The Film Noir Thread

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  • DwayneDwayne New York City
    edited June 2023 Posts: 2,848
    ToTheRight wrote: »
    So I picked this up today.............

    4181864-2964572.jpg

    Redbox for $4.99 No cover art. :(

    Saw this in the theater back in February and wanted to give it another shot. Several elements I like about this film, but I completely understand the overall underwhelming response.

    Interesting. I didn't even know that it had received a DVD release yet (but, yeah, since April according to Amazon.com).

    Anyway, another tweeter Film Noir Tournament Bracket is underway:


    Two of my four nominees made the cut (Double Indemnity, The Third Man). In a Lonely Place lost in a pre-tournament tie-breaker and Gun Crazy failed to make the cut.
  • Posts: 16,170
    Dwayne wrote: »
    ToTheRight wrote: »
    So I picked this up today.............

    4181864-2964572.jpg

    Redbox for $4.99 No cover art. :(

    Saw this in the theater back in February and wanted to give it another shot. Several elements I like about this film, but I completely understand the overall underwhelming response.

    Interesting. I didn't even know that it had received a DVD release yet (but, yeah, since April according to Amazon.com).

    Anyway, another tweeter Film Noir Tournament Bracket is underway:


    Two of my four nominees made the cut (Double Indemnity, The Third Man). In a Lonely Place lost in a pre-tournament tie-breaker and Gun Crazy failed to make the cut.

    Interesting tournament. Pity about IN A LONELY PLACE. I should revisit GUN CRAZY. That's one I've only seen once decades ago.
  • DwayneDwayne New York City
    Posts: 2,848
    The first round is complete and - as expected – all of the higher profile noir classics advanced. The closest contest was between TOUCH OF EVIL (45.7%) and THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE (54.3%). Now, onto the second round:
    1. DOUBLE INDEMNITY vs. SUNSET BLVD
    2. LAURA vs. THE BIG SLEEP
    3. THE MALTESE FALCON vs. THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE
    4. OUT OF THE PAST vs. THE THIRD MAN


    How can I possibly choose?!

    FYI, a nice TCM produced short on TOUCH OF EVIL.

  • Posts: 16,170
    Dwayne wrote: »
    The first round is complete and - as expected – all of the higher profile noir classics advanced. The closest contest was between TOUCH OF EVIL (45.7%) and THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE (54.3%). Now, onto the second round:
    1. DOUBLE INDEMNITY vs. SUNSET BLVD
    2. LAURA vs. THE BIG SLEEP
    3. THE MALTESE FALCON vs. THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE
    4. OUT OF THE PAST vs. THE THIRD MAN


    How can I possibly choose?!

    FYI, a nice TCM produced short on TOUCH OF EVIL.

    For me I'd go DOUBLE INDEMNITY over SUNSET BLVD., THE BIG SLEEP over LAURA, OUT OF THE PAST over The 3RD MAN..........and here's where it gets difficult. It's very close tie for me between MALTESE and POSTMAN. ................okay I'll go with POSTMAN.
  • Posts: 16,170
    So here's a noir I just ordered a copy of, and have never seen............

    s-l500.jpg

    Any thoughts on this one, @Dwayne ? Stanwyck, Lancaster........... can't go wrong. Hopefully I'll love it and it will become a favorite.
  • DwayneDwayne New York City
    Posts: 2,848
    ToTheRight wrote: »
    So here's a noir I just ordered a copy of, and have never seen............

    s-l500.jpg

    Any thoughts on this one, @Dwayne ? Stanwyck, Lancaster........... can't go wrong. Hopefully I'll love it and it will become a favorite.

    Not yet @ToTheRight , but it is on my "future watch" list. As you said, with Burt and "Stany" you can't go wrong.
  • Posts: 16,170
    Dwayne wrote: »
    ToTheRight wrote: »
    So here's a noir I just ordered a copy of, and have never seen............

    s-l500.jpg

    Any thoughts on this one, @Dwayne ? Stanwyck, Lancaster........... can't go wrong. Hopefully I'll love it and it will become a favorite.

    Not yet @ToTheRight , but it is on my "future watch" list. As you said, with Burt and "Stany" you can't go wrong.

    I remember that one clip of this film in DEAD MEN DON"T WEAR PLAID.
    I'm excited to watch this one.
  • DwayneDwayne New York City
    Posts: 2,848
    The 2nd round results are now final:

    DOUBLE INDEMNITY (67.9%) vs. SUNSET BLVD (32.1%)
    THE BIG SLEEP (55.5%) vs. LAURA (48.5%)
    THE MALTESE FALCON (75.7%) vs. THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE (24.3%) [Sorry about that @ToTheRight)
    THE THIRD MAN (59.5%) vs. OUT OF THE PAST (40.5%)

    It looks like we are heading to a Bogie vs. Stanwyck final.

