Film Noir HoF III

[Citizen Rules]

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=63148
Welcome to the Film Noir Hall of Fame III


Open to Films from: Any Year & Any country...As long as it's tagged Noir at either IMDB or Wikipedia.


Deadline is...June 11th

Members Reviews:
Ahwell 11/11 List received
Angel Heart (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2084875#post2084875)
Crossfire (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2082787#post2082787)
Double Indemnity (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2080585#post2080585)
L.A. Confidential (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2078837#post2078837)
Le Corbeau (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2083551#post2083551)
Murder, My Sweet (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2084877#post2084877)
Spellbound (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2086443#post2086443)
The Asphalt Jungle (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2085197#post2085197)
The Big Heat (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2085849#post2085849)
The Stranger (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2085431#post2085431)
The Third Man (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2086206#post2086206)

Citizen Rules 11/11 List received
Angel Heart (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2093009#post2093009)
Crossfire (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2084189#post2084189)
Double Indemnity (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2093834#post2093834)
L.A. Confidential (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2090644#post2090644)
Le Corbeau (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2083719#post2083719)
Murder, My Sweet (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2079655#post2079655)
Spellbound (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2090438#post2090438)
The Asphalt Jungle (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2082279#post2082279)
The Big Heat (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2094026#post2094026)
The Stranger (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2080499#post2080499)
The Third Man (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2080319#post2080319)

CosmicRunaway 11/11 List received
Angel Heart (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2084699#post2084699)
Crossfire (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2083989#post2083989)
Double Indemnity (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2085067#post2085067)
L.A. Confidential (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2080119#post2080119)
Le Corbeau (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2082679#post2082679)
Murder, My Sweet (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2078943#post2078943)
Spellbound (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2086019#post2086019)
The Asphalt Jungle (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2081588#post2081588)
The Big Heat (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2079486#post2079486)
The Stranger (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2080923#post2080923)
The Third Man (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2086796#post2086796)

Edarsenal 11/11 List received
Angel Heart (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2089151#post2089151)
Crossfire (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2095431#post2095431)
Double Indemnity (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2080192#post2080192)
L.A. Confidential (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2079378#post2079378)
Le Corbeau (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2097136#post2097136)
Murder, My Sweet (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2080207#post2080207)
Spellbound (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2097547#post2097547)
The Asphalt Jungle (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2083645#post2083645)
The Big Heat (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2097142#post2097142)
The Stranger (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2095439#post2095439)
The Third Man (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2089155#post2089155)

Frightened Inmate 6/11 List Received
L.A. Confidental (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2098603#post2098603)
Le Corbeau (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2097450#post2097450)
Murder, My Sweet (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2085088#post2085088)
Spellbound (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2088829#post2088829)
The Big Heat (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2096126#post2096126)
The Third Man (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2098041#post2098041)









GolfportDoc 11/11 List received
Angel Heart (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2086915#post2086915)
Crossfire (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2082386#post2082386)
Double Indemnity (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2089544#post2089544)
L.A. Confidential (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2084274#post2084274)
Le Corbeau (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2079269#post2079269)
Murder, My Sweet (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2080302#post2080302)
Spellbound (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2082677#post2082677)
The Asphalt Jungle (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2085993#post2085993)
The Big Heat (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2081777#post2081777)
The Stranger (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2088106#post2088106)
The Third Man (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2089825#post2089825)

John-Connor 2/11 Disqualified
Crossfire (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2078797#post2078797)
Spellbound (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2078928#post2078928)

Neiba 11/11 List Received
Angel Heart (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2087831#post2087831)
Crossfire (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2098874#post2098874)
Double Indemnity (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2097471#post2097471)
L.A. Confidental (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2097472#post2097472)
Le Corbeau (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2098874#post2098874)
Murder, My Sweet (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2087410#post2087410)
Spellbound (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2087431#post2087431)
The Asphalt Jungle (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2099600#post2099600)
The Big Heat (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2099595#post2099595)
The Stranger (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2088100#post2088100)
The Third Man (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2088105#post2088105)

PahaK 11/11 List received
Angel Heart (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2095707#post2095707)
Crossfire (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2084590#post2084590)
Double Indemnity (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2080062#post2080062)
L.A. Confidential (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2087944#post2087944)
Le Corbeau (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2083130#post2083130)
Murder, My Sweet (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2079414#post2079414)
Spellbound (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2086627#post2086627)
The Asphalt Jungle (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2089820#post2089820)
The Big Heat (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2085384#post2085384)
The Stranger (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2078719#post2078719)
The Third Man
(https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2092438#post2092438)
Siddon 11/11 List received
Angel Heart (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2094995#post2094995)
Crossfire (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2084071#post2084071)
Double Indemnity (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2089653#post2089653)
L.A. Confidential (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2095005#post2095005)
Le Corbeau (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2083027#post2083027)
Murder, My Sweet (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2095028#post2095028)
Spellbound (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2094989#post2094989)
The Asphalt Jungle (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2081648#post2081648)
The Big Heat (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2083544#post2083544)
The Stranger (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2083006#post2083006)
The Third Man (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2089651#post2089651)

Wyldesyde 11/11 List Received
Angel Heart (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2094691#post2094691)
Crossfire (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2097819#post2097819)
Double Indemnity (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2078666#post2078666)
L.A. Confidential (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2080537#post2080537)
Le Corbeau (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2097313#post2097313)
Murder, My Sweet (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2093036#post2093036)
Spellbound (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2099475#post2099475)
The Asphalt Jungle (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2091001#post2091001)
The Big Heat (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2098576#post2098576)
The Stranger (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2088878#post2088878)
The Third Man (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2080284#post2080284)







.

[Citizen Rules]

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=62177
Murder, My Sweet (1944)
Directed by Edward Dmytryk
Nominated by Cosmic Runaway

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=62178
The Stranger (1946)
Directed by Orson Welles
Nominated by Wyldesyde

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=62179
Crossfire (1947)
Directed by Edward Dmytryk
Nominated by Frightened Inmate

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=62180
Double Indemnity (1944) Disqualified
Directed by Billy Wilder
Nominated by John-Connor


https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=62181
L.A. Confidential (1997)
Directed by Curtis Hanson
Nominated by Ahwell

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=62182
Le Corbeau (1943)
Directed by Henri Georges Clouzot
Nominated by Siddon

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=62183
The Asphalt Jungle (1950)
Directed by John Huston
Nominated by Edarsenal

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=62184
Spellbound (1945)
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
Nominated by Neiba

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=62185
The Big Heat (1953)
Directed by Fritz Lang
Nominated by Citizen Rules

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=62186
The Third Man (1949)
Directed by Carol Reed
Nominated by GulfportDoc

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=62199
Angel Heart (1987)
Directed by Alan Parker
Nominated by PahaK

[Wyldesyde19]

Nomination sent!

*insert shifty eyes*

[Citizen Rules]

Nomination sent!

*insert shifty eyes*:shifty: there ya go!

[Wyldesyde19]

:shifty: there ya go!
Now we just need a femme fatale
👀

[Citizen Rules]

Now we just need a femme fatale
👀Yup:)...wait a minute, femme fatales usually spell trouble!

[Wyldesyde19]

Yup:)...wait a minute, femme fatales usually spell trouble!

That’s my kind of trouble......

[Citizen Rules]

That’s my kind of trouble......Cosmic said she would join, maybe Miss Vicky will? and Gbgoodies? and of course anyone else who wants to join:)

[edarsenal]

Light up, grab your gun, pull your fedora down low and get out your favorite trench coat --

https://media3.giphy.com/media/vQXtUJlLvHrWg/source.gif

It's NOIR time, baybee!!

[Citizen Rules]

What the hell, I went ahead and chose my nom. I was going to use it for the 22nd HoF...Oh well I find another for the 22nd.

[ahwell]

Nom sent!

[neiba]

In!

[CosmicRunaway]

I've got another couple films I want to watch before deciding on a nomination, but I'm definitely in. I'll watch one of the films later this afternoon, and the other either this evening or tomorrow morning, so I should have one chosen before tomorrow evening.

Hopefully I didn't just jinx myself haha.

[Citizen Rules]

I've got another couple films I want to watch before deciding on a nomination, but I'm definitely in. I'll watch one of the films later this afternoon, and the other either this evening or tomorrow morning, so I should have one chosen before tomorrow evening.

Hopefully I didn't just jinx myself haha.Sounds good...happy noir nomination candidate film watching:)

[John-Connor]

Nice! 👍
I'll send my nom tomorrow evening as well.

[cricket]

I'll be looking and might watch stuff I haven't seen.

[Wyldesyde19]

Maybe Pahak, Neiba, suspect, frightened inmate,or hey Frederick night also be interested?

[Citizen Rules]

Maybe Pahak, Neiba, suspect, frightened inmate,or hey Frederick night also be interested?Neiba already joined...But let's tag the rest and see: @pahaK (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=100614) @TheUsualSuspect (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=9280) @Hey Fredrick (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=95709)

I forget how to tag Inmate, so I'll just give him a PM

[pahaK]

Maybe Pahak, Neiba, suspect, frightened inmate,or hey Frederick night also be interested?

I was considering this but when trying to think of an actual nomination I realized I haven't seen almost any of the classical noirs and I'm somewhat at a loss what counts as neo-noir (the list on Wiki has lots of very odd films that aren't listed as neo-noir in their Wiki pages, and IMDb doesn't even have a genre tag for neo-noir).

So, I probably will skip this one (and the musical, too). I'll check the noms after the reveal and if they look really interesting I may try to figure something out.

[Citizen Rules]

I was considering this but when trying to think of an actual nomination I realized I haven't seen almost any of the classical noirs and I'm somewhat at a loss what counts as neo-noir (the list on Wiki has lots of very odd films that aren't listed as neo-noir in their Wiki pages, and IMDb doesn't even have a genre tag for neo-noir).

So, I probably will skip this one (and the musical, too). I'll check the noms after the reveal and if they look really interesting I may try to figure something out.People can still join after the reveal, like we've done in past HoFs.

[Wyldesyde19]

Neiba already joined...But let's tag the rest and see: @pahaK (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=100614) @TheUsualSuspect (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=9280) @Hey Fredrick (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=95709)

I forget how to tag Inmate, so I'll just give him a PM
Oh yeah! I forgot he joined 😑

[Citizen Rules]

Oh yeah! I forgot he joined 😑Thanks to your post we now have another member! Frightened Inmate No. 2 has joined:up:

[Wyldesyde19]

Thanks to your post we now have another member! Frightened Inmate No. 2 has joined:up:
That’s 7 with at least 2 more confirmed yet to select, right? Not bad. We’ve rounded up the usual suspects.
👀

[Citizen Rules]

That’s 7 with at least 2 more confirmed yet to select, right? Not bad. We’ve rounded up the usual suspects.
👀Yup 7 so far and Cosmic and John-Connor makes it 9...not to shabby! I got a tell ya there's some great noirs too:yup:

[Wyldesyde19]

Yup 7 so far and Cosmic and John-Connor makes it 9...not to shabby! I got a tell ya there's some great noirs too:yup:
And that’s the most exciting part. The final reveal.

[Citizen Rules]

I was just checking out the advanced search at IMDB and searched for genre: noir. The results came up with 840 titles which can be sorted by popularity, rating, year, etc. It's a good way to peruse a bunch of noirs and find some good title. Only flaw is that the search for some reason is limited to only older films up to 1958.

Check it out (this is sorted by A-Z titles)
https://www.imdb.com/search/title/?title_type=feature&genres=film-noir&sort=alpha,asc

[Siddon]

I was considering this but when trying to think of an actual nomination I realized I haven't seen almost any of the classical noirs and I'm somewhat at a loss what counts as neo-noir (the list on Wiki has lots of very odd films that aren't listed as neo-noir in their Wiki pages, and IMDb doesn't even have a genre tag for neo-noir).

So, I probably will skip this one (and the musical, too). I'll check the noms after the reveal and if they look really interesting I may try to figure something out.


https://www.flickchart.com/Charts.aspx?genre=Film+Noir


https://www.flickchart.com/Charts.aspx?genre=Post-Noir


That should help you out...much better organized than Wikipedia and IMDB

[John-Connor]

Stuck in 'can't decide on a nom limbo'. Going to watch a few more Noirs before I send in.

[Citizen Rules]

Stuck in 'can't decide on a nom limbo'. Going to watch a few more Noirs before I send in.Happy watching!

And this hasn't started yet so there's still time for anyone interested to join:)

[TheUsualSuspect]

Got a lot on my plate right now with Personal Rec HoF, Mofo Awards and some stay at home parenting while I'm waiting on EI.

Unfortunately I'll have to pass on this one.

[Citizen Rules]

Got a lot on my plate right now with Personal Rec HoF, Mofo Awards and some stay at home parenting while I'm waiting on EI. Unfortunately I'll have to pass on this one.That's cool, you can always check out the noms when they are revealed...which will be real soon. Cosmic just sent her nom in, and it's a good one. Just waiting on John-Connor I believe he still wants to join?

[John-Connor]

Came across this great video on famous Noir Detective Philip Marlowe in TV and film;
https://youtu.be/KxUzvhfmm3w

[GulfportDoc]

I haven't been paying attention for the last few days, CR. Nom sent.

[Citizen Rules]

Glad to have you Doc! and that makes 10 members:up:

We've got some truly great noirs:yup: from some of the biggest directors, these will be a treat.

[Wyldesyde19]

Glad to have you Doc! and that makes 10 members:up:

We've got some truly great noirs:yup: from some of the biggest directors, these will be a treat.

Looking forward to the reveal! I have a few on my wish list that I’m hoping were selected.

[Citizen Rules]

Looking forward to the reveal! I have a few on my wish list that I’m hoping were selected.I think they were:p ha, I have no idea actually, but there's some really great noirs so I'm betting some of them were on your wish list.

I'll do the reveal as soon as I can, I'm on like a 3 minute work break right now.

[Wyldesyde19]

I think they were:p ha, I have no idea actually, but there's some really great noirs so I'm betting some of them were on your wish list.

I'll do the reveal as soon as I can, I'm on like a 3 minute work break right now.

No problem. No rush

[Hey Fredrick]

I'm going to have to sit this one out.

[Citizen Rules]

I'm going to do the reveal of the movie nominations today, yah! Probably later as I have to work today. So a little teaser:

We have 10 noirs, all of them are top rate! 1 is a neo-noir and one is a French noir and 1 is a UK noir. We have movies from some of the biggest directors in the history of film making:yup:

Two different lead actors each appear in two of the noms, and one one lead actress appears in two of the movies. And one of the directors, directed two of the noms.

So good stuff! and awesome choices!

[Wyldesyde19]

I'm going to do the reveal of the movie nominations today, yah! Probably later as I have to work today. So a little teaser:

We have 10 noirs, all of them are top rate! 1 is a neo-noir and one is a French noir and 1 is a UK noir. We have movies from some of the biggest directors in the history of film making:yup:

Two different lead actors each appear in two of the noms, and one one lead actress appears in two of the movies. And one of the directors, directed two of the noms.

So good stuff! and awesome choices!
I had 3 possible candidates for this, but ultimately went with one I felt deserved to have more recognition.
The other two I considered? They drive by night and Cape Fear (1962 version)
In the end, I chose one I had seen more recently as opposed to the other two which I hadn’t seen in awhile.
Hopefully I can nominate They Drive by Night at a later HOF

[Citizen Rules]

I had 3 possible candidates for this, but ultimately went with one I felt deserved to have more recognition.
The other two I considered? They Drive by Night and Cape Fear (1962 version)
In the end, I chose one I had seen more recently as opposed to the other two which I hadn’t seen in awhile.
Hopefully I can nominate They Drive by Night at a later HOF Both would've been interesting as They Drive by Night because it's a proto-noir and Cape Fear (1962) is a Neo Noir. I considered so many different noirs that finally I said I'll just go with a favorite which was going to be my nom in the 22nd HoF.

[Citizen Rules]

The movie nominations are up on the second post!
@edarsenal (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=50536)
@Wyldesyde19 (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=104656)
@Siddon (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=95448)
@ahwell (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=101613)
@neiba (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=85193)
Frightened Inmate No. 2
@CosmicRunaway (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=90868)
@John-Connor (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=102242)
@GulfportDoc (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=96919)

[Siddon]

Wow very happy with those nom's I actually own


Le Corbeau
LA Confidential
Double Indemnity
Spellbound
The Third Man


and I have Asphalt Jungle on my DVR


Rankings are going to be very hard for me because I adore these films.

[rauldc14]

Seen 5 of the 10 and most of those I haven't seen seem really intriguing. Have fun guys!

[John-Connor]

WOW! Nominations wise probably the best Hall of Fame I've ever been in.

[cricket]

Glad I didn't join because I've seen all of them. Crazy lineup.

[edarsenal]

Murder, My Sweet (1944) Directed by Edward Dmytryk Nominated by Cosmic Runaway A GREAT Det. Philip Marlowe film! Looking forward to rewatch of this.

The Stranger (1946) Directed by Orson Welles Nominated by Wyldesyde A great little slow burn that really picks up in the end.

Crossfire (1947)Directed by Edward Dmytryk Nominated by Frightened Inmate Looks familiar but can't honestly remember if I've seen this.

Double Indemnity (1944) Directed by Billy Wilder Nominated by John-Connor Seen this a number of times, will happily see it again

L.A. Confidential (1997) Directed by Curtis Hanson Nominated by Ahwell Can't even count how many times I've seen this, it's pretty much memorized, but - ANY reason to watch it again is alright by me

Le Corbeau (1943) Directed by Henri Georges Clouzot Nominated by Siddon aka The (EDIT) Raven is something I've been curious to see since it showed up on the 40's Countdown list and now I get to!

The Asphalt Jungle (1950) Directed by John Huston Nominated by Edarsenal This one is mine, a gritty situation with untrustworthy people.

Spellbound (1945) Directed by Alfred Hitchcock Nominated by Neiba A great pairing of Bergman and Peck; will be a great rewatch

The Big Heat (1953)Directed by Fritz Lang Nominated by Citizen Rules been far too long since I've seen this one. Get to remedy that.

The Third Man (1949) Directed by Carol Reed Nominated by GulfportDoc HUGE fan of this one. Especially cinematography.

