Ich bin ein Atomspion (1. One of the fun things about noir is few of its defining characteristics are prerequisites. There are perfectly good noirs without a femme fatale, or without chiaroscuro lighting, or outside of an urban setting. And not all noirs have the trademark snappy dialogue..
So why not a noir with NO dialogue? Not a word is uttered in this look at a nuclear physicist selling secrets to an unknown enemy.
Leben und Werk. Rita Gam, die als Brautjungfer auf der Hochzeit von Grace Kelly mit Fürst Rainier von Monaco in Erscheinung trat, wirkte seit 1952 in 24 Spielfilmen mit.
We see him (Ray Millard, in a bravura performance) smuggling out photos, we see the convoluted machinations of the spy ring, the procedures of the authorities trying to catch him, and we see him wrestle with fear, doubt, conscience. When dealing with a gimmick film, several questions come up.
Is the gimmick pulled off well? For the most part, yes. There is one "cheat" where we see a teletype of police communication, but other than that it stays true to the conceit without seeming forced.
There isn't a moment where you think "This scene really needs some dialogue." Is the gimmick distracting? Yes and no. I was always aware of it in the back of the mind, but it wasn't annoying me or anything. Would the film be better without the gimmick? I don't think so. Again, there wasn't a scene where I felt dialogue was essential. We're spared the gung- ho narration of a docudrama like House on 9. Street, and there's a refreshing ambiguity in that we have no idea (nor do we really care) who this enemy is, or how Milland got involved with them.
These unanswered questions are rare in noir, or in any movie of the period. And putting aside the lack of dialogue, it's a nice, tight thriller with a mighty fine chase scene, psychological tension, great location work, and a very good score (which becomes especially important in this case).
![Russell Rouse - The Thief (1952) Russell Rouse - The Thief (1952)](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-acOXrWhCyto/Ulw38I2VhkI/AAAAAAAAAXI/S0RWtXekdEo/s1600/Thief+(4).jpg)
Directed by Russell Rouse. With Ray Milland, Martin Gabel, Harry Bronson, Rita Vale. A chance accident causes a nuclear physicist selling top secret material to the Russians to fall under FBI scrutiny and go on the run. The latest critic and user reviews, photos and cast info for The Fastest Gun Alive. The Well is a 1951 American film noir directed by Clarence Greene and Russell Rouse and featuring Richard Rober, Gwendolyn Laster and Maidie Norman. The first Academy Awards site of its kind, featuring a complete database, statistics, reviews, complex search options, biographies, and custom voting ballots for any category throughout Oscar history. The official list of NHL hockey players. Name: Home Town: Birthday: NHL Season (s) Position: Aaron Broten: Roseau, MN: 11/14/1960. Truth be told, The Thief is few people’s idea of a great movie. In this Cold War espionage tale of Ray Milland’s nuclear physicist turned spy, the absence of dialogue results in numerous shots of people scowling at each other across city streets, phones ringing with no answer and weirdly wordless encounters between people who would surely have plenty to say to each other.
![Russell Rouse - The Thief (1952) Russell Rouse - The Thief (1952)](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/4tKoHVSY64TwJEnf2VAm4cqdSFb.jpg)
![Russell Rouse - The Thief (1952) Russell Rouse - The Thief (1952)](http://cdn.c.photoshelter.com/img-get/I0000JNYGEM5G89o/s/900/720/Sherriffs-Punch-Film-Cinema-Cartoons-1952-11-26-660-1.jpg)
Russell Rouse; Born November 20, 1913 New York: Died: October 2, 1987 (aged 73) Los Angeles: Occupation: Screenwriter, director, producer: Years active. Join our Oscar insider email list to get the latest news on all things Academy Awards.