Noirvember

[greennui]

Camino del infierno (Miguel Morayta, 1951) - Film noir? Not sure, surely there's another term for these crazy Mexican films. In the starring roles: Pedro Armendariz's eye brows and Leticia Palma's chin as the femme fatale.

[thoxans]

halfway into rudolph mate's d.o.a., and while it features a short sequence with one of the stupidest ever uses of a slide whistle, i'm still hooked!

did flip or someone else mention this one recently, or was it just mate in general...?

[rischka]

it was silga on the previous page i think. i watched petzold's jerichow, yet another adaptation of the postman always rings twice. but a good one

[flip]

halfway into rudolph mate's d.o.a., and while it features a short sequence with one of the stupidest ever uses of a slide whistle, i'm still hooked!

did flip or someone else mention this one recently, or was it just mate in general...?

yeah silga and i were discussing mate noirs, i owe doa a rewatch, but it's the one i like least of the four i've seen (he has six on the 1000 noirs list, but one, the green glove, doesn't seem too noir to me). if you dig doa, i'd rec union station, i really like that one!

[flip]

i watched:

Assignment: Paris (Robert Parrish, 1952) - more an espionage thriller about journalists behind the Iron Curtain than a noir, though its original director was Phil Karlson, who was fired and replaced by Parrish during his noir period, it features Audrey Totter (sadly underused), and one character says "femme fatale" at one point, so it's at least noir-adjacent. And it feels too good to be so unknown - it has all the intelligence (in the dialogue, and in the complex plotting) I expect from a Parrish film, it's really well acted and made, and it's got some gripping and fascinating sequences. Really liked it. 8/10

Man in the Dark (Lew Landers, 1953) - apparently this was the first major studio 3D picture (released two days before Andre de Toth's House of Wax). And in 2D, the most interesting things about are the things that were presumably meant to be impressive in 3D, sudden extreme closeups in the middle of action sequences that are really visually distinctive. But it was a really rushed production, and it feels that way. There's a lot of funhouse carnival material that would be effectively grotesque in other hands, but never seems to achieve what it could, and I didn't feel like Landers knew how to spatialize the complex set piece at the end (which could have been phenomenal in other hands). Also features one of Audrey Totter's best performances. 6/10

[Lencho of the Apes]

Union Station didn't match up with any of the things I loved about DOA; I was disappointed by it.

[thoxans]

where the sidewalk ends (otto preminger) didn't even know how closely related to laura this was until i turned it on, so was pleasantly surprised by an unintended perfect double bill! not as meticulously structured as laura - but only cuz this one is a character study, whereas laura was an ensemble piece - so the trajectory here is much more direct, dependent on dana andrews' character's arc. that's what makes this one way more tense though. if laura was a mystery, wtse is a thriller, with the focus on andrews' reactions as he maneuvers through the moral and legal no man's land of manslaughter, as a violent cop who does what he needs to get the bad guys, until he goes too far. the dividing line of good and evil blurred, with andrews himself seemingly one, then the other, from scene to scene. we root for him, but we don't want him to win. after it was over, i opened up my boxd app with full intentions of giving this a three, but unconsciously pressed four, so that must mean something...?

[flip]

Shockproof (Douglas Sirk, 1949) - it sounds like this could have been a much better picture, but the studio changed Sam Fuller's script (including the ending), and this isn't the type of pic the title might suggest. It's much more melodrama than thriller. Well made and all, but I didn't care for it much. 5/10

Johnny Allegro (Ted Tetzlaff, 1949) - I feel like most things about this film were good (the cinematography probably stands out most, but that was Tetzlaff's main occupation) besides George Raft's acting, I feel like Raft was the Keanu Reeves of the 1940s. A contemporaneous NYT review of the film called Raft "comatose". But at the same time not much about this film felt outstanding, though it is a bit of an oddball noir in some ways (the setting, for one thing, and the weapon of choice of the villain). 7/10

[greennui]

This Gun For Hire (Frank Tuttle, 1942) - Really enjoyed Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake in this one, film noir def needed more skinny, cat loving anti-heroes. Can't quite get my head around Laird Cregar being younger than me in this film though.

[greennui]

Jealousy (Gustav Machatý, 1945) - Woman works as a cabbie to support her alcoholic, has-been writer husband who used to be successful back in his home country, but not in the US. Machatý, director of such Czech films like Ekstase, Erotikon and From Saturday to Sunday worked in Hollywood for many years without much success, this RKO B noir being one of only two films he directed during that spell. One wonders if there was some autobiographical content thrown into this one. It had some neat, artsy, European touches.