[pahaK]

Oh man, should I join? I may have seen like two or three of these but it's been so long ago that I'm not even sure. Many of the names are familiar though so I guess this would a good "101 of Film Noir" for me.

Give me couple of hours to think about it. Oh. and I even have a nom that should actually keep up the assumed high quality (and no underaged nudity!) :D

[Siddon]

Murder, My Sweet (1944) Directed by Edward Dmytryk Nominated by Cosmic Runaway A GREAT Det. Philip Marlowe film! Looking forward to rewatch of this.

The Stranger (1946) Directed by Orson Welles Nominated by Wyldesyde A great little slow burn that really picks up in the end.

Crossfire (1947)Directed by Edward Dmytryk Nominated by Frightened Inmate Looks familiar but can't honestly remember if I've seen this.

Double Indemnity (1944) Directed by Billy Wilder Nominated by John-Connor Seen this a number of times, will happily see it again

L.A. Confidential (1997) Directed by Curtis Hanson Nominated by Ahwell Can't even count how many times I've seen this, it's pretty much memorized, but - ANY reason to watch it again is alright by me

Le Corbeau (1943) Directed by Henri Georges Clouzot Nominated by Siddon aka The Crow is something I've been curious to see since it showed up on the 40's Countdown list and now I get to!

The Asphalt Jungle (1950) Directed by John Huston Nominated by Edarsenal This one is mine, a gritty situation with untrustworthy people.

Spellbound (1945) Directed by Alfred Hitchcock Nominated by Neiba A great pairing of Bergman and Peck; will be a great rewatch

The Big Heat (1953)Directed by Fritz Lang Nominated by Citizen Rules been far too long since I've seen this one. Get to remedy that.

The Third Man (1949) Directed by Carol Reed Nominated by GulfportDoc HUGE fan of this one. Especially cinematography.


It's The Raven...and I am very interested in seeing how this fairs with this line-up. It's a very different noir film, but I love it it's my favorite Clouzot film that he made during Nazi-occupied France

[Citizen Rules]

Oh man, should I join? I may have seen like two or three of these but it's been so long ago that I'm not even sure. Many of the names are familiar though so I guess this would a good "101 of Film Noir" for me.

Give me couple of hours to think about it. Oh. and I even have a nom that should actually keep up the assumed high quality (and no underaged nudity!) :D You should join:)

Anyone can join for the next 7 days. I'd love to see even more great noms and we have 10 great ones now, but an even dozen would be sweet.

And this is any year noir & any country too.

[edarsenal]

It's The Raven...and I am very interested in seeing how this fairs with this line-up. It's a very different noir film, but I love it it's my favorite Clouzot film that he made during Nazi-occupied France

THANK YOU
I remember it being one or the other, and I even ran it through one of those translation apps and IT said Crow lol

[CosmicRunaway]

As expected, we have an excellent selection of nominations and I'm definitely looking forward to starting this Hall of Fame. :up:

Murder, My Sweet (1944) - This is the kind of film I always used to imagine when I thought about the genre, even before I had seen many noirs. I wasn't going to rewatch this one in preparation for the HoF, but after watching another of Dmytryk's films (Obsession/The Hidden Room) I wanted to compare the two, and I'm glad I did.

Double Indemnity (1944) - An essential noir that I thought I had rewatched recently when it was nominated in another Hall of Fame, but I just checked my notes and it's been nearly 3 years since then. Here was my last write-up on the film (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=1711462#post1711462), in case anyone wants spoilers for what I'll likely say about it this time around.

L.A. Confidential (1997) - I know I have seen this film before, but I couldn't tell you anything about it. It's going to basically be a new watch for me. I've been meaning to get around to rewatching it for awhile, so it looks like I can stop putting it off now.

The Asphalt Jungle (1950) - Yet another film I've seen but have only a vague recollection of. I recall more of it than L.A. Confidential, but that's not saying much.

The Big Heat (1953) - I love Fritz Lang, and considered another one of his films for this HoF. I'll probably rewatch this one soon, so I'll save my thoughts for my write-up, just in case.

The Third Man (1949) - For some reason I was convinced that this was nominated for a HoF around the same time that Double Indemnity was, but that doesn't appear to be the case. I don't know why I have that in my head - I even vaguely recall it being Camo's film. Did I have a strangely vivid MoFo related dream? Did I actually even rewatch this a couple of years ago? The mystery grows ever larger!

The rest of the films I don't think I've seen at all, though I've heard a lot about The Stranger and Le Corbeau and probably should've seen them both by now. At least now I'll get the chance for sure haha.

[Citizen Rules]

I've seen them all except, Siddon's Le Corbeau. Of the nine I have seen, all are excellent...it's hard to find a bad noir IMO:D I haven't seen L.A. Confidential and Murder My Sweet in along time.

[Wyldesyde19]

I’ve seen 4 of these, am familiar with all but Le Corbeau.
I just watched Double Indemnity for the personal rec HOF so a review will up for that shortly.
I figured The Third Man would be nominated. It’s a great one and I own the criterion collection

[rauldc14]

Glad I didn't join because I've seen all of them. Crazy lineup.

You've seen basically everything that is notable so Hall of Fames won't suit you anymore since you don't rewatch films much or don't care to.

[cricket]

You've seen basically everything that is notable so Hall of Fames won't suit you anymore since you don't rewatch films much or don't care to.

Yea that's the reason combined with time that I haven't been doing most, even though I always have the urge.

[edarsenal]

The Third Man (1949) - For some reason I was convinced that this was nominated for a HoF around the same time that Double Indemnity was, but that doesn't appear to be the case. I don't know why I have that in my head - I even vaguely recall it being Camo's film. Did I have a strangely vivid MoFo related dream? Did I actually even rewatch this a couple of years ago? The mystery grows ever larger!.

I felt the EXACT way! lol
Could have swore I had something written up for this from another HoF but -- nope

[CosmicRunaway]

I did some digging in my post history, and have solved the mystery of The Third Man.

In that same HoF, Camo had nominated Odd Man Out. When I watched it, I realized I had mixed together The Third Man and Odd Man Out in my head, so I rewatched The Third Man to see how much of what I remembered of that film was correct. So I did actually watch it around the same time as Double Indemnity, and Camo was involved. :cool:

[Siddon]

Anyways these were the other films I considered nominating....


State of Siege(1972)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JSzSuYxLMo


Le Samourai(1967)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fs0XYssIlbo


Tokyo Drifter(1966)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJ-cn4FmCbA

[CosmicRunaway]

Anyways these were the other films I considered nominating....

Le Samourai(1967)
I actually watched that in preparation for this HoF. When CR mentioned a French film had been nominated, I was going to guess that it was this one haha.

[Wyldesyde19]

I actually watched that in preparation for this HoF. When CR mentioned a French film had been nominated, I was going to guess that it was this one haha.

Same. In fact, it was on my wish list along with Alphaville, The Killing, and Scarlet Street.
Still, this is a fricking strong lineup!

[Wyldesyde19]

Since I just recently watched this exactly a week ago I’m going to just copy/paste my previous review:

Double Indemnity*


Planning the perfect murder is difficult. There’s a lot that could go wrong. You have to plan for witnesses, evidence, investigators, and sometimes a little man inside a insurance claims manager that ties him up in knots.**
Walter Neff (Played by Fred McMurray) is a straight arrow insurance salesmen. Until he meets Phyllis. Phyllis is the classic femme fatale, played brilliantly by Barbara Stanwyck.**
Stanwyck oozes sexuality throughout this film, the way she crosses her legs, converting her intentions. The icy stare that she gives. I find myself drawn to her face, one that looks so innocent yet hides her darker impulses.**
To me though, Edward G Robinson is the best in this film. Can you believe he never so much as garnered a oscar nomination in his entire career? It’s sacrilege!
The director, Billy Wider, does a great jobs of closeups on everyone’s faces at the right time, and his use of shadows. His attention to detail is also spot on. Watch at the beginning when Neff has been shot. It starts off as a small stain, at the entry wound. As time goes by, the stain grows larger. At the end, it’s dripping down his hand*
Wilder has always been one of my favorite directors. I count several of his films among my favorites, including Sunset Boulevard, Stalag 17, Some Like it Hot, and The Apartment. I can add Double Indemnity to the list now.*



Aaaaaaand first!

[edarsenal]

show off

[pahaK]

What the hell, sent in my nomination. It's neo-noir according to Wiki (and me) so it should be fine but I'll wait for CR's approval and keep up the tension anyway :)

[Wyldesyde19]

show off
It was a good head start considering I needed it. I mean, I usually go at a slow pace on these so with that one out of the way, and the fact I own L.A Confidential and The Third Man, I should get a leg up on this during the weekend.
I hope to not be scrambling like I currently am with Western III when the deadline approaches. 😱

[edarsenal]

It was a good head start considering I needed it. I mean, I usually go at a slow pace on these so with that one out of the way, and the fact I own L.A Confidential and The Third Man, I should get a leg up on this during the weekend.
I hope to not be scrambling like I currently am with Western III when the deadline approaches. 😱

scrambling as become my Modus Operandi lol

[Citizen Rules]

What the hell, sent in my nomination. It's neo-noir according to Wiki (and me) so it should be fine but I'll wait for CR's approval and keep up the tension anyway :)I've not seen it, but Wiki says it's neo noir so it's good to go.

Pahak nominated
Angel Heart (1987) by Alan Parker

[Citizen Rules]

Same. In fact, it was on my wish list along with Alphaville, The Killing, and Scarlet Street.
Still, this is a fricking strong lineup!All of those would've been cool. I've not seen Alphaville but it's well respected. The Killing would pair well with Ed's nom The Asphalt Jungle as both films are about the same subject and even both have Sterling Hayden...so they make a good comparison between the styles of Stanley Kubrick and John Huston. And Scarlet Street is another Fritz Lang noir with that guy in my avatar.

[Siddon]

I've not seen it, but Wiki says it's neo noir so it's good to go.

Pahak nominated
Angel Heart (1987) by Alan Parker


Good pick, and yes it is a noir...it's a horror-noir which is pretty cool

[Citizen Rules]

We've got our first review up and I logged it on the 1st post.

Think I'll do double columns when I get a chance to do so.

[edarsenal]

I've not seen it, but Wiki says it's neo noir so it's good to go.

Pahak nominated
Angel Heart (1987) by Alan Parker

Funny thing is, this was my original pick that I WAS going to go for and then, at the last second, went with Asphalt Jungle instead.

F@CKIN AWESOME movie!!!!

[ahwell]

I’ve seen none of these except mine as usual :)

Really excited!!

[Citizen Rules]

I’ve seen none of these except mine as usual :)

Really excited!!I'm jealous:p! You have some of the greatest noirs of all time here to watch, hope you enjoy them.

[pahaK]

The Stranger (1946)

https://media.giphy.com/media/kgzJvmP6z0p1K/giphy.gif

I get that Orson Welles is an influential director and technical innovator, but I haven't warmed to his movies that much. In that regard, The Stranger is vintage Welles for me; long-winded, pompous, and hyperbolic. And Welles himself is too grandiose for someone trying to hide in plain sight.

The intro at the harbor looks (and somewhat feels) like noir, but once the action moves to Harper, it's just a regular thriller. If this weren't a Film Noir HoF, I wouldn't have known this was noir. It seems to lack most of the things I'd expect to see in noir, like a cynical protagonist and moral ambiguity and sexual tension. Maybe my idea of the genre is wrong, though.

Like many old films, The Stranger is rather pedantic in ascertaining that viewers will surely get who's the bad guy and how the story unfolds. There's an evil nazi mastermind, a naive wife, an adamant nazi hunter, etc. No shades of grey, no depth, only an adjective and noun to describe everyone.

The Stranger isn't a bad film, though. It delivers a simple story in a comfortably compact form. It's a lot more naive than I expected, and there's too much hand-holding for the audience, but I could think a lot worse ways to spend 90 minutes.

[Siddon]

I don't know if The Stranger was vintage Welles...also it's very important to remember that the film was shot in 1946. We understand the Holocaust and Nazi's today it took decades for the world to understand what the German's did. That film really was the first one to scratch the surface and it was..

Diary of Anne Frank (1947)
Night and Fog (1956)
The Diary of Anne Frank(1959)
Trial of Adolf Eichmann(1961)
Judgement at Nuremberg(1961)
The Pawnbroker (1964)
Holocaust(1978)
Sophies Choice (1979)
Sophies Choice (1982)
Shoah (1985)
Schindlers List (1993)

It's easy to look back and say...oh hey theirs a typical Nazi but in reality Welles was tackling something that wasn't fully formed for 30 more years.

[pahaK]

I was actually about to write something about WW2 still being so recent but decided not to. Also, I didn't precisely mean that the issue is Kindler being a "typical nazi" but him being so one-dimensionally evil character (and grandiosely pompous too). He's almost comical as a caricature.

I also need to point out, again, that I rate/review films by personal entertainment value so in relation to how good or bad the film is, isn't affected by how recent the war was or how few nazis had been seen in movies before.

[Siddon]

I was actually about to write something about WW2 still being so recent but decided not to. Also, I didn't precisely mean that the issue is Kindler being a "typical nazi" but him being so one-dimensionally evil character (and grandiosely pompous too). He's almost comical as a caricature.

I also need to point out, again, that I rate/review films by personal entertainment value so in relation to how good or bad the film is, isn't affected by how recent the war was or how few nazis had been seen in movies before.


I think it's more of an issue of historical context, I don't think you can classify a film like the Strange as being pedantic when it's attempting to create a standard for the Nazi.

[pahaK]

I think it's more of an issue of historical context, I don't think you can classify a film like the Strange as being pedantic when it's attempting to create a standard for the Nazi.

Like I (tried to) say, I don't really care about the historical context (I leave that for the people who wish to research the evolution of cinema, I'm only after personal pleasure). And if the standard the film is attempting to create is merely a caricature, I have no issue calling it pedantic.

[rambond]

https://i.ibb.co/DLqXTfG/Smart-Select-20200331-122040-Chrome.jpg (https://ibb.co/CWrdDKJ)
This

[GulfportDoc]

I've seen them all except, Siddon's Le Corbeau. Of the nine I have seen, all are excellent...it's hard to find a bad noir IMO:D I haven't seen L.A. Confidential and Murder My Sweet in along time.
I too have seen them all except for Le Corbeau, so will look forward to watching the French noir.

I'm surprised that no one yet has chosen The Big Sleep which, along with Double Indemnity, are my two favorite noirs.

Should we go ahead and start with our commentaries/reviews?

[rauldc14]

The Big Sleep won a Hall of Fame already

[Citizen Rules]

I too have seen them all except for Le Corbeau, so will look forward to watching the French noir.

I'm surprised that no one yet has chosen The Big Sleep which, along with Double Indemnity, are my two favorite noirs.

Should we go ahead and start with our commentaries/reviews?The Big Sleep is one of favorites, then again Bogie made a lot of great noirs!

Yes, feel free to post your write us and or comment on what's been written. The back and forth conversation is the important thing to me at least.

[John-Connor]

62213

Crossfire 1947 Directed by Edward Dmytryk

I’ve only seen one other film by Dmymtryk before this one, Murder My Sweet, which is currently in the top ten of my all time favorite Film-Noir list. There are still 4 or 5 films I need to see from this director.

Crossfire is a murder mystery story about a man who was murdered in his own home after having some drinks with a bunch of soldiers he only just met at a bar.

The movie starts off with a powerful and grand title sequence. The camerawork and typical Noir lighting was excellent and the pacing of the story in the first hour was great. The unfolding of the mystery, in true Noir detective style, played out really well. Until somewhere around the last couple of longer and slower paced scenes that were more message driven. It led to a bit of an easy, straightforward and flat ending.

The acting was good and accompanied by quick and snappy dialogue. With standout strong performances by the lovely Gloria Grahame :love:, Robert Mitchum and Robert Ryan.

Overall enjoyable watch and worthy nomination. Also another title I can scratch off the BFI noir list. :up:

[Citizen Rules]

The Stranger (1946)


I get that Orson Welles is an influential director and technical innovator, but I haven't warmed to his movies that much. In that regard, The Stranger is vintage Welles for me; long-winded, pompous, and hyperbolic. And Welles himself is too grandiose for someone trying to hide in plain sight.


The intro at the harbor looks (and somewhat feels) like noir, but once the action moves to Harper, it's just a regular thriller. If this weren't a Film Noir HoF, I wouldn't have known this was noir. It seems to lack most of the things I'd expect to see in noir, like a cynical protagonist and moral ambiguity and sexual tension. Maybe my idea of the genre is wrong, though.

Like many old films, The Stranger is rather pedantic in ascertaining that viewers will surely get who's the bad guy and how the story unfolds. There's an evil nazi mastermind, a naive wife, an adamant nazi hunter, etc. No shades of grey, no depth, only an adjective and noun to describe everyone.

The Stranger isn't a bad film, though. It delivers a simple story in a comfortably compact form. It's a lot more naive than I expected, and there's too much hand-holding for the audience, but I could think a lot worse ways to spend 90 minutes.Even though I liked The Stranger better than you did, I would agree with some of what you wrote. Welles was an inventor when it came to directing, but as an actor he's very larger than life, very grandiose. There's some roles he's well suited too and other's that he's not. I thought he was good in The Stranger, but he's not an actor's actor. I've seen this movie twice and thought I had wrote a review, but I guess not. So I'll have more to say when I rewatch it.

I'd expect to see in noir, like a cynical protagonist and moral ambiguity and sexual tension. Maybe my idea of the genre is wrong, though.

You're not wrong if that's your opinion of what a noir should be. Noir is not a genre, it's a style, or maybe it's better described as a mood. At the time The Stranger was made the term noir wasn't in use. We all get to have our own idea of what a noir is and isn't, and that's the fun!

[Citizen Rules]

I think it's more of an issue of historical context, I don't think you can classify a film like the Strange as being pedantic when it's attempting to create a standard for the Nazi. I agree with you that older films need to be viewed (at least partially) through the 'eyes' of historical context. I remember in another Noir HoF I nominated Pickup on South Street and some thought it had a silly plot because of the theme of communist spies trying to steal micro film that contained top secret plans...whilst the character's struggle with the morality of making a buck illegally or doing the patriotic thing. Viewed with today's mind frame that sounds hokey. But as you mentioned, when viewed with the historical context that America was in the middle of the cold war and Soviet espionage was real, then that film's subject is relative to the time it was made. And I think the same historical context idea holds true for The Stranger.

