The System (1953 film)

The System
Theatrical release poster
Directed byLewis Seiler
Screenplay byJo Eisinger
Based onthe story "Investigation"
by Edith Grafton and Samuel Grafton
Produced bySamuel Bischoff
StarringFrank Lovejoy
Joan Weldon
CinematographyEdwin B. DuPar
Edited byClarence Kolster
Music byDavid Buttolph
Production
company
Distributed byWarner Bros.
Release date
  • April 18, 1953 (1953-04-18) (United States)
Running time
90 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

The System is a 1953 American film noir crime film directed by Lewis Seiler and starring Frank Lovejoy, Joan Weldon and Robert Arthur.

Plot

An honest bookmaker discovers the hard way that his line of work is a lot more dangerous than he first thought.

Cast

Reception

When the film was first released, The New York Times' review was brutal. The film critic wrote, "It seems quite appropriate for Warner Brothers' The System, a stultified excursion into contemporary crime, to have opened at the Palace yesterday. The morning weather was drab and depressing. So was the picture ... The sad fact to be faced is that there is not a single thing to recommend The System. The performance of the feminine lead, Joan Weldon, is embarrassing in its inadequacy. Mr. Lovejoy makes an honest effort in a professional way, but the script is such a peachy morass he has no chance. That Lewis Seiler, the director, should fail so is more disappointing when one recalls his memorable Guadalcanal Diary." Forget this fiasco, for it is one of those soggy melodramas that serve only to fill out double bills."[1]

References

  1. ^ "Palace Theatre Presents The System". The New York Times. May 23, 1953. Retrieved July 18, 2013.