Free Noir online

[Nauga]

Try Archive.org's selection. I'm not sure if they have all the films, but they have a good number you might be able to use for footage.

Hope it helps!

[Andrew666]

I doubt if there is a definitive list as such but here's a good place to start:

http://www.archive.org/details/Film_Noir

[Steve-O]

yeah.... the lists are updated much. I saw that The Big Bluff is there now. A W. Lee Wilder special.

[Deke]

Thanks for the tips. The archive is a great source. I welcome any other leads.

Deke

[Deke]

I did some checking and was surprised to find a lot of films assumed to be in the public domain are in fact still protected by copyright. In the 40's and 50's a film could be copyrighted for 28 years and that could be renewed in the final year of this period for another 28 years. While the studios were pretty good about renewing the copyright, some of those smaller production companies weren't, often because they simply went out of business. Some titles I've confirmed are in the public domain are:
Behind the Green Lights
The Big House
Blonde Ice
Borderline
Kansas City Confidential
I always thought Big Combo and Panic in the Streets were PD but their copyrights were renewed. What I want to learn more about is what happens when that second 28 year period expires.

[Steve-O]

The very enjoyable Inner Circle is available...

[Nighthawk]

I just made a surprising discovery--there are a ton of film noirs uploaded as single files on youtube, and many of them can be watched in 480p! Here are some of the films I've found so far:

Appointment with Danger (1951):
Caught (1949):
Cry Danger (1951):
Framed (1947):
The Killer is Loose (1956):
Lured (1947):
Odd Man Out (1947):
Shield for Murder (1954):
Walk the Dark Street (1956):

This one particular user has uploaded a lot of full noirs in single links (it would take me forever to post individual links for all of them): http://www.youtube.com/user/Ohpoopnotagain#p/u

I didn't know that this was even possible, but apparently it is. Enjoy!

[WilderIndemnity]

I found a playlist on YouTube with 87 noirs, some are in one file and some divided up in about 9 parts.

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list...eature=mh_lolz

[Rufus T]

This website, Open Culture, features free viewing of approx. 30 Film Noir movies:

http://www.openculture.com/free_film_noir_movies

[Steve-O]

Dillinger

[Alberto Oyarbide]

I've just discovered a website where you can watch and download lots of films, around 90 classic noir titles among them!!.
http://archive.org/search.php?query=...rt=-reviewdate.

I don't know about the legality of it. They say "The Internet Archive, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, is building a digital library of Internet sites and other cultural artifacts in digital form. Like a paper library, we provide free access to researchers, historians, scholars, and the general public. "

[Movie Memories]

I don't know about the legality of it.

Absolutely free for viewing, but not necessarily to burn your own copy from their digital file. Check their Terms of Use at the bottom of the page for more info.

[Steve-O]

Absolutely free for viewing, but not necessarily to burn your own copy from their digital file. Check their Terms of Use at the bottom of the page for more info.

that's strange. They certainly don't own these Public Domain movies. It's perfectly legal to download these and do what you want with them. Every now and then someone will put up a protected movie and it's usually taken down quite quickly. But a quick look at the titles I would say it's safe to grab what you want.

[Movie Memories]

You're certainly right about Public Domain and usage rights for anything that falls into that category. I didn't check all the titles available; just noted this in the Terms:

"Some of the content available through the Archive may be governed by local, national, and/or international laws and regulations, and your use of such content is solely at your own risk."

There are a couple there that I would like to grab myself.