[Citizen Rules]

Crossfire 1947 Directed by Edward Dmytryk

The acting was good and accompanied by quick and snappy dialogue. With standout strong performances by the lovely Gloria Grahame ...Yahoo! I'm a big fan of Gloria Grahame! I've seen every one of her movies say for a couple of her last films where she had bit roles. I've seen Crossfire a couple of times, but I'll watch it again.

She really looks quite different in Crossfire than in any other film I've seen her in. I think it's the lighter make up and longer platinum blonde hair. It's like they were giving her a softer look. Usually she has darker blonde, short hair.

BTW, She's the actress that's in two of our noms. She's also in my nom in The Big Heat. She made a bunch of noirs and I considered several of them.

[John-Connor]

Yahoo! I'm a big fan of Gloria Grahame! I've seen every one of her movies say for a couple of her last films where she had bit roles. I've seen Crossfire a couple of times, but I'll watch it again.

She really looks quite different in Crossfire than in any other film I've seen her in. I think it's the lighter make up and longer platinum blonde hair. It's like they were giving her a softer look. Usually she has darker blonde, short hair.

BTW, She's the actress that's in two of our noms. She's also in my nom in The Big Heat. She made a bunch of noirs and I considered several of them.
That's a lot of movies CR, you are a fan, and understandably so. I've only seen four of her films. In a Lonely Place and The Big Heat are my favs so far. Crossfire was one of her earlier roles so naturally she looked a bit more petite but she also showed some serious fierceness in this role.

[ahwell]

Just watched my own nom for the Personal Reccs HoF, so here's my review from that:

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d8/La_confidential.jpg
L.A. Confidential (1997)
My guess: Citizen Rules, I know he likes noir

A stunning, complex, polished neo-noir -- actually, screw it, this is straight up Billy Wilder/Otto Preminger noir from the 40s or 50s -- L.A. Confidential balances several protagonists and many different plot points yet maintains a razor sharp focus during its two hour run time.

Boy do those two hours fly by. The acting from everyone is stellar, especially our three leads - Kevin Spacey, Russell Crowe, and Guy Pearce. All phenomenal character performances, and boosted by Kim Basinger's Oscar-winning supporting actress performance.

The acting however - like most movies - is only the tip of the iceberg. The script itself clearly borrows from, well the book it was based on obviously, but also from a lot of different film sources. You can definitely hear that 40s/50s noir dark script style if you know what I'm talking about. But we also get the 90s Tarantino/Scorsese-esque touch of dark humor, twists in language as an idiom, and an overall sense of complete control of style.

And that's exactly what this movie feels like. Curtis Hanson - and indeed everyone who worked on this masterpiece - is gradually uncovering secrets for us, the stupid audience. One by one, he unfolds that neatly wrapped blanket and shocks us with twists and turns along the way. It's like watching a magician perform magic tricks - this movie is Hanson pulling a rabbit out of the hat, and then turning the rabbit into a rat.

Speaking of Curtis Hanson... well, I'd never heard of him either. Too bad he couldn't become a great director, but L.A. Confidential proves he certainly had the talent, especially when he was working with the right actors. I'm still looking forward to seeing other movies he directed even if this is by far the most famous/well regarded of them.

L.A. Confidential is a tribute to noir, but it also breaks free of the genre, which I won't claim to be an expert on in the first place. We get interesting comments on violence and corruption in the law, and indeed the corruption of the entire Los Angeles movie/crime community. It's sinister, dark, smirking. And it got nine Academy Award nominations (of course that was the year Titanic swept everything) and two wins.

Wasn't too sure about this movie when I started and indeed throughout the first thirty minutes or so. But I came out thrilled. This is a certified classic.

4-

[Wyldesyde19]

Just watched my own nom for the Personal Reccs HoF, so here's my review from that:

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d8/La_confidential.jpg
L.A. Confidential (1997)
My guess: Citizen Rules, I know he likes noir

A stunning, complex, polished neo-noir -- actually, screw it, this is straight up Billy Wilder/Otto Preminger noir from the 40s or 50s -- L.A. Confidential balances several protagonists and many different plot points yet maintains a razor sharp focus during its two hour run time.

Boy do those two hours fly by. The acting from everyone is stellar, especially our three leads - Kevin Spacey, Russell Crowe, and Guy Pearce. All phenomenal character performances, and boosted by Kim Basinger's Oscar-winning supporting actress performance.

The acting however - like most movies - is only the tip of the iceberg. The script itself clearly borrows from, well the book it was based on obviously, but also from a lot of different film sources. You can definitely hear that 40s/50s noir dark script style if you know what I'm talking about. But we also get the 90s Tarantino/Scorsese-esque touch of dark humor, twists in language as an idiom, and an overall sense of complete control of style.

And that's exactly what this movie feels like. Curtis Hanson - and indeed everyone who worked on this masterpiece - is gradually uncovering secrets for us, the stupid audience. One by one, he unfolds that neatly wrapped blanket and shocks us with twists and turns along the way. It's like watching a magician perform magic tricks - this movie is Hanson pulling a rabbit out of the hat, and then turning the rabbit into a rat.

Speaking of Curtis Hanson... well, I'd never heard of him either. Too bad he couldn't become a great director, but L.A. Confidential proves he certainly had the talent, especially when he was working with the right actors. I'm still looking forward to seeing other movies he directed even if this is by far the most famous/well regarded of them.

L.A. Confidential is a tribute to noir, but it also breaks free of the genre, which I won't claim to be an expert on in the first place. We get interesting comments on violence and corruption in the law, and indeed the corruption of the entire Los Angeles movie/crime community. It's sinister, dark, smirking. And it got nine Academy Award nominations (of course that was the year Titanic swept everything) and two wins.

Wasn't too sure about this movie when I started and indeed throughout the first thirty minutes or so. But I came out thrilled. This is a certified classic.

4-


L.A Confidential is so amazing, I can’t wait to rewatch it this weekend. I remember renting it shortly after it was released and was utterly amazed. Definitely among the greatest for me.

[CosmicRunaway]

I started the write-up for my nomination, but I probably won't get it finished tonight. I find it always takes me awhile to get back into writing when I've been out of the HoFs for awhile.

I thought it had been about 2 months or so since I wrote my last review for the Japanese Hall of Fame, but apparently that was 4 and a half months ago. My grasp of time is getting more tenuous by the day haha.

[Citizen Rules]

I started the write-up for my nomination, but I probably won't get it finished tonight. I find it always takes me awhile to get back into writing when I've been out of the HoFs for awhile.

I thought it had been about 2 months or so since I wrote my last review for the Japanese Hall of Fame, but apparently that was 4 and a half months ago. My grasp of time is getting more tenuous by the day haha.I know what you mean...I've been having a hard time keeping up on my write-ups in my western log thread. Think I've seen 3 westerns lately too, that I haven't gotten around to writing about.

[John-Connor]

Spellbound 1945 Directed by Alfred Hitchcock

62236

Classic Hitchcock, psychological thriller, romance with some Noir elements. Starring two big lead stars Bergman and Peck who were both excellent in their roles and on top of that displayed some genuine on-screen chemistry.

Spellbound shows a pretty unique approach within the Noir genre. It’s a very modern type movie in the sense that it has a very intelligent and strong willed female lead. And Peck’s male character is the one with the typical ‘femme fatale’ traits; good looking, helpless, with a mysterious and shady past.

In this Hitchcock especially I also noticed and really enjoyed the use and timing of the theme music and how drastically the music changed whenever Peck’s character had one of his many psychological developments. Balancing romance and tension perfectly.

Filled with nice twists throughout the whole movie and great reveal(s) in the end scenes. Ranked this one right behind Strangers on a Train. Excellent nomination once again Neiba, can’t go wrong with Hitchcock.

4

[CosmicRunaway]

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=62239

Murder, My Sweet (1944)
Directed by: Edward Dmytryk
Starring: Dick Powell, Anne Shirley, Claire Trevor

With a camera that lingers on smoke filling a dimly lit room, or mist slowly spreading through darkened woods, Murder, My Sweet is a film that certainly embraces the “noir” aspect of the genre. The daytime scenes take place almost exclusively indoors, limiting the amount of time anyone is exposed to the sunlight. Its characters are the type who flourish in the darkness, so the shadows and ample use of contrast set the perfect tone for the events that follow.

That's not to say that the film is all grit and cynicism though, since it does have a lighter streak that often shines through. Despite his weary exterior, Marlowe has plenty of witty, snappy dialogue and amusing quips at the ready. Dick Powell is great in this role, especially considering that his background was in musicals and romantic comedies. I'm sure many people will prefer Humphrey Bogart's take on the character from the Big Sleep, but I've personally always had a fondness for Powell's performance here.

As our lead character is pulled ever deeper into the central mystery, the plot does begin to feel a little chaotic. However, before things can spiral out of control, the loose threads start to weave back together, and the narrative ultimately concludes in a satisfying manner. Over the years, many of the elements found in this film have become stereotypes of the genre, but Murder, My Sweet is still an excellent example of why those tropes became popular in the first place.

[John-Connor]

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=62239
many people will prefer Humphrey Bogart's take on the character from the Big Sleep, but I've personally always had a fondness for Powell's performance here.
Samesies. :)

[CosmicRunaway]

I know what you mean...I've been having a hard time keeping up on my write-ups in my western log thread. Think I've seen 3 westerns lately too, that I haven't gotten around to writing about.
Well hopefully you manage to get them done before the backlog becomes too daunting!

For the Hall of Fames, I don't like to start my next film until I've finalized what I want to say about the last one I watched. I'm not sure how effective that approach is, but I find that it helps prevent me from procrastinating too much.

[Citizen Rules]

Well hopefully you manage to get them done before the backlog becomes too daunting!

For the Hall of Fames, I don't like to start my next film until I've finalized what I want to say about the last one I watched. I'm not sure how effective that approach is, but I find that it helps prevent me from procrastinating too much.Backlog: that's why I stopped doing reviews for every movie I'd watched on my review thread. One day I fell behind in reviewing, then a week went by, then two, and then I had so many movies to review...I just gave up:eek: Oh well, for me the HoFs is where I like to be these days, and so my motivation is always fairly high for these:)

[ahwell]

Backlog: that's why I stopped doing reviews for every movie I'd watched on my review thread. One day I fell behind in reviewing, then a week went by, then two, and then I had so many movies to review...I just gave up:eek: Oh well, for me the HoFs is where I like to be these days, and so my motivation is always fairly high for these:)
You made it longer than me... I had a review thread for a week or two when I just joined and stopped like ten reviews in haha. That said I still write reviews for everything I watch LB (oh here I go again with my LB advertising lol)... maybe I should paste them here to continue the review thread from like a year ago.

[rauldc14]

I don't review I just give simple thoughts on what I watch.

[Wyldesyde19]

When I get around to doing my “Greatest movies” thread, I will only be reviewing films I considered s great.
Similar to Ebert, which is where I got the inspiration.
If I did every movie, I’d go insane.

[Citizen Rules]

I don't review I just give simple thoughts on what I watch.Yeah me too. I just sort of ramble and misspell every other word:p I can't proof read for nothing.

[pahaK]

Yeah me too. I just sort of ramble and misspell every other word:p I can't proof read for nothing.

Fortunately, there are tools for that :D I personally use a program (and browser add-on) called Grammarly.

[neiba]

Spellbound 1945 Directed by Alfred Hitchcock


Classic Hitchcock, psychological thriller, romance with some Noir elements. Starring two big lead stars Bergman and Peck who were both excellent in their roles and on top of that displayed some genuine on-screen chemistry.

Spellbound shows a pretty unique approach within the Noir genre. It’s a very modern type movie in the sense that it has a very intelligent and strong willed female lead. And Peck’s male character is the one with the typical ‘femme fatale’ traits; good looking, helpless, with a mysterious and shady past.

In this Hitchcock especially I also noticed and really enjoyed the use and timing of the theme music and how drastically the music changed whenever Peck’s character had one of his many psychological developments. Balancing romance and tension perfectly.

Filled with nice twists throughout the whole movie and great reveal(s) in the end scenes. Ranked this one right behind Strangers on a Train. Excellent nomination once again Neiba, can’t go wrong with Hitchcock.

4

Glad you liked it! :)

I'll write about it later, but I'll just let a teaser, while Bergman and Peck are obviously the leads and main attractions to this, there's a third perfomance which is particularly special for the importance of the actor in question.

[CosmicRunaway]

I don't review I just give simple thoughts on what I watch.
I always hesitate to call my posts "reviews" for a similar reason (often due to a lack of consistency and analysis), but there's only so many times I can use "write-up" in the same sentence without it looking weird haha.

Some of my write-ups are more critical and review-like than others, but it always depends on the film and what I noticed most about it. For one nomination I might only focus on the cinematography or central themes, but then occasionally a film will come along and I basically write half an essay (looking at you, Wings of Desire).

I like seeing everyone's varied approaches to what they write about the nominations. Some are short and sweet, others can be a clinical break down, or offer their own personal reactions to individual scenes or lines. It's those different takes that make these HoFs a pleasure to participant in.

[GulfportDoc]

Le Corbeau (1943)

I had never seen this film before this HOF, so it was interesting to see how the French were doing it in 1943—at least how director Henri Clouzot was. It’s a bit of a jumble of a film, more a melodramatic mystery than a film noir.

Having seen no French films from the war era, the way this film was done might have been typical of its type, but I have nothing to compare it to. Translated “The Raven” or “The Crow”, the story relates how certain people in a French town start receiving threatening or accusatory anonymous letters which put them into compromising situations and even death. Various suspects are accused before the culprit is dealt with in the end by a subject’s spouse.

There seemed to be a lot of yelling in the film, which was contrasted by some provocative sexual seduction moments. There was a very nice Hitchcockian scene where a letter is dropped from the rafters onto a church congregation whose attention is drawn upward as the letter flutters to the floor. There were some themes that would have been censored in the U.S. involving prostitution, abortion, and the like. Shot during the Occupation, reportedly the film was produced by Germans in France for two reasons: One, those themes would not have been tolerated in Germany, and, two, the themes were likely meant to show the disdain for, and immorality of the French people.

The film put me in mind of a cinematic presentation of a radio drama—something similar to pictures commonly seen in the early 1930s U.S. Le Corbeau is worth a watch, and has a few nice elements, but it’s really more of a B movie, not in the same league of some of the better noirs of the 1940s.

[edarsenal]

https://media3.giphy.com/media/13mIDsq0wgUcve/source.gif


L.A. Confidential

Captain Dudley Smith: I admire you as a policeman - particularly your adherence to violence as a necessary adjunct to the job.

A film I have seen countless times and have never, and most likely, will never grow tired of. It is one of those films where you can learn something with each watch and notice subtleties, as well as "glances" and "reactions" that could be easily missed if you're not watching closely.
Smartly written, originally by the author James Ellory, who, I would easily place highly among such past crime writers as Raymond Chandler and Mickey Spillane, as well as a contemporary author, Elmore Leonard; this neo-noir is a helluva crime story that links the corruption that boldly wears the facade of glamour and righteousness of both Hollywood and the Los Angeles Police Department.
Using several situations that did occur around the setting of 1952, as well as the knowledge and experience of a number of detectives that worked during that time, Ellroy created a many-tiered epic of a crime story that, instead of one main officer, there are three of them. Each uncovering bits of the same puzzle in their own unique ways. All of which is brought together with precision.
Director Curtis Hanson adapts that epic novel into an incredible film. We get all the grit of many past noir films, except for the cinematography that Hanson purposely kept more modern and it all works brilliantly.

Everyone involved completely embody their characters; none of which are one-dimensional, which is proven as the movie moves forward. And it moves masterfully. Keeping the tension as the glimpses beneath the shiny veneer are revealed, all the way to the climax.

A D@MN FINE Nomination!!

[pahaK]

Murder, My Sweet (1944)

62352
Hm. You've got a nice build for a private detective.

To me, Murder, My Sweet is much more noir than The Stranger. Storywise it has all the elements I missed in Welles' film; Marlowe is cynical enough, morally he's quite firmly in the gray zone, and the women are sexy and dangerous. As a movie, it's not any better, though.

There's too much sarcastic jousting with words to my liking. It feels like the characters beg to be beaten (especially Marlowe, but to a lesser degree, both ladies as well). I find it annoying. This same ironic attitude also plagues Marlowe's voice-overs; why do they need to be funny?

The plot is pretty basic and, in the end, predictable. Still, it's a plot I expect to see in film noir. Moose was an unnecessary piece in this puzzle, though. I'd drop him and flesh out the other characters more. The end is also rather weak (I'm referring to Ann's actions and the lack of impact the recent events had had on her).

I don't like Powell as Marlowe. He doesn't feel gritty enough (more of a "punch me, please" type). I suppose this is more about not liking how the character is, to be honest. Otherwise, the acting and casting are good.

Murder, My Sweet is another moderately easy watch in this HoF. It's not a personal favorite but, like The Stranger, it's an OK movie, and much closer to what I was expecting to see here.

[CosmicRunaway]

There's too much sarcastic jousting with words to my liking. [...] This same ironic attitude also plagues Marlowe's voice-overs; why do they need to be funny?
I think it speaks to our drastically differing tastes that one of your biggest problems with the film was one of my favourite aspects haha.

[CosmicRunaway]

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The Big Heat (1953)
Directed by: Fritz Lang
Starring: Glenn Ford, Lee Marvin, Gloria Grahame

The Big Heat occasionally erupts into violence with shocking scenes that were quite uncommon for films of the era. Even though the majority of these acts take place off screen, the events still leave a huge impact, proving that a film doesn't need to flaunt grotesque visuals in order to be effective. Everything on screen is perfectly controlled by Lang, with camera work and editing that complement the tightly written script incredibly well.

The lighting is more subtle than usual for a noir, and especially for Lang in particular, but it still draws on those Expressionistic roots to create a stark mise-en-scène. The disparity between the loving, quaint family scenes and the cruelty that occurs afterwards further emphasises the film's base brutality. Instead of a femme fatale ruining the lives of men, women face the brunt of The Big Heat's violence, often after contact with the protagonist, and indirectly as a consequence for refusing to be complacent in the face of corruption.