I wonder's if there's a master list somewhere of Hollywood films made by expat directors during the war years. Couldn't find one on .

[kanafani]

I haven’t been watching noirs because I am not a team player, but I watched one accidentally! Noir-adjacent anyway. So dark the night (Joseph h Lewis, 1946). It is... not very good. Handsome enough, but it never builds into anything substantial, and completely sinks into silliness eventually. It’s set in France, so everyone speaks English with a French accent, which is so annoying.

[rischka]

Nachts wenn der Teufel kam

nazi noir -- well west german (1957). siodmak's serial killer thriller is fast paced and cynical. and a unique view into the fall of the reich. there's alot of drinking



it's often funny and even romantic. but most of all horrifying

[greennui]

Just had my mind blown whilst browsing through noir lists on letterboxd, as it dawned on me that Hugo Fregonese and Jean Negulesco are two different directors. Exotic sounding name for the time + 4 letters in the first name, 9 in the surname. Remember thinking a few months ago that I was impressed that he managed to direct a Monroe/Bacall/Grable musical in between Apache Drums and The Raid.

Tomorrow Is Another Day (Felix Feist, 1951) - An enjoyable road film, largely down to the two very likeable main characters played by Steve Cochran and Ruth Roman. The ending was a bit of a cop-out but I didn't really mind.

The Unsuspected (Michael Curtiz, 1947) - Solid enough twisty mystery. Rains is always good money, needed more Audrey Totter though. Ended up reading up a little on Curtiz, he had quite the career/life, never knew he directed silent films in Europe during the 1910's.

The Violent Years (William Morgan, 1956) - Not really a noir but seeing as I'm typing reviews anyway...A bizarre Ed Wood penned exploitation curio about a teenage girl gang that goes around slugging/gang raping men and having shootouts with the police. Oh, and it's all a solemn morality lesson about what irresponsible parenting can lead up to.

[rischka]

the madonna's secret (d. thiele 1946) shot by the great john alton



dreamy stuff. m'f'n imgur now plays a 10 sec ad before allowing your upload??

[Curtis, baby]

Yep. I switched to imgbb

[rischka]

https://twitter.com/rbgscfz/status/1328 ... 64288?s=20

[rischka]

Medan staden sover aka while the city sleeps d. Lars-Eric Kjellgren (1950)

https://twitter.com/rbgscfz/status/1329 ... 96770?s=20

and breaking into houses. quite fun for fans of delinquents genre

[Curtis, baby]

been a DECENT chap wrt noirs this year

RE-RE-RE-REEEEEEWAAAAAATCH Where Danger Lives (John Farrow, 1950) -- 4/4
yeah it's good but i thought i might reappraise it higher... i didn't really... it's just a really really good noir. bob mitchum is the best noir leading man. that's a science. i remember that when i watched it 8 yrs ago i took away some rly cool like somatic metaphor or w/e where mitchum's physical paralysis mirrors his obsession/addiction/infatuation with the femme fatale... like that was the ONLY thing i really strongly remembered about this movie... but i don't think it's actually there? see: after they go separate ways at the hotel. w/e it's still good

RE-RE-RE-REEEEEEWAAAAAATCH Le Corbeau (Henri-Georges Clouzot, 1943) -- 4/4
gang! this is an all-time great "foreign noir". i have nothing to say about this movie

Blonde Ice (Jack Bernhard, 1948) -- 2.5/4
jack bernhard of DECOY fame... but DECOY this is not! the thing is, DECOY has the ultimate in noir fatal femininity: the rare quadruple-crossing dame! this dame? MERELY double-crossing. w/e it's still pretty good but it's just some forgettable noir. i had actually 100% forgotten what this movie was about until i googled it just now. I HAVE NOTHING TO SAY ABOUT THIS MOVIE!!!

Nightfall (Jacques Tourneur, 1956) -- 2.5/4
can we talk about how effing great aldo ray is as a "melancholy tough"? some GOOFY plot devices in the third act, but the mood that's set at the beginning (and kinda fades tbh as the plotlines become GOOFY) is strong and EFFORTLESSLY cool (a cool sans effort) and just classic sadboytoughboy shit. a lot of you don't know this but i got my ass kicked back in june and took some sick photos of me with two black eyes that i'll be using on an album cover. perhaps i will have a song on that album called "aldo ray" or "aldo ray, sad boy 1956" or some shit. c'est possible!!

