journey into noir
Join me in exploring the world of noir--movies whose characters are as grey as the shadows with which they're filmed.
I like my Scotch neat, my fashions retro, and my noir dark, drawing me into a world that follows its own dreamy logic. The movies should have a flawed hero whose integrity will be tested & found wanting, a beautiful dame with a secret, an intriguing plot with a MacGuffin or two, a gritty urban landscape that itself becomes a character--plus actors and a director who know what depth & ambiguity are.
This list includes my personal ratings & pocket-size reviews. Come with me for a walk on the noir side.
I like my Scotch neat, my fashions retro, and my noir dark, drawing me into a world that follows its own dreamy logic. The movies should have a flawed hero whose integrity will be tested & found wanting, a beautiful dame with a secret, an intriguing plot with a MacGuffin or two, a gritty urban landscape that itself becomes a character--plus actors and a director who know what depth & ambiguity are.
This list includes my personal ratings & pocket-size reviews. Come with me for a walk on the noir side.
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- DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsAnny OndraJohn LongdenSara AllgoodAfter killing a man in self-defense, a young woman is blackmailed by a witness to the killing.7.5/10
I call this early-sound classic a proto-noir for its themes, its ambiguous characters, its high expressionistic style. (It also includes one of my favourite Hitchcock cameos.)
Hitchcock filmed in Germany in the mid-1920s, with the opportunity to observe FW Murnau directing first-hand. Many of Hitch's later films (The 39 Steps, Foreign Correspondent, Shadow of a Doubt, Strangers on a Train, Stage Fright, Vertigo, Psycho), though not true noirs, made fantastic use of what he learned there to create a cinematic style that was both influential & highly personal. - DirectorFritz LangStarsPeter LorreEllen WidmannInge LandgutWhen the police in a German city are unable to catch a child-murderer, other criminals join in the manhunt.9/10
One of the great films, however you classify it. - DirectorWilliam WylerStarsBette DavisHerbert MarshallJames StephensonThe wife of a rubber plantation administrator shoots a man to death and claims it was self-defense, but a letter written in her own hand may prove her undoing.8/10
Unforgettable performances from Bette Davis & James Stephenson, plus an intriguing story atmospherically filmed. The settings--especially the rubber plantation--are extremely effective. - DirectorBoris IngsterStarsPeter LorreJohn McGuireMargaret TallichetAn aspiring reporter is the key witness at the murder trial of a young man accused of cutting a café owner's throat and is soon accused of a similar crime himself.6.5/10
An early true noir, complete with voiceovers, flashbacks, grubby settings, & lotsa diagonal shadows. There's a wildly lighted dream sequence that resembles a 1950s production number choreographed by Gene Kelly. Lorre's face--alternately jovial and ominously blank--is creepier even than that, & we're not surprised when he orders his hamburgers raw.
Cinematographer Nicholas Musuraca later shot several noiresque films at RKO for producer Val Lewton, as well as the noir classic Out Of the Past 1947. - DirectorJohn HustonStarsHumphrey BogartMary AstorGladys GeorgeSan Francisco private detective Sam Spade takes on a case that involves him with three eccentric criminals, a gorgeous liar and their quest for a priceless statuette, with the stakes rising after his partner is murdered.10/10
The stuff dreams are made of, with pungent & colloquial dialogue to die for. Compelling cinematography by Arthur (Frankenstein 1931, Casablanca 1942) Edeson.
