Best Examples of Film Noir (Not necessarily the best movies)
OUT OF THE PAST. The definition of the genre. Is there any other choice for the first slot?
DOUBLE INDEMNITY. Who's doing what to who? You almost need a score card.
DETOUR. Almost Shakespearean in the downfall of the main character.
SCARLET STREET. Again, the decline of a good man, based on his weakness.
CRISS-CROSS. The title says it all.
If the list was simply my favorites, MALTESE FALCON would be at the top. Lord knows, it's the ultimate detective story. But there's a lightness of tone; an almost clean attitude that makes it a little less typical of noir. MURDER, MY SWEET is the best Chandler adaptation. The narration is perfect for the genre. But there's a hero. A good girl. It gets a little bogged down in it's own plot. THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE is a better book than DOUBLE INDEMNITY. But the movie, fine as it is, lacks the leadership of Billy Wilder. Where "Postman" is a good thriller, "Indemnity" is a great one!
LISTS
Re: LISTS
These are my favorite picks for movies made in 1943:
“FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLFMAN.”
Lon Chaney Jr. & Bela Lugosi
What’s better than the meeting of two giants, famous in their own right. Not Bette Davis meets Joan Crawford. Not Katharine Hepburn meets Spencer Tracy. I’m talking about “FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLFMAN.” Now it might’ve been more accurate if Karloff had played the Frankenstein monster, but having Lugosi is close enough ( a monster in his own right as Count Dracula. ) Again, I love the Universal monster movies.
* * * * *
“CAPTIVE WILD WOMAN”
John Carradine & Acquanetta
Mad scientists playing God again. <<
SIGH! >> Will they never learn? Gee, I hope not. Charles Laughton made a woman out of an ape in “Island of Lost Souls” and John Carradine perfects the processssssss, why? I dunno. But if ape transformations result in the beautiful and exotic Acquanetta...why not? I find it all great fun. Like I said above...I love Universal monster movies.
* * * * *
“CABIN IN THE SKY”
Ethel Waters, Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson, John Bubbles & Lena Horne
I like this film better than it’s sister film ( “Stormy Weather” ) because the story is a better one. You’ve got Heaven and Hell fighting for the soul of a gambler who gets a chance for redemption after he’s shot and killed. Lucifer sending Temptation in the guise of the breathtaking Lena Horne is just not fair, and one might just risk his soul for an eternity. But the Righteous Ethel Waters is a formidable opponent. John Bubbles does a fantastic snazzy dance routine. Here’s the first big musical...all-Black musical since “Hallelujah” in 1929. ( I’ll give “Stormy Weather” an honorable mention. A chance to check out Lena Horne again. )
* * * * *
“THE HUMAN COMEDY”
Mickey Rooney & Frank Morgan
One of the few times you can see Mickey Rooney at his least abrasive, least rambunctious persona. He does a very good job in this warm, all-American film about one family in a small town. We see how they deal with their everyday lives, while the war rages on. And, unfortunately, war does touch them. Lots of beautiful moments with a wonderful cast. The movie is poignant and tinged with sadness. I love how resolutely Rooney says: “If my brother dies, I’ll spit at the world. I’ll hate it forever.”
* * * * *
“CRY, 'HAVOC'”
Ann Sothern, Fay Bainter, Joan Blondell, Marsha Hunt & Margaret Sullavan
I like ensemble casts: “Stage Door” “The Women” “So Proudly We Hail” “Tender Comrade.” Women are serving in war as nurses and we’re right in the bunker with them in "CRY, 'HAVOC'." Some wise-acres, others glamour girls, other still - naive innocents. War takes its toll on the women and Margaret Sullavan has to corral all the different personalities into a cohesive unit. Its interesting to see Joan Blondell and Ann Sothern in the same movie since sometimes one can mix them up. Both brassy blondes with smart mouths. ( Pssst! My girl Frances Gifford is in this too. ) Some girls covered the homefront, and let no one else sit under their apple tree. Other gals were AT the front. There's nothing glamorous about these women in war. Or, for that matter, of war itself.
