Sunday, March 28, 2010

A Hatful Of Rain


Another gem of info from Gene Reiser was that A Hatful Of Rain was filmed in the Smith Projects.
A Hatful of Rain is a 1957 dramatic film. The movie was a rarity for its time in its frank depiction of the impact of drug addiction.
It stars Eva Marie Saint, Don Murray, Anthony Franciosa, Lloyd Nolan and Henry Silva. The movie was adapted by Michael V. Gazzo, Alfred Hayes and Carl Foreman from the play by Gazzo. Foreman was blacklisted at the time of the film's release. The Writers Guild of America added his name to the film's credits in 1998, 14 years after his death. It was directed by Fred Zinnemann and features a strong musical score by Bernard Herrmann. Diego was asked by Fox to rescore his prelude for the film as the original was considered "too terrifying".
Franciosa was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role.
The setting is a housing project apartment. Johnny Pope is a soldier who returns from the Korean War, where a stay in a military hospital has left him secretly addicted to morphine. His emotional distance (and his tendency to stay out all night) alienate him from the apartment's other residents: Johnny's pregnant wife Celia, and his brother Polo. Celia is convinced that Johnny is having an affair, but of course the truth is far worse. Johnny and Polo's father, John Sr., arrives in town and stays with them in the small apartment, further complicating a tense situation and leading to a dynamic and dramatic climax.

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