Whiplash (Lewis Seiler, 1948) -- 1.5/4
whip whip lash? more like wick wick wack! ok look, i like a BiZaRrE nOiR as much as the next young laddy, but this shit just made no sense. no characters, even characters in a BiZaRrE nOiR, could possibly have those motivations. can you even call them motivations? ppl just doing shit for the sole purpose of constructing a plot. HOWEVER, this film did introduce me to dane clark. a lot of ppl think dane clark is dane cook's alter ego, but they're wrong. first of all, fuck dane cook. second, dane clark is a dope noir actor, and that's clear throughout the movie even though he is BADLY miscast here. interestingly, i'd stumble upon another dane clark movie soon too, and he was BETTER CAST in that movie. ALSO, that movie didn't SUCK. but more on that LATER...

Behind Locked Doors (Budd Boetticher, 1948) -- 2.5/4
budd boetticher directed noirs? apparently he had since 1945. maybe i'll watch some of those earlier bastards. anyway, what is FAR more fucked is that he's credited as "oscar boetticher". can you imagine some fuck named oscar telling THE GOD RANDOLPH SCOTT what to do on the set of a western? how absurd! ok, here's the thing about this movie: it is in some manner a realistic depiction of being in a mental hospital. tbh in general i find depictions of mental hospitals in films pretty accurate. but i read some criticism about how this movie was absurd in its depiction of the mental hospital. do actual mental hospitals have barrel-chested, blood-hungry ex-boxers locked up and released only to do the evil doctor's violent biddings? no. but it's a fucking movie. the VIBE of the mental hospital is fucking SPOT ON. i mean i wasn't alive in 1948 so w/e, but the whole mood of the lounge area in the hospital is just spot, SPOT, SPOT!! on. based on my experiences. i have def been chilling in the lounge at a psych ward, macking on a fly sadgirl, when some weird-ass motherfucker walks up to me and asks if i play chess. that's how people be up in there. well anyway, the plot is pretty fucking stupid, but this movie still gets 2.5/4 on mood alone

Gunman in the Streets (Frank Tuttle, 1950) -- 3/4
woah, the return of dane clark! now this movie is sick. this is using dane clark as jesus/satan intended dane clark to be used. dane clark is too ornery to be nice, but also too scrawny to be genuinely tough. some psychopath who manipulates women? now that's a role for dane clark! this movie is cool and french, but also cool and american at the same time. i guess that's what happens when a yankee commie goes to chill in france and makes a movie with simone signoret. but apparently frank "the skank" tuttle gave up his peeps to huac? fucking going full kazan on us here, man. not cool! anyway, i have LITTLE to say about this movie, however, it certainly does beg the question: who the fuck is robert duke and why isn't he in more movies?

Hollywood Story (William Castle, 1951) -- 2.5/4
the idea is tight, the acting is tight (richard conte at his non-evil best, but fred clark and richard egan also kill it), but something's off in the execution. can't quite put my finger on it. oh well, i won't try. this review is OVER!!

Danger Signal (Robert Florey, 1945) -- 2/4
The Crooked Way (Robert Florey, 1949) -- 2/4
here's the thing about these robert florey noirs: flip fucking loves them. gives these bastards a combined 9.5/10 or something on lboxd. moi? moi no likey so much. i found them slight. real minor works. sorta goofy plots, pretty uninspiring directorial choices... the acting was, well, fine, but not much more. however, percy helton is in THE CROOKED WAY, and if you know anything about anything, surely you know that percy helton on the bill is enough to warrant a watch!

The Street with No Name (William Keighley, 1948) -- 2.5/4
this is fucking copaganda. however, richard widmark is in freaking god mode in this movie. the mannerisms! woah! also, this was the movie where i started to notice a lot of apples in noirs. there was a man eating an apple in THE CROOKED WAY too, and i believe one would in the next film i watched (VICKI) as well. but back to richard widmark's mannerisms. whether dude is peeling an apple, inhaling his asthma shit, tightening his coat, whatever, bro is consistently doing in a gesture what others take whole movies to convey. seriously, dude was on some toshiro mifune shit or something, it's sick. too bad the movie is fucking copaganda though. FUCK PIGS!!! also, why did he use that asthma shit twice in the first 15 minutes of the movie and then never again and not have it referenced at all?

