I checked out the Pretender last night... lots of venetian blinds in that one!
The Last Film Noir you watched
I checked out the Pretender last night... lots of venetian blinds in that one!
I re-watched Babs Stanwyck and Barry Sullivan in 'Jeopardy' last night. Didn't really hold up from the first time
I saw it (in the middle of the night) some years ago, but still a nice little diversion...
Last edited by David; 01-19-2010 at 06:53 PM.
Watched Inside Job.
Over past few days, add Human Desire and The Mob.
Also viewed Conflict.
ST
I Was A Communist For The FBI
Born To Kill I'm still recovering after being thoroughly blown away.
Dark Passage to relive those two trips I made up the Filbert steps at Noir City last week.
Scene of the Crime
The Big Heat
A double-bill of My Name is Julia Ross--terrific 35mm print--and Two O'Clock Courage in 16. I hadn't seen Ross in 20 some years--great film. Two is a fun if minor B. But there is at least one funny amnesia gag, when Tom Conway replies "Forget it. I did."
I recently re-watched Raw Deal, probably for the sixth or seventh time. It's one of my all-time favorite noirs so I tend to watch it at least once a year. My first exposure to it was years ago when I first discovered film noir. I went to a double feature at a local college....Raw Deal and T-Men. It doesn't get much better than that!
I find Raw Deal to be almost hypnotic...John Alton's stark shadows and mist, the eerie theremin music, and Claire Trevor's weary narration. It's a peek at another world.
And what a great collection of actors...Dennis O'Keefe, Marsha Hunt, John Ireland, and Raymond Burr with his flambe fixation. I could keep going on about this one.
Murder by Contract. A near excellent b noir, with some perfectly taut and brilliant scenes. Edwards is perfectly stolid and menacing in the lead; his terse, gruff delievery reminded me of Eastwood in some of his later flicks. The screenplay felt a little rushed and the two gangsters Vince meets in LA were too clichéd to be effective as humor, but some of the dialogue written was memorable. Another knock would be the back and forth mix of location shots with scenes filmed in studio with projectors but I heard Lerner didn't have much of a budget and the film was shot in one week so I suppose he did the best he could. Perhaps the best thing about the film was the awesome guitar score, which really enhanced the athomsphere and tension in it.
'Blast Of Silence'. Perfect for winter-noir-watching, and Criterion's extras are sensational (as usual).
Such a terrific film (imho)..
I kept thinking about Blast of Silence when watching Murder by Contract. Only a few years apart and simililar in plot (from memory, a Cleveland hitman travels east to NYC in Blast, Ohio hit man travels west to LA in Murder). Not quite the same style directorially and the screenplays diverge about the details and overall characterization, but both films are pretty close to each other and make for a good contrast.
That'd be a great double feature, Hart..Originally Posted by Hart
Oh yeah, David. I think I'll re-watch Blast of Silence again, if not tonight maybe tomorrow or Monday. Ahh.....but there's so many other noirs to watch!
"Clash by Night" (1952) - another great performance by Robert Ryan.
Tell me about it. I started my obsession in '94 and still have a handful left to see..(!) It's the kind of problem I don't really complain about too much.
Robert Ryan / Gloria Grahame double feature: Odds Against Tomorrow / Crossfire
Watched 3 last night "The Big Steal " ,"They Live By Night " & "Side street" The Granger/O'donnell pair up is great !
Last two watched were 'Born To Kill' (which I like less and less every time I watch it), and 'The Hitch-Hiker' (which I like more and more)..
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