Noirtini Hour: Pickup On South Street

Film Noir Meetup: Pickup on South Street (1953)
Let’s talk about movies! Join Portland Movie Club member Jenna M. for Pickup on South Street (1953), starring Richard Widmark, Jean Peters, and Thelma Ritter. Skip McCoy (Richard Widmark) is a pickpocket working the New York subway when he steals a woman's wallet and unknowingly takes something far more valuable than cash: a piece of microfilm containing secret information. Suddenly, Skip finds himself caught between the FBI and a group of Communist spies who desperately want the film back. With double-crosses, blackmail, murder, and romance thrown into the mix, Skip's latest score turns into a much bigger problem than he bargained for.

Here’s how The Portland Movie Club meet-ups work:
Just like a book club, we watch the movie on our own time before we meet. We'll meet at Flying Pie Pizzeria in Montavilla at 4pm on the scheduled date. We'll typically have a sign at our table(s), but at least we'll try to be obvious and identifiable. Grab some food and drinks to support our generous hosts and spend some time socializing and discussing this movie with us.

A Few Notes About the Film:
Samuel Fuller wrote and directed Pickup on South Street, bringing his background as a crime reporter into a story that mixes classic film noir with the paranoia of the Cold War. Richard Widmark's Skip McCoy is a classic noir protagonist: cynical, self-interested, distrustful of authority, and perfectly comfortable operating outside the law. He isn't motivated by patriotism or ideology; he's motivated by money and survival. Thelma Ritter plays Moe, a streetwise informant who makes a living selling information on the streets, and her performance earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. The film also reflects the very real political tensions of its time: Fuller was reportedly told that the film's Communist villains should be portrayed as more sympathetic, but refused, while the film's famous line about not caring whether the microfilm goes to the FBI or the Communists became one of its most controversial moments. Despite its Cold War subject matter, Fuller insisted that he was making a crime picture first and foremost.

Viewing Options for the film:
As of the date of this posting, the film is available to stream for free on Tubi, Plex, FlixFling, and Mometu. For physical viewing, Movie Madness has two copies available to rent. If anyone knows of any additional streaming or viewing options, please comment on the event.

About the Film Noir group:
This meetup explores classic and neo-noir films, focusing on shadowy visuals, morally gray characters, doomed romances, and crime stories where nobody’s hands are clean. We’ll watch a mix of essential noirs and modern films inspired by the genre, paying attention to themes like fate, corruption, obsession, and alienation. These films often deal with violence, crime, and heavy subject matter, so content can be intense at times; checking a site like www.doesthedogdie.com is encouraged if you prefer content warnings.

Tips:
Once again, we do not watch the movie at the meet-up. All members watch the movie on their own time before we meet to discuss it. You don't have to watch the movie to join us, but it'll be more fun if you do.
Some people like to take notes or find books and articles related to the film and its subject matter; feel free to bring those things along if there's something you'd like to share with the group.
At the end of the discussion, we'll pass around a ballot where we can vote on a slate of options for the next discussion.

Films previously discussed in the Film Noir group:
Gun Crazy, Dial M for Murder, Sudden Fear, The Maltese Falcon, Kiss Me Deadly, Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?, Stranger on the Third Floor, and The Postman Always Rings Twice.

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