Bannion was an honest cop with the perfect home life, but over the course of the film, he turns bitter and cold as vengeance becomes his top priority. You can even hear these changes in Glenn Ford's voice, as he gives arguably the best performance of his career. The entire cast does a remarkable job, with Gloria Grahame going through a similar transformation as her character is also struck hard by the film's many tragic events. It's an engrossing film that's still as relevant today as it was when it was released, so I'm glad I got the chance to watch it again.

[edarsenal]

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=62379

The Big Heat (1953)
Directed by: Fritz Lang
Starring: Glenn Ford, Lee Marvin, Gloria Grahame

The Big Heat occasionally erupts into violence with shocking scenes that were quite uncommon for films of the era. Even though the majority of these acts take place off screen, the events still leave a huge impact, proving that a film doesn't need to flaunt grotesque visuals in order to be effective. Everything on screen is perfectly controlled by Lang, with camera work and editing that complement the tightly written script incredibly well.

The lighting is more subtle than usual for a noir, and especially for Lang in particular, but it still draws on those Expressionistic roots to create a stark mise-en-scène. The disparity between the loving, quaint family scenes and the cruelty that occurs afterwards further emphasises the film's base brutality. Instead of a femme fatale ruining the lives of men, women face the brunt of The Big Heat's violence, often after contact with the protagonist, and indirectly as a consequence for refusing to be complacent in the face of corruption.

Bannion was an honest cop with the perfect home life, but over the course of the film, he turns bitter and cold as vengeance becomes his top priority. You can even hear these changes in Glenn Ford's voice, as he gives arguably the best performance of his career. The entire cast does a remarkable job, with Gloria Grahame going through a similar transformation as her character is also struck hard by the film's many tragic events. It's an engrossing film that's still as relevant today as it was when it was released, so I'm glad I got the chance to watch it again.




Excellent review and SERIOUS Noir points for a top-notch femme fatale pose!!

[CosmicRunaway]

Excellent review and SERIOUS Noir points for a top-notch femme fatale pose!!
Thanks! Yeah, I had picked out that image as well as one of Bannion on the other side of a chain link fence and thought...well obviously I have to go with that one, no contest haha.

[edarsenal]

Thanks! Yeah, I had picked out that image as well as one of Bannion on the other side of a chain link fence and thought...well obviously I have to go with that one, no contest haha.

totally lol

[edarsenal]

Murder, My Sweet (1944)

62352
Hm. You've got a nice build for a private detective.

There's too much sarcastic jousting with words to my liking. It feels like the characters beg to be beaten (especially Marlowe, but to a lesser degree, both ladies as well). I find it annoying. This same ironic attitude also plagues Marlowe's voice-overs; why do they need to be funny?

I don't like Powell as Marlowe. He doesn't feel gritty enough (more of a "punch me, please" type). I suppose this is more about not liking how the character is, to be honest. Otherwise, the acting and casting are good.

enjoyed the write up!

There is something like seven or so actors who have played Raymond Chandler's Detective Marlowe in both films and TV and, yes, like you said, the character is not the tough aka "hard-boiled" detective, but a more laconic, VERY sarcastic detective who uses violence against others as a last resort.
For me, Powell fits the "persona" rather well. So did Elliot Gould in 1973's version of The Long Goodbye (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070334/).
Humphrey Bogart's rendition was too much like his Sam Spade in The Maltese Falcon, which he did f@ckin nail. Though I DO love the scene where he played a book collector in The Big Sleep. THAT is PURE Marlowe.
I have yet to see Robert Mitchum's take on the character from the two he did in the 70s. Has anybody seen them?

Also, the "voice-overs" are from the colorful writing prose of the author himself. The style became a staple of such detective/crime stories written at the time in pulp magazines.
And, like so many iconic things, it would be parodied and feel a bit corny for people new to the writing style or film genre.
I've wondered if Chandler, who wrote his first story in the 30s was the first to write that way and others followed, or if it was something already present and he had a very serious flair for it.

[John-Connor]

I have yet to see Robert Mitchum's take on the character from the two he did in the 70s. Has anybody seen them?
Not yet, I'll probably watch Farewell My Lovely after this hof. It has Stallone in it as henchman, but at first glance Charlotte Rampling doesn't fit the genre imo, we'll see.

[edarsenal]

Not yet, I'll probably watch Farewell My Lovely after this hof. It has Stallone in it as henchman, but at first glance Charlotte Rampling doesn't fit the genre imo, we'll see.
PLEASE, let me know. I've been curious but never had the opportunity to pursue that curiosity.

[Citizen Rules]

I seen Farewell My Lovely (1975) I didn't care for it much, and if I didn't know better I'd thought that Robert Mitchum wasn't a very good actor. Maybe he was bored with the movie? I wish I would've wrote a review, but I can't find it. I do see I rated a 3

[CosmicRunaway]

I was just rewatching L.A. Confidential, and was amused to see This Gun for Hire playing in one of the scenes, since I watched it in preparation for this Hall of Fame haha.

[Citizen Rules]

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Murder, My Sweet (1944)

When I hosted the first Noir HoF I thought that all the nominations would be like comparing apples to apples, as all the movies were from the classic period of Film Noir (1941 to 1958). But what I found out was that even in those 17 years, Noir changed from the early WWII days to the later 1950s. So I was glad to see Murder, My Sweet nominated as it hearkens back to the earliest days of noir when it was about character tropes, colorful slang dialogue, twisting-turning mysteries, with moody lighting reminiscent of German expressionism of the 1930s.

I loved the vernacular of Murder, My Sweet, so many great lines with such imaginative phrasing, I really got a kick out it...

"I only took the job because my bank account was trying to crawl under a duck."

What the hell does that mean? You know what, I don't even care because it sounds like something a hard boiled detective would say...and it's authentic and that's something you can't get from a modern movie set in the past. I mean this is 1944, captured on film with all it's mannerisms and styles. Even the women are very stylishly dressed.

I've never read a Raymond Chandler novel but I feel this movie must have captured the feeling of those novels. And in a way this reminded me of an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, where Captain Picard uses the holodeck to recreate the literary fictional world of Dixon Hill.

Now if I was on a Boogie kick, I might say to myself, Dick Powell? The singer? He's no Boogie. Well Boogie is no Dick Powell, and Bogie can't sing either, ha. I liked Powell because he wasn't always the smartest guy in the room, he wasn't the toughest and he screwed up a lot. And in that way he reminded me of another great film detective, Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford-Blade Runner). Powell's Philip Marlowe is no superman and in that way the average person can relate to him. And I liked how he played the jaded detective with just a touch of ironic comedy and always looked like he needed a drink and a shave.

Clarie Trevor is always good. She looked the best at the start of the film in the white dress with the mid drift belly pick-a-boo. She did look a bit to old for that get up, but then again that was the point wasn't it?

Anne Shirley was as cute as a button! Too bad this was her last film. She retired from acting at the ripe old age of 26.

Gosh, I didn't even mention all the cool noir lighting, effects and shadows. Yeah, there's a lot to like here alright. Murder, My Sweet is like stepping into another world where everything is just a bit cooler than real life. Good stuff.

[edarsenal]

looks like Murder My Sweet is THE film right now.
I actually saw this the other night and will try to get a review put up tomorrow night.

[pahaK]

Double Indemnity (1944)

https://66.media.tumblr.com/967e9227f5011f9db99a9bd2c24f6d22/tumblr_pps8wfLUJc1x79ktmo2_500.gifv

Now we're talking. Double Indemnity is a big step forward in characters and writing in general over the two previous films I watched. It doesn't have the noir looks of Murder, My Sweet, but it's considerably darker and more cynical as a story, and it doesn't overdo the sarcasm and humor.

Neff is little like Marlowe with his sardonic comments and, at times, arrogance. He feels like a cocky and overly confident man who thinks he's in control while in truth he's out of his element. Marlowe should know he's begging for trouble, but it's believable that Neff has illusions about his intellectual superiority.

Phyllis is a traditional femme fatale who plays on Neff's arrogance. Her introduction to Neff is a little hasty, but besides that, I like how the plot evolves. The more we learn about her past, the clearer it becomes that she's just using everyone to get what she wants. Her end felt a little weak, though. Likewise, the supporting cast is great, especially Keyes.

There are small issues with the plot (like it seems an obvious blunder to go for the titular double indemnity), but for the most parts, everything fits nicely together. Double Indemnity has a solid script at its core (even the Chandler's ironic narration works here). Its visuals are little behind the writing, but it's still a good movie.

[CosmicRunaway]

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L.A. Confidential (1997)
Directed by: Curtis Hanson
Starring: Guy Pearce, Russell Crowe, Kevin Spacey

L.A. Confidential is a film packed with talent and great production design. Despite the costumes and sets perfectly recreating the 1950s, the film itself looks incredibly modern, with natural lighting replacing the stylized use of contrast typically found in classic noirs. Without a nostalgic view of the era colouring perceptions, the focus can remain on the story and its characters. This more contemporary framing also allows audiences to more easily imagine these events taking place today, allowing the film's plot to transcend the decade it was set in.

The script is incredibly smart, and in true noir fashion nothing is really black or white, especially when it comes to its protagonists. Ed Exley appears at first to be a real “by the books” cop who isn't afraid to ruffle the feathers of his fellow officers if it means following protocol, however while he does clearly believe in justice, he is motivated by status within the department, and isn't afraid to play politics to get what he wants. Bud White does what it takes to get a confession, bending the rules to get results, but has a soft heart under that tough exterior. Their different approaches to police work cause them to clash, but they're ultimately more similar than they care to admit.

Rounding out the trio is Jack Vincennes, whose ego and lust for fame has him dealing under the table to score easy busts that will garner a lot of publicity. However he is by no means a lazy detective, and it's his sharp mind that becomes integral to connecting the film's seemingly unrelated story threads. It's the combination of those intertwining narratives and how its characters play off each other that make L.A. Confidential's story so satisfying. I may have mourned the lack of that classic noir aesthetic, but the script and its stellar performances more than made up for the loss.

[edarsenal]

watched Double Indemnity last night and since I have exactly the same to say about it as I did when I rewatched it for the Second 40s HoF I'll just cut and paste my review from there:

https://www.jasoncollin.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/09-SEPT/double-indemnity-1944-movie-screenshot-495px.jpg


Double Indemnity

Walter Neff: How could I have known that murder could sometimes smell like honeysuckle?

Considered a MUST SEE for anyone who enjoys noir films this was co-written by a decective-story great, and creator of Philip Marlowe; Raymond Chandler, and his style of colorful penmanship is all over this film.
The other writer? None other than Billy Wilder.

This film has all the usual pieces to a clever scam going to hell. With a femme fatale; Barbara Stanwyck, whom I really love when she plays it tough. When she plays the nervous/scared damsel it doesn't seem real. Or perhaps that's the point, since it's all a charade anyway. One you can see on multiple scenes when she watches Murray's character walk away; and if you know what you're looking for, you do see behind the mask. Though she does hide it VERY well.
She truly shined in the final confrontation. Sitting coldly on the sofa as things fell apart between her and Murray and the tension was very well done.

As for Murray, he played the sucker perfectly. Making the plays and the orchestrating the plans without the slightest clue he was the one being used. Though I must say I never had any sympathy for him, while I did enjoy him trying to play it cool.
But I really think that has to do with the bias of being so used to him playing Walt Disney films when I was a kid; like Flubber and Shaggy D.A. Never mind the sitcom; My Three Sons. So any time I ever watched this, those characters always stuck in my head.

The final character, Murray's boss played with his usual excellence is my man Edward G Robinson. I think some of my favorite scenes included Murray and Robinson; especially the closing scene of this movie.

[edarsenal]

https://i2.wp.com/flickersintime.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Murder-My-Sweet-1.jpg?resize=584%2C437


Murder My Sweet

Philip Marlowe: She was a charming middle-aged lady with a face like a bucket of mud. I gave her a drink. She was a gal who'd take a drink, if she had to knock you down to get the bottle.

I've seen this film a couple of times and have always enjoyed it. Besides the fact that I do enjoy a good crime/noir film - following it's author's prose, there is sarcasm galore here as well. Along with some great use of camera trickery to delve into the narration and "feel" of this gum shoe tale of playing the sitting duck for the blind with unlimited ammo.

As I've mentioned previously, there's been several actors who have played Chandler's iconic Philip Marlowe, Powell does an excellent job playing the sarcastic, non violent detective who loves to drink and parley with. . . hell, pretty much everyone. And this film seems to epitomize a Chandler story while delving into the prose that would become the staple of the genre as well as some of the mannerisms, (the smart-@ss in particular) to so many private dicks and cops to come. Hell, even Clint Eastwood's bad @ss Dirty Harry was a smart-@ss; ya know.

Any ole flavor, this is a very fun detective romp with some great visuals and all the noir tropes that made it such a great genre to behold and be entertained by.

[Wyldesyde19]

Double Indemnity (1944)

https://66.media.tumblr.com/967e9227f5011f9db99a9bd2c24f6d22/tumblr_pps8wfLUJc1x79ktmo2_500.gifv

Now we're talking. Double Indemnity is a big step forward in characters and writing in general over the two previous films I watched. It doesn't have the noir looks of Murder, My Sweet, but it's considerably darker and more cynical as a story, and it doesn't overdo the sarcasm and humor.

Neff is little like Marlowe with his sardonic comments and, at times, arrogance. He feels like a cocky and overly confident man who thinks he's in control while in truth he's out of his element. Marlowe should know he's begging for trouble, but it's believable that Neff has illusions about his intellectual superiority.

Phyllis is a traditional femme fatale who plays on Neff's arrogance. Her introduction to Neff is a little hasty, but besides that, I like how the plot evolves. The more we learn about her past, the clearer it becomes that she's just using everyone to get what she wants. Her end felt a little weak, though. Likewise, the supporting cast is great, especially Keyes.

There are small issues with the plot (like it seems an obvious blunder to go for the titular double indemnity), but for the most parts, everything fits nicely together. Double Indemnity has a solid script at its core (even the Chandler's ironic narration works here). Its visuals are little behind the writing, but it's still a good movie.

Really like your review, but I must take issue (slight as it is) with your criticism regarding the plot, and your opinion of the double Indemnity being a blunder.
Surely, you’re aware that was the point?
Never mind the fact that people have indeed killed their spouses for the life insurance before, but in the film it was obvious that it was indeed a mistake for him to have gotten mixed up in it to begin with, because such a clause would always be under close scrutiny.

[CosmicRunaway]

watched Double Indemnity last night and since I have exactly the same to say about it as I did when I rewatched it for the Second 40s HoF I'll just cut and paste my review from there
I haven't rewatched Double Indemnity yet, but I feel like I'll be doing something similar, since I'm not sure how differently I can word my opinion from what I wrote previously - assuming it hasn't changed, that is. That's the downside of having films appear in multiple HoFs.

[Wyldesyde19]

The Third Man
Who killed Harry Lime? And for that matter, why don’t the police care? These are the questions Holly, Harry’s college friend and novelist, wants to know. But as the uncovers the truth about Harry, he may wish he left well enough alone.
Featuring a fantastic score, a labyrinthine plot, and fantastic editing, The Third Man draws you in centered around Holly’s search for the truth.
And of course, Orson Welles as Harry Lime, with that smirk and famous “cuckoo clock” speech, embracing the shadows that seem to envelope him as much as the mystery that surrounds his life and death.
This is among a handful of films that I can watch every other year or so because it remains such an intriguing film, and the images of war torn Vienna stand out, with ruined buildings and rubble laying around helping to give a bleak and somber tone throughout.

Great nomination! I’ve been wanting to see this again for the past few months since it had been years since I last watched it. Too long in fact. Was so glad to see it here.

[Wyldesyde19]

Geez! I didn’t even mention the acting!
Welles in particular is so amazing in this film. He hides his sinister personality well with such charm and a face that suggests he could have been anyone’s best friend. And that was the point. He came to to with such a friendly demeanor that one would never have noticed the knife in his hand until it was in their back.
And Cotten plays the part of a novelist who quickly realized he was in way over his head. He plays the character as both naive and cuckold, as he falls for not only the lovey Anna, but also the charm of Lime. It isn’t until near the end that he realizes he had no clue about what was going on. By then, he realizes that his novels were nothing compared to real life, and nothing could have prepared him for it.
And that final scene......well, let’s just say that it was so famous that The Departed paid a homage to it.

[GulfportDoc]

Murder, My Sweet (1944)

This is not only one of the first Hollywood films noir (preceded only by Double Indemnity and The Maltese Falcon), but it is one of the all time very best, virtually defining the style.

Most viewers are aware that the film’s title was changed from Raymond Chandler’s original Farewell, My Lovely because preview audiences thought that the title suggested a musical comedy, and also because the star Dick Powell was solidly known as a musical comedy lead. But what I newly learned was that RKO had purchased the rights from Chandler in 1942, and had used a similar story with most of the same characters in the film The Falcon Takes Over (1942), starring George Sanders as “The Falcon”, but with no Philip Marlowe character in the adaption.

Dick Powell etched a superb performance playing Marlowe as a hard-boiled, but human shamus with a sense of humor. The performance highly impressed RKO’s studio head, and forever changed the types of roles that Powell would play. The cast itself has no weak portrayals, and the ensemble worked together and separately like a fine Swiss watch.

The plot is convoluted and tricky, as are most of Chandler’s stories. As in his other novels various taboo subjects such as homosexuality and drug addiction had to be soft pedaled and de-emphasized due to the Hays Code. But Marlowe is in on solving the mystery, and there is a very gratifying ending with Powell and Anne Shirley.

Mention must be made of Edward Dmytryk’s superb direction of a faithful screenplay by John Paxton. Dmytryk had done a number of good WWII films, but it was “My Sweet” that really cemented his stock. He went on to direct Crossfire, The Caine Mutiny, The Carpetbaggers, and many other wonderful films. We can thank his deft spinning of a dark and mysterious mood into Chandler’s work, which literally defined film noir.

There have been a number of Philip Marlowes portrayed in American feature film adaptions of Chandler novels. My personal ranking of the actors in order are: Humphrey Bogart, Dick Powell, Robert Mitchum, Robert Montgomery, James Garner, Elliot Gould, James Caan, and George Montgomery.