* * * * *
"THE HARD WAY"
Ida Lupino, Dennis Morgan & Joan Leslie
I like Ida Lupino when she’s soft ( “On Dangerous Ground” “Devotion” ) but I love her when she’s on the hardboiled side like she is in “The Hard Way.” This is one of those Warner Bros. rags-to-riches, climb-to-the-top, musicals. Everything she does she does for her kid sister. This allows Joan Leslie to remain sweet while she reaps the benefits of Ida’s gnawing, gnashing, climbing and putting her own happiness on the back burner. There’s all the familiar tropes of this type of story. And it’s all Ida. ( I wonder what it'd look like if she used her drive to make it in the corporate world. I wonder... )
* * * * *
“THE OX-BOW INCIDENT”
Henry Fonda & Harry Morgan
Simply & utterly devastating. A lynchmob catches three cowboys they believe killed a rancher and events take on a life of their own. The mob becomes judge and jury. The lynching is done for several reasons: some want justice, a father thinks this will make his son a man. And others are there simply for the thrill of the hanging. Henry Fonda tries to stop the juggernaut of injustice and Dana gives an impassioned speech before he’s sentenced to death; he also writes a heartbreaking letter to the wife he’ll leave behind. Though my heart belongs to “Casablanca” I would have given the Best Picture Academy Award to “The Ox-Bow Incident.” The import of this message can still be learned seventy years later.
* * * * *
“A GUY NAMED JOE”
Spencer Tracy & Irene Dunne
I’ve read that Dunne and Tracy didn’t get along that well during the making of this movie, but pros that they are, it doesn’t show. I believe them as a mature romantic couple. They’re both pilots and when Tracy dies and is allowed to invisibly come back to earth to help a young pilot ( Van Johnson ) he gets more than he bargained for, when Johnson makes moves on Dunne. Now that Tracy is an “angel” I love that his human infallibility still exists as he doesn’t allow Dunne to move on with her life. I have to admit, I do like the edge of that. I think Dunne is a great partner for Tracy and she’s settling in just nicely into the 1940’s. It’s the best I’ve ever seen her look. Her singing “I’ll Get By” gets me every time. The lesson here is how to love, have loved, move forward to love again. When Tracy learns his lesson and tells Dunne ”I’m moving out of your heart.” It gives me goosebumps just typing the line.
* * * * *
“SHADOW OF A DOUBT”
Teresa Wright & Joseph Cotten
A masterpiece. The underbelly of the sunny side of an American family is exposed when Evil comes for a visit. Joseph Cotten is wonderful as the serial killing Uncle Charlie, but Teresa Wright carries the film as she bears the weight of Knowledge. I just love her. She must protect her family against him. And Hitchcock unpacks the suspense oh so deliciously! I love it.
* * * * *
“THE CONSTANT NYMPH”
Charles Boyer & Joan Fontaine
If a movie just wrecks and makes you weep...that’s a good criteria for “a favorite” right? I like movies about creativity and the muse that supports or inspires the artist. Though you might marry a stunning ice princess ( Alexis Smith ), you STILL need someone who speaks your language. Pianist Charles Boyer really vibes with young ward Joan Fontaine but he must find his heart in his music. You might not like Korngold’s bombastic music ( I do ) but the movie does have heart, and it broke mine. Boyer discovers too late that he had what he needed all along if only he looked to Fontaine in a serious way.
“FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLFMAN.”
Lon Chaney Jr. & Bela Lugosi
What’s better than the meeting of two giants, famous in their own right. Not Bette Davis meets Joan Crawford. Not Katharine Hepburn meets Spencer Tracy. I’m talking about “FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLFMAN.” Now it might’ve been more accurate if Karloff had played the Frankenstein monster, but having Lugosi is close enough ( a monster in his own right as Count Dracula. ) Again, I love the Universal monster movies.
* * * * *
“CAPTIVE WILD WOMAN”
John Carradine & Acquanetta
Mad scientists playing God again. <<
SIGH! >> Will they never learn? Gee, I hope not. Charles Laughton made a woman out of an ape in “Island of Lost Souls” and John Carradine perfects the processssssss, why? I dunno. But if ape transformations result in the beautiful and exotic Acquanetta...why not? I find it all great fun. Like I said above...I love Universal monster movies.* * * * *
“CABIN IN THE SKY”
Ethel Waters, Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson, John Bubbles & Lena Horne
I like this film better than it’s sister film ( “Stormy Weather” ) because the story is a better one. You’ve got Heaven and Hell fighting for the soul of a gambler who gets a chance for redemption after he’s shot and killed. Lucifer sending Temptation in the guise of the breathtaking Lena Horne is just not fair, and one might just risk his soul for an eternity. But the Righteous Ethel Waters is a formidable opponent. John Bubbles does a fantastic snazzy dance routine. Here’s the first big musical...all-Black musical since “Hallelujah” in 1929. ( I’ll give “Stormy Weather” an honorable mention. A chance to check out Lena Horne again. )
* * * * *
“THE HUMAN COMEDY”
Mickey Rooney & Frank Morgan
One of the few times you can see Mickey Rooney at his least abrasive, least rambunctious persona. He does a very good job in this warm, all-American film about one family in a small town. We see how they deal with their everyday lives, while the war rages on. And, unfortunately, war does touch them. Lots of beautiful moments with a wonderful cast. The movie is poignant and tinged with sadness. I love how resolutely Rooney says: “If my brother dies, I’ll spit at the world. I’ll hate it forever.”