The same novel had been filmed twice previously, in radically different styles: The Maltese Falcon 1931 and Satan Met a Lady 1936 (which was also shot by Edeson). Watch those to understand the sheer brilliance of the work that made the 1941 version indelible. - DirectorMervyn LeRoyStarsRobert TaylorLana TurnerEdward ArnoldThe step-daughter of a district attorney falls in love with a gangster on parole who her father originally imprisoned.6/10
If this weren't listed as noir, I would never have guessed from the film's script & cinematography that it was. I had a tough time taking the story seriously. Van Heflin is very good here, though. - DirectorJacques TourneurStarsDennis O'KeefeMargoJean BrooksA seemingly-tame leopard used for a publicity stunt escapes and kills a young girl, spreading panic throughout a sleepy New Mexico town.7/10
One of Val Lewton's RKO films of the 1940s, this contains many noirish elements. It also contains three of the most disturbing killing sequences you'll ever see on film. - DirectorMark RobsonStarsKim HunterTom ConwayJean BrooksA woman in search of her missing sister uncovers a Satanic cult in New York's Greenwich Village and finds that they could have something to do with her sibling's random disappearance.7.5/10
Another of Val Lewton's shadowy urban dreams. The story doesn't matter nearly as much as the pervasive despair, & the excellent use made of the cityscape. - DirectorBilly WilderStarsFred MacMurrayBarbara StanwyckEdward G. RobinsonA Los Angeles insurance representative lets an alluring housewife seduce him into a scheme of insurance fraud and murder that arouses the suspicion of his colleague, an insurance investigator.9/10
Stanwyck & MacMurray are a dynamite package. But it's Edward G. Robinson's performance that sticks with me. The detailing is brilliant too: the ankle bracelet, the furnishings, that balcony overlooking the office workers.
Don't miss the 1973 parody "Double Calamity" from The Carol Burnett Show: [link]http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0536657/[/link] - DirectorOtto PremingerRouben MamoulianStarsGene TierneyDana AndrewsClifton WebbA police detective falls in love with the woman whose murder he is investigating.8/10
The mystery isn't all that mysterious. It's the mood, built from lighting, angles, and music, that makes this so great. - DirectorEdward DmytrykStarsDick PowellClaire TrevorAnne ShirleyAfter being hired to find an ex-con's former girlfriend, Philip Marlowe is drawn into a deeply complex web of mystery and deceit.6.5/10
The singularly uncompelling Powell plays tough guy Marlowe in a typically Chandleresque farrago of a tale. Not great, but it does have its moments. - DirectorJoseph H. LewisStarsNina FochMay WhittyGeorge MacreadyJulia Ross secures employment through a rather nosy employment agency with a wealthy widow, Mrs. Hughes, and goes to live at her house. 2 days later, she awakens - in a different house, in different clothes and with a new identity. She's told she is the daughter-in-law of Mrs. Hughes and has suffered a nervous breakdown. Is Julia really 'Julia', or is it true that she's lost all memory of who she is?7/10
A most unusual noir, where the main character is female, the setting not urban or USA. - DirectorFritz LangStarsEdward G. RobinsonJoan BennettRaymond MasseyWhen a conservative middle aged professor engages in a relationship with a femme fatale, he's plunged into a nightmarish world of blackmail and murder.8.5/10
Stylish, subtle & intense noir with a controversial finale, that keeps its focus on characterization--most importantly, how Robinson's character views himself. Robinson & Bennett are excellent in an exciting yet oh-so-psychologically-plausible tale. Beautifully filmed by Milton Krasner & not to be missed. - DirectorEdgar G. UlmerStarsTom NealAnn SavageClaudia DrakeThe life of Al Roberts, a pianist in a New York nightclub, turns into a nightmare when he decides to hitchhike to Los Angeles to visit his girlfriend.7.5/10
Engrossing, surreal--and utterly unique, with distinctive direction from Edgar (The Black Cat 1934) Ulmer. Savage is a wildcat, the most evil femme fatale ever. Don't miss this one. - DirectorEdward DmytrykStarsDick PowellWalter SlezakMicheline CheirelCanadian flyer Laurence Gerard finds that his wife has been murdered by a French collaborator. His quest for justice leads him to Switzerland and Argentina.7/10
Noir with a dollop of espionage--it's quite exciting, with an adult attitude that still feels modern. The story takes one or two too many loops, but it's fast-paced & full of tension. Slezak is the stand-out in a good cast. - DirectorCurtis BernhardtStarsHumphrey BogartAlexis SmithSydney GreenstreetAn engineer trapped in an unhappy marriage murders his wife in the hope of marrying her younger sister.6.5/10
Not one of Bogie's best; the plotting is not very complex, & there's no chemistry between him & Alexis Smith (who barely registered on me). However, it has some good moments, with nice atmosphere courtesy of foggy mountain roads and recurring symbols.