    Speaking of Barbara Stanwyck, how she possibly have never won a competitive Oscar? Along with Edward G. Robinson’s many snubs, this is one of history’s greatest questions.
    1941-ball-of-fire-barbara-stanwyck-gary-cooper.jpg
    Great Balls of Fire! Stanwyck was smokin’ hot. :D

    Believe it or not, one of my favorite Stanwyck performances was the tortured Irene Trent in 1964’s THE NIGHT WALKER. William Castle’s very atmospheric psychological horror film, was Stanwyck’s final film role and even co-starred her ex-husband, Robert Taylor.


    Anyway, here is a fan site to keep you busy!
    https://www.barbara-stanwyck.com/fans/
  • ggl007ggl007 www.archivo007.com Spain, España
    Posts: 2,541
    Dwayne wrote: »

    Speaking of Barbara Stanwyck, how she possibly have never won a competitive Oscar? Along with Edward G. Robinson’s many snubs, this is one of history’s greatest questions.
    I completely agree.
  • DwayneDwayne New York City
    Posts: 2,848
    In a very close final, DOUBLE INDEMNITY wins by a hair over THE MALTESE FALCON.



    “… twisted hopes and crooked dreams.”
    DI-Cover.jpg
  • DwayneDwayne New York City
    Posts: 2,848
    A nice little ten minute interview with Benicio Del Toro about noir films THE CHASE (1946) and DETOUR (1945).

    https://delphiquest.com/film-foundation/restoration-screening-room/double-feature

    The website also has some other interviews that may interest fans of film noir.
  • Posts: 16,170
    Dwayne wrote: »
    A nice little ten minute interview with Benicio Del Toro about noir films THE CHASE (1946) and DETOUR (1945).

    https://delphiquest.com/film-foundation/restoration-screening-room/double-feature

    The website also has some other interviews that may interest fans of film noir.

    Great intervie, @Dwayne. I always appreciated that Benicio is a fan of classic cinema. This makes me want to watch those films again, especially THE CHASE.
  • edited July 2023 Posts: 16,170
    Watching a British noir from 1957 featuring our hero, SEAN CONNERY.

    HELL DRIVERS.

    MV5BZTBmMzQ4OGQtMTczNy00NWNlLWFhY2MtMmU3YTlmMWJiOTUyXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNDQ3NDM5OQ@@._V1_FMjpg_UX1000_.jpg

    MV5BNzE4ZWVjOWYtYmUzNS00NDI0LTg3NmQtNDhhNWY4MGIyOTQwXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNjUwNzk3NDc@._V1_.jpg

    hell-drivers-6.jpg

    Stanley Baker is the lead as he's hired on by a trucking company to haul loads and the drivers compete for most deliveries per day.

    Patrick MacGoohan, Vera Day, Herbert Lom, Peggy Cummins all star.
    I'm watching it now and loving every second!!!!

    61PoTV4n5pL._AC_UF894,1000_QL80_.jpg
  • DwayneDwayne New York City
    edited July 2023 Posts: 2,848
    Not a bad film @ToTheRight. The cast of stars and “soon to be stars” is outstanding, and the racing sequences are exciting.

    For example: Our man Sean with a very young and pre-stardom Jill Ireland.
    MV5BNTAwMzE0MWMtNDZhMi00MzU2LWFiOWEtOTM1NjFkOTRlMjlhXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNjUwNzk3NDc@._V1_.jpg

    Naturally, I’m always distracted by this young lady. :))
    Screen%20Shot%202023-02-26%20at%202.33.09%20AM.jpeg
  • Posts: 16,170
    Dwayne wrote: »
    Not a bad film @ToTheRight. The cast of stars and “soon to be stars” is outstanding, and the racing sequences are exciting.

    For example: Our man Sean with a very young and pre-stardom Jill Ireland.
    MV5BNTAwMzE0MWMtNDZhMi00MzU2LWFiOWEtOTM1NjFkOTRlMjlhXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNjUwNzk3NDc@._V1_.jpg

    Naturally, I’m always distracted by this young lady. :))
    Screen%20Shot%202023-02-26%20at%202.33.09%20AM.jpeg

    :D
  • edited July 2023 Posts: 16,170
    So in order for me to be interested in the new BARBIE, I'd need to be paid hard cash to see it.
    I'd want Connery's fee for DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER inflation adjusted, of course. Unlike Sir Sean, I would NOT donate that money to charity. I'm a noir guy so I don't do that.

    However, if BARBIE had been made in the 1940s as a noir, that could pique my interest.

