Right on - The Big Heat is a great film. Gloria Grahame as the avenger mentioned above is one of the unsuing heroines (not exactly the correct word, I know) of film noir and of classic American cinema in general.
She was outstanding in Lang’s otherwise disappointing Human Desire (with Glenn Ford again), and suffered with dignity alongside Humphrey Bogart in In a Lonely Place.
Gloria Grahame is definatly one of the most underrated actresses.
Just stumbled across this website, with a list of 250 of what they consider quintessential noirs. Haven’t digested it fully yet, but it seems to be worth studying:
[url]http://www.theyshootpictures.com/noir250noirs1.htm[/url]
[quote=“Starblack, post:123, topic:1786”]Just stumbled across this website, with a list of 250 of what they consider quintessential noirs. Haven’t digested it fully yet, but it seems to be worth studying:
[url]http://www.theyshootpictures.com/noir250noirs1.htm[/url][/quote]
I’m ashamed to say that I have only seen 18 films on that list.
The internet archives is a geat place to watch noirs on the internet obviously. Checking out Fear in the Night at the moment and it doesn’t look as if itwill disapoint. It’s been so long it seems since I’ve seen a Spaghetti. I gotta get back on track but these noirs…
Just watched The Chase, an unheralded post-war noir that has a lot to offer.
The plot, based on a story by pulp novelist Cornell Woolrich (Rear Window), ticks most of the noir boxes - a WW2 veteran struggling to adjust to peacetime gets a job as a gangster’s chauffeur, falls for the boss’s wife, goes on the run, becomes a murder suspect and goes on the run again. It’s unfortunate that, two thirds in, the film veers off into then-fashionable psychoanalytical territory (another noir staple, of course), which detracts from the good work undertaken prior to that point.
Nevertheless, there’s a dreamy, almost nightmarish ambience to the best scenes that rivals more famous noirs, with the lovers swathed in inky blackness by the almost expressionistic cinematography. The use of Havana (really a studio set) as a backdrop for the couple’s flight adds intensity - as in most noirs, the city is depicted as a heaving, sweaty warren of seedy clubs and threatening alleyways, and the danger to the American hero is ramped up here by the ‘alien’ nature of the locals and locales.
Leading man Robert Cummings (from Hitchcock’s enjoyable wrong man/propaganda thriller Saboteur) seems a little lightweight at first, but grows into the role, though Michele Morgan as his lover doesn’t have that smouldering quality. Hence it’s not entirely convincing that Cummings would fall for her to the extent of putting both their lives on the lines. Then again, he’s shown to be the instinctive type, so perhaps that should suffice.
As for the villains, there are great turns by Steve Cochran as the misogynistic mobster and Peter Lorre as his cynical, sour-faced accomplice.
Who doesn’t love Peter Lorre? The man even elicited sympathy for a child killer in M!
The UK DVD I rented is piss-poor - murky, full of pops and scratches and with a muddy audio track, but considering the rarity of the film, it’ll have to do.
Saw a noir double feature this morning… 
The Sniper 1952/ Journey Into Fear 1943
Journey into fear was an outright mess with details thrown around that I really never caught, uninspiring acting and directing and very dull plot. Its one of those espionage flicks that you never really care to understand…Little redeeming qualities but still worth a watch…
The Sniper on the other hand is an interesting loner film whose influence is seen in films like Taxi Driver and Targets…We get a psychological entanglement from Arthur Franz and a dogged pursuit from Gerald Mohr… i liked the film alot although others might not…
Watched the “newspaper Noir” Sweet Smell of Success last night. It’s noir status is debatable but the film itself is great. The acting and dialogue in particular are phenomanal. Tony Curtis plays a lowlife press agent who is a real slimeball. His performance is simply great as is the great Burt Lancaster as J.J. Hunsecker, also a low life who nearly destroys his sisters life. When she leaves and goes through that door, Lancaster opens it for her and looks down. His face shows his complete failure and destruction.
Also watched Lady from Shanghai which was also very good. I foud the plot very easy to follow but with some major holes.
@Rififi:
Can you recommend some stlyish mystery Noirs? Preferably B’s or obscure. Or anyone else who is kind enough to help.
How is Mickey Roonie’s Quicksand?