[Olivier Parent]

hello i was wondering if it was possible to create our own posts sorry if my comment is off topic

[GulfportDoc]

...
"I only took the job because my bank account was trying to crawl under a duck."

What the hell does that mean? ...
Heh, heh. It means it was trying to hide. It was so low that it was hidden..;)

[Citizen Rules]

Really like your review, but I must take issue (slight as it is) with your criticism regarding the plot, and your opinion of the double Indemnity being a blunder.
Surely, you’re aware that was the point?
Never mind the fact that people have indeed killed their spouses for the life insurance before, but in the film it was obvious that it was indeed a mistake for him to have gotten mixed up in it to begin with, because such a clause would always be under close scrutiny. People might not know now that back in the 1940s-50s with the Hays Code, audiences already knew the outcome of the movie from the start. As the criminals could never get away with it.

Heh, heh. It means it was trying to hide. It was so low that it was hidden..;)
[/left]
[/center] Thanks Doc.

[Citizen Rules]

I don't think I can write anything better that what I already wrote here:
https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=48319&stc=1&d=1537752767 The Third Man (1949)

The Third Man is a well made movie with a tight, intelligent script. Joseph Cotton is pivotal as the overly curious American writer...A stranger in a strange land, who's trying to find out why his friend Harry was killed. Cotton's combination of nativity about the workings of the Vienna post war black market and his constant badgering of the British Major, give the film it's tension.

The film has three main focal points: Was Harry Lime murdered and if so by who? Was Harry involved in the seedy black market or not? And who's the mysterious third man that supposedly witnessed the traffic accident?

Joseph Cotton is perfectly cast as the likable American writer. His counterbalance is the surly British Major, aptly played by Trevor Howard. The love interest is the actress, Valli. She does a good job though she never really stands out from the crowd. For standing out of the crowed we need Orson Welles. Orson's role fits him like a glove. Only Orson could play a rogue character charged with crimes and still be likable in an impish way. There's also a cute dog and kitty in the film, both have a reason for their screen time.

With all this praise, I do have a complaint...The music score. Which was composed of a zither stringed instrument. The music score was both a distraction and annoying. The other complaint is the constant overuse of the Dutch Angle shot. Normally this is used sparingly and only to show great tension or chaos in a scene. Here it was over used.

The Third Man is a intelligently written film noir, with exceptional acting and fine directing.

rating_4

[pahaK]

Really like your review, but I must take issue (slight as it is) with your criticism regarding the plot, and your opinion of the double Indemnity being a blunder.
Surely, you’re aware that was the point?
Never mind the fact that people have indeed killed their spouses for the life insurance before, but in the film it was obvious that it was indeed a mistake for him to have gotten mixed up in it to begin with, because such a clause would always be under close scrutiny.

My point was that Neff, as a long time insurance salesman with a close relationship with Keyes, should have been aware that such a clause would bring extra scrutiny. To me, it seems a little too arrogant plan even for him.

I don't really understand what you mean with the last chapter though. Of course, people have killed (and will kill) for money and (at least) in the common moral sense it's a mistake. I just disagree that the mistake part shouldn't have been underlined as much by stupidly going for the double money.

People might not know now that back in the 1940s-50s with the Hays Code, audiences already knew the outcome of the movie from the start. As the criminals could never get away with it.

I kind of tend to forget that it's because of the Hays Code, but I'm aware of the tendency. With Double Indemnity there's never really question of that as the film practically starts with Neff making his confession, though.

[Citizen Rules]

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=62540
The Stranger (1946)

I've seen this before and the first time that I watched it I was disappointed and I think I know why. I expected to see one thing, and what was actually on the screen was quite different than what I had imaged...Which lead me to compare my preconceived expectations against what I thought a noir should be. But noir wasn't even known at the time of this movie.

On my third watch of The Stranger, I realized that this can't be held to some standard of what a noir is or isn't. That's not what the film was aiming for. If anything The Stranger reminds me of Hitchcock's suspense-thrillers of the 1940s. And when viewed in that light, The Stranger works quiet well.

Welles keen eye for angles and lighting and mastery of the camera is in full play here. There were numerous low angle shots, high angle shots, birds eye view shots, that were the hallmark of Welles films. Perhaps the most notably shot he does is mid range lens close focused on the subject in the corner foreground while in the opposite background corner is another subject. It's very distinctive as shown in my photo I used.

I know today people might say Nazis, spies & secrets, that's old hat. Well it's an old movie! and when it was made right after the war, escaped Nazis and the fear that they could be working covertly in small innocuous towns, was quite a real fear.

This time around, I really appreciated spending time with the characters and watching the story unfold and of course taking in the mastery of director Orson Welles. I enjoyed this!

[Wyldesyde19]

L.A. Confidential


L.A. Confidential starts off by introducing 3 very different officers of the law in rapid succession at the very beginning. They couldn’t be more different from each other, and for the next 2 plus hours we become so involved with them, we see ourselves having a beer with them. That’s how well fleshed our they are.
Wendell “Bud” White, played with amazing tenderness and intensity by Russell Crowe, is perhaps The one with the most depth. He’s seen as nothing but a brute, prone to violence. He’s used to beat prisoners at a hotel, but his real passion is defending the helpless women he seeks to protect.
Haunted by his past failure to protect his mother, he refuses to allow that to happen to any other woman on his watch. Smarter then he looks, his brawn hides the desire to do more.
Jack Vincennes is a detective played by Kevin Spacey, one who basks in the glory his side job as a consultant for a TV show. He also does side jobs for a magazine run by Danny Devitto. Eventually his conscience catches up to him. Watch those eyes of his when he realizes he has been betrayed.
Finally we have Edmund "Ed" Exley, played by Guy Pearce, who represents the idealist rookie who isn’t above taking advantage of a situation for his own career. He refuses to take payoffs and refuses to break the law to uphold a conviction, however. His transformation at the end is thus all the more shocking.
The plot move along at such a graceful pace that we’re never lost for one moment. *The dialogue crackles with moments of self realization with each character, as they come to realize that they’re caught up in a conspiracy that runs deeper then even they could have imagined.
And then there’s Lynn Bracken, a Veronica Lake look alike, played by Kim Basinger in her greatest role ever, one that netted her an Oscar. She plays Bracken as a vulnerable yet strong women who gets caught between White and Exley.
I remember seeing this shortly after it was released on dvd, and was enthralled by it 22 years ago, and remember it as being the best film of 1997. This should have won Best Picture, but Titanic was too much to overcome. Over the years, I’ve seen it about 5 more times, and I neve grow tired of it.
Filled with great performances, great scenes and authentic dialogue, one feels like they are transported to 1953. And when it ends, you want to go back for more.

[CosmicRunaway]

I decided earlier that I wanted to watch The Stranger next, but before I turned it on I checked the forums, and saw that CR had recently posted his review of the same film. Little coincidences like that always amuse me haha.

I couldn't help but notice the checkers board whenever it was in frame. With the exception of when the clerk is playing with Rankin, the pieces were always askew, on the lines, or in the wrong blocks altogether, and it strangely bothered me. But now I wonder if that was somehow intentional. Wilson was never paying much attention to the board after all, and Potter is shown to be a cheat, so perhaps he's using the chaos to his advantage, or hoping that his opponent isn't familiar enough with the game to even realize it. Or (more likely) I am reading way too much into this haha.

[Citizen Rules]

I decided earlier that I wanted to watch The Stranger next, but before I turned it on I checked the forums, and saw that CR had recently posted his review of the same film. Little coincidences like that always amuse me haha.

I couldn't help but notice the checkers board whenever it was in frame. With the exception of when the clerk is playing with Rankin, the pieces were always askew, on the lines, or in the wrong blocks altogether, and it strangely bothered me. But now I wonder if that was somehow intentional. Wilson was never paying much attention to the board after all, and Potter is shown to be a cheat, so perhaps he's using the chaos to his advantage, or hoping that his opponent isn't familiar enough with the game to even realize it. Or (more likely) I am reading way too much into this haha.You might be onto something there. I didn't notice the checkerboard being askew...I should go rewatch that segment and see.

[CosmicRunaway]

I should go rewatch that segment and see.
I'll save you the trouble, though I just realized that I definitely resized the screen caps too small haha. Hopefully you can still see the pieces well enough.

Here are two different games against Wilson. The pieces are all over the place.

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=62575


However when Potter asks if Rankin will play him (but is turned down), and in a later scene when they do actually play, the pieces are organized correctly.

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=62576

[Citizen Rules]

Thanks for posting those. I have no idea if Orson had that planned or not, but he might of!

[CosmicRunaway]

It could be intentional, or someone simply jostled the board in the earlier scenes haha. Maybe whoever was setting the table was extra careful for the shots Welles was personally in. I was pretty certain that I was over-analyzing it when I brought it up, but it's something that really stuck out to me for some reason. I think I just have a weird eye for those things.

[ahwell]

https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2019/07/30/gettyimages-1065246004_wide-db14613126abfe5ba6d08af6ff286a087a92e33f-s800-c85.jpg
Double Indemnity (1944)

Double Indemnity is the perfect noir. Billy Wilder - and the rest of the cast and crew - doesn't miss a beat, packing Hitchcockian suspense, typical Wilder wit, and a remarkably unpredictable and fascinating plot into a two hour film. It's tremendous. Every shot is well thought out. Every line.

It's one of the great experiences in cinema to just sit back and let magic unfold in front of you. Double Indemnity is like that. How it all unravels, how the characters - and the audience - puts the pieces together, it's so brilliant. I wanted to restart the movie right after I finished, because this is a special one.

While admittedly Fred MacMurray's performance is a little stiff (although that's just the character he plays too), Stanwyck fantastically portrays one of the great femme fatales. As Phyllis she pops out on the screen, stealing every scene she's in. She's the "antagonist" but I loved her character. Fascinating motivations are what makes a villain great, and that is why Phyllis is so great.

Of course that is all due to the script that Billy Wilder (and Chandler and Cain) wrote, based on an earlier novel. The screenplay is a masterclass in how to tell a suspenseful (and rather thick) story, while wittily introducing and building characters (I can see the guy who would go on to write Some Like it Hot). If Hitchcock is the master of suspense, Wilder it the master of the script. Both directors build their action and climaxes in different ways, and that leads to different - and equally splendid - results.

In the end, Double Indemnity captivated me for nearly two hours. There were moments when I held my breath, chuckled at a cheeky joke, and flat out dropped my jaw. Not only does Double Indemnity have the twists and turns to make you engaged, it has the brains and the skillful film making to make you in awe of one of the best (and most important) film noirs out there.

4+

[John-Connor]

Double Indemnity is the perfect noir.
4+
Nice review ahwell, doesn't really match the eventual rating but still a good read.

[ahwell]

Nice review ahwell, doesn't really match the eventual rating but still a good read.

LOL, nah, I usually rate based on my personal enjoyment. I still think it's basically a flawless film, but not my absolute personal favorite.

[CosmicRunaway]

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=62636

The Stranger (1946)
Directed by: Orson Welles
Starring: Edward G. Robinson, Orson Welles, Loretta Young

As one would expect from Orson Welles, the cinematography in The Stranger is remarkable, with a smooth camera, plenty of deep focus shots, and an almost excessive use of shadows. The film features no real surprises, since practically all of the facts are given to the audience from the start, however the story still manages to garner suspense and retain some degree of intrigue. It's obviously no Citizen Kane, but it's still a very enjoyable thriller.

With the exception of the last few scenes, I rather liked Orson Welles as Rankin. His style of acting can be divisive at times, but I found that it worked rather well with how character here was written. In particular, the scenes where he speaks of philosophy and history are fantastic to watch. The only actor I didn't like was Richard Long, who appeared disinterested and mumbled most of his lines. Luckily his role was minimal, and he was almost always accompanied by Robinson, who gives a nearly perfect performance as Mr. Wilson.

It was a little strange to hear him mention “the will to truth” on multiple occasions though, since I wasn't sure if it was an intentional allusion to Nietzsche's writings, or if it was just a coincidence in the script. If it was wilful wordplay, the context doesn't exactly match its use in the dialogue. However much like my previously posted fixation on the checker board, I might just be over-analyzing things again. Those questions didn't negatively impact my opinion regardless, and perhaps its even a credit to the film I'm willing to put in extra time thinking about possible hidden meanings.

[CosmicRunaway]

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=62761

The Asphalt Jungle (1950)
Directed by: John Huston
Starring: Sam Jaffe, Sterling Hayden, Louis Calhern

Outside of the opening and closing sequences, there is a distinct lack of music in The Asphalt Jungle. The silent soundtrack helps set a bleak tone, and manages to enhance the tension in certain scenes more than a dramatic score ever could. The shots are very well balanced and framed, and when combined with the editor's apparent aversion to unnecessary cuts, it looks and feels very realistic. In this context, the choice not to use Expressionistic lighting effects actually helps the film achieve a darker atmosphere as well.

The story is told primarily from the side of the criminals involved in a major heist, which was an uncommon perspective at the time of The Asphalt Jungle's release. Instead of focusing on their execution of the crime, we're given a rather slow build-up where a lot of time is spent first with the central characters, and then on the consequences of their actions. The script is overall very well written, but I've never understood the reasoning behind why “Doll” was so in love with a character like Dix, who we only ever see treating her poorly, or talking down to her.

It's not an unheard of situation, I just would've liked to have more insight into their relationship. Similarly, the performances are pretty spectacular across the board, but again with an exception involving Dix. While he did at least look the part, I do not particularly like Sterling Hayden in this film for some reason. His first few lines are delivered as though he just walked off the set of a bad western, and they don't improve much from there. Luckily the other main actors and the entire supporting cast do a great job around him; it's just disappointing that I was never able to connect with a character who we're supposed to feel sympathy for.

[CosmicRunaway]

This is mostly unrelated, but does anyone else have a hard time spelling "asphalt" correctly?

I definitely didn't have to slow down typing and double check every time. :shifty:

[Citizen Rules]

This is mostly unrelated, but does anyone else have a hard time spelling "asphalt" correctly?

I definitely didn't have to slow down typing and double check every time. :shifty:I have a hard time spelling everything:p Except everything.

[Siddon]

https://cdn.britannica.com/21/175321-050-FB855865/Marilyn-Monroe-Sterling-Hayden-The-Asphalt-Jungle.jpg
The Asphalt Jungle covers the weakest subgenres of noir...the man on the run. When you do a chase film it's often very difficult to carry that storyline for an hour. The strength of the film is that it breaks up the chase into multiple storylines. The fence, break-in guys, and the cops all expand on the story so you get four endings rather than one.


Huston does a good job expanding on the use of women in the story. It's kinda funny how all of these toughs going running to different women once the heat gets put on them and you've got a futility in that chase. My favorite scene in the film is the diner scene where the german is just watching this girl dance and is confronted by how time has past him bye.

The film is also notable for Marilyn Monroe's screen debut and she looks and plays young, almost a Judy Garland but sexy aspect to her that is especially creepy when her sugar daddy is 40 years older than her and she calls him uncle.

At the end of the day the film was fine...I think I'm going to try and do one review a day to try and figure what my list is going to end up as. The biggest problem I had with the film is that the impetus for the story is the heist and the heist was just kinda dull to me. The film is also hurt by being a lesser Huston noir it's really not as good as The Killers, Key Largo, and Maltese Falcon that Huston adapted beforehand. I believe this was his last noir until his comeback decades later.

[GulfportDoc]

The Big Heat (1953)

Directed by the formidable Fritz Lang, with memorable noir lighting by cinematographer Charles Lang (no relation), the film features one of Glenn Ford’s grittiest roles, while the other stars themselves compete for similar grittiness in this sordid tale of murder, graft and betrayal; all prime noir ingredients.

Ford plays a detective who initially investigates the suspicious suicide of a fellow detective who may have had ties to the mob which is virtually running the city. As a result, his wife played by Jocelyn Brando (Marlon’s sister), ends up accidentally paying the price. Ford embarks on a possessed revenge hunt which brings him into contact with the incomparable Gloria Grahame, the sadistic Lee Marvin, and the chilling crime boss Alexander Scourby.

In 1953 the good guys still won out in the end, but there is a full array of story and action packed into the movie’s 90 minutes. There is a surprising amount of frank brutality and violence for its time, unique for its day. In one scene Gloria Grahame is the recipient of a cruel act that was so shocking that it remains today as a memorable example from the era. Lang had a penchant for brutality, and he let out all the stops in this picture.

An interesting point about this film is that, although films noir are often noted for their use of a femme fatale, here we see Ford used practically as anhomme fatale: all four women who he is involved with meet a violent end.

Despite that noir had already been well developed by 1953, this picture is a prime example of the form in general and Fritz Lang’s style in specific.

[edarsenal]

Outside of the opening and closing sequences, there is a distinct lack of music in The Asphalt Jungle. The silent soundtrack helps set a bleak tone, and manages to enhance the tension in certain scenes more than a dramatic score ever could. The shots are very well balanced and framed, and when combined with the editor's apparent aversion to unnecessary cuts, it looks and feels very realistic. In this context, the choice not to use Expressionistic lighting effects actually helps the film achieve a darker atmosphere as well.

The story is told primarily from the side of the criminals involved in a major heist, which was an uncommon perspective at the time of The Asphalt Jungle's release. Instead of focusing on their execution of the crime, we're given a rather slow build-up where a lot of time is spent first with the central characters, and then on the consequences of their actions. The script is overall very well written, but I've never understood the reasoning behind why “Doll” was so in love with a character like Dix, who we only ever see treating her poorly, or talking down to her.

It's not an unheard-of situation, I just would've liked to have more insight into their relationship. Similarly, the performances are pretty spectacular across the board, but again with an exception involving Dix. While he did at least look the part, I do not particularly like Sterling Hayden in this film for some reason. His first few lines are delivered as though he just walked off the set of a bad western, and they don't improve much from there. Luckily the other main actors and the entire supporting cast do a great job around him; it's just disappointing that I was never able to connect with a character who we're supposed to feel sympathy for.

