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With: Allen Baron, Molly McCarthy, Larry Tucker, Peter H. Clune, Danny Meehan, Howard Mann, Charles Creasap, Bill DePrato, Milda Memenas, Lionel Stander (narrator)
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Written by: Allen Baron, "Mel Davenport" (Waldo Salt)
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Directed by: Allen Baron
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MPAA Rating: NR
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Running Time: 77
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Date: 12/29/1961
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Christmas for Rats
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
This 1961 film noir, written, directed by and starring Allen Baron, is as grimy as they come, bleak and mean and menacing. Yet it's notable for being set at Christmastime in New York, complete with black-and-white shots of decorations (and even an unenthusiastic Santa Claus). It looks and feels like a shoestring effort, but it's heightened by its hard, street-poetry narration, written by the legendary Waldo Salt, under the pseudonym "Mel Davenport," and composed in "second person," i.e. "You're alone. But you don't mind that. You're a loner. That's the way it should be. You've always been alone. By now it's your trademark. You like it that way."
Baron plays hitman Frank Bono, who is sent from Cleveland to New York to kill a mid-level mob boss. He spends time tracking his target, and gets a gun from Big Ralph (Larry Tucker), a great character, overweight and slobby, with cages full of sewer rats for pets (the cages are decorated with Christmas cheer). He runs into a girl he used to like, Lorrie (Molly McCarthy) and finds himself dragged to a Christmas party. But if you're betting on any kind of happy ending, those are some long odds. Despite moments of racism and sexual assault, Blast of Silence is certainly something to see, especially if you have an appreciation for "dark" Christmas movies, and it blows by in a nasty, ratty 77 minutes. You like it that way.
The Criterion Collection released this one on DVD back in 2008 and now have followed up with a spiffy new Blu-ray for 2023 (and just in time for December viewing). It's a director-approved 4K digital restoration, and can be viewed in either 1.33:1 or 1.85:1 widescreen; the widescreen is matted, so I chose the narrower version. The rest of the extras are the same as on the DVD: an hour-long making-of featurette, on-set Polaroids, location photos taken in 2008, and a trailer, plus optional English subtitles. The liner notes essay is by film critic Terrence Rafferty; we also get a four-page graphic-novel adaptation of the film by acclaimed artist Sean Phillips. Recommended.
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