THE FILMS OF SAMUEL FULLER
A series from Wesleyan University Press
Edited by Jeanine Basinger
The new Wesleyan Film series takes a back-to-basics approach to the art of cinema. Books in the series will deal with the formal, the historical, and the cultural—putting a premium on visual analysis, close readings, and an understanding of the history of Hollywood and international cinema, both artistically and industrially. The volumes will be rigorous, critical, and accessible both to academics and to lay readers with a serious interest in film.
Series editor Jeanine Basinger, Corwin-Fuller Professor of Film Studies at Wesleyan University and Founder/Curator of the Wesleyan Cinema Archives, is the author of such landmark books as The World War II Combat Film: Anatomy of a Genre, A Woman’s View: How Hollywood Spoke to Women, 1930–1960, Silent Stars, and The Star Machine.
Anthony Mann
by Jeanine Basinger
The Films of Samuel Fuller
If You Die, I’ll Kill You!
by Lisa Dombrowski
Physical Evidence
Selected Film Criticism
by Kent Jones
Action Speaks Louder
Violence, Spectacle, and the American Action Movie
Revised and Expanded Edition
by Eric Lichtenfeld
Hollywood Ambitions
Celebrity in the Movie Age
by Marsha Orgeron
The Films of
SAMUEL
FULLER
If You Die, I’ll Kill You!
Lisa Dombrowski
WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY PRESS
MIDDLETOWN, CONNECTICUT
Published by Wesleyan University Press, Middletown, CT 06459
© 2008 by Lisa Dombrowski
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
5 4 3 2 1
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Dombrowski, Lisa.
The films of Samuel Fuller : if you die, I’ll kill you! / Lisa Dombrowski.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN-13: 978–0–8195–6866–3 (cloth : alk. paper)
ISBN-10: 0–8195–6866–X (cloth : alk. paper)
1. Fuller, Samuel, 1912–1997—Criticism and interpretation. I. Title.
PN1998.3.F85D66 2008
791.4302′33092—dc22 2007037126
Cover illustration: Samuel Fuller on location. Chrisam Films, Inc.
For the kids in the screening room
Contents
| List of Illustrations | ix |
| Acknowledgments | xi |
| Introduction | 1 |
| The Fuller Biographical Legend 4 | |
| Fuller as Storyteller 10 | |
| Movement and Conflict 17 | |
| Chapter One: The Lippert Years, 1948–1951 | 24 |
| The Marketplace for Low-Budget Films 25 | |
| Early Experiments: I Shot Jesse James and The Baron of Arizona 28 | |
| Establishing a Voice: The Steel Helmet 39 | |
| Chapter Two: The Fox Years, 1951–1956 | 52 |
| The Trade-offs of Studio Filmmaking 54 | |
| Return to War: Fixed Bayonets 56 | |
| Complete Independence: Park Row 62 | |
| Brutality: Pickup on South Street 67 | |
| Classical Style: Hell and High Water and House of Bamboo 77 | |
| Chapter Three: The Globe Years, 1956–1961 | 93 |
| The Challenges of Independence 94 | |
| No Holds Barred: Run of the Arrow, China Gate, Forty Guns, and Verboten! 97 | |
| Sensational Style: The Crimson Kimono and Underworld, U.S.A. 121 | |
| Chapter Four: The Freelance Years, 1961–1964 | 141 |
| Return to War: Merrill’s Marauders 142 | |
| Adult Exploitation: Shock Corridor and The Naked Kiss 148 | |
| Fuller Goes to Vietnam: The Rifle 168 | |
| Chapter Five: The Final Battles, 1965–1997 | 171 |
| Critical Recognition, Professional Frustration 171 | |
| Loose Ends: Shark! and Dead Pigeon on Beethoven Street 177 | |
| A Personal Journey: The Big Red One 184 | |
| Inciting Controversy: White Dog 191 | |
| In Exile: Thieves After Dark and Street of No Return 196 | |
| Conclusion | 203 |
| Notes |
|