LOOVE the review! Always enjoy reading your perceptions of a given film. :):)

YES, Asphalt IS one of those words that make you fumble and stumble lol

Regarding the lack of music and how it helps: "set a bleak tone, and manages to enhance the tension in certain scenes more than a dramatic score ever could--" I just finished Rififif (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048021/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1) for the Recommendation HoF and I found several comparisons being made between these two films when researching Rififi. A French "heist" film that also uses the sans music for the entirety of the heist with a very similar effect. (I believe they said for a length of 30 mins - which it did NOT feel like AT ALL). I remember Le Trou (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0054407/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0) doing the very same thing with equal effect.

As for why Doll likes Dix?
(tee hee! -- Sorry, that sounds too much like Debbie Does Dallas to this dirty old fart.)
Anyway, I can't help feeling that some "Dolls" like bad "Dix" and likes, as well, to be treated badly by the bad "Dix". It happens. To quite a few of us. And the lucky ones have a very high "like" to a minimal amount of being treated "badly".:randy::randy:

I'm kinda so-so with Hayden as well, though he does fit the role perfectly. Not often do you get the "brute" and he ACTUALLY looks like a brute.
And I understand the "disappointment" of not having sympathy for his character, the very ending and there's more of a shrug, 'Oh well, too bad, so sad - so what," than a more impactive reaction to what should be, just that, MORE of an impact.
I was of a similar mind, thinking: Wow that should hit me a lot more than it barely did. So I know what you mean.
Still, great ending all the same.
https://cdn.britannica.com/21/175321-050-FB855865/Marilyn-Monroe-Sterling-Hayden-The-Asphalt-Jungle.jpg
The Asphalt Jungle covers the weakest subgenres of noir...the man on the run. When you do a chase film it's often very difficult to carry that storyline for an hour. The strength of the film is that it breaks up the chase into multiple storylines. The fence, break-in guys, and the cops all expand on the story so you get four endings rather than one.


Huston does a good job expanding on the use of women in the story. It's kinda funny how all of these toughs going running to different women once the heat gets put on them and you've got a futility in that chase. My favorite scene in the film is the diner scene where the german is just watching this girl dance and is confronted by how time has past him bye.

The film is also notable for Marilyn Monroe's screen debut and she looks and plays young, almost a Judy Garland but sexy aspect to her that is especially creepy when her sugar daddy is 40 years older than her and she calls him uncle.

At the end of the day the film was fine...I think I'm going to try and do one review a day to try and figure what my list is going to end up as. The biggest problem I had with the film is that the impetus for the story is the heist and the heist was just kinda dull to me. The film is also hurt by being a lesser Huston noir it's really not as good as The Killers, Key Largo, and Maltese Falcon that Huston adapted beforehand. I believe this was his last noir until his comeback decades later.

Great review!

I like the description you made about the "expansion of women in the story" and the "futility of the chase".
And, yes, that was a very good scene, indeed, with the older German watching the dancing girl.

And I do get when the key of the movie, in here, the heist, doesn't work for you, it can and will bring the film's enjoyment down rather heavily.
The Killers, Key Largo, and Maltese Falcon ARE Huston's, and for the genre, and, hell, films in general, the very best of the best. I wouldn't put Asphalt Jungle in that mix. It's solid Huston and a very, very solid film for me, but, yeah, not in the top three's level.

[Citizen Rules]

I'll have to rewatch The Asphalt Jungle tonight so I can commit...and yes I just misspelled Asphalt:p

[CosmicRunaway]

LOOVE the review! Always enjoy reading your perceptions of a given film. :):)
Thank you! I often wonder if I focus too much on things no one else cares about or notices, so I really do appreciate hearing that at least one person likes my insights haha.

I remember Le Trou (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0054407/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0) doing the very same thing with equal effect.
Yeah, Le Trou does an excellent job getting by without a score as well. It made great use of sound effects instead, with the tools almost mimicking a score while the characters were digging.

And I understand the "disappointment" of not having sympathy for his character, the very ending and there's more of a shrug, 'Oh well, too bad, so sad - so what," than a more impactive reaction to what should be, just that, MORE of an impact.
I was of a similar mind, thinking: Wow that should hit me a lot more than it barely did. So I know what you mean.
Despite kind of creepily watching a young girl dance, I thought Riedenschneider being caught was more tragic than Dix's last breaths. I liked him a lot more than Dix, and the fact that Dix stuck by Riedenschneider was the only thing that really endeared me to Dix's character in the first place.

[edarsenal]

Thank you! I often wonder if I focus too much on things no one else cares about or notices, so I really do appreciate hearing that at least one person likes my insights haha.
I always have enjoyed them. Especially when I first started and all the insight you had in the German films you had nominated. Murdererers Are Among Us and Wings of Desire stick out the most. Giving me a greater appreciation for both films. And from there on it was and has been a great read.

Despite kind of creepily watching a young girl dance, I thought Riedenschneider being caught was more tragic than Dix's last breaths. I liked him a lot more than Dix, and the fact that Dix stuck by Riedenschneider was the only thing that really endeared me to Dix's character in the first place.

Riedenschneider getting caught did have a more tragic effect on me as well. Liked him a lot.

[Citizen Rules]

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=62837
The Asphalt Jungle (John Huston 1950)


A private journey into the shadowy world of criminals who dream of much more than their bleak lives offer...and the effects of their chosen lifestyle on the women who love them.

The earliest noirs were quite stylized with their flamboyant characters and noir-ish lighting & canted camera angles, like Murder, My Sweet or The Maltese Falcon...Then there's the 1950s noir films, where a shift occurred to the, you-are-there docudrama style of movie making. John Huston's The Asphalt Jungle is a prime example of that later style of noirs that permeated the 1950s...these then gave rise to the popular 50s & 60s TV cops shows.

In The Asphalt Jungle, the traditional style of story telling was done away with and replaced with an insiders fly-on-the-wall look at three key criminal figures. The traditional hero/badguy & leading man/leading lady is absent...leaving us with a dichotomy of the perfectly planned criminal endeavor, turned sour by random circumstances in true noir tradition.

What makes The Asphalt Jungle different than most noirs is the humanistic study of the relationships. Director John Huston has various players paired up and forming believable & complex relationships:

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=62838

My favorite scene is when Doll (Jean Hagen) first comes to Dix's (Sterling Haden) room. It's very telling how she comes up the stairs to greet him with a nervous yet hopeful smile...Then inside the room Dix pours himself a drink and gets a cigarette, but doesn't offer Doll any. You can see the longing hope in her eyes disappear as she realizes that Dix isn't going to offer her a cigarette, so she fumbles in her purse and takes out a bent cigarette but has no matches. Moments later she starts crying and her make up runs and her false eyelash falls off...she's literally falling apart inside and out. That's very telling of their relationship or more importantly the lack of relationship. She's an enabler, someone with low self esteem who never feels worthy of being treated any better than Dix offers. I've known people like this and if Doll ever meant a man who would unconditional love her, it would throw her own self doubts over the deep end. She deserves better but she doesn't believe it so Dix is who she latches onto.

Dix is said to be a typical hooligan with a brain, but with a screw lose. I kept expecting Dix to haul off and hit poor Doll but he never does. Dix seems to be anti-social, he doesn't or can't interact well with other people and yet in his own way he seems to care about Doll. He does offer to let her stay in his room and sex doesn't seem to be the reason for that. When she leaves he wants her new address so he contact her... is it only in case he needs a place to say while on the run or does he have some feelings for her? They're a curious couple and for me, a big reason why I love this film.

I'm a big fan of Sterling Hayden and I've seen him in a docudrama interview from the 1970s and yes he does talk and act a whole lot like Dix, that's just the way he is. I think he's a strong point in the film as is Jean Hagen who brings so much depth to her hopeful, yet sad character.

Another pairing was Doc (Sam Jaffe) the elderly gentlemen career criminal and Dix. In an early scene Dix flew off the handle when the nervous booky asked for his money...and yet the elderly criminal is like a father figure to the wound up tight Dix. The two seem to care for each other, so much so that Doc takes Dix into his confidence, trusting him with his life and even ask Dix to go with him to live high on the hog in Mexico. There's something touching with the way these two criminals respect each other.

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Another director might have made the lawyer (Louis Calhern) a conniving evil man. And indeed he is conniving and tries to double cross his partners in crime. And yet Calhern plays his lawyer with so much pathos that even though he's a scoundrel cheating on his wife with a young Marilyn Monroe, Huston makes it clear that he's still got a heart inside him. He clearly loves his wife and plays cards with her, but as she's bed ridden he's entered into a relationship with Angela (Miss Monroe). I love the scene where the cop says he's kicking in the door and she angrily opens it and calls him a 'big banana head!' Too funny!

Every moment of the movie seems to reveal another layer of the onion of human endeavor. I think I'll end here.

[CosmicRunaway]

Great review as always CR! :up:

I'm a big fan of Sterling Hayden and I've seen him in a docudrama interview from the 1970s and yes he does talk and act a whole lot like Dix, that's just the way he is.
Well if he actually talks like that, then I guess his performance was much better than I've been giving him credit for. The only role of his I distinctly remember is from Dr. Strangelove, where he did a spectacular job, but he also practically had that cigar in his mouth the entire time, which likely changed the manner in which he spoke a bit.

[Citizen Rules]

Great review as always CR! :up:


Well if he actually talks like that, then I guess his performance was much better than I've been giving him credit for. The only role of his I distinctly remember is from Dr. Strangelove, where he did a spectacular job, but he also practically had that cigar in his mouth the entire time, which likely changed the manner in which he spoke a bit.Thanks:) I know I was a bit long winded in my review:p, but I'm so enthusiastic about the film that I couldn't contain myself.

What's weird is, after I wrote that, I though to myself, 'did I ever review that before?' And so I searched in the Review link and yes I did...and I said the same kind of stuff too, but shorter! Well I guess I'm consistent. Though I only rated it a rating_3_5 which I can't fathom why? Now I'd rate it like this rating_4_5

Oh, on the DVD extras of The Asphalt Jungle is an old interview with Sterling Hayden. It's short, but fascinating to hear him talk about his role in the McCarthy Communist investigations and just talking about himself. He's a pretty interesting dude!

Here's a link if interested:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwsKDBca-h4

[GulfportDoc]

Crossfire (1947)

Directed by the inestimable Edward Dmytryk, and starring the 3 Roberts (Young, Mitchum, Ryan) along with the always fascinating Gloria Grahame, the film is a complex whodunit with noir treatment by cinematographer J. Roy Hunt.

John Paxton wrote the screenplay based upon the novel The Brick Foxhole written by Richard Brooks. In the book the object of murder was a homosexual. But since homosexuality could not be mentioned in 1947, the unfortunate character was switched to Jewish. In that way the premise was somewhat weakened, since Jews were not heavily ostracized to the degree that homosexuals were. The comparatively gentler prejudice that Jews received at the time was showcased in Gentleman’s Agreement, released later that year.

Nonetheless, starting with a somewhat shaky premise did not hurt the film’s power, which was predominantly provide by its actors, direction and photography. Robert Young was especially effective somewhat against type, playing a semi-hardboiled police investigator. His continual pipe smoking actually served to soften his character, giving him more of a fatherly or professorial image.

Robert Ryan on the other hand registered a powerful performance of a near sadistic, dominant bully type-- a role which would more or less pigeonhole him for the rest of his career. Mitchum was his silky self in a portrayal of an honest concerned everyman soldier who simply wants to get to the truth. And Gloria Grahame played a tramp who is finally convinced to tell what she knows.

Crossfire is not in the highest ranking on my list of personal favorite noir pictures, nor in general are films which prominently feature aggressive bully types. Still this is a well done memorable picture with notable themes and performances, and is an essential example of top mystery film making from Hollywood’s golden era.

[CosmicRunaway]

Here's a link if interested:
Je parle qu'un petit peu français. :p

Luckily it was only about 40 seconds of just French haha.

[pahaK]

Watched Le Corbeau today. Review will come in a day or two. I have no idea why this is considered noir and in general, I was expecting more from this (even though I didn't know anything about it!).

[CosmicRunaway]

I watched Le Corbeau last night as well. I also found that it was missing a lot of key noir elements, but I didn't really mind.

[GulfportDoc]

Spellbound (1945)

Directed by Alfred Hitchcock from a screenplay by Ben Hecht and Angus MacPhail, this is a different application of noir from a time when the style was still young. Rather than a detective, we have a psychoanalyst, while the early protagonists are not who or what that they appear to be.

The main characters are Gregory Peck, who plays the young newly installed head of a mental hospital, and Ingrid Bergman who shines as a prominent psychiatrist on staff. The inimitable Leo G. Carroll plays the previous head of the hospital who had been forced into retirement. Michael Chekhov (of the Chekhov acting method) plays Bergman’s teacher and mentor.

Bergman notices some peculiar behavior by Peck, and suggests psychoanalysis. During his analysis some shocking truths come out which set up a series of criminal discoveries, escape, further revelations, and death. Naturally Peck and Bergman are drawn to each other, which attraction flows to a romantic ending.

Mention must be made of the superb dream sequences authored by the surrealist artist Salvador Dali. They remain as some of the only video work by Dali in film. The sequences constructed by Dali and Hitchcock were reportedly initially 20 minutes in length, but producer David O. Selznick didn’t approve, and had them cut to roughly 2 minutes. This unfortunate deletion resulted in the loss of that valuable footage, remaining only in some photographic stills.

The score went to Miklos Rozsa when his normal collaborator, Bernard Herrmann was busy with other projects. The music featured the novel use of the theramin to underpin the weird scenes. Rozsa has used it once before to great effect in The Lost Weekend earlier in 1945.

Spellbound was the final film while under a 7 year contract with Selznick. Hitchcock had directed several films for other studios during that time, notable among them was Suspicion (1941) which was his first American film as both producer and director. Freed from Selznick’s meddling Hitchcock turned out several top pictures which lead into his most productive and memorable 1954-64 era.

Hitchcock characterized the film as, “Just another manhunt story wrapped up in pseudo-psychoanalysis.” Yet Spellbound is a fine film with an other-worldly feel to it despite its serious themes.
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[CosmicRunaway]

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Le Corbeau (1943)
Directed by: Henri Georges Clouzot
Starring: Pierre Fresnay, Pierre Larquey, Ginette Leclerc

At the time of Le Corbeau's release, most films in France featured some form of escapism for its citizens, as audiences did not need to be reminded that informants were everywhere, and that you could even be betrayed by those closest to you. Instead of supplying any kind of relief, Clouzot took an incredibly daring chance with this dark, scandalous thriller that is steeped in paranoia. A film like this could not have been made in America, since it contains a lot of content that the Hays Code would have simply forbidden.

Le Corbeau provides a scathing view of the bourgeoisie, and contains social commentary that is still applicable to this day. Rumours and slander can forever alter a person's reputation regardless of their merit, and sometimes truths can have unintended consequences. The dangers of mass hysteria are also ever relevant, and hit particularly hard during the current global pandemic. So it's a shame that many perceived this film as an explicit condemnation of the French, and went as far as banning Clouzot from working in the country. It's scope is not that narrow.

While the film doesn't contain many of the elements that have since become synonymous with noir, its bleak vision of the world certainly fits into the genre. No character, not even the children, remain unblemished. Some of the lightning effects, especially those in the later scenes, do provide a touch of that familiar aesthetic as well. The mystery surrounding the titular Corbeau is quite intriguing, though its final revelations are not that shocking. I did find the conclusion satisfying regardless, and am glad that the film was nominated.

[ahwell]

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Crossfire

With a noir like Crossfire, you realize the themes of death, betrayal, and the sinister undercurrents fail to show up as much as nobler themes of justice and nobility in the face of the evil. Unlike, say, Double Indemnity, or even L.A. Confidential (in which the "good guys" "win"), Crossfire roots out its evil swiftly, and morality and ethics is very much in the foreground.

So, yes, Crossfire deals with prejudice, specifically that against Jews. It is an important movie - albeit the story it is based on deals with a more relevant one now and then. Oh, the irony of the production of Crossfire. Here's a quote as how the original novel - The Brick Foxhole - was allowed to be made into a movie - "In the novel, the victim was a homosexual. As told in the film The Celluloid Closet, and in the documentary included on the DVD edition of the Crossfire film, the Hollywood Hays Code prohibited any mention of homosexuality because it was seen as a sexual perversion. Hence, the book's theme of homophobia was changed to one about racism and anti-Semitism."

Looking back, and then comparing the true events with the themes of the film - hatred and prejudice - it is bitterly laughable. The change in production of Crossfire proved the film's point more than the actual content did.

The message is strong and good, but it's also heavy handed. I wish they would have expanded more on it even, not in explaining it but by showing these dark undercurrents in our society. In the end, everyone just turns up happy, going for a cup of coffee. Nothing has changed in the minds of the soldiers, to them they just got out of another jam. That's fine, and that may be what people really did, but to me the film feels like it's saying "Oh, we've rooted out the evil, time to celebrate!"

Or maybe I'm just cold hearted. I still really enjoyed Crossfire. It's anti-Semitic message really sticks out, but there are some cool camera movements and angles. There's not much for character development, but for jamming such a complex plot into an hour and a half, I can't complain much.

Look, there's nothing wrong with Crossfire. It's a good movie, and relevant today (although more so with race and sexuality than religion) and I think people should still watch it. It's just not my favorite noir.

2.5+

[Siddon]

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The Stranger (1946)

Times up for Charles Rankin as Mr Wilson hunts down the former Nazi in the college town in Connecticut. The Stranger is a lesser Welles film, a noir that is focused on the roll of Nazi hunters (sadly though we get a "Wilson" because y'know 40's antisemitism). Still Orson Welles is a master story teller and the film is bookended with a pair of thrilling scenes...one of a nazi trying to escape a South American country the second a thrilling fight in a clock tower.

I admire quite a few things about The Stranger, to start off with the film mostly takes place in a quiet town, often time noirs choose to take place in the city with the goal to get away from that life. Rankin had effectively escaped and had now acquired the American dream, he had the job, wife, standing in community and even the dog and then they all fall apart.

One has to applaud Welles portrayal of Kindler you have a great moment when he declares that Marx was a jew not a German, and another moment when he declares that he was following orders. Attempting to create an image of a Nazi with nuance in 1946 is an impressive task and something that shouldn't be glossed over lightly.

My only real issue with the film was the casting. Loretta Young didn't feel like a noir actress in this film. She's given the responsibility of carrying the second act and I felt like other actresses would have done a significantly better job.

