{"id":2947,"date":"2007-04-07T17:58:37","date_gmt":"2007-04-08T00:58:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=2947"},"modified":"2021-01-26T17:39:59","modified_gmt":"2021-01-27T00:39:59","slug":"edge-of-hell-1956","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=2947","title":{"rendered":"Edge of Hell (1956)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;I couldn&#8217;t sell Flip for any price.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/04\/Edge-of-Hell-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/04\/Edge-of-Hell-Poster-202x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"202\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-30928\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/04\/Edge-of-Hell-Poster-202x300.jpg 202w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/04\/Edge-of-Hell-Poster-86x128.jpg 86w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/04\/Edge-of-Hell-Poster-691x1024.jpg 691w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/04\/Edge-of-Hell-Poster.jpg 1992w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 202px) 100vw, 202px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nA hobo (Hugo Haas) and his performing dog, Flip, eke by with the help of their friends, including a warm-hearted neighbor (June Shelley) and her boyfriend (Jeffrey Stone).\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Class Relations<\/li>\n<li>Downward Spiral<\/li>\n<li>Homeless<\/li>\n<li>Hugo Haas Films<\/li>\n<li>Pets<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nThis devastating tale of friendship between a down-and-out performer and his dog is a deviation from Hugo Haas&#8217;s usual tawdry oeuvre (though its inappropriate title would lead you to think otherwise). Haas &#8212; who acted in nearly all of his own films &#8212; is the undisputed star here, and finally has a chance to showcase his gift for crafting humorous, three-dimensional characterizations. Although Valentin (Haas) is eminently likable (his bevy of supportive friends are proof of this), he&#8217;s not above taking what he can get from a wealthy man (John Vosper) who, enjoying his company, gladly offers him alcohol, food, and clothing. <\/p>\n<p>Haas uses his simple story as a chance to deftly satirize the values and social mores of upper class society. Without resorting to cliches, Haas cleverly contrasts Valentin&#8217;s life on the streets (which is tenuous, but filled with love and friendship) with that of his wealthy new acquaintance (who is well-meaning and kind, but mistakenly believes he can buy whatever he wants &#8212; including Flip). One of the most amusing moments in the film occurs during a party Valentin is hosting for his friends after earning some much-needed money at a young boy&#8217;s birthday party: sounding for all the world like a group of socialites discussing perfume or furs, a group of hardworking women sit around and debate how to get the smell of onion out of their hands, with one woman bragging that there&#8217;s only <em>one <\/em>technique <em>she <\/em>deigns to use.<\/p>\n<p>Unfortunately, the story&#8217;s gloomy trajectory inevitably leads downhill; as a result, the final third of the film is incredibly difficult to sit through. There&#8217;s nothing more devastating than watching someone who is forced to part from their beloved pet, which is what ends up happening to our luckless protagonist. In keeping with Haas&#8217;s social critique, once Valentin gets sick and can&#8217;t perform for money, we&#8217;re shown that not even the care and concern of his friends can rescue him from dire straits. <\/p>\n<p>Haas may have been a B-level director, but each of his films &#8212; at least those listed in Peary&#8217;s book (such as <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=2001\"><em>Pickup<\/em><\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=2928\"><em>Bait<\/em><\/a>, and <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=1957\"><em>Lizzie<\/em><\/a>) &#8212; show proof of his unique and impressive sensibility. Peary lists most of Haas&#8217;s titles as Camp Classics, but, with the possible exception of <em>Pickup<\/em>, I don&#8217;t see them this way: his films may be low-budget with patchy acting, but are surprisingly touching, and merit much wider appreciation than they&#8217;re currently given. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Hugo Haas as the downtrodden hobo<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/04\/Edge-of-Hell-Haas.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/04\/Edge-of-Hell-Haas-1024x574.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"359\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-47672\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/04\/Edge-of-Hell-Haas-1024x574.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/04\/Edge-of-Hell-Haas-300x168.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/04\/Edge-of-Hell-Haas-128x72.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/04\/Edge-of-Hell-Haas-768x430.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/04\/Edge-of-Hell-Haas-1536x860.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/04\/Edge-of-Hell-Haas.png 1705w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nNo, but it&#8217;s recommended, if you can stomach it. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/imdb.com\/title\/tt0049171\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;I couldn&#8217;t sell Flip for any price.&#8221; Synopsis: A hobo (Hugo Haas) and his performing dog, Flip, eke by with the help of their friends, including a warm-hearted neighbor (June Shelley) and her boyfriend (Jeffrey Stone). Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: Class Relations Downward Spiral Homeless Hugo Haas Films Pets Review: This devastating tale of friendship between a down-and-out performer and his dog is a deviation from Hugo Haas&#8217;s usual tawdry oeuvre (though its inappropriate title would lead you to&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=2947\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2947","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2947","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2947"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2947\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":66209,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2947\/revisions\/66209"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2947"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2947"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2947"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}