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Any fans out there?
Almost all of them are luckily available on DVD, some of the first ones are sadly lost.
Anything that Hitchcock did in the 1940's and 1950's
After I watched All About Eve, 1950 the other day I wanted to watch the other masterpiece of the same year.
Gloria Swanson is simply breathtakingly fantastic in Sunset Boulevard.
A hack screenwriter (a very good looking William Holden) writes a screenplay for a former silent-film star (Gloria Swanson) who has faded into Hollywood obscurity.
She lives in a huge 20's or 30's estate which is quite in a bad state except for the main living quarters where Norma Desmond and her butler, Max von Meyerling live.
Norma, around 50 years old, still believes she is loved by millions and the biggest star alive. She is a recluse of sorts and only seldom goes outside, probably because she knows reality may set in then. She is not completely delusional but holds on to her dream to make another film with Cecile B. DeMille, one of the biggest ever producers/directors of Hollywood.
When screenwriter Joe Gillis' car breaks down in front of her estate his life makes a turn for the (seemingly) better.
Cecile B. DeMille plays himself in Sunset Boulevard and some other elderly movie stars of the past play themselves as well like Hedda Hopper and Buster Keaton, which gives the movie an almost eerily realistic touch.
Actually it is hard to describe this film. If you have not seen it, just believe me, that it is one of the best movies ever made. It's not a comedy, but almost, it's not a thriller, but almost, it's not a horror movie but almost. It's not a love story, but almost.
Billy Wilder outdid himself here and while he made a number of other masterpieces after Sunset Boulevard I think this was his best movie.
Norma Desmond is captivating and eery. Gloria Swanson's performance is equal to Bette Davis in All About Eve, both were nominated for best actress, and both lost. With Anne Baxter also being nominated for best actress (All About Eve), 1950 saw the best threesome of best female performances ever in cinematic history. I'm not even sure such three riveting performances in the same year have ever been seen again.
Sunset Boulevard is a must see if there ever has been one.
It's beautifully restored and remastered in High Definition.
I love these films. I watched a ton of them last year. They're a lot of fun. I really liked THE BLACK CAMEL with Bela Lugosi, CHARLIE CHAN AT TREASURE ISLAND, DEAD MEN TELL with a pre-Superman George Reeves, THE SCARLET CLUE and pretty much all the Monogram films.
Warner Oland has a much warmer personality, and actually is far more convincing under the makeup, but I love Sidney Toler's smartass take on the character. His rapport with Benson Fong and Mantan is priceless. Also, the Chan Monogram films seems to look slightly higher quality than other films from that time made by the studio.
I've only watched a couple of the Roland Winters Chans so far, I'll eventually catch up on him.
To chime in on this topic as a fan of noir I'll add a few of my favorites:
THE MALTESE FALCON-with Bogie
THE BIG SLEEP- Bogie as Philip Marlowe
MURDER MY SWEET- Dick Powell as Marlowe
ROAD HOUSE -Ida Lupino, Cornel Wilde and crazy Richard Widmark in a love triangle
RAW DEAL- Dennis O'keefe, Claire Trevor, and Raymond Burr in a heist/revenge noir. Excellent!!
IN A LONELY PLACE- Bogie as a Hollywood screenwriter, and boyfriend of Gloria Grahame. He's under the microscope in a murder investigation.
DARK PASSAGE- Bogie and Bacall in San Francisco- noir about a convict escaped from prison for killing his wife seeks the real killer. A bit like The Fugitive.
OUT OF THE PAST- Robert Mitchum, Kirk Douglas, Jane Greer love traingle-Mitch is great as a detective hiding out.
HIS KIND OF WOMAN- Mitchum, Jane Russell, Vincent Price and Raymond Burr. Price steals the film.
MY GUN IS QUICK- Mike Hammer (Robert Bray) helps a prostitute get off the streets and flips his lid when she is murdered. Underrated B film.
KISS ME DEADLY - the more famous Mike Hammer film- Ralph Meeker plays the private eye tracking down killers and a nuclear box.
The Film Noir topic only starts on page 2. Page 1 was favourite films of 70s, 00s and other decades.
The Big Sleep
Detour
Out of the Past
In a Lonely Place
Double Indemnity
Rififi
The Killing
The postman always rings twice
The Third Man
And if you want to go for suspense - The Wages of Fear - is amazing.
Another great Film Noir classic. Early movie of Billy Wilder (1944) showing already what a great director and screenplay writer he is.
Barbara Stanwyck stealing every scene she's in.
The male lead let's himself lure into a murder/insurance fraud scheme. While it is clear from the beginning that it will lead to the demise of the main characters it's still fascinating to watch them go down the road to certain failure and doom.
