This Gun for Hire

N.p. N.p., 1942. Vintage oversize borderless double weight satin finish reference photograph of Alan Ladd from the 1942 film. An exceptionally scarce oversize portrait photograph of Ladd in his breakthrough role as the stoic, cat-loving hit man Philip Raven.

Based on the 1942 novel "A Gun for Sale" by Graham Greene, the first of several films in the noir cycle to be adapted from novels by Greene. The film was stuck in development purgatory for 6 years, and thankfully was not made until Paramount had the benefit of the influx of German craftsman from the great exodus under Hitler's campaign—the visual underpinnings of a new style. David Spicer (2010) notes that "... in his determination to cut costs, [former UFA art director Hans] Drier encouraged director Frank Tuttle and cameraman John Seitz to use mirrors, odd angles, low-key lighting and fog-bound exteriors to obscure the limited number of sets available. Seitz's [resulting] expressionist photography helps to create the sense of schizophrenia and entrapment in the psychologically damaged Raven (Ladd)."

Set in San Francisco.

16 x 20 inches. Light edgewear, else Near Fine.

Grant US. Penzler, 101 Greatest Films of Mystery and Suspense. Selby US Master List, Canon. Silver and Ward US. Spicer US.

[Book #170877]