A Life in the Balance: Difference between revisions

A Life in the Balance
A Life in the Balance
Directed by	Harry Horner ; Rafael Portillo
Written by	Georges Simenon (story Sept petites croix dans un carnet); Robert Presnell Jr.; Leo Townsend
Produced by	Leonard Goldstein
Starring	Ricardo Montalbán ; Anne Bancroft ; Lee Marvin
Edited by	George Crone ; George A. Gittens
Music by	Raúl Lavista
Production; companies	Tele-Voz S.A. ; Panoramic Productions
Distributed by	Twentieth Century Fox
Release dates	January 1955 (Preview); March 17, 1955 (London); July 22, 1955 (New York); July 27, 1955 (Los Angeles);
Running time	74 minutes
Countries	Mexico, United States
Language	English

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A Life in the Balance is a 1955 American-Mexican thriller film directed by Harry Horner and Rafael Portillo and starring Ricardo Montalbán, Anne Bancroft and Lee Marvin.^[1] It was shot in Mexico and distributed in the United States by Twentieth Century-Fox.

Plot

Antonio Gomez is a nearly destitute musician and widower with an 11-year-old boy named Paco in Mexico City. Trying to support Paco in the face of unemployment and neighbors who want custody of his son, Gomez argues with an ex-girlfriend over money that she owes him. His girlfriend is murdered by the religious fanatic serial killer terrorizing the city, who stabs his young female victims and leaves them with their arms folded. When neighbors report an argument that Gomez had with the murdered girl, the police presume that they are finally on the trail of the serial killer, and Gomez is their target.

At a pawn shop, Gomez meets Maria Ibinia, who accompanies him in the search for Paco. Gomez does not realize that a police dragnet is targeting him and that Paco witnessed this most recent murder and has been trailing the killer, but the killer spots Paco and kidnaps him. Paco is forced to accompany the killer over the course of a night while the killer asks God whom he should murder next.

Antonio and Maria learn what has happened to Paco, and, with the help of the police, attempt to locate Paco and his kidnapper before the killer commits another knife murder.

Cast

Ricardo Montalbán as Antonio Gómez (as Ricardo Montalban)
Anne Bancroft as María Ibinia
Lee Marvin as The Killer
José Pérez as Paco Gómez
Rodolfo Acosta as Lt. Fernando
Carlos Múzquiz as Capt. Saldana
Jorge Treviño as Sergeant
José Torvay as Andrés Martínez
Eva Calvo as Carla Arlota
Fanny Schiller as Carmen Martínez
Tamara Garina as Doña Lucrecia
Pascual García Peña as Porter
Tony Carbajal as Pedro

Reception

In his syndicated column, Jimmie Fidler wrote: "[I]ts suspense moments are among the most gripping I have seen in a long series of reviews. Death hovers near our principals as a vital part of the plot, not dragged in for thrills. ... I do not hesitate to say that both youngsters and adults will shudder along through this one."^[2]

Critic Dorothy Masters of the New York Daily News wrote: "An extraordinarily suspenseful story by Georges Simenon loses some of its electric charge in the conductive apparatus set up in Mexico for bridging book and screen."^[3]

Jean Yothers of the Orlando Sentinel called A Life in the Balance "a nail-biting, edge-of-the-seat type picture"^[4] and Herb Rau of The Miami News called the film "a real interest-building police yarn" with "one of the best chase scenes in months."^[5]

References

^ Cox p.149
^ Fiddler, Jimmie (1955-01-27). "In Hollywood". The Durham Sun. p. 6-D.
^ Masters, Dorothy (1955-07-23). "Palace Offers Suspenseful Film". New York Daily News. p. 20.
^ Yothers, Jean (1955-10-06). "Mad Killer Of Mexico Stalks Astor". Orlando Sentinel. p. 24.
^ Rau, Herb (1955-08-18). "Big Suspense In "A Life In Balance"". The Miami News. p. 5D.

Bibliography

Cox, James H. Muting White Noise: Native American and European American Novel Traditions. University of Oklahoma Press, 2012.

