Collections/May 2021

Starring Robert Ryan

Featuring a new introduction by critic Imogen Sara Smith Robert Ryan burst on the scene after World War II, bringing raw emotional and physical power and subtle intelligence to some of the darkest and toughest films of the postwar era. A master of harrowing inner conflict and barely suppressed rage, Ryan created an indelible gallery of tightly wound bullies, brooding killers, and honorable but tormented heroes. Offscreen, the man known for his searing portraits of racists and bigots was a passionate progressive and a deeply private family man; his keen insight into the roots of prejudice made his performances a form of activism, as his friend (and his Odds Against Tomorrow costar) Harry Belafonte noted. An essential actor in film noir, Ryan embodied lonely and violent men with compassion and fearless honesty.

9 films — 0 on the Channel, 9 unavailable