Noir City: Ace in the Hole
February 20, 2025
On its release, critics called this the most bitter, cynical, mean-spirited movie ever made. It still might hold the honor. What’s certain is how scarily prescient Wilder’s tale of media manipulation turned out to be. Kirk Douglas is stupendously rotten as a reporter reclaiming the spotlight. A genuine masterpiece.
Passes: $158 | $133 SIFF Members
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SIFF year-round passes and vouchers are not valid for these screenings.
Tickets
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Thursday, February 20, 2025
Note: Reserved seating is not available for Noir City.
On its release, critics called this the most bitter, cynical, mean-spirited movie ever made. It still might hold the honor. What’s certain is how scarily prescient Wilder’s tale of media manipulation (originally released as “The Big Carnival”) turned out to be. Kirk Douglas is stupendously rotten as a disgraced reporter reclaiming the spotlight by prolonging the plight of a trapped miner. Jan Sterling is unforgettable as the miner’s less-than-compassionate wife. It may not feature many of the tropes and iconography of classic noir, but its withering depiction of human nature and American culture is as pitch-black as any film of the era. A genuine masterpiece. Note courtesy of Noir City.
- Director: Billy Wilder
- Principal Cast: Kirk Douglas, Jan Sterling, Robert Arthur, Porter Hall
- Country: USA
- Year: 1951
- Running Time: 111 min.
- Producer: Billy Wilder
- Screenplay: Billy Wilder, Walter Newman, Lesser Samuels, Victor Desny
- Cinematographers: Charles Lang
- Editors: Arthur P. Schmidt
- Music: Hugo Friedhofer
- Filmography: The Apartment (1960), Some Like It Hot (1959), Sunset Boulevard (1950)
- Language: English
- US Distributor: Paramount Pictures