Best film noir from 1950 - 1954

[Steve-O]

OK... Due to some requests I'm going to continue the Best Film Noir of All Time polls. We got through the 1940s... http://www.noiroftheweek.com/2008/03/best-film-noir-of-all-time-1945-1949.html

Now let's take on the 1950s

Pick your favorite noir from 1950 (we'll do each year separately.) I've chosen ten in the poll above.

[Steve-O]

1950 is a very strong year for noir. Please reply with any write ins that didn't make the poll.

1950
Armored Car Robbery
The Asphalt Jungle
Between Midnight and Dawn
The Breaking Point
Caged
Convicted
The Damned Don't Cry!
Dark City
Deported
Destination Murder
D.O.A.
Edge of Doom
The File on Thelma Jordon
Guilty Bystander
Highway 301
House by the River
In a Lonely Place
The Killer That Stalked New York
Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye
A Lady Without Passport
Mystery Street
No Man of Her Own
No Way Out
One Way Street
Panic in the Streets
Quicksand
Red Light
The Secret Fury
711 Ocean Drive
Shakedown
Side Street
The Sleeping City
The Sound of Fury
Southside 1-1000
Sunset Boulevard
The Tattoed Stranger
Tension
Try and Get Me (aka The Sound of Fury)
The Underworld Story
Union Station
Walk Softly, Stranger
Where Danger Lives
Where the Sidewalk Ends
Woman on the Run

[David]

'Try And Get Me' and 'D.O.A.' are personal faves, but I think that 'The Asphalt Jungle' is probably the best of the lot..

[Brian]

That is a strong list! I voted for In A Lonely Place, but Quicksand is one of my favorites, also.

[Hard-Boiled-Rick]

The Asphalt Jungle and Sunset Boulevard are tops, and D.O.A. is a cult classic. A vintage year!

[slimdundee62]

I voted for In A Lonely Place

Sunset Blvd. would be a close second.

[David]

I'm kinda surprised to see 'In A Lonely Place' do so well. I love it, but I don't know that I could ever rate higher than 'Asphalt'..

[Steve-O]

Sunset Blvd. and DOA getting no votes? I think the hard-core noirheads are still partying at Noir City!

[Mappin & Webb Ltd.]

While I love In a Lonely Place and have a soft spot for Panic in the Streets, I voted for Sunset Boulevard. To me it's one of those rare films that's as close to perfection across the board as you're ever gonna get.

[David Bushman]

To me Asphalt Jungle just has so much going on, with all the different characters and their stories.

[DarkMark]

New Member test reply

[DarkMark]

Another test - figuring out all the settings - sorry!!

[Martin]

Although Billy Wilder's savaging of Hollywood meets many noir criteria, to me it feels more like a gothic horror than a noir, at best a genre crossover, which is why I Hung my chad elsewhere.

[Steve-O]

Another test - figuring out all the settings - sorry!!
No worries. Welcome DarkMark from Seattle!

[Keith]

Seeing it for the first time at Noir City, I had to give Armored Car Robbery some loving.

[Hart]

The Asphalt Jungle got me into noir way back when, and its remained a perennial re-watch and favorite of mine (was especially thrilling to see it on the big screen at NoirCity). Still, a tough poll........

[Harry Fabian]

Having a real hard time deciding between D.O.A and Asphalt Jungle. Maybe this calls for some repeat viewing.

[JCharles]

I agree, these are tough choices. I put Asphalt and DOA up there as two of favorites, frequently re-watched. I'm also partial to Armored Car Robbery and Where The Sidewalk Ends. I like Try And get Me too, except for that spooky woman who tries to snare Frank Lovejoy. She was no femme fatale.

[Fast Eddie]

I'm not sure how to actually vote, but here is my Top 10 (alphabetically) from an exceptional year.

THE ASPHALT JUNGLE
THE BREAKING POINT
THE DAMNED DON'T CRY
IN A LONELY PLACE
SIDE STREET
SUNSET BOULEVARD
TRY AND GET ME
THE UNDERWORLD STORY
WHERE THE SIDEWALK ENDS
WOMAN ON THE RUN

There are other terrific films to consider, but the deciding factor for me is the sxcript. All the films I chose have, IMO, excellent screenplays.

[Bob]

I guess Night and the City has been passed on here since it was filmed in the UK, albeit with an American director and the two leads.
1950, like 1947, is a vintage noir year. Imo, The Asphalt Jungle, In a Lonely Place, the Breaking Point, Sunset Blvd., Try and Get Me and DOA rise above all the others. Prior to seeing The Asphalt Jungle again at Noir City I would have gone for either the Garfield or Bogey film, but I have to go with The Asphalt Jungle. One of the intoxicating things about noir is how it entwines you around the characters where you become empathetic towards their moral corruption, degradation, or dead-end predicament. For me it was Louis Calhern's crooked shyster, "Uncle Lon" in JUNGLE. In a film filled with compelling characters, I thought he was magnificent.

