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Clash by Night

Clash by Night

Drama · Romance · 1952

An embittered woman seeks escape in marriage, only to fall for her husband’s best friend.

Movie details

Clash by Night

“Livin’ in my house! Lovin’ another man! Is that what you call bein’ honest? That’s just givin’ it a nice name!”

1952 Drama · Romance 1h 45m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.7 / 10

Community rating

An embittered woman seeks escape in marriage, only to fall for her husband’s best friend.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Clash by Night?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Petulia

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Where it lives

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Fritz Lang

Written by

Alfred Hayes

Barbara Stanwyck

Barbara Stanwyck

Mae Doyle D'Amato

Paul Douglas

Paul Douglas

Jerry D'Amato

Robert Ryan

Robert Ryan

Earl Pfeiffer

Marilyn Monroe

Marilyn Monroe

Peggy

J. Carrol Naish

J. Carrol Naish

Uncle Vince

Keith Andes

Keith Andes

Joe Doyle

Silvio Minciotti

Silvio Minciotti

Papa D'Amato

Court is in session

Put Clash by Night on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Sentimental Softie

“Sincerity is not manipulation.”

The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.

The prosecution The Cool Ironist

“The strings are showing.”

Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.