Highly recommended.
Your on a great streak.
Excellent noir.
My film noir faves are the same as many others have mentioned: The Maltese Falcon, The Big Sleep, Casablanca, This Gun For Hire, Kiss Me Deadly, Out Of The Past. And I second ToTheRight about Murder My Sweet with Dick Powell. I think Murder My Sweet has slightly less of a serious tone than Maltese Falcon has, but it really moves along, with fun snappy dialogue; interesting and creepy characters; film noir effects; Powell is great as Marlowe; and he provides an excellent "detective narration" in parts of the film. I also rate highly, from later decades, Chinatown and L.A. Confidential, and though not film noir, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy with Alec Guinness and his Smiley's People (both nice long miniseries to sink your teeth into).
Yes. Pure brilliance; I just never tire of it. Kubrick just nails it every time; Dr. Strangelove is possibly my favorite comedy (Top 5 at least), The Shining is my favorite horror, Barry Lyndon is quite possibly my favorite 1700s period piece, and The Killing is my favorite noir. Kubrick = King.
The iconic image of Gittes' with his slashed up nose, the gorgeous Faye Dunaway, and of course, that finale that is absolutely unforgettable in every sense of the word, and probably the greatest noir conclusion that is emphatically true to the genre I can readily think of. That film takes you on such a crazy ride, and cares not for your emotions or how upset you get as you go. Rarely have I been so exhausted by the end of a movie, and angry at the characters as if they were real people.
It's easy to see why it's considered the best screenplay as well. So many quotable lines, great character dialogue/interactions, shocks and awes, twists and turns.
My personal favorite happens when Gittes is asked if his nose wound hurts, to which he simply says, "Only when I breathe," with that sly grin of his.
I would without question put Gittes right up there with the likes of the legendary Spade and Marlowe, especially because as far as noir detectives go, he has a very fresh arc and isn't a carbon copy of those figures like so many in the genre can be at times.
Chinatown - sublime Jerry Goldsmith soundtrack too.
A gripping movie, short at 70 minutes but it's enough to make a lasting impression.
Marilyn Monroe is shining here as a deeply troubled, disturbed young woman with a traumatic past.
The whole movie plays in a hotel, mainly in one room No 809.
Richard Widmark and a very young Anne Bancroft are the other two leads in this film
While the film begins slow and harmless, tension builds up after 30 minutes when it becomes clear, Monroe's character isn't as harmless as she first appears.
Personally I always love Monroe's more dramatic movies better than the comedic, which only means I LOVE LOVE LOVE her earnest roles and LOVE LOVE her other roles...
Niagara and Don't Bother To Knock are favourites of mine. It'd be hard enough to rank her movies but those two would be somewhere at the top.
If you happen to be interested in Marilyn Monroe and/or Film Noir movies this is a must see in my opinion.
Again, beautifully restored picture quality.
One of the films I got on Blu-ray earlier this year thanks to the many recommendations in this thread.
Yes, it's true, I had never seen this film before, somehow it always escaped my TV.
And now I have seen it for the first time ever.
I knew before it's considered one of the great Film Noir, but I didn't know it's actually one of the best.
The direction and editing is great. Every scene matters, none are too short or too long, everything is just as it should be.
The performances are fantastic. Glenn Ford as the cop determined to put down the corruption and evil forces in his town. His commitment is so strong he willingly endangers every female in this film, and they all die!
What a fascinating character he plays.
Also is this the birth of the Revenge Movie?
The female lead Gloria Grahame gives a Oscar worthy performance as the mobsters girlfriend. Her many scenes are worth watching this film alone.
And then there is a very young Lee Marvin which I have never seen playing a more evil thug.
Also this film is shockingly violent. Considering it is from 1953. You don't get to see the actual violence, but you hear it and therefore imagine it. As I said director Lang did a fantastic job there.
One thing I can promise you. I will never again go near a boiling coffeepot!!!!!
It's quite possible I will watch this film again tomorrow. I have to see it a second time fast. It's quite overwhelming in its relentless pace, violence and captivating performances.
Peck is his reliable everyman self, and Mitchum is a force of nature. Terrifying. De Niro did a good job in the remake but for me the original is a lean, mean, effective black and white machine.
I remember, as a kid in college, sitting down and seeing this film for the first time and thinking it was going to be a boring curriculum piece. How wrong I was. I rewatched it at home that same night and have regularly rewatched it since. Stunning.
The remake was an effective chiller but as you say, Mitchum had an almost supernatural quality to his determination which made him really unstoppable. De Niro came close; he amped up the campy unhinged nature of his beast, but he lacked that something. The fact that Scorcese chose to alter the fate of his version of the character is another criticism I have of it.