* * * * *
“CRY, 'HAVOC'”
Ann Sothern, Fay Bainter, Joan Blondell, Marsha Hunt & Margaret Sullavan
I like ensemble casts: “Stage Door” “The Women” “So Proudly We Hail” “Tender Comrade.” Women are serving in war as nurses and we’re right in the bunker with them in "CRY, 'HAVOC'." Some wise-acres, others glamour girls, other still - naive innocents. War takes its toll on the women and Margaret Sullavan has to corral all the different personalities into a cohesive unit. Its interesting to see Joan Blondell and Ann Sothern in the same movie since sometimes one can mix them up. Both brassy blondes with smart mouths. ( Pssst! My girl Frances Gifford is in this too. ) Some girls covered the homefront, and let no one else sit under their apple tree. Other gals were AT the front. There's nothing glamorous about these women in war. Or, for that matter, of war itself.
* * * * *
"THE HARD WAY"
Ida Lupino, Dennis Morgan & Joan Leslie
I like Ida Lupino when she’s soft ( “On Dangerous Ground” “Devotion” ) but I love her when she’s on the hardboiled side like she is in “The Hard Way.” This is one of those Warner Bros. rags-to-riches, climb-to-the-top, musicals. Everything she does she does for her kid sister. This allows Joan Leslie to remain sweet while she reaps the benefits of Ida’s gnawing, gnashing, climbing and putting her own happiness on the back burner. There’s all the familiar tropes of this type of story. And it’s all Ida. ( I wonder what it'd look like if she used her drive to make it in the corporate world. I wonder... )
* * * * *
“THE OX-BOW INCIDENT”
Henry Fonda & Harry Morgan
Simply & utterly devastating. A lynchmob catches three cowboys they believe killed a rancher and events take on a life of their own. The mob becomes judge and jury. The lynching is done for several reasons: some want justice, a father thinks this will make his son a man. And others are there simply for the thrill of the hanging. Henry Fonda tries to stop the juggernaut of injustice and Dana gives an impassioned speech before he’s sentenced to death; he also writes a heartbreaking letter to the wife he’ll leave behind. Though my heart belongs to “Casablanca” I would have given the Best Picture Academy Award to “The Ox-Bow Incident.” The import of this message can still be learned seventy years later.
* * * * *
“A GUY NAMED JOE”
Spencer Tracy & Irene Dunne
I’ve read that Dunne and Tracy didn’t get along that well during the making of this movie, but pros that they are, it doesn’t show. I believe them as a mature romantic couple. They’re both pilots and when Tracy dies and is allowed to invisibly come back to earth to help a young pilot ( Van Johnson ) he gets more than he bargained for, when Johnson makes moves on Dunne. Now that Tracy is an “angel” I love that his human infallibility still exists as he doesn’t allow Dunne to move on with her life. I have to admit, I do like the edge of that. I think Dunne is a great partner for Tracy and she’s settling in just nicely into the 1940’s. It’s the best I’ve ever seen her look. Her singing “I’ll Get By” gets me every time. The lesson here is how to love, have loved, move forward to love again. When Tracy learns his lesson and tells Dunne ”I’m moving out of your heart.” It gives me goosebumps just typing the line.
* * * * *
“SHADOW OF A DOUBT”
Teresa Wright & Joseph Cotten
A masterpiece. The underbelly of the sunny side of an American family is exposed when Evil comes for a visit. Joseph Cotten is wonderful as the serial killing Uncle Charlie, but Teresa Wright carries the film as she bears the weight of Knowledge. I just love her. She must protect her family against him. And Hitchcock unpacks the suspense oh so deliciously! I love it.