Vicki (Harry Horner, 1953) -- 3/4
i've seen, i dunno, must be over 200 classic (1945-1959) noirs by now, so i thought i'd seen all the "general ideas" or w/e, but this was totally fresh! i won't say more for fear of spoiling. however, i will say this: 1) that's tori spelling's dad? wtf? that performance was incredible. 2) who the fuck is richard boone! that man is ugly, and a great actor!! 3) who the fuck is casey adams (aka max showalter?? wtf is going on here). THIS man is BEAUTIFUL, but only an OKAY actor. but BEAUTIFUL!

Naked Alibi (Jerry Hopper, 1954) -- 3/4
more casey adams/max showalter?? are you kidding me?? that's the thing about binging some noirs, you start to see the same peeps and you're like "must be a famous peep, or at least an active character actor" but it's just some random dude who had tiny roles in a few noirs. w/e! the real takeaway from this movie is this: gene barry is the most anglo-saxon-version-of-chrissy-moltisanto-looking motherfucker imaginable. you wan't more takeaways? fine. if i were alive in 1954, i would have done literally ANYTHING just to have gloria grahame make direct eye contact with me for one fleeting second. and it would be worth it

[flip]

here's the thing about these robert florey noirs: flip fucking loves them.

so at least back when i repped florey in a directors cup, it seemed several people liked the crooked way, but i was basically alone liking danger signal. there are three things about crooked way that still stand out in my memory, maybe six years after seeing it - the john alton cinematography, its indebtedness to silent film (there's a current of experimentalism, heavily indebted to silent german expressionism, running through a lot of florey's filmography), and the attitude to sound, where most films build tension with a crescendo of non-diegetic music, florey just cuts the music outright. a rare few other noirs did that, let the tension build in near silence, and whenever i see that in a '40s noir, it always feels twenty years ahead of its time.

anyway, i watched both in the context of a run of 34 different florey films, so it's possible some of what i was appreciating about them was how they fit into his overall filmography. if anyone cares about florey, i wrote a fair bit about him and ranked all of his films i've seen in an unloved letterboxd list here

[rischka]

watched the hit, from the 80s, i saw this at some point in the past cuz i remembered terence stamp's gang singing 'we'll meet again' from the dock after he ratted on them. so they sent hitman john hurt and his very annoying sidekick, tim roth. amazed it took so long for hurt to shoot this clown. pretty stylish w good location work. i miss john hurt

[rischka]

followed by 70s psych noir with serge gainsbourg playing a killer who betrays his partner by falling for jane birkin. at least i think that's what happened. half the time they're making out and the rest of the time he's treating her like shit. lots of orgy scenes, also serge is supposed to be american (!?) you don't need this jane birkin



oh! the name of the film is 'cannabis' (although imdb has it as 'french intrigue,' HOW GENERIC). anyways NOT a very good movie

[Silga]

The Harder They Fall (Mark Robson, 1956)

Wow! What an astonishing film! It's going straight to the top of the list of my favorite noirs. Bogart, Steiger, Sterling and everyone else were terrific, but the main star was Robson, who's directing is the major high point of this film.

The pacing in this film is some of the best that I can remember. From the very beginning you can feel the energy flow through every character's motivations and dreams. Beautifully photographed by a great cinematographer Burnett Guffey.

[Curtis, baby]

anyone know where to find THE BIG BREAK by joseph strick?

[rischka]

if it's not on cg it may no longer exist. went all the way back to 1990 with frank white in king of new york, what a crazy film

https://twitter.com/rbgscfz/status/1333 ... 36544?s=20

thinking about watching miller's crossing again before this month is over

[Curtis, baby]

Do u have cg? I am a kg only lad

[rischka]

yes i checked https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0463909/

this is the only big break there

[Lencho of the Apes]

Except for this one: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0350615/?r ... lmg_prd_16

Sometimes you have to go sideways and search the director or an actor.

[rischka]

but it's still... not on cg

[Lencho of the Apes]

Oh oh oh oh oh. I misunderstood you. You said "this imdb listing is the only BB on cg,"and I thought you said "this is the only BB on imdb." Partly cuz I had a hard time finding the right BB on imdb myself. Shall I delete my earlier irrelevant comment?

[rischka]

nah it's ok xD i revisited my favorite coens joint as i've meant to for awhile and it is still tight











just epic casting. maybe it's a bit too tight, like an hermetically sealed period piece, but it doesn't make me love it any less