British Noir

[Rififi]

Hi, nice to be here.

First of all I'd like to ask for a little help.

I'm a noir fan (obviously) but i'm also a student working on a project for an MA. It's on British Noir and what i'd really like to do is get a few opinions, general impression etc from what seems a knowledgeable community. First up, I'd like to post a short questionaire, as I'm new here it seems gentlemanly to ask admin if its ok to do that, is it (can't imagine why it wouldn't but thought I'd be polite)?

In any case, if there's someone on here with a expertise in or a particluar interest in British noir, or in a specific british noir (or neo noir), it'd be great to discuss it in a laid back informal kind of way on this here thread.

Anyway, good to be here. I hope I can contribute.

[Ian]

Keep an eye out for the wonderful "Yellow Ballon" I saw it at London's BFI last year...It is now available on DVD in The London Collection.......Ian

[Rififi]

Keep an eye out for the wonderful "Yellow Ballon" I saw it at London's BFI last year...It is now available on DVD in The London Collection.......Ian

Must admit that I wasn't aware of that one, but it sounds a good one. And, hey presto, The London Collection is in the university library so I'll be watching it tonight.

Thanks for the referral!

[Ian]

Hi,
I hope that you enjoy it.
Let us know.

Ian

[Ian]

Hi,
Even though it is not a Noir....The Small World Of Sammy Lee (Anthony Newley) is also in The London Collection boxset it is a "must see" film.
Set in Soho in 1960 it is a real gem.

Ian

[spress]

I like The October Man and The Clouded Yellow. My all time favorite film is The Third Man. On the other hand, check out my synopsis of Uneasy Terms at allmovie.com. I wasn't crazy about it.

[bogie]

Footsteps In The Fog(1955)
Stewart Granger is an English gentleman everybody loves.What people dont know is hes a two faced murder.Only one that knows the truth is his trashy servent(Jean Simmons)
Great Film Noir.
http://www.movieposter.com/poster/MPW-26074/Footsteps_in_the_Fog.html

[Rififi]

Hi,
I hope that you enjoy it.
Let us know.

Ian

I did. Ending brings the Third Man to mind.

And more evidence to back up my theory that there was an unwritten rule in the '50's ensuring that Sid James had to be in every other film made in Britain.

[Ian]

Hi all,
I have just seen this on Amazon.

British Film Noir: Twilight Women/The Slasher [DVD] [US Import]

"The Slasher" is AKA as "Cosh Boy" and I have a copy of it on DVD.
I saw it recently at The BFI and it was the first ever x film here.

A very young Joan Collins just has to be seen!

Ian

[Christina Delassalle]

Green For Danger is a fantastic movie. Perhaps just more of a damn good mystery, but does have a norish feel to it, but whichever, you can't find a much better movie than this! Alastair Sim is just briiliant.

Green for Danger (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0038577/)

[BobtheGambler]

Went on the hunt recently for the British noir ON THE NIGHT OF THE FIRE, a film released in 1938. Directed by Brian Desmond Hurst and starring Ralph Richardson and Diana Wynard (she was menaced by Anton Walbrook in the 1940 British version of GASLIGHT), the film is adapted from a novel by F L Green, who also wrote Odd Man Out. There are definite parallels to be found in the two film adaptations, as I learned from reading a comment on IMDB. The first DVD copy I acquired of the film was junk, but the second copy, recorded from British television, was quite good. Simply put, the film is outstanding. The story, performances, editing, set design, all are top-notch, and the cinematography by Gunther Krampf (cameraman for Pabst's PANDORA'S BOX) is everything one could hope for. In a nutshell, Richardson is a barber, barely making ends meet, who happens to spot a substantial sum of money on a table just inside an open window. He steals the money, and finds his life in a downward spiral from then on. I discussed it a few days ago with someone who was actually fortunate to have seen a nice print of it on the big screen just recently, and we both concurred that this one's Criterion-worthy, or Masters of Cinema for that matter. So glad to have finally caught up with this film.

[David Boxwell]

British film noir began with THEY DRIVE BY NIGHT in 1938, made at Teddington Studios by Warner Bros.' British offshoot. It's a crucially important and overlooked film, with one of Emlyn Williams' few starring roles. This film alone would give you much to chew on: how similar is to French poetic realism emerging the same year in Carne's QUAI DES BRUMES and Renoir's LA BETE HUMAINE? Is TDBN "British" or more Germanic in tone and style?

The canon is pretty much established for you by New York's Film Forum Brit Noir series than ran last year. You can google the Forum's website and the full list of the program. You will have a very rich body of work to study. Good luck!