* * * * *
“THE CONSTANT NYMPH”
Charles Boyer & Joan Fontaine
If a movie just wrecks and makes you weep...that’s a good criteria for “a favorite” right? I like movies about creativity and the muse that supports or inspires the artist. Though you might marry a stunning ice princess ( Alexis Smith ), you STILL need someone who speaks your language. Pianist Charles Boyer really vibes with young ward Joan Fontaine but he must find his heart in his music. You might not like Korngold’s bombastic music ( I do ) but the movie does have heart, and it broke mine. Boyer discovers too late that he had what he needed all along if only he looked to Fontaine in a serious way.
-
JackFavell
- Posts: 11926
- Joined: April 20th, 2009, 9:56 am
Re: LISTS
Masha, though you and I are different in some of our tastes, I believe our taste in comedy meshes pretty well.
-
movieman1957
- Administrator
- Posts: 5522
- Joined: April 15th, 2007, 3:50 pm
- Location: MD
Re: LISTS
Amazon shows "Dumbo" is for sale at $20. (This is Amazon USA)
Chris
"Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana."
"Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana."
Re: LISTS
Cine-something! (I think I've run out of nicknames.) I like CABIN IN THE SKY too. Like the music. Like the story. Quite the coincidence you mention THE HUMAN COMEDY. I watched it last night! This is a gentle, spiritual, family-oriented movie that touches the heart. It should. The source material is from one of our greatest writers. William Saroyan. Everything about this story works beautifully. What is it about? People. Yes, there's the war. The effects of that are devastating. But mostly, it's families, friends, lovers and schoolmates. The things they care about; primarily, each other. This is a lovely piece of storytelling.
"Going to the movies, Lionel?"
"Can't. No money."
"Then why are you standing in line?"
"Got lonely. Saw people standing here. Stood with them."
Thank you, Mr. Saroyan. Have you read the book, Teresita? It's a novella; no more than 150 pages. It will move you.
"Going to the movies, Lionel?"
"Can't. No money."
"Then why are you standing in line?"
"Got lonely. Saw people standing here. Stood with them."
Thank you, Mr. Saroyan. Have you read the book, Teresita? It's a novella; no more than 150 pages. It will move you.
Re: LISTS
It's such a gentle warm film, without being cloying. One scene I found kind of corny, was James Craig showing Marsha Hunt ( "You do love me don't you? Yes you do, you know you do," ) all the people picnicking. But I shouldn't quibble about their attempt to show the breadth of cultures living here. I loved Homer's teacher keeping him after school, and hating to do it when a rich kid important to the track team is allowed to skip punishment. Or the soldiers that are in town, taking the girls to the movie ( Robert Mitchum uncredited one of the soldiers. ) Or Fay Bainter. I've never read the book.RedRiver wrote:Cine-something! (I think I've run out of nicknames.) ... Quite the coincidence you mention THE HUMAN COMEDY. I watched it last night! This is a gentle, spiritual, family-oriented movie that touches the heart. It should. The source material is from one of our greatest writers. William Saroyan. Everything about this story works beautifully. What is it about? People. Yes, there's the war. The effects of that are devastating. But mostly, it's families, friends, lovers and schoolmates. The things they care about; primarily, each other. This is a lovely piece of storytelling.
"Going to the movies, Lionel?"
"Can't. No money."
"Then why are you standing in line?"
"Got lonely. Saw people standing here. Stood with them."
Thank you, Mr. Saroyan. Have you read the book, Teresita? It's a novella; no more than 150 pages. It will move you.
Re: LISTS
I shouldn't quibble about their attempt to show the breadth of cultures living here.
William Saroyan probably insisted on a nod to the Armenian community! The moment goes along with the "Why We Fight" theme. We're a nation of immigrants.
This movie is unabashedly spiritual. It doesn't pretend toward cynicism. A soldier on a troop train leads his comrades in a hymn. After repeating a verse several times, he faces the camera, in extreme close-up. "Come on. EVERYBODY sing!" That line is directed at the theater audience. The director hoped for a singalong!
William Saroyan probably insisted on a nod to the Armenian community! The moment goes along with the "Why We Fight" theme. We're a nation of immigrants.
This movie is unabashedly spiritual. It doesn't pretend toward cynicism. A soldier on a troop train leads his comrades in a hymn. After repeating a verse several times, he faces the camera, in extreme close-up. "Come on. EVERYBODY sing!" That line is directed at the theater audience. The director hoped for a singalong!