    Let's recast BARBIE as a 1940s noir:

    We could have Veronica Lake with Alan Ladd as Ken.

    Veronica_Lake_still.jpg

    Annex%20-%20Ladd,%20Alan_NRFPT_07.jpg

    Being this is a noir, I reallly want to see Barbie kill off Ken in some outlandish fashion.

    So my choice for noir Barbie would be my favorite Lana Turner...........

    10-lana-turner--album.jpg

    lana_turner_63.jpg

    In my noir BARBIE Ken will most likely be shot in the groin, I'm going with Mitchum as Ken.

    Annex%20-%20Mitchum,%20Robert_02.jpg


    What do you think, @Dwayne?
    Noir BARBIE. Who would be your noir Barbie and Ken?
  • MajorDSmytheMajorDSmythe "I tolerate this century, but I don't enjoy it."Moderator
    edited July 2023 Posts: 13,978
    Has Barbie ever been a redhead? If so, could I suggest Susan Hayward (though I don't know if she qualifies as a Noir star).

    Susan_Hayward_Headshot.jpg?w=640

    Hayward and Mitch as Barbie and Ken, now that's a Barbie film that would get my attention.
  • Posts: 16,170
    Has Barbie ever been a redhead? If so, could I suggest Susan Hayward (though I don't know if she qualifies as a Noir star).

    Susan_Hayward_Headshot.jpg?w=640

    Hayward and Mitch as Barbie and Ken, now that's a Barbie film that would get my attention.

    Good choice!. She definitely did some noir so I think she qualifies.
  • DwayneDwayne New York City
    Posts: 2,848
    Brillant pairings @ToTheRight. Veronica Lake or Lana Turner as Barbie, I'd go for that. :D As for Susan Hayworth @MajorDSmythe, I don't recall her being in any noirs. (Of course, up until the past month I would have said the same about Doris Day, but just saw my second noir film of hers earlier today, JULIE (1956) ). As for my own suggestions, I'll need to give it some thought.

    Of course, if you want to have BARBIE's NIGHTMARE HOUSE (instead of DREAM HOUSE), how about Ann Savage!
    MV5BNTVhMjgwN2ItNTNiYi00MDFhLWExZTQtOTU4OTNlNjU3OTc5XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTE2NzA0Ng@@._V1_.jpg

    Believe it or not, I will probably see the 2023 version of BARBIE in the next week or two (if for no other reason than the 2OO1 homage which opens the film). Plus, it looks like fun. I know, I should hand in my "man card" immediately, but it really looks interesting. That said, my money is on OPPENHEIMER, which I plan to see next weekend.

    PS. I haven't forgot that I still owe you a review of the Criterion Collection's GILDA Blu-Ray.
  • MajorDSmytheMajorDSmythe "I tolerate this century, but I don't enjoy it."Moderator
    Posts: 13,978
    Off the top of my head, the only Susan Hayward film that might be a Film Noir, is Deadline By Dawn (1946). I can't think of anymore, at least none that I have seen.
  • Posts: 16,170
    Off the top of my head, the only Susan Hayward film that might be a Film Noir, is Deadline By Dawn (1946). I can't think of anymore, at least none that I have seen.

    I'd throw in AMONG THE LIVING, THEY WON'T BELIEVE ME and HOUSE OF STRANGERS.
  • MajorDSmytheMajorDSmythe "I tolerate this century, but I don't enjoy it."Moderator
    Posts: 13,978
    ToTheRight wrote: »
    Off the top of my head, the only Susan Hayward film that might be a Film Noir, is Deadline By Dawn (1946). I can't think of anymore, at least none that I have seen.

    I'd throw in AMONG THE LIVING, THEY WON'T BELIEVE ME and HOUSE OF STRANGERS.

    I'm not familiar with those, i'll make a note of them.
  • Fire_and_Ice_ReturnsFire_and_Ice_Returns I am trying to get away from this mountan!
    edited July 2023 Posts: 25,178
    I have been sorting through my DVD's removing the disks and sleeve from the boxes and putting into folders. I have made an exclusive Noir folder and flicking through thought I would rewatch Key Largo.

    It has been a few years since I last watched, Key Largo really is quite superb in fact a perfect bottle movie, it resembles a stage show though all the better for it. Smart sharp dialogue with exceptional character work. I always ask the same question when I watch it, is this technically a Film Noir? I think its how the film starts is why I question whether it is Noir, as the movie progresses its clearly Noir.

    key_largo_photo16.jpg
  • Posts: 16,170
    I have been sorting through my DVD's removing the disks and sleeve from the boxes and putting into folders. I have made an exclusive Noir folder and flicking through thought I would rewatch Key Largo.

