The Asphalt Jungle

This article is about the 1950 film. For the 1961 television series, see The Asphalt Jungle (TV series).
The Asphalt Jungle
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJohn Huston
Screenplay byBen Maddow
John Huston
Based onThe Asphalt Jungle
1949 novel
by W. R. Burnett
Produced byArthur Hornblow Jr.
Starring
CinematographyHarold Rosson
Edited byGeorge Boemler
Music byMiklós Rózsa
Production
company
Distributed byLoew's Inc.
Release date
  • May 12, 1950 (1950-05-12) (United States)[1]
Running time
112 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$1.2 million[2][3]
Box office$2.1 million

The Asphalt Jungle is a 1950 American heist film noir directed and co-written by John Huston, and starring Sterling Hayden and Louis Calhern, with Jean Hagen, James Whitmore, Sam Jaffe, John McIntire, and Marilyn Monroe in one of her earliest roles.[4] Based on the 1949 novel by W. R. Burnett, it tells the story of a jewel robbery in a Midwestern city.

Produced and distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, the film was released on May 12, 1950. It was nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay, and Huston won a National Board of Review Award for his direction. At the 1950 Venice Film Festival, Huston was nominated for the Golden Lion and Sam Jaffe won the Best Actor Award.

Retrospective reviews of the film have been highly positive, with several critics describing it as one of the most influential works in the crime film genre,[5] and one of John Huston's best films.[6] The film spawned a television series of the same name, which aired on ABC in 1961.

In 2008, The Asphalt Jungle was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".[7][8]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference intro was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ The Eddie Mannix Ledger, Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study.
  3. ^ Scott Eyman, Lion of Hollywood: The Life and Legend of Louis B. Mayer, Robson, 2005 p 427
  4. ^ Silver, Alain (2010). Film Noir: The Encyclopedia. Overlook Duckworth. p. 30. ISBN 978-0715638804.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference nnat was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference afi was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ "Complete National Film Registry Listing". Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. Retrieved 2020-09-16.
  8. ^ "Cinematic Classics, Legendary Stars, Comedic Legends and Novice Filmmakers Showcase the 2008 Film Registry". Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. Retrieved 2020-09-16.