One Way Street

media release: USA | 1950 | 35mm | 79 min.

Director: Hugo Fregonese; Cast: James Mason, Marta Toren, Dan Duryea

Mason plays Dr Frank Matson, a shady physician who takes off with a bag full of stolen money and the girlfriend (Toren) of a gang leader (Duryea), hiding out with her in Mexico. But fate knocks loudly on the door echoing one of Fregonese’s major preoccupations: the encounter with death. Matson takes advantage of his medical knowledge to deceive and to negotiate his way out of trouble. But he later comes to use it to integrate and eventually to heal. He regains his sense of self-worth by opening a hospital, curing the poor in a Mexican village. The game of fate involves things happening twice: a car accident, an encounter with a sick Mexican patient, a journey by aeroplane, and the face-off with Duryea. A sense of doom hangs in the air and pushes all the players into the “red circle” where they meet their designated fate. This is the ballad of a fatalist” (Ehsan Khoshbakht, Il Cinema Ritrovato Program Guide).

Admission free for all screenings, seating limited. No admission 15 minutes after scheduled start times. Please visit our website for a complete listing of programs and descriptions.