[Siddon]

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Le Corbeau (1943)

A cynical doctor is torn apart by mysterious letters in occupied France in Le Corbeau (1943). Henri-Georges Clouzot (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henri-Georges_Clouzot) is a master of suspense and storytelling he's one of my favorite film-makers. While noir wasn't officially defined until a few years later Le Corbeau might be the first deconstruction of the genre. In 99% of noirs focus around a murder or a theft but Clouzot's work is more focused the elements of a crime rather than a major crime. In a lot of ways it builds towards what should be the film rather what we get is a prequel to a story we don't need to be told about.

Our lead is a doctor accused of sexual and moral crimes in a small town. He's giving women abortions and cheating on housewives, I'd imagine two huge crimes for the 40's. Germain is a strange man in himself a pitiless individual who is a stranger coming into town. Is this a man on the run (another theme in noir's)...well I'm not going to spoil that for you but for a subplot that's a pretty good one. Our narrator is unreliable which is really smart in a poison pen story.


Clouzot also refuses to give the audience any violence, all the death occurs off-screen we are only left with the results. Clouzot doesn't want you get tension from who lives or who dies it's more who's going to open and read a letter. It's subversion at it's best.

And yet even though it subverts and deconstructs it also does something even more important. The best noir's use metaphors that stand the test of time and in this film you can't help but see the comparisons to Nazi's taking in undesirables during this era. The film was funded by German's during the war and banned by the French after it...guess they missed the subtext. Fortunately the film and film-maker helped launch the French New Wave.

[CosmicRunaway]

Warning: Potential Spoilers for Le Corbeau below.

He's giving women abortions and cheating on housewives, I'd imagine two huge crimes for the 40's.
I think this phrasing makes it seem like he was performing abortions for women looking to get rid of unwanted pregnancies, but that wasn't the case. The women had become ill or experienced complications during child birth, and he choose to save them instead of the unborn babies, which was what started the rumours.

I guess he was still technically aborting the fetuses, but I think the context is important, because that misunderstanding is what turns many of the townspeople against Germain. He gets a reputation as a child killer simply because he was doing what was best for the mother. They make assumptions about his actions, and ultimately don't care about the truth.

[Siddon]

I said accused in the sentence before that Cosmic, though if you think about it.


I don't know about the legality of going from being a brain surgeon to a OBGYN

[CosmicRunaway]

I don't know about the legality of going from being a brain surgeon to a OBGYN
...maybe that's why he always failed to save the babies? They're not the exact same skill set.

[pahaK]

Le Corbeau (1943)

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/05/c2/e1/05c2e10b5faa820d19382bc21e3ffa3f.gif

In my review of The Stranger, I said that it didn't feel like noir. Le Corbeau, in my opinion, resembles my image of the genre even less. Compared to the three prior US films, it's also technically weaker (cinematography, audio, and acting). Even the script has its issues when it teeters between a thriller and a farce. There's no real suspense or tension in the film at all.

It takes a while to figure out what's happening, and then you realize the film is about someone trolling the townfolk with hooks on par an average internet forum. After accepting that people in the 1940s didn't know about the ignore option, the story itself is passable but a little silly (let's blame that on the Nazis, shall we). I had my #1 suspect from the start, but I was wrong (I still think my choice would have made more sense).

Honestly, I found the fact that Le Corbeau was made in occupied France more interesting than the movie itself. It's quite easy to see why the French people after the war didn't like the film (and Clouzot). I don't know if it really tries to underline the immorality of an average French, but under the circumstances, it's rather difficult to blame the people for thinking so.

This HoF is going to be very difficult to rank; after four movies I'm leaning to give three of them the same rating.

[CosmicRunaway]

I had my #1 suspect from the start, but I was wrong (I still think my choice would have made more sense).
Did you think it was Rolande? I thought it might have been her at first, until Vorzet kept implying it could be Denise. I then assumed it was him, especially since he had been acting too cavalier about the whole situation and he was already on my shortlist of suspects.

[pahaK]

Did you think it was Rolande? I thought it might have been her at first, until Vorzet kept implying it could be Denise. I then assumed it was him, especially since he had been acting too cavalier about the whole situation and he was already on my shortlist of suspects.

Yes, I was thinking of Rolande. She was clearly in love with Germain but he didn't seem to be into teenage girls. There were multiple shots of her that, at least to me, seemed to imply her knowing much more than she should. Also, the letters looked kind of girlish to me (visually) and she could have easily sent a large number of them without raising suspicions as she was working at the postal office

[CosmicRunaway]

Yes, I was thinking of Rolande. She was clearly in love with Germain but he didn't seem to be into teenage girls. There were multiple shots of her that, at least to me, seemed to imply her knowing much more than she should. Also, the letters looked kind of girlish to me (visually) and she could have easily sent a large number of them without raising suspicions as she was working at the postal office
Yeah, that's why I suspected her at first too. She's clearly eavesdropping on everything Germain does, and seemed like the type of person who would childishly lash out by penning the letters. It would make more sense for her to behind the first ones instead of Laura.

But then I guess Vorzet becoming the real "Corbeau" wouldn't be that simple, unless he was inspired by the idea and decided to take it further. Since Laura wouldn't have been the instigator in this scenario, I guess he could try to mimic the handwriting (like he tried to do in his final letter), or find another way to blackmail his wife into writing them anyway.

[Citizen Rules]

I so need to watch Le Corbeau, well hopefully tonight I can get to it.

[ahwell]

I so need to watch Le Corbeau, well hopefully tonight I can get to it.

I'm watching it today!

[CosmicRunaway]

I don't know what I want to watch next. Maybe Crossfire since a few people have reviewed that already.

[edarsenal]

Thanks:) Oh, on the DVD extras of The Asphalt Jungle is an old interview with Sterling Hayden. It's short, but fascinating to hear him talk about his role in the McCarthy Communist investigations and just talking about himself. He's a pretty interesting dude!

Here's a link if interested:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwsKDBca-h4
When I think of Hayden I think of the dirty cop in The Godfather that Micheal shoots in the restaurant.
https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/cinemorgue/images/3/38/Captain_mccluskey.jpg/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/340?cb=20170805102944
Really enjoyed the interview. I could totally see hanging out and drinking bourbon with that guy. Seems very down to earth with some interesting things to tell.
Je parle qu'un petit peu français. :p

Luckily it was only about 40 seconds of just French haha.
Moi aussi. Un peu de. Je connais beaucoup de mots - mais, pas beaucoup de phrases.
Still getting my head wrapped around the grammar to make full sentences on my own. I had to double-check what I wrote. Quite a number of mistakes lol

[CosmicRunaway]

Moi aussi. Un peu de. Je connais beaucoup de mots - mais, pas beaucoup de phrases.
Still getting my head wrapped around the grammar to make full sentences on my own. I had to double-check what I wrote. Quite a number of mistakes lol
I know how you feel. French is mandatory here for nine years, and during that time they never once tried to teach us grammar haha. I learned more in my first 3 months doing German at University level than I did in nearly a decade of French during grade school.

When I took Irish it was similar to how we were taught French, where they kind of assumed we would organically learn how to form sentences without being taught the explicit rules. But to make it worse, the first Irish class was graded on 10% participation, 90% final exam, and before the final we had no other tests and hadn't done much reading or writing. Part of the exam was of course reading comprehension and a mini written essay. :suspicious:

Back on topic for the HoF, I did just finish watching Crossfire. Definitely won't be writing anything tonight though, as it's getting quite late.

[pahaK]

Back on topic for the HoF, I did just finish watching Crossfire. Definitely won't be writing anything tonight though, as it's getting quite late.

I watched it last night too. It's getting really crowded on that "kinda OK" bracket in this HoF.

[Citizen Rules]

@edarsenal (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=50536) @Wyldesyde19 (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=104656) @Siddon (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=95448) @ahwell (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=101613) @neiba (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=85193) Frightened Inmate No. 2 @CosmicRunaway (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=90868) @John-Connor (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=102242) @GulfportDoc (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=96919)

I forgot to mention: please don't send me your voting ballot until after I've posted that I'm done and my ballot is finalized. Thanks:)

I swear we need a noir smiley...

[Siddon]

https://www.bfi.org.uk/sites/bfi.org.uk/files/styles/full/public/image/big-heat-the-1953-004-glenn-ford-behind-fence-00m-qd9.jpg?itok=u__wQX7P



The Big Heat (1953)


One of the great things about these noir films is that it gives us a chance to go back and look up certain things. What I found out was that The Big Heat didn't get an Oscar nomination...shocking but Glenn Ford and Fritz Lang both never received acknowledgment from the academy. Funny how I watched this one after Le Corbeau as that film ends where this one begins. We start off with a dead cop and it plays out like a typical procedural until something happens at the end of the first act and the film changes drastically.


I almost don't want to go into details with the plot because the story is so good and the twists and turns are so well executed that you feel like the entire review would be in spoilers. You could call this film "character arc" because everyone in this film gets to go on their own little journey. The best performance in the film was Gloria Graham as the moll I've seen her in a number of films but this is the performance that sticks out.



One of the things I really appreciate about this film is the death count and violence. While it never feels repetitive or excessive it is stronger than most noirs. Having a large body count changes the stakes for the antagonist and quite frankly an argument could be made that Ford isn't really the antagonist but rather a different character is and he's just the narator of a portion of the story.



I've seen it before, I'll see it again but I love this movie.

[ahwell]

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Le Corbeau

Le Corbeau (The Raven) reminds me very much of a film I watched just a couple days back - The Given Word. They have totally different unique qualities, yet both have at their core a commentary on how little occurrences and disruptions can cause mass hysteria and make the public and media overblow the situtation.

This becomes particularly important when Le Corbeau is put into it's historical - it's a film made (and taking place) in Nazi occupied France, 1943. It's political undertones are subtle, but Le Corbeau makes comments on the upper class, the occupation, and I guess the French saw it as a stab at them since the director of this film got into a lot of trouble afterward.

That's the power Le Corbeau had upon its release, much like Battleship Potemkin or Stravinsky's the Rite of Spring. It doesn't retain that power today with it's slightly contrived plot and one-sided characters. Yet at the heart of Le Corbeau remains the grand mystery of who is the raven, and what is their motive, and what will come of this?

What Le Corbeau does so well is it builds a horrifying world out of something normal. Almost like Blue Velvet does, in that we get this underbelly of terrifying and mysterious events in an everyday town - those events lead to people pointing fingers, death from guilt, and eventual killings. It's the descent of this town from "happiness" to madness.

The raven is only revealed at the very very end, but we feel true justice hasn't been given. Laura is driven to screams as she is escorted to a mental hospital. Some of the townspeople's careers are destroyed. It's utter panic, and utter disappointment.

As I said, I wish the characters were a bit more fleshed out, and perhaps some scenes could have been cut/tidied up. But Le Corbeau remains biting commentary, ingenious in it's construction and infuriating in it's conclusion.

3

[edarsenal]

I know how you feel. French is mandatory here for nine years, and during that time they never once tried to teach us grammar haha. I learned more in my first 3 months doing German at University level than I did in nearly a decade of French during grade school.

When I took Irish it was similar to how we were taught French, where they kind of assumed we would organically learn how to form sentences without being taught the explicit rules. But to make it worse, the first Irish class was graded on 10% participation, 90% final exam, and before the final we had no other tests and hadn't done much reading or writing. Part of the exam was of course reading comprehension and a mini written essay. :suspicious:

Back on topic for the HoF, I did just finish watching Crossfire. Definitely won't be writing anything tonight though, as it's getting quite late.
"the first Irish class was graded on 10% participation, 90% final exam"?? Wow, that's some lazy teaching. No, no, doesn't matter what happens in class, I'll just grade you off the final.
YIKES

My parents are from the coastline of New Brunswick and I have a majority of family throughout that area, as well as Quebec, so there's a WHOLE lot of French going on.
I tried learning it in High School, but when you learn French you learn Parisian French and the few words I did know of French-Canadian, I kept telling the teacher, "That's not how you pronounce that. Or that. Nope, that's wrong too." So, I didn't bother since I knew my relatives would just laugh at me and shake their heads, "Why you talk like dat, Eddie. DIs is Canada, eh. Not, you know, Paris."
Through the years I DID try to learn with different Lessons with no avail. That whole learning one word and all the variations of it when using: I, you (familiar/casual), you (formal), he/she, they, and we; didn't stick. It was a couple of years back that my roommate found the app I'm using now that started with basics of just "I and familiar/casual you" and built from there that actually seems to work for me and now it's finding how there are different words for the same thing depending on how you use it. Like "I know" can be Je sais, or Je connais; and so forth.
They do explain things rather nicely and there's a community that talks you through it, but it's tricky getting the grammar down. Which is kinda where I'm at, as the simple sentences are starting to get longer as well as multiple sentences.
It was nice to talk with my mom before she passed last year, en francais since she was on her second minor stroke and she was reverting to her native language, French, which was another reason for diving into it, besides always wanting to learn it.


Annnd, back to the HoF, in a slight segue, Le Corbeau is on my list for next watch, BUT I need to knock out Best Pictures HoF FIRST.
Now I do have two write-ups to do here, Asphalt Jungle, which I rewatched since I watched it when deciding on a nomination and trying to remember it after watching a similar film, Rififi was hard to do; and Angle Heart, which I absolutely love and was initially what I was going to nominate and didn't. But VERY HAPPY@ pahaK joined in with it.

[CosmicRunaway]

"the first Irish class was graded on 10% participation, 90% final exam"?? Wow, that's some lazy teaching. No, no, doesn't matter what happens in class, I'll just grade you off the final.
YIKES
Well there was no evaluation during class (no tests, no assignments) so it really was just participation and our final to grade us on haha. In the second semester, I think we at least had a midterm, and did more reading.

I tried learning it in High School, but when you learn French you learn Parisian French and the few words I did know of French-Canadian, I kept telling the teacher, "That's not how you pronounce that. Or that. Nope, that's wrong too." So, I didn't bother since I knew my relatives would just laugh at me and shake their heads, "Why you talk like dat, Eddie. DIs is Canada, eh. Not, you know, Paris." [...]
Haha, indeed! I'm pretty sure we've talked about this before, probably the last time there was something French in one of these HoFs. I remember you saying you found an app you liked a lot better than the old classes. I assume that's the same one you're referring to now, unless you've since stumbled upon an ever better one? It's good you were able to talk to your mom for a bit. I'm sure she appreciated the effort!

[...]Angle Heart, which I absolutely love and was initially what I was going to nominate and didn't. But VERY HAPPY@ pahaK joined in with it.
I'm still not sure if I've seen this or not. The poster looks incredibly familiar, and I recognized the name when it was nominated. Maybe I'll check that one out next, after I write something for Crossfire.

[edarsenal]

Well there was no evaluation during class (no tests, no assignments) so it really was just participation and our final to grade us on haha. In the second semester, I think we at least had a midterm, and did more reading.
Oh my dear mercy, them godawful slave drivers. A midterm, you say. . . surely you all gathered and petitioned the academy for such heinous treatment? :D;);)
Haha, indeed! I'm pretty sure we've talked about this before, probably the last time there was something French in one of these HoFs. I remember you saying you found an app you liked a lot better than the old classes. I assume that's the same one you're referring to now, unless you've since stumbled upon an ever better one? It's good you were able to talk to your mom for a bit. I'm sure she appreciated the effort! Same one. Very happy with and gone miles past I ever had previously.
And yeah, always was a pleasure and what we shared. It was helpful to decipher when she was stuck on French and couldn't get the English out.
Thank you.
I'd say more but that'll be a serious derailment lol
I'm still not sure if I've seen this or not. The poster looks incredibly familiar, and I recognized the name when it was nominated. Maybe I'll check that one out next, after I write something for Crossfire.
I'll put this at 85% of really enjoying it. I won't say anything and let you experience it. ENJOY
I'm the same way with Crossfire, I'm pretty sure I haven't but it looks awfully familiar.

[edarsenal]

https://s3.drafthouse.com/images/made/AsphaltJungle1x_758_427_81_s.jpg


Asphalt Jungle
and yeah, still pausing when typing "Asphalt" lol

Gus Minissi: [a policeman bangs on the telephone booth and motions Gus to get out of the booth so that he can use it. Gus chuckles, turns and waves to him] Hello. How are you, yeah?
[Gus turns back to talk to Dix]Looks like I'm in... [Policeman bangs on the booth again] ... for a working over. Look, go down to Eddie's by way of the...[Policeman bangs on booth for the third time] ... old car barn.
[Gus turns and waves to the policeman; turns back to talk to Dix] Yeah, it's deserted at night. Once you get beyond that... [Policeman bangs on booth for the fourth time] ... you're okay. The cops never bother Eddie's neighborhood. So long, Dix. Blow now...
[Policeman bangs booth for the fifth and final time] ... eh?[Gus turns and waves to the policeman; He hangs up and makes his way out of the telephone booth] All right, all right, all right.

Rewatched this last night with a variety of new appreciations. The first was gifted by Citizen Rules with the Sterling Hayden interview. Made for better enjoyment of his portrayal. Along with what I said previously regarding seeing a more authentic looking "muscle" in what is usually provided by someone better looking like Russell Crowe.

This is an instant favorite of mine.
I truly love the pulp-style cinematography! It's dead-on for the great angles and compositions that bring this professionally done jewelry heist going south fast. First, by bad luck and then by a double-cross. Both end in gunplay and somebody slumping over. From there on, it's a mad dash to escape the Police hot on their @sses.

My favorite of the thieves was Sam Jaffe's Doc Erwin Riedenschneider; the Fresh Out of Jail, Mastermind ready to commit a heist he had staged before is time in jail. The pairing of him and Hayden's Dix had a great counter-balance and a rather good team. I've seen Jaffe previously and this is an exceptional performance of the calm strategist with nostalgia for life. "One way or another, we all work for our vices.".
The hunchbacked, cat-loving, Driver, Gus (James Whitmore) close on his heels for favorite characters.
They're all great, all the way through. Even the cops were great. Barry Kelly's dirty cop with smarts, Lt. Ditrich had the same authentic looks that Hayden brought to Dix. Some great scenes with him and the weasel-esque Booky, Cobby, (Marc Lawrence). Their inside/deeper meaning conversation of "looks" was done very, very well.
I also love the "grays" of everyone. No one is entirely one thing, but with strengths and weaknesses. Even the Lawyer, Alonzo D. Emmerich, played by Louis Calhern that was supposed to finance everything, only to try to rob them once the job is done, isn't a complete slimeball. Just very broke and in need of a very large amount of cash, right now.
And I musn't forget The Dames. None of which are Femme Fatales but instead, pretty decent ladies. From the bed-ridden May Emmerich (Dorothy Tree) to the scared but devoted Doll (Jean Hagen) to the Young Bit O' Candy, Angela Phinlay, showing serious potential as an actress as well as the Bombshell she would become, the iconic Marilyn Monroe.