External links

A Life in the Balance at IMDb

This article related to a Mexican film of the 1950s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

This article about a 1950s thriller film is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

This article related to an American film of the 1950s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

[1] Cox p.149

[2] Fiddler, Jimmie (1955-01-27). "In Hollywood". The Durham Sun. p. 6-D.

[3] Masters, Dorothy (1955-07-23). "Palace Offers Suspenseful Film". New York Daily News. p. 20.

[4] Yothers, Jean (1955-10-06). "Mad Killer Of Mexico Stalks Astor". Orlando Sentinel. p. 24.

[5] Rau, Herb (1955-08-18). "Big Suspense In "A Life In Balance"". The Miami News. p. 5D.

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{Short description|1955 film by Harry Horner}}
 {{one source|date=November 2019}}
 {{Infobox film
-| name =   A Life in the Balance
+| name           = A Life in the Balance
-| image =A Life in the Balance.jpg
+| image          = A Life in the Balance.jpg
-| image_size =
+| caption        =
+| director       = [[Harry Horner]] <br> [[Rafael Portillo]]
-| caption =
-| director = [[Harry Horner]] <br> [[Rafael Portillo]]
+| producer       = [[Leonard Goldstein]]
+| writer         = [[Georges Simenon]] (story ''Sept petites croix dans un carnet'')<br> [[Robert Presnell Jr.]]<br> Leo Townsend
-| producer = [[Leonard Goldstein]]
+| narrator       =
-| writer =   [[Georges Simenon]] (story ''Sept petites croix dans un carnet'')<br> [[Robert Presnell Jr.]]<br> Leo Townsend
+| starring       = [[Ricardo Montalbán]] <br> [[Anne Bancroft]] <br> [[Lee Marvin]]
-| narrator =
+| music          = [[Raúl Lavista]]
-| starring = [[Ricardo Montalban]] <br> [[Anne Bancroft]] <br> [[Lee Marvin]]
-| music = [[Raúl Lavista]]
 | cinematography =
-| editing = [[George Crone]] <br> [[George A. Gittens]]
+| editing        = [[George Crone]] <br> [[George A. Gittens]]
-| studio = Tele-Voz S.A. <br> Panoramic Productions
+| studio         = Tele-Voz S.A. <br> Panoramic Productions
-| distributor = [[Twentieth Century Fox]]
+| distributor    = [[Twentieth Century Fox]]
-| released =     1 July 1955
+| released       = {{Film date|1955|01||Preview|1955|03|17|London|1955|07|22|New York|1955|07|27|Los Angeles}}
-| runtime = 74 minutes
+| runtime        = 74 minutes
-| country = Mexico <br> United States
+| country        = Mexico, United States
-| language = English
+| language       = English
-| budget =
+| budget         =
-| gross =
+| gross          =
-| preceded_by =
-| followed_by =
-| website =
 }}
-'''''A Life in the Balance''''' is a 1955 American-Mexican [[thriller film]] directed by [[Harry Horner]] and [[Rafael Portillo]] and starring [[Ricardo Montalban]], [[Anne Bancroft]] and [[Lee Marvin]].<ref>Cox p.149</ref> It was shot in Mexico, and distributed in the United States by [[Twentieth Century Fox]].
+'''''A Life in the Balance''''' is a 1955 American-Mexican [[thriller film]] directed by [[Harry Horner]] and [[Rafael Portillo]] and starring [[Ricardo Montalbán]], [[Anne Bancroft]] and [[Lee Marvin]].<ref>Cox p.149</ref> It was shot in Mexico and distributed in the United States by [[20th Century Studios|Twentieth Century-Fox]].
+==Plot==
-The film's sets were designed by the [[art director]] [[Gunther Gerszo]].
+Antonio Gomez is a nearly destitute musician and widower with an 11-year-old boy named Paco in [[Mexico City]]. Trying to support Paco in the face of unemployment and neighbors who want custody of his son, Gomez argues with an ex-girlfriend over money that she owes him. His girlfriend is murdered by the religious fanatic serial killer terrorizing the city, who stabs his young female victims and leaves them with their arms folded. When neighbors report an argument that Gomez had with the murdered girl, the police presume that they are finally on the trail of the serial killer, and Gomez is their target.