I don’t know whether you would class this as a “B” Film Noir, but its pretty obscure (unless you happen to be a fan of the director, which I gather Riffi is). Its call “Brute Force”, and apart from a weak ending and flashbacks, itts excellent. also, “Dead Reckoning” is definatly a “B”, even if Humphrey Bogart is in it. I’ld aslo like to recomend “The Enforcer”, again with Bogart. It’s from the fifties, and it has Bogart playing a cop trying to nail “Murder Inc.” (I think you can guess what that organisation dose!).
Brute Force is a very tough film for its time. I would recommend it.
[quote=“korano, post:128, topic:1786”]@Rififi:
Can you recommend some stlyish mystery Noirs? Preferably B’s or obscure. Or anyone else who is kind enough to help.
How is Mickey Roonie’s Quicksand?[/quote]
B noirs are usually unremarkable and I would tell you to stay away from them if they werent movies like Detour, Gun Crazy, The Sniper or Behind Green Lights (I reccomend them all)…Also Quicksand’s first half is promising but i didnt get a chance to see it all the way as Netflix’s dvd didnt work all the way…and the replacement the same…
Id highly reccomend all of Dassin’s noirs as they are all excellent and premium noir…
Well I just saw Quicsand and didn’t find it anything special.Rooney is way too short to take seriously.
But aren’t most of the good noirs called B’s? like Big Combo and Ride the pink horse.
Any suggestions for best camera lighting and atmosphere?
[quote=“korano, post:132, topic:1786”]Well I just saw Quicsand and didn’t find it anything special.Rooney is way too short to take seriously.
But aren’t most of the good noirs called B’s? like Big Combo and Ride the pink horse.
Any suggestions for best camera lighting and atmosphere?[/quote]
What I mean by B’s are films that are still called bs to this day…Like the one thats come in those cheap boxsets called Forgotten noir or are in public domain and such…
But now I know what you mean I would recommend Pickup On South Street, Decoy, Crimewave, All of Anthony Mann’s films…
Best lighting and atmosphere films…
Odd Man Out
Act of Violence
Le Doulos (and all of Melvilles films)
High and Low
Kiss of Death
The Informer (proto noir)
The Stranger (not too impressive in the cited context but a lot of fun).
You know, I think I should give the Third Man another go. Watching Reed’s Odd Man Out an has very impressive exterior lighting as opposed to the interior lighing thatis the norm. The exterior lighting is like Third Man so, hell why not.
Glad you liked it… One of my favorites and one prime example of what noir can spark in the human soul…Great Photography as well…
Next time when when watching Third Man, look not for the brutality of noir… but the self parodying nature of the film…
When I first watched The Third Man (gonna give out some mild personal info), I hadn’t had my focusing medication and was at a VERY short attention span. Not to mention it was a sunday school night and I hate Sundya’s during school. And I watched it in full sunlight.
Long story short, my mood, attention, and atmosphere was completely disrupted. When I can’t focus because I forget to take my meds, I really cannot get into a film. For example, when I first watched The Killers med free, I was ancy, hyper, and unfocused. But with meds, I was calm, focused, and attentive and thoroughly enjoyed this film despite my initail rating of 2 stars which is whatI gave Thrd Man. But Killers is now 5 so… I’ll rent the Criterion along with Rififi and Sunset Boulevard for a good Noir triple feature covering not only three Noirs from seperate countries, but three different noir genres. War mystery, Heist, and Hollywood. I’m done now.
This is understandable…fim noir needs a good mood for complete enjoyability…
Which leads me to another story which due to my good mood, will undoubtedly be long and wordy.
I moved out of that room of the house which I used as my personal type room.I’m now in a darker place with blinds. And at night, to refrain from using the ecsessively bright lighyts, I swath the room in candle light which creates aperfectatmosphere for Noir. Ecsessive? Maybe but energy saving and effective.
I’ve got to give Nightmare Alley another shot too for I was bored with it dueto the similar problem.
Seen it?
Funny enough, in my room I have a single lamp to point against the wall in the corner to keep a perfect atmosphere at nigh for noirs…
Havent seen Nightmare Alley yet… probably for the simple reason that it has an uniteresting dvd cover…
Damn Fox film noir… but I do owe them for releasing some classics…
I’ll give you a chance to get back at Fox Film Noir right here.
Comes in 12 parts. It’s extremely atmospheric and extremely dark and depressing. And it is anything but uninteresting as I recall. Tyrone Power giving his best performance.
Also, check out the guys youtube account. He has many great Noirs. Hank Quinlan. Saved me money but will probably piss of people here but since it’s not Spaghetti money I’m saving, they should actually be fine.