Hitchcock-related spoiler: Vertigo's McKittrick Hotel sequence almost certainly was borrowed from Conflict. Conflict itself owes an obvious debt to Gaslight 1940 (aka Angel Street) & Gaslight 1944. - DirectorFritz LangStarsEdward G. RobinsonJoan BennettDan DuryeaA man in mid-life crisis befriends a young woman, though her fiancé persuades her to con him out of the fortune they mistakenly assume he possesses.
- DirectorHoward HawksStarsHumphrey BogartLauren BacallJohn RidgelyPrivate detective Philip Marlowe is hired by a wealthy family. Before the complex case is over, he's seen murder, blackmail and what might be love.7.5/10
One of the most ridiculous plots ever to grace the screen, turned into art by Hawks's direction and some sizzling performances. - DirectorTay GarnettStarsLana TurnerJohn GarfieldCecil KellawayA married woman and a drifter fall in love and then plot to murder her husband.7.5/10
The setting--so banal, so sinister--& cinematography sell this one for me. Overall the cast is strong; Hume Cronyn as the tricky defense attorney & Jeff York as a motorcycle cop with a cat fixation are particularly memorable.
Having said that, I admit this classic has its problems. Turner looks too wonderful, though usually in a suitably trashy way; both Garfield & Kellaway act her into a corner. The blackmail sequence is over the top & could easily have been cut. Worse still, the dialogue in the final scene is all but unactable.
Nonetheless, this is a movie that you must see. It's easy to understand why Postman was the top moneymaker of all the noirs. - DirectorGeorge MarshallStarsAlan LaddVeronica LakeWilliam BendixAn ex-bomber pilot is suspected of murdering his unfaithful wife.6/10
Solid performances, but the plot requires a boatload of cringe-worthy coincidences to function. - DirectorOrson WellesStarsOrson WellesEdward G. RobinsonLoretta YoungAn investigator from the War Crimes Commission travels to Connecticut to find an infamous Nazi.7/10
The small town atmosphere is well-captured & contrasts in a satisfyingly sinister way with the moody cinematography. Yes, the plot is both simple & absurd, Welles chews quite a lot of scenery & Young's character is embarassingly unconvincing, but this is still a noir that kept me entertained all the way through.
It's also very Hitchcockian. There are moments when the film feels too much like Shadow of a Doubt 1943, with a climax reminiscent of both Blackmail 1929 & Saboteur 1942. - DirectorCharles VidorStarsRita HayworthGlenn FordGeorge MacreadyA small-time gambler hired to work in a Buenos Aires casino discovers his employer's new wife is his former lover.6.5/10
Too much Gilda, not enough crime. Hayworth is a knockout; Ford is adequate in a thankless role. The cinematography (by Rudolph Maté) is very atmospheric--although the film as a whole lacks any real Argentinean flavour. - DirectorEdwin L. MarinStarsGeorge RaftLynn BariVirginia HustonIn 1940s Los Angeles, when womanizing composer Keith Vincent is found dead, the inquest concludes it was a suicide but police detective Joe Warne isn't so sure.6/10
This script deserved a far better cast. The cinematography is excellent, especially the opening trick shot that appears to zoom from an aerial view of LA through a window & straight into a living room, where a pianist is playing. (To do this for real was impossible until the introduction of the Steadicam in the 1970s. Hitchcock wanted to do a similar shot for the opening of Psycho 1960; he & his long-time associate Joan Harrison--who produced Nocturne-- had long memories.) The biggest problem is Raft, for whom the word "wooden" is insufficient to convey how stilted & shallow his acting is here. - DirectorHarold ClurmanWilliam Cameron MenziesStarsSusan HaywardPaul LukasBill WilliamsAfter a woman he meets is murdered, a soon-to-ship-out sailor has until dawn to find the killer, aided by a weary dance hall girl.
- DirectorJacques TourneurStarsRobert MitchumJane GreerKirk DouglasA private eye escapes his past to run a gas station in a small town, but his past catches up with him. Now he must return to the big city world of danger, corruption, double crosses, and duplicitous dames.8/10
Really strong performances & excellent cinematography, compromised by a screenplay that bumps off too many characters. Essential viewing for noir fans.