws. Tcm bobs picks nov 14 20 4of5 the tall target intro. Abraham lincoln will be traveling by rail to his inauguration in washington and a plot is being hatched to assassinate him as he passes through baltimore. A surprisingly neglected film, the tall target is not a perfect film, but its an exceptionally interesting one. The tall target devils doorway movie photos and stills. Part of its interest lies in the fact that its, to a degree, a period film noir and one with an historical basis, to boot.