Episode
They Live By Night (1948) with Jason Christian
- Podcast
- Left of the Projector
- Published
- Apr 28, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 4523
- Processing state
not_requested
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Summary
We are joined by Cold War Cinema's Jason Christian to discuss 1948's "They Live By Night," credited as one of the earliest noir films and an example of the "socially conscious cinema" of its day. The directorial debut of Nicholas Ray, the film stars Cathy O'Donnell and Farley Granger alongside Howard da Silva and Jay C. Flippen. Based on Edward Anderson's Depression-era novel Thieves Like Us, the film follows a young fugitive who falls in love with a woman and attempts to begin a life with her and clear his name even as the system denies them anything resembling hope. We discuss the black list in Hollywood, the Hays Code and the defiance of artists in the face of a system determined to repress any message that goes against the status quo. Guest Links https://coldwarcinema/ https://x.com/Cold_War_Cinema https://x.com/JasonAChristian https://jasonchristianwrites.com/ Left of the Projector Links Official Website Left of the Projector on Letterboxd Left of the Projector on Instagram Left of the Projector on Patreon Left of the Projector on Threadless Host Links Evan's Letterboxd Bill's Instagram Bill's Letterboxd Ward's Instagram Ward's Letterboxd