Film Noir?

[Atomic Age]

Thanks. The film is all but done. I have one scene left to shoot, but having a hard time finding a location that will let us use their property for a few hours one evening.

Doug

 

[Widebrim]

Warner is releasing Film Noir Classic Collection, Volume 5 in July. Looks like an interesting group of films.

http://laurasmiscmusings.blogspot.com/2010/04/coming-to-dvd-film-noir-classic.html

Interesting that the cover features a large photo of Nina Vale, who played Sra. Camargo in Cornered ('45), with Dick Powell in the lead. Miss Vale only made three films, but carved herself a small niche in Noir history in said film.

 

[Stiv]

Lesser known Film noirs

While doing my research for my film noir movie parody web series, www.movieparodynetwork.com (shameless plug) I came across three lesser known movies; D.O.A., Detour (with a wonderful performance by Ann Savage) and the Strange Loves of Martha Ivers that I thoroughly enjoyed. Right now on our channel we have parodies of The Maltese Falcon and D.O.A up and more to come.
Stiv

 

[Feraud]

Around here those are the popular films.

 

[VitaminG]

Around here those are the popular films.

+1
I've just finished reading this entire thread and DOA & Detour are mentioned a number of times

great thread, BTW. I have a bunch of new movies to track down now

 

[Atomic Age]

While doing my research for my film noir movie parody web series, www.movieparodynetwork.com (shameless plug) I came across three lesser known movies; D.O.A., Detour (with a wonderful performance by Ann Savage) and the Strange Loves of Martha Ivers that I thoroughly enjoyed. Right now on our channel we have parodies of The Maltese Falcon and D.O.A up and more to come.
Stiv

D.O.A. and Detour are hardly lesser known films noir. They are icons of the noir movement.

Doug

 

[Widebrim]

I came across three lesser known movies; D.O.A., Detour (with a wonderful performance by Ann Savage) and the Strange Loves of Martha Ivers that I thoroughly enjoyed.

I just saw The Strange Loves of Martha Ivers for the first time (hate to admit it, but the title put me off for a long time), and really liked it. I have never been a Van Heflin fan, but to me he really came across well. Barbara Stanwyck did a great job as the femme fatale, as did Lizabeth Scott in a supporting role. Kirk Douglas was surprisingly good (in his first role) as the seemingly milquetoast husband of Stanwyck, who in the end proves to have more guts than anyone suspected. (And speaking of the ending...yeah!) I wouldn't say the film is classic Noir, but then definitions of what Noir is abound in conflicting currents...I recommend that people just watch and enjoy it.

 

[Packin' Heat]

It doesn't come any more film noir than Double Indemnity and Detour.

 

[Talbot]

Just finished 'On Dangerous Ground'. Worth a look.

 

[Guttersnipe]

I saw that Kurosawa's Stray Dog was mentioned before, but it bears saying again that a lot of the foreign made noir films shouldn't be over looked. One of my all time favorites noirs is the UK made Night and the City (1950). The French, in particular, made some great noir films like Rififi (1955), Les Diaboliques (1955), and The Wages of Fear (1953) - just to name a few. I've also heard there are a number of really good Italian noirs as well.

 

[Widebrim]

Yeah, I've heard of there being some good Italian Noirs, but the only one I recall seeing is Ossessione (1943) by Luchino Visconti (a version of The Postman Always Rings Twice). Truth is, there have been relatively few post-WWII Noir/Neo-Realist films available outside of Italy, apart from the works of Visconti, Rossellini, and De Sica.

 

[Widebrim]

It doesn't come any more film noir than Double Indemnity and Detour.

Many would make it a trio with Out of the Past, but I don't think I would. At any rate, Detour is a big-time candidate for the ultimate Film Noir.

 

[skyvue]

Many would make it a trio with Out of the Past

OUT OF THE PAST is definitely in my Noir Top Five, as are DOUBLE INDEMNITY and DETOUR.

