The Last Film Noir you watched

[Richard]

Last night I watched LOVE IN THE STRANGEST WAY, a French neo-noir from 1994, about a debt collector who is set up for a sting by a bitter woman whose life he ruined. The French are gifted at noir and this is a well written, meticulously plotted, down-to-earth entry in the genre with several memorable scenes. The debt collector is a jerk who deserves the worst he gets, and yet he is honest in a corrupt way, and we viewers can't be sure if he will triumph in the end. Nadia Faris is the femme fatale, and let it be said she is not shy. The films' American influences will be obvious, but it makes something new out of them, and the attention on character progression and faces will hold your interest. Transfer on the region 2 DVD by Bluebell is clean, clear, and sharp with good color saturation in the muted French style. Directed by Christopher Frank, who was responsible for one of the best foreign films of the 1980s, YEAR OF THE JELLYFISH (1984).

Buy it for under 10 bucks here:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Love-Strange...1114094&sr=1-1


Richard

[Richard]

Make Haste To Live(1954)
http://www.impawards.com/1954/make_haste_to_live.html

Okay, so?
You watched it, right?
Are you going to stop there?
Did Dorothy McGuire let her down for a change?

Was it monochrome or color?
The poster looks interesting and now I want to see the film.
Mary Murphy is in it; she was hot when she was young and a pistol when she got older (see WALKING TALL, 1973).


Richard

[bogie]

Pushover(1954)
http://www.impawards.com/1954/pushover.html

[bogie]

Violence(1947)
http://www.moviepostershop.com/popup_image.php?pID=2347

[eubiecat]

I received the Hammer "Icons of Suspense Collection" for my recent birthday. These aren't really noir by any stretch of the imagination. They're more like good ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS episodes, stretched out to feature length.

Watching them in order. STOP ME BEFORE I KILL was a total snoozer, despite a great opening sequence...

CASH ON DEMAND is pretty good, altho' I got restless during it. The mild twist ending was pleasurable, I'll admit.

THE SNORKEL is pretty twisted, and Peter van Eyck is fascinatingly despicable, even though there is no motivation presented for why his character is such a murderous bastard. I wish a little more care had been put into the writing (which was by David Chantler, writer of many of the lesser George Reeves SUPERMAN TV episodes).

These are OK films, but I don't honestly think I'll be watching them again...


I think I'll take a break from this set tonight, and watch something American in origin.

[bogie]

Beyond A Reasonable Doubt(1956)
http://www.impawards.com/1956/beyond...ble_doubt.html

[bogie]

Lucky Jordan(1942(Lucky Jordan(Alan Ladd)is New Yorks top mob kingpin.Lucky has his problems,hes soon to be drafted along with his shifty second in command,Slip Moran(Sheldon Leonard)who orders a hit on Lucky by killer(Anthony Caruso)who bungles the job killing Luckys double.
Lucky shows up at the draft board with his lawyer,Higgins(Llyod Corragan)and town drunk,Annie(Mabel Paige)poseing as his mother.After Annie bungles everything Lucky is soon in the army.
Disgusted Lucky goes AWOL with USO galJill Evens(Helen Walker)out to bring him back.
Soon Lucky finds out Slipp is involved with Nazi Spy Ring being lead by SS officer(John wengraf)and bundist Kilpatrick(Miles Mander)They want a briefcase full of important papers Lucky took with him in his escape.
Great Film.
http://www.moviepostershop.com/popup...php?pID=238083
Keep an eye out for Dorothy Dandridge and Yvonne De Carlo(Bits)

[Night Editor]

Last night I watched LOVE IN THE STRANGEST WAY, a French neo-noir from 1994, about a debt collector who is set up for a sting by a bitter woman whose life he ruined. The French are gifted at noir and this is a well written, meticulously plotted, down-to-earth entry in the genre with several memorable scenes. Transfer on the region 2 DVD by Bluebell is clean, clear, and sharp with good color saturation in the muted French style. Directed by Christopher Frank, who was responsible for one of the best foreign films of the 1980s, YEAR OF THE JELLYFISH (1984).

Buy it for under 10 bucks here:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Love-Strange...1114094&sr=1-1

Richard

Thanks for the heads-up on this one. I enjoy these French '80's and 90's neo-thrillers tres, tres beaucoup.

Even at their most derivative, there's that quota of 'Frenchness' - the general ambience, the particulars of French life, the similar-but-different approaches to noir - that make them worth the watch.

Also, I agree that noir-heads can do well by keeping their eye on Amazon.co.uk. Their pricing on a lot of stuff and especially their regular sales are definitely worth any time and effort.

NE

[bogie]

Quiet Please,Murder(1942)
http://www.impawards.com/1942/quiet_please_murder.html
George Sanders at his BEST.

[Jinx Dain]

"Cry Danger" at the Egyptian theatre in Hollywood. Terrific movie ...and in attendance were Richard Erdman and Rhonda Fleming. A great night.

[JCharles]

"Cry Danger" at the Egyptian theatre in Hollywood. Terrific movie ...and in attendance were Richard Erdman and Rhonda Fleming. A great night.

