A testament to the magic of shooting without permits. New York streets alive with commotion and people. Christmas decorations, shop displays and christmas lights. All you need is a guy with a hat and a trench-coat wandering through, shot by a camera from a car coasting along beside him.
Allen Baron is the writer and director of Blast Of Silence (1961), raising the money himself for an independent, low budget production. When his original hope for Peter Falk (a friend of his from the theatre) to play the lead fell through, Baron stepped in to play “Baby Frank Bono,” a contract killer from Cleveland, who arrives in New York to complete a paid job. Baron is good with a gruff shrug reminiscent of De Niro. The existential tone of this cheap noir is largely driven by the second-person narration delivered by Lionel Stander, as if he’s omnisciently observing Frank, the voice inside Frank’s head, and yet also addressing us the audience.
Within its low budget roughness, there’s a sense of artistry, feeling more connected to the French New Wave or even Japanese film noirs from the 1960s, though not as pop art. Over the years, Blast Of Silence has been championed as a downbeat Christmas noir with the time capsule of NYC during the silly season in 1960, captured in black and white film stock, and delivered with a sardonic tone in the narration: “You’re alone. But you don’t mind that. You’re a loner. That’s the way it should be. You’ve always been alone.”
Released by the Criterion Collection on Bluray, but scoped a copy uploaded onto YouTube. Recommended.
VHS Tracking 