Figure 1.-- This is an excellent film noir written by Joel and Ethan Coen and directed by the former entitled "The Man Who Wasn't There" (2001). The story concerns a middle-aged barber, Ed Crane, who works in a small California town in 1949.

This is an excellent film noir written by Joel and Ethan Coen and directed by the former entitled "The Man Who Wasn't There" (2001). The story concerns a middle-aged barber, Ed Crane, who works in a small California town in 1949. The apparently uncomplicated and rather dull, chain-smoking barber lives a life of such appalling boredom that he drifts, almost blunders, into blackmail and revenge. A movie full of unexpected twists and surprises that mixes the horrible with the unintentionally comic. The costuming of the late 1940s is quite accurate. Of special interest to HBC readers are the details of different styles of boys' haircuts in the 1940s. One of the boys whose hair Ed Crane cuts is played by the child actor Christian Ferratti, who sports a blond crew cut. He wears a striped tee-shirt, tan cotton shorts held up by clip-on suspenders, ankle socks, and what look like sneakers. He is about 11 years old. A HBC reader writes, "This film is interesting because of the barber shop sequences and the business of boys getting their hair cut. I think the boy's clothes are significant here--the striped tee-shirt, the clip-on suspenders, and the shorts. Also the haircut itself. The film has some interesting discussion of the various haircut styles boys wore in the 1940s."

Created: 4:54 AM 8/17/2005
Last updated: 4:54 AM 8/17/2005