Re: LISTS
In trying to get my ten favorites, I ended up with my longest list yet (some were even film noir), but luckily there were exactly ten on my A List. But putting those ten into any semblance of order...Oy!
1944
1. Dark Waters - I'm not a fan of Franchot Tone, and Merle Oberon doesn't excite me, but this Southern Gothic Noir is a testament to Andre De Toth's skill. Plus Elisha Cook, Jr. and Thomas Mitchell.
2. Phantom Lady - Robert Siodmak doesn't bowl me over as much as he seems to do to others, but he nails this sweaty and desperate adaptation of Cornell Woolrich. How did Tone get into my Top Two? Saved again, I guess, by Elisha Cook, Jr. And Woody Bredell's cinematography is superb.
3. When Strangers Marry - A conflicted Kim Hunter, an alienated Van Heflin, a confident Robert Mitchum and William Castle before he started doing his Hitchcock imitation.
4. Bluebeard - For me, this is the nearest rival to Detour among Ulmer's films. Poverty Row Noir costume drama at its finest.
5. A Canterbury Tale - Powell doing what he does best - being perverse (Glue? Dumped on women? C'mon.) and spiritual.
6. The Soul of a Monster - Heaven. And Hell. Shot by Burnett Guffey. Written by Edward Dein (director & writer of Shack Out on 101).
7. The Lady and the Monster - The first film version of Curt Siodmak's Donovan's Brain. The Mad Professor: Erich von Stroheim. What else can - or need - be said?
8. Double Indemnity - Wilder's acidic cynicism often borders on just plain misanthropic mean-spiritedness, but Stanwyck, MacMurray and Robinson save the day.
9. Meet Me in St. Louis - Yes, Virginia, a charming Musical can be Noir.
10. Jammin' the Blues - A short documentary. Jazz is.
1944
1. Dark Waters - I'm not a fan of Franchot Tone, and Merle Oberon doesn't excite me, but this Southern Gothic Noir is a testament to Andre De Toth's skill. Plus Elisha Cook, Jr. and Thomas Mitchell.
2. Phantom Lady - Robert Siodmak doesn't bowl me over as much as he seems to do to others, but he nails this sweaty and desperate adaptation of Cornell Woolrich. How did Tone get into my Top Two? Saved again, I guess, by Elisha Cook, Jr. And Woody Bredell's cinematography is superb.
3. When Strangers Marry - A conflicted Kim Hunter, an alienated Van Heflin, a confident Robert Mitchum and William Castle before he started doing his Hitchcock imitation.
4. Bluebeard - For me, this is the nearest rival to Detour among Ulmer's films. Poverty Row Noir costume drama at its finest.
5. A Canterbury Tale - Powell doing what he does best - being perverse (Glue? Dumped on women? C'mon.) and spiritual.
6. The Soul of a Monster - Heaven. And Hell. Shot by Burnett Guffey. Written by Edward Dein (director & writer of Shack Out on 101).
7. The Lady and the Monster - The first film version of Curt Siodmak's Donovan's Brain. The Mad Professor: Erich von Stroheim. What else can - or need - be said?
8. Double Indemnity - Wilder's acidic cynicism often borders on just plain misanthropic mean-spiritedness, but Stanwyck, MacMurray and Robinson save the day.
9. Meet Me in St. Louis - Yes, Virginia, a charming Musical can be Noir.
10. Jammin' the Blues - A short documentary. Jazz is.
Everyday people...that's what's wrong with the world. -- Morgan Morgan
I love movies. But don't get me wrong. I hate Hollywood. -- Orson Welles
Movies can only go forward in spite of the motion picture industry. -- Orson Welles
I love movies. But don't get me wrong. I hate Hollywood. -- Orson Welles
Movies can only go forward in spite of the motion picture industry. -- Orson Welles
Re: LISTS
And right underneath:
TOM NEAL DEFENDS SOMEONE'S HONOR
TOM NEAL DEFENDS SOMEONE'S HONOR
Everyday people...that's what's wrong with the world. -- Morgan Morgan
I love movies. But don't get me wrong. I hate Hollywood. -- Orson Welles
Movies can only go forward in spite of the motion picture industry. -- Orson Welles
I love movies. But don't get me wrong. I hate Hollywood. -- Orson Welles
Movies can only go forward in spite of the motion picture industry. -- Orson Welles