+At a pawn shop, Gomez meets Maria Ibinia, who accompanies him in the search for Paco. Gomez does not realize that a police dragnet is targeting him and that Paco witnessed this most recent murder and has been trailing the killer, but the killer spots Paco and kidnaps him. Paco is forced to accompany the killer over the course of a night while the killer asks God whom he should murder next.
+Antonio and Maria learn what has happened to Paco, and, with the help of the police, attempt to locate Paco and his kidnapper before the killer commits another knife murder.
 ==Cast==
-* [[Ricardo Montalban]] as Antonio Gómez
+* [[Ricardo Montalbán]] as Antonio Gómez (as Ricardo Montalban)
 * [[Anne Bancroft]] as María Ibinia
 * [[Lee Marvin]] as The Killer
-* José Pérez as Paco Gómez
+* [[Jose Perez (actor)|José Pérez]] as Paco Gómez
 * [[Rodolfo Acosta]] as Lt. Fernando
 * Carlos Múzquiz as Capt. Saldana
@@ Line 43: / Line 45: @@
 * [[Pascual García Peña]] as Porter
 * Tony Carbajal as Pedro
+== Reception ==
+In his syndicated column, [[Jimmie Fidler]] wrote: "[I]ts suspense moments are among the most gripping I have seen in a long series of reviews. Death hovers near our principals as a vital part of the plot, not dragged in for thrills. ... I do not hesitate to say that both youngsters and adults will shudder along through this one."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Fiddler |first=Jimmie |date=1955-01-27 |title=In Hollywood |work=[[The Durham Sun]] |page=6-D}}</ref>
+Critic Dorothy Masters of the ''[[New York Daily News]]'' wrote: "An extraordinarily suspenseful story by Georges Simenon loses some of its electric charge in the conductive apparatus set up in Mexico for bridging book and screen."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Masters |first=Dorothy |date=1955-07-23 |title=Palace Offers Suspenseful Film |work=[[New York Daily News]] |page=20}}</ref>
+Jean Yothers of the ''[[Orlando Sentinel]]'' called ''A Life in the Balance'' "a nail-biting, edge-of-the-seat type picture"<ref>{{Cite news |last=Yothers |first=Jean |date=1955-10-06 |title=Mad Killer Of Mexico Stalks Astor |work=[[Orlando Sentinel]] |page=24}}</ref> and Herb Rau of ''[[The Miami News]]'' called the film "a real interest-building police yarn" with "one of the best chase scenes in months."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Rau |first=Herb |date=1955-08-18 |title=Big Suspense In "A Life In Balance" |work=[[The Miami News]] |page=5D}}</ref>
 ==See also==
@@ Line 54: / Line 63: @@
 ==External links==
-* {{IMDb title|0048301}}
+* {{IMDb title}}
 {{DEFAULTSORT:Life in the Balance}}
@@ Line 60: / Line 69: @@
 [[Category:1950s serial killer films]]
 [[Category:1950s thriller films]]
-[[Category:English-language films]]
-[[Category:American films]]
-[[Category:Mexican films]]
 [[Category:Mexican thriller films]]
 [[Category:American thriller films]]
@@ Line 71: / Line 77: @@
 [[Category:Films shot in Mexico]]
 [[Category:20th Century Fox films]]
+[[Category:1950s English-language films]]
+[[Category:1950s American films]]
+[[Category:American black-and-white films]]
+[[Category:Mexican black-and-white films]]
+[[Category:1950s Mexican films]]
+[[Category:Films scored by Raúl Lavista]]
+[[Category:English-language crime films]]
+[[Category:English-language thriller films]]
 {{1950s-Mexico-film-stub}}
 {{1950s-thriller-film-stub}}
+{{1950s-US-film-stub}}