 

[Widebrim]

I saw Out of the Past for the first time only about three months ago (I had heard so many good things about it, that I kept putting it off until I had time to really watch it). Although the storyline was up-front Film Noir, I didn't care for the fact that much of it took place in the countryside; just my opinion, obviously. In addition, Mitchum's early lines sound like they were dubbed-in later. Although Double Indemnity is also at the top of my list, I think that it has rightly been pointed out by more than one reviewer that there really is no smoldering sexuality between Stanwyck and MacMurray, as one would find between Turner and Garfield in The Postman Always Rings Twice. Was Stanwyck really miscast as the blonde-wigged femme fatale? Would Neff really commit murder for her? I'm not sure, but to me she carried more sex appeal in The Strange Love of Martha Ivers.

 

[skyvue]

Stanwyck may not be the most conventionally attractive actress of her era, but she could play sexy with the best of them (see BABY FACE, THE LADY EVE, BALL OF FIRE). I totally bought that MacMurray's character could be quickly taken in by her.

After all, who among us hasn't, at one time or another, felt an irresistible pull from someone who might not be considered a conventional head-turner? I certainly have.

I think OUT OF THE PAST is well nigh perfect. An over-dubbed line or two? I have to admit I wouldn't give such a small detail a second thought. It's a pretty rare older picture that doesn't have such a minor flaw or two, especially if you see it in a theatre as opposed to on television.

If we're taking away points for minor technical flaws, DETOUR's got 'em in spades, but the heck cares?

The rural setting is a bit unusual, but there have been other terrific noirs with a similar country-to-city ratio. NIGHTFALL and ON DANGEROUS GROUND come to mind, off the top of my head.

 

[Widebrim]

After all, who among us hasn't, at one time or another, felt an irresistible pull from someone who might not be considered a conventional head-turner? I certainly have.

Oh, I hear you on that one. I've seen plenty of women over the years who would not have qualified as beauties by most men, and yet caught my eye. I can still recall one that attracted me so instantly, that I wanted to inhale her cigarette smoke...Hey, I was a young kid at the time.

 

[C44Antelope]

We're coming up on the Christmas season. I always find time for Robert Montgomery in "The Lady in the Lake". I think the line at the door goes "I like your tan. Very Christmasy"

I've always been fascinated by the movies shot from the main character's point of view. I liked "Dark Passage" too. "Madge knows everybody, pesters everybody"

 

[Widebrim]

We're coming up on the Christmas season. I always find time for Robert Montgomery in "The Lady in the Lake". I think the line at the door goes "I like your tan. Very Christmasy"

I am ashamed to say that I've never seen The Lady in the Lake (although I read the book and liked it). Some critics don't like the POV that Montgomery used, but I'd like to see the film none-the-less. I think I'll either watch that or The Brasher Doubloon tonight.

 

[cotillion]

My favorite classic Film Noir movies are:

The Postman Always Rings Twice
Double Indemnity
The Big Sleep

I personally don't consider Maltese Falcon and North by Northwest to be Film Noir but those are other favorites of mine from the era.

If He Hollers Let Him Go by Chester Himes is a great Noir novel at least as good as any of Chandler's or Hammet's novels.

 

[Packin' Heat]

Many would make it a trio with Out of the Past, but I don't think I would. At any rate, Detour is a big-time candidate for the ultimate Film Noir.

Out of the Past is my favorite detective film noir by a considerable margin (though it could be obtuse of me to call it that, since that groups it with films that are murder mysteries, which is certainly not the same kind of plot).

I stressed Double Indemnity and Detour because of their sheer bleakness. And I agree with your particular assessment of Detour, because it's even bleaker than Double Indemnity--because the protagonist is even weaker, because the woman is even more visibly dangerous, and because of the fatalism that permeates every scene.

If I were to show a movie to someone who had never before seen noir, a movie to illustrate what it was, then I would go with one of those two, specifically because they are so distinctively noir even among film noir, which would make their elements less likely to confused with films outside of the category.