    It has been a few years since I last watched, Key Largo really is quite superb in fact a perfect bottle movie, it resembles a stage show though all the better for it. Smart sharp dialogue with exceptional character work. I always ask the same question when I watch it, is this technically a Film Noir? I think its how the film starts is why I question whether it is Noir, as the movie progresses its clearly Noir.

    key_largo_photo16.jpg

    I think had it been done a decade earlier, it would just be a 30's Warner Bros gangster movie. The post war setting and the film's tone qualify it as a noir to me.
  • Fire_and_Ice_ReturnsFire_and_Ice_Returns I am trying to get away from this mountan!
    edited July 2023 Posts: 25,178
    ToTheRight wrote: »
    I have been sorting through my DVD's removing the disks and sleeve from the boxes and putting into folders. I have made an exclusive Noir folder and flicking through thought I would rewatch Key Largo.

    It has been a few years since I last watched, Key Largo really is quite superb in fact a perfect bottle movie, it resembles a stage show though all the better for it. Smart sharp dialogue with exceptional character work. I always ask the same question when I watch it, is this technically a Film Noir? I think its how the film starts is why I question whether it is Noir, as the movie progresses its clearly Noir.

    key_largo_photo16.jpg

    I think had it been done a decade earlier, it would just be a 30's Warner Bros gangster movie. The post war setting and the film's tone qualify it as a noir to me.

    Agree it does feel at times like the earlier Robinson and Cagney gangster movies a decade earlier.

    I forgot Marc Lawrence was in Key Largo (Slumber Inc and Rodney from DAF and TMWTGG).

    Marc+Lawrence+in+Key+Largo+(1948).jpg
  • DwayneDwayne New York City
    Posts: 2,848
    I don’t know.

    Films like KEY LARGO and HIGH SERRIA (1941) are almost their own thing IMO. Personally, I would label them as quasi noirs in that they have some noir like elements but all of the main protagonist maintains the same morale outlook throughout. I could be wrong about that, however, as it all depends on one’s interpretation. As Eddie Muller points out, in the original stage version Bogart’s character was a war deserter who goes to Key Largo to asks for forgiveness – a very noirish concept. The film treatment strips this away.

    Noir films, however, cover a surprising amount of ground, which many differing concepts and character types. At the end of the day, noir or not, KEY LARGO is a great film. And as I’ve said before, one of the great pleasures of talking about noir is that no two people have the same exact definition.

    TCM’s NOIR ALLEY INTRO (KEY LARGO)

    TCM’s NOIR ALLEY OUTRO (KEY LARGO)

  • Posts: 16,170
    Dwayne wrote: »
    I don’t know.

    Films like KEY LARGO and HIGH SERRIA (1941) are almost their own thing IMO. Personally, I would label them as quasi noirs in that they have some noir like elements but all of the main protagonist maintains the same morale outlook throughout. I could be wrong about that, however, as it all depends on one’s interpretation. As Eddie Muller points out, in the original stage version Bogart’s character was a war deserter who goes to Key Largo to asks for forgiveness – a very noirish concept. The film treatment strips this away.

    Noir films, however, cover a surprising amount of ground, which many differing concepts and character types. At the end of the day, noir or not, KEY LARGO is a great film. And as I’ve said before, one of the great pleasures of talking about noir is that no two people have the same exact definition.

    TCM’s NOIR ALLEY INTRO (KEY LARGO)

    TCM’s NOIR ALLEY OUTRO (KEY LARGO)

    Well said!
  • DwayneDwayne New York City
    Posts: 2,848
    GILDA extras and Rita Hayworth documentary:

    Scorsese/Luhrmann (from Criterion via YouTube)

    Noir Alley: Gilda (1946) intro 20200920

    Noir Alley: Gilda (1946) outro 20200920

    RITA, Part One: Margarita (Wichita Films, 2019)

    RITA, Part Two: The Love Goddess (Wichita Films, 2019)

    RITA, Part Three: Killing Gilda (Wichita Films, 2019)

    RITA, Part Four: Into the Fog (Wichita Films, 2019)

  • Posts: 16,170
    Dwayne wrote: »
    GILDA extras and Rita Hayworth documentary:

    Scorsese/Luhrmann (from Criterion via YouTube)

    Noir Alley: Gilda (1946) intro 20200920

    Noir Alley: Gilda (1946) outro 20200920

    RITA, Part One: Margarita (Wichita Films, 2019)

    RITA, Part Two: The Love Goddess (Wichita Films, 2019)

    RITA, Part Three: Killing Gilda (Wichita Films, 2019)

    RITA, Part Four: Into the Fog (Wichita Films, 2019)

    Excellent, @Dwayne !
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