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Reviews
Nocturne (1946)
Another quality Joan Harrison film
A piano composer is killed in an apparent suicide, and George Raft is a detective who searches for the truth among the composer's many past girlfriends. Lynn Bari plays opposite as a dark haired, beautiful prime suspect.
The plot needed a bit of work. Even after seeing the conclusion of the film, it is difficult understand exactly what happened. Despite this one shortcoming, the film is really watchable and moves well. The dialog is sharp and a lot of nice details are worked into the film. Look for Myrna Dell, who plays the "Tehachapi Debutante" in a supporting role.
Joan Harrison was the producer, and the film bears her unmistakable stamp. This is a noir film, though not as dark as her earlier "Phantom Lady", which was a superior film in terms of acting and overall dynamics.
The opening shot is technically interesting for a 1946 film as it opens up on the night skyline and continuously glides into the the composer's penthouse living room as he plays piano.
Cry Danger (1951)
Dick Powell faces William Conrad, and wins ... eventually.
Dick Powell is pardoned for a crime and searches for justice in post-war Los Angeles. Powell moves into a seamy trailer park on a hill overlooking the downtown (there is a great film shot of this) and teams with a disabled ex-marine. Powell confronts a gangster named Castro, played by William Conrad. Castro is definitely bad news for everyone around him.
The plot is not exceptional and certainly does not transcend B-movie standards, but the film is visually good and somehow the characters and the setting create a milieu which draws in the viewer. Definitely worth watching.
Phantom Lady (1944)
A modest man (Alan Curtis), a civil engineer and a...
A modest man (Alan Curtis), a civil engineer and aspiring designer of cities, is wrongly convicted of murder. His assistant (Ella Raines) takes it upon herself to unravel the mystery.
Raines carries the film, portraying a remarkable image of determination in the face of adversity. The film is well paced and visually excellent.
As a small bonus, there is an interesting jazz music scene towards the middle of the film.
Komissar (1967)
A period film showing a microcosm of the Russian Revolution
During the Russian Revolution, the Red army enters an isolated town and leaves behind a female revolutionary, Klavdia, who has become unexpectedly pregnant. Klavdia stays with a Jewish family to have her baby.
A remarkable film, but one which was left unfinished. The director, Aleksandr Askoldov, is only credited with one movie, and it as if he put a lifetime of ideas into this single film.
The Damned Don't Cry (1950)
The sad story of a woman who survives alone
Joan Crawford leaves her oil-field worker husband after their son dies, and tries to make it in the city. She befriends a quiet accountant, and she guides him as if by instinct into a world of power and corruption.
The movie has the moral ambiguity of real life, and the characters are neither completely good or bad. The movie is excellent visually, and it is clear that the imagery had an influence on such films as The Sting, the Godfather sequence and Casino. Unfortunately, Joan Crawford was a little too old for the part.
Not a famous film, but one which would be appreciated by filmmakers.
Dead Reckoning (1946)
Humphrey Bogart gets tough after WWII
Humphrey Bogart as a tough Army Captain who goes civilian to track down the killers of his World War II army friend. Lizabeth Scott plays the beautiful blonde, who could be either good or bad, and Morris Carnovsky is the exquisitely civilized mob boss. Criminals are always best when they have class.
The movie is entertaining and worth watching. However, there is occasionally a literary triteness, and one gets the feeling that senior studio executives inserted their pet ideas a few too many times.
The Woman in the Window (1944)
Two strangers cover up a killing in self defense
An assistant professor, articulate and mild-mannered, kills a man in self defense, but then hides the body to protect his reputation and that of a mysterious woman he has only briefly met.
Edward G. Robinson is perfect in almost every nuance, and Joan Bennett looks spectacular. There is a fundamental tension as two strangers, a man and a woman, decide whether they can trust each other. The movie is both sad and optimistic, and has a complexity which cannot be easily characterized.