[Raven]

Just way too much of a good thing but if you put a gun to my head, I’m picking D.O.A. The reasoning, while D.O.A. will never be called a great film and some probably wouldn’t admit to it even being a good film, there’s no denying it’s excellent at what films are primary suppose to do and that’s entertain.

That said I’m hoping the intellectual crowd won’t jump up, paint signs and start a parade down Main Street expounding about the educational and societal aspects of film. While all well and good the fact is “it don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that swing.” One thing D.O.A. has in spades is “swing.” Who among us doesn’t get a rush seeing Eddie O’Brien carom off unsuspecting pedestrians like a pin ball as he tries to out run his impending doom?

[Raw Deal]

O.k. after months as a lurker you forced my hand. I had to register to keep "In a Lonely Place" from falling out of the top spot.

[Steve-O]

I think that In a Lonely Place is gathering a growing reputation as one of the best. Asphalt Jungle will be hard to beat as a pure noir though.

[Bob]

One thing D.O.A. has in spades is “swing.” Who among us doesn’t get a rush seeing Eddie O’Brien carom off unsuspecting pedestrians like a pin ball as he tries to out run his impending doom?[/QUOTE]


In terms of theme DOA is as noir as it gets. Except for O'Brien, who is always good, DOA doesn't have the amount of fine acting that the other top films of 1950 have. In the Noir tour of SF I tried to get some of my noir cohorts to re-create the running in panic down Market Street a la Frank Bigelow. Sort of a dark city version of the running of the bulls at Pamplona, but no one was up for it. When you reach a certain age the bones don't move as well:-)

[Steve-O]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ziBvb8Yf5ks
how far did he run? I also like the Life Magazines at the end...

[Davidmk]

Just bought a copy of D.O.A. off ebay , ordered that & "black angel" looking forward to them .

[Raven]

"In the Noir tour of SF I tried to get some of my noir cohorts to re-create the running in panic down Market Street a la Frank Bigelow. Sort of a dark city version of the running of the bulls at Pamplona,
"


Truth be known, after those 5 pound burritos we had in the Mission district, I don't any us could have ran in a "panic" for anything other than perhaps the rest room.

[Bob]

Truth be known, after those 5 pound burritos we had in the Mission district, I don't any us could have ran in a "panic" for anything other than perhaps the rest room.

Those silver torpedos from the Mission are good for you. They are thr true "San Francisco treat", not Rice A Roni.

[Davidmk]

Just watched D.O.A. , thought it was a really good film , not my favorite out of that list , but a really good film ...

[eubiecat]

I voted for TRY AND GET ME--it has a seamy intensity that is still absolutely startling!

1950 was a bumper crop for films noir. Because I love to make lists, here are my Top Ten for the mid-century:

TRY AND GET ME
WOMAN ON THE RUN
D.O.A.
THE TATTOOED STRANGER
SIDE STREET
IN A LONELY PLACE
NIGHT AND THE CITY
SUNSET BOULEVARD
WHERE THE SIDEWALK ENDS
TENSION (a Johnny Craig EC Crime SuspenStory in movie form)

I know, I know--where's THE ASPHALT JUNGLE? I like the film fine--there were so many noirs in 1950 that I felt I could leave one of the big shots off the list. I suppose SUNSET BOULEVARD is an apt substitution, tho'...

[rlb32]

I'm kinda surprised to see 'In A Lonely Place' do so well. I love it, but I don't know that I could ever rate higher than 'Asphalt'..

Same here. I voted for Sunset Blvd myself.

[Richard]

THE ASPHALT JUNGLE, obviously.
Of course, they're all good, strong, classic, even superior noirs, but there's only one towering giant of cinema and of noir in the bunch and that's THE ASPHALT JUNGLE.

As an aside, I couldn't vote for either IN A LONELY PLACE or SUNSET BOULEVARD in any case because, because, because I don't think movie people or movie culture should be the subject of cinematic storytelling. Movies about movie people break the fourth wall for me. Which is not to say they're bad films. I just can't suspend disbelief in them. Does no one else feel that way?

Richard

[eubiecat]

Say, when is 1951 coming?

[Steve-O]

Say, when is 1951 coming?
Yeah... I'll have it up this week.

[noirguru]

I,voted for The Asphalt Jungle,but love In A Lonely Place!

[bogie]

DOA got my vote.

[bogie]

What happened to Black Tuesday?

[Rififi]

Surprised Sunset... 's not doing so well here.

In a Lonely Place gets mine too though.

[Davidmk]

allthough i have only seen 75% of these I am throwing in my lonely vote at Where the Sidewalk Ends