Wow, that sounds great, wish I could have been there. Erdman's a hoot in that movie, very funny. And Rhonda, of course, is a knockout. I would've loved to hear there stories about the film.

[bogie]

Blues In The Night(1941)
http://www.tcm.com/mediaroom/index/?cid=84593

[bogie]

Man Hunt(1941)
http://www.impawards.com/1941/man_hunt.html

[bogie]

Cloak And Dagger(1946)Atomic Scientist,Alvah Jesper(Gary Cooper)is visted by his old friend,COL Walsh(James Flavin)and is asked to go behind Axis lines to find out about Atomic Scientist(Vladimir Sokoloff)working for the Axis.
Alvah is met by undergound leaders,Gina(Lili Palmer)and Pinkie(Robert Alda)who put him in touch with the scientist whos being forced to work for the enemy.Hot on Alvahs trail is Luigi(Marc Lawrence)an Axis agent.
Alvah and the scientist are flown back to Allied Lines.
In the real ending,the scientist dies on the plane,but a picture of the Nazi Atomic Plant is found in his pocket.Alvah finds the plant,but its deserted.He walks out and sees advancing American troops and says,This is Year One Of The Atomic Age.
The real ending was cut by Warner Brothers because it was too soon after Hiroshima.
You hear Gary Cooper senselessly talking about Atomic Power and Lili talking about the Americans only being a few weeks away.

http://www.impawards.com/1946/cloak_and_dagger.html

[eubiecat]

I found a copy of William Castle's 1949 UNDERTOW, which had long been on my wanna-see-list. It's rather paint-by-numbers noir until the tremendously frightening and intense set-piece at the end--one of the movies' most complete moments of utter doom, and one which I don't want to spoil for those who've not seen it.

Last night I revisited Frank Borzage's MOONRISE, from 1948. Few movies convey the limitations of small-town life like this one. Dane Clark is a particularly unlikable and morose anti-hero. John Russell's cinematography is gorgeous. The very fluid camera is like Max Ophuls', moving up and down, back and forth, really inhabiting the universe this movie depicts, and imparting that sense of being there to the viewer. The haunting scenes of Rex Ingram sitting on his bayou front-porch, singing a minor-keyed murder ballad to his guitar accompaniment, are a remarkable achievement.

[bogie]

The Enforcer(1951)Dist Atty Martin Ferguson(Humphrey Bogart)has an air tight case against the head of Murder INC,Albert Mendoza(Everett Sloane)with his second in command,underboss Joseph Rico(Ted De Corsia)about to testify,but in an escape try,Rico is killed.
Disgusted,Ferguson knows Mendoza will soon go free.
Going over the evidence he and his team(Roy Roberts and King Donovan)know there was another piece of evidence they could have used but didnt need it because they had Rico.
Years before,Killer Duke Malloy(Michael Tolan)had given himself up after being forced to murder his girl.Before killing himself he tells of three hoods who made him do it,Smiley,Big Babe,and Philadelphia.
Smiley is killed by Herman(Bob Steele)but the police track down Philadephia(Jack Lambert)in an insane hospital.He tells them of Big Babe(Zero Mostel)and the rest of the mob.Rico was head and taking orders from an unknown boss.
The police track down Malloys girlfriends roomate,Olga Kirshen,who has a secret.
http://www.impawards.com/1951/enforcer.html

[JCharles]

Finished watching Macao last night, Mitchum displays his cool under pressure in this one, especially with Philip Ahn holding a knife at his back. There's a great sequence where Ahn and another knife-thrower chase Mitchum through a maze of dark alleys and cobblestone streets, ending up on a slimy wharf layered with nets and barrels. A simple plot but visually very exciting. William Bendix adds some laughs and Gloria Grahame steals every scene she's in. Throw in Jane Russell and two oily gents named Brad Dexter and Thomas Gomez and you've got alot to look at.

[bogie]

The Hunted(1948)
http://www.impawards.com/1948/hunted.html

[David]

I found a copy of William Castle's 1949 UNDERTOW, which had long been on my wanna-see-list. It's rather paint-by-numbers noir until the tremendously frightening and intense set-piece at the end--one of the movies' most complete moments of utter doom, and one which I don't want to spoil for those who've not seen it.

Last night I revisited Frank Borzage's MOONRISE, from 1948. Few movies convey the limitations of small-town life like this one. Dane Clark is a particularly unlikable and morose anti-hero. John Russell's cinematography is gorgeous. The very fluid camera is like Max Ophuls', moving up and down, back and forth, really inhabiting the universe this movie depicts, and imparting that sense of being there to the viewer. The haunting scenes of Rex Ingram sitting on his bayou front-porch, singing a minor-keyed murder ballad to his guitar accompaniment, are a remarkable achievement.

Mmm, I love both of these, Eubie.. I like 'Undertow' a bit more than you do, finding it very entertaining (and feeling that Peggy Dow is a fetching girl-next-door type..).

[bogie]

Narrow Margin(1952)
http://www.tcm.com/mediaroom/index/?cid=150539