DVD Review: YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE (75th Anniversary Edition)

★★★★☆

You Only Live Twice is one of Fritz Lang’s first American films after he fled Germany because of the rise of the Nazi party. He made it in 1937 and was his 2^nd American film after Fury. The film along with The Petrified Forest is a piece of proto-noir. The film stars a young Henry Fonda as Eddie Taylor and was one of his earlier roles.

The story is about Eddie Taylor is an ex-convict who is released from prisoner. He marries the district attorney secretary Joan Graham (Sylvia Sindney). They have a short time together before Eddie possibly robs a bank to make some to pay a down payment on a house. He is sentenced to death even though he claims he is completely innocence and a ex-criminal friend set him up. That is really all I can say about the film without spoiling the film.

The film is very ambiguous about if Eddie Taylor robs the bank. The bank robbery scene is very ambiguously told. The only person seen to have possibly seen what really is a blind man selling pencils. This is very different to most code films of the 1930s because normally films at the time had to be pretty unambiguous especially when it comes to criminal activity. The end scene is extremely fascinating when it comes to it because it’s so unambiguous and ironic in turn to the film’s title.

The film is still quite expressionistic; which is expected from master of German expressionism Fritz Lang. The production design of the prison cell after he is arrested for the bank robbery reminded me of prison cell in Sin City during John Hartigan’s years in prison. The film was shot mostly on sets which gives it this wonderful artificial feel which reflects some of Eddie’s hallucinations which is only briefing mentioned in the film.

The film is an extremely interesting film in Fritz Lang’s career. It has elements of German expressionism but pre-dates his later film noirs such as The Big Heat and Scarlet Street and a very fine performance from a young Henry Fonda.

Ian Schultz

Rating: PG
UK DVD Release Date: June 4th, 2012
Director:Fritz Lang 
Cast: Sylvia Sidney, Henry Fonda, Barton MacLane 
Buy :You Only Live Once 75th Anniversary On DVD [1937] 

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