Another new appreciation and something I watched a little closely was the dynamics between Jean Hagen's Doll and Dix from my discussion with CosmicRunaway and her always intriguing and enjoyable perceptions.
There's a lot of layers going on as well as a lot of low self-esteem on both sides. Even Dix thinks he's unworthy/too dangerous a life, for someone to care about him. Add on his past loss of home puts a huge wall up to everyone else. I'm guessing Doll had known him for a bit and knew that, while a violent man by trade, it might not necessarily be what kind of man he may be. And she probably gets that some of that sh#tty treatment comes out of inner pain. A wounded dog that bites the hand trying help, sort of thing. And not because he's just a callous A-hole. And she is in desperate times. Reaching out for any bit of kindness as sh#t continues to happen in her own life. We meet her being booted out of her apartment, in dire need of indoor shelter. Says a lot that she chooses Dix's place as a feasible haven in the storm.
They're two people very difficult/hard-luck times and far too familiar with such times to trust or take a chance with someone else, but not jaded enough to be unnecessarily callous and/or cruel.
While I'm not caught up in their star-crossed romance, it is a great addition to an already excellent noir, in my eyes and heart.

Bringing me to a major key to all of these "interactions", dynamics and overall presentation of this exceptional Heist Noir; the director: John Huston. He f@ckin nails it on every level and on every nuance. But, then, it's John Huston for f@ck's sake. Nuff said.

[Citizen Rules]

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Le Corbeau (1943)

This was a cool nom and one that I was excited to watch. I'd never seen it before and it's very interesting seeing a film that was made in occupied France under the watchful eye of the Nazis.

As a movie I liked Le Corbeau as it held my interest and the characters and setting was interesting to me. Of course the plot of someone writing 'poison pen' letters in a small town and causing all sorts of mayhem and suspicion, made for lots of tension. I wonder what a director like Hitchcock could've done with this story?

There was a lot of potential here, but the film itself isn't real polished and several key scenes seem to be missing. It must have took until the middle of the film for me to realize that Dr. Germain had a previous love affair with the old doctor's wife, Laura (up to that point I thought it was just rumor). And I was confused when the tart with the limp, Denise, talked about her one night fling with Dr. Germain. Did I miss that scene? I had no idea they were ever together.

So yeah I enjoyed the film and I appreciated it's uniqueness in film history.

Wartime propaganda? After WWII the free French claimed this film made by a German film company in occupied France was demeaning to the French people and the French resistances....Nah, that's not what the film is doing. It's telling a real event than occurred in a small French Town in 1917. If Le Corbeau had been made immediately after the war it would've been hailed as a homage to the French resistances...and the movie's suspicious & spying town's people akin to the French collaborators who worked with the Germans. But sometimes a movie is just a movie with no hidden agenda as is the case here with Le Corbeau.

[CosmicRunaway]

Every single time I sit down to write something about Crossfire, I end up getting side tracked and forgetting all about the open word document. :facepalm:

Warning: Potential Spoilers for Le Corbeau below!
And I was confused when the tart with the limp, Denise, talked about her one night fling with Dr. Germain. Did I miss that scene? I had no idea they were ever together.
I assumed that after the scene where they kiss (and we see Rolande crying on the stairs outside the room), that's when they hooked up.

[edarsenal]

I'm skipping over the Le Corbeau reviews till I watch it. Though I am dying to know WHAT is being said. :)

[CosmicRunaway]

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Crossfire (1947)
Directed by: Edward Dmytryk
Starring: Robert Mitchum, Robert Young, Robert Ryan

Crossfire begins like a typical murder mystery, but once it becomes evident who the culprit is, the focus shifts to what the motive was, and whether or not an innocent man is going to be forced to take the blame for the crime. The themes are very evident throughout the film, but a scene towards the end makes it clear that the message was never intended to be subtle. When you take into consideration that this was one of the first films to deal with anti-Semitism after the war, the slightly heavy-handed manner of its execution is quite understandable.

Removing Samuels' homosexuality and altering the motive behind his death from the source material does create a few minor issues. It doesn't bother me too much, since hate is irrational and can be turned on anyone who is considered different, but the narrative does suffer slightly because of it. An American soldier having such disgust for the Jewish people seemed a little out of place, but it might have felt more genuine if the film were simply set before WWII instead of after it. However that would create a new conflict with some of the film's post-war commentary, so I guess there's no perfect way to bring it all together and keep the spotlight on anti-Semitism, and away from the then unspeakable subject of homophobia.

The cinematography is excellent, and as I'm sure everyone is well aware of by now, I always appreciate the use of low key lighting in noirs, and those stark contrasts are here in abundance. Many of the scenes feature an intentionally bland background that further enhances this effect as well. It creates an almost brooding atmosphere, and draws focus towards the characters on screen. Speaking of which, the performances are great all around. Robert Ryan in particular is amazing as the smug bigot Montgomery, and there was something about Robert Young's calm, slightly detached detective that I really enjoyed. It's an easy watch, despite the depressing reality that a lot of the issues broached in the film are as relevant today as they were in the 40s.

[Siddon]

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A detective taking statements from a group of soldiers about a dead civilian. Crossfire is a fairly conventional noir that decides to go for the procedural route rather than the murder mystery road.

The problem with Crossfire is that it's handily of prejudice is fairly simplistic and very heavy handed. The film starts off strong from a narrative point of view, we go into all of these side characters and red herrings that should bring value to the story. Though the entire situation is subverted by revealing the killer the viewer has to wonder what the point is for many of these figures.


For me noir characters have to nihilistic and believable, morals should be compromised based on world weariness not irrational hatred. I also found the cinematography to be much weaker than other films so far. The backgrounds feel darkened and borderline German expressionism, which is highlighted by the films climax.


The film is good but it's not really up to par with the other films I've seen in this group.

[CosmicRunaway]

So I just watched Angel Heart, or I guess I should say rewatched, since I realized pretty quickly that I had in fact seen it before, and could even recall the ending. As soon as I saw De Niro, I said "egg!" out loud, to the bemusement of my room mates.

When said egg scene rolled around, it was somehow one of the most uncomfortable parts of the film to me, and I watched the unrated version haha.

[pahaK]

That's what I get for slacking in writing my reviews. Most of what I was planning to say about Crossfire was already said by cosmic and siddon. I'll try to get mine done this weekend but after those two I'll keep it short.

[edarsenal]

So I just watched Angel Heart, or I guess I should say rewatched, since I realized pretty quickly that I had in fact seen it before, and could even recall the ending. As soon as I saw De Niro, I said "egg!" out loud, to the bemusement of my room mates.

When said egg scene rolled around, it was somehow one of the most uncomfortable parts of the film to me, and I watched the unrated version haha.

Can't eat a boiled egg without thinking about that scene and let out an evil chortle.

The Director's Uncut IS the way to go with this - did you stick around to the end of (short) credits to hear the two words spoken as the credits end? I wanted to write up my review to include a suggestion for all to catch that. Not extraordinary, but befitting for the film.

[CosmicRunaway]

That's what I get for slacking in writing my reviews. Most of what I was planning to say about Crossfire was already said by cosmic and siddon.
It happens sometimes. Unless we have dramatically different takes on a film, there's almost always going to be some repetition because there's only so many things to be said. I think it would be incredibly difficult to write these reviews if we all had to say something completely new and unique from what others have already brought up, so I try not to worry about it too much.

The Director's Uncut IS the way to go with this - did you stick around to the end of (short) credits to hear the two words spoken as the credits end? I wanted to write up my review to include a suggestion for all to catch that. Not extraordinary, but befitting for the film.
I hadn't, but I just turned the film on again and skipped to the end to watch the credits. I thought the ending had intentionally been abruptly cut, in a "we don't need to show you more, you get the point" sort of way, but having it continue into the credits makes more sense haha.

[Citizen Rules]

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=47639&stc=1&d=1535918833
Crossfire (Edward Dmytryk 1947)

Crossfire has been on my list of 'noir films to nominate in a HoF' for the longest time. I actually have this really large text file with a whole bunch of movies for different types of HoFs. At the top of the list is potential noms for Noir HoF...and Crossfire was one of them, so was The Big Heat, which also stars Gloria Grahame. I knew when this HoF started I was going with a Gloria Grahame noir. She made a number of them and I considered several of them as worthy noms. The reason I decided not to nominate Crossfire, was that every time in the past that the movie came up someone complained that it had been watered down from the novel which was about a bigoted murder of a homosexual. Of course homosexuality would not pass the Hays Code so we get a film about antisemitism. Which is still ground breaking for 1947.

I've seen this several times, but I can't call it a favorite mainly because it's more like a detective murder mystery movie and doesn't seem quite noir like. I must say Robert Ryan nailed it as a brutish jerk, which is 180 from Robert Young's mild mannered, pipe smoking detective. He's someone who uses his brain and not his muscle to solve the case. My favorite, or course was the icy cold bar girl played by one of film's great noir characters, Gloria Grahame. I liked her in the film, but her screen time is all too brief. I would've liked to see the film told more from her perspective, of course that would mean a script rewrite as she's not privy to all the facts. Crossfire was an important film for it's time and worth watching by any noir fan.

[edarsenal]

I hadn't, but I just turned the film on again and skipped to the end to watch the credits. I thought the ending had intentionally been abruptly cut, in a "we don't need to show you more, you get the point" sort of way, but having it continue into the credits makes more sense haha.
It does and I THINK it's only on the uncut version for some odd reason.

[GulfportDoc]

L.A. Confidential (1997)

This is an unusual film noir because it was not a film from the vintage 1940s-1950s, nor a modern noir representing the classic style, but a film set in the traditional noir era filmed in a modern fashion. Although the L.A. of the early 1950s was perfectly captured, something was missing from the feel of the story in terms of typical noir. And that was the photography. Evidently director Curtis Hanson had tasked the cinematographer Dante Spinotti to film it in a contemporary manner, sans the classic noir shadowy lighting and sets. The lack of shadows and murkiness did not harm the production however. In fact this is a fine film in almost every aspect.

A new police sergeant Exley is trying to live up to his father who had been a legendary L.A. police detective. At first he's determined to be a clean cop, eschewing tawdry or not-by-the-book behavior. But when he's sent to investigate a multiple murder at a Hollywood diner, The Night Owl, he does not believe the official story in which a disgraced detective is killed with the other patrons-- all of it blamed on 3 black thugs. As he investigates the true story Exley interacts with narcotics officer Jack Vincennes, officer Bud White, Captain Dudley Smith, "Hush-Hush" tabloid (fashioned after the magazine "Confidential" owner Sid Hudgens , prostitute Lynne Bracken, and escort service owner Pierce Patchett.

What follows is a twisted plot involving all characters, which slowly unwinds exposing the involvement and culpability of several high police and city officials. In the end Exley and White work together to bring down the officials, solve the complex crime, and move into a gratifying Hollywood ending.

The acting in this picture was superb. Hanson took a chance on U.S. newcomers Guy Pearce and Russell Crowe. He perfectly cast Kevin Spacey as the suave publicity seeking narcotics agent, and James Cromwell as the Irish corrupt police Captain. Kim Bassinger sizzles as a Veronica Lake type character, along with Amber Smith as an escort whose luck runs out. Danny DeVito is well cast as a sleezeball tabloid owner, and David Strathairn is convincing as the wealthy prostitute ring owner.

The picture requires its full 138 minutes to unravel the complicated plot. Reportedly the James Ellroy novel of the same name is even more complex, but Ellroy gave his blessing to the screenwriters Brian Helgeland and Curtis Hanson to reduce the story layers in order to contain it in a more standard movie length. The result is a memorable and solidly produced neo-noir which garnered Oscars that year dominated by Titanic.

Raymond Chandler provided a palpable dramatic representation of the 1940s Hollywood in his novels, as was the 1930s vibrancy in John Huston's Chinatown. L.A. Confidential stands tall among them in its portrayal of a 1950s Los Angeles that may very likely have existed, and which certainly comes alive in this picture.

[edarsenal]

NICELY done, GulfportDoc!!

[CosmicRunaway]

I meant to write my review for Angel Heart earlier, but my room mate started having issues with his computer, and we were trouble shooting that all afternoon and well into the evening (unfortunately it looks like a CPU issue if anyone was curious). That took about all my mental energy, so I guess I won't be writing anything now.

I wanted to get it done because it feels like it's been a week since I posted about Crossfire, but it's only been a couple of days. I think the ongoing pandemic is just really screwing with my concept of time haha.

[Wyldesyde19]

I meant to write my review for Angel Heart earlier, but my room mate started having issues with his computer, and we were trouble shooting that all afternoon and well into the evening (unfortunately it looks like a CPU issue if anyone was curious). That took about all my mental energy, so I guess I won't be writing anything now.

I wanted to get it done because it feels like it's been a week since I posted about Crossfire, but it's only been a couple of days. I think the ongoing pandemic is just really screwing with my concept of time haha.

Good! You’re making the rest of us look bad with the rate you’re churning them out! Haha 😜

[pahaK]

Finally...

Crossfire (1947)

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It's annoying when, even after watching the film, you don't know if you've seen it before. There are lots of familiar elements in Crossfire (especially the final trap for the murderer), but I don't remember all that finger waving and moralizing. Anyways, I don't think that's too important.

Crossfire looks like a noir, and I like that. Other than that, it doesn't have many noir elements. There's no moral ambiguity, no sexual tension (perhaps the book's homophobic theme would have allowed some of that, but that wasn't going to happen in 1940s Hollywood), and it softens its cynicism with a preachy tone.

The story itself is simple. The antisemitic motive feels unfitting and forced, though. Revealing the murderer halfway into the film is always risky, but without complete rewriting, it was unavoidable. The simplicity of it all sort of works, and the stupidity of the crime is refreshing after all the plans and schemes in previous movies.

Like most films in this HoF, Crossfire is an OK watch. Without the Hays Code, it could have been better as the homophobia seems much more fitting motive than the antisemitism.

[pahaK]

The main reason why I had to (hastily) finish that previous review is that I don't want to have multiple HoF reviews waiting. In other words, I just watched The Big Heat. It will accompany Double Indemnity in the good bracket. I'll try to finish that review in less than a week.

[Citizen Rules]

The main reason why I had to (hastily) finish that previous review is that I don't want to have multiple HoF reviews waiting. In other words, I just watched The Big Heat. It will accompany Double Indemnity in the good bracket. I'll try to finish that review in less than a week.That makes sense to me. I need to write up a movie asap or the impact ( or lack of) will leave me and that then makes it hard for me to write a review.

[CosmicRunaway]

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Angel Heart (1987)
Directed by: Alan Parker
Starring: Mickey Rourke, Robert De Niro, Lisa Bonet

Angel Heart is a film that is more rewarding to attentive viewers. There are a lot of small, easy to miss details that play a key role in the story. Recurring visual motifs like the slowing fans connect each part of the film to its ending, providing clues along the way. There is audible foreshadowing as well, with sounds from later scenes accompanying earlier ones, and of course the symbolic heartbeat that can frequently be heard. The significance of these elements become more apparent on subsequent watches, so unlike many films that revolve around a central mystery, the film actually becomes stronger on repeat viewings.

Mickey Rourke is practically unrecognizable here, and not because he's since undergone reconstructive surgery due to his boxing injuries, but because his performance is unlike anything I've seen from him before. He's practically perfect as Harry Angel, the private eye whose every step towards the truth drives him farther away from what he's capable of comprehending. What starts as a simple inquiry into a hospital patient takes him down the eastern seaboard and into a mysterious, occult world that threatens both his life and his sanity.

The film combines two things I absolutely love: psychological horror, and a noir detective story. It's not a blend that's going to appeal to everybody, but I think they work really well together. The cinematography is great, and there are a lot of washed out colours that give everything this vintage look. The score is a mix of electronic tracks and blues music, that do a fantastic job setting the atmosphere in both New York and New Orleans. There are some genuinely uncomfortable moments here, though it's strange to think that the MPAA were more concerned about Rourke's buttocks in that one scene, rather than any of its far more disturbing implications.

[GulfportDoc]

Is Angel Heart on the list? I only have 10 listed...:suspicious:

[CosmicRunaway]

I just rewatched Double Indemnity. I quickly skimmed over what I wrote about it for the 2nd 1940s HoF, and I'm likely going to lift at least half of it for my review here, if not more. I don't really have anything different to say, but there were parts of that write-up which were specific to that viewing, so the wording wouldn't make sense for this HoF. So if anything, I guess it'll be more of a second draft haha.

[CosmicRunaway]

Is Angel Heart on the list? I only have 10 listed...:suspicious:
It is. Pahak joined just after the nominations were first revealed.

[Citizen Rules]

I just rewatched Double Indemnity. I quickly skimmed over what I wrote about it for the 2nd 1940s HoF, and I'm likely going to lift at least half of it for my review here, if not more. I don't really have anything different to say, but there were parts of that write-up which were specific to that viewing, so the wording wouldn't make sense for this HoF. So if anything, I guess it'll be more of a second draft haha.I find myself doing that more these days too. A few times I've write a review for an HoF, then wen back and read my old review of that movie. More often than not I end up saying the same thing, even if it's been years apart. I find that interesting, not sure if anyone else does, but I might do that again with one of the noir noms I've reviewed before.

[edarsenal]

on the rarity of having a previous review, I DO find myself saying the very same thing and have cut and paste a review. Very recently with Double Indemnity in this nor HoF.

[edarsenal]

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=63424

Angel Heart (1987)
Directed by: Alan Parker
Starring: Mickey Rourke, Robert De Niro, Lisa Bonet

Angel Heart is a film that is more rewarding to attentive viewers. There are a lot of small, easy to miss details that play a key role in the story. Recurring visual motifs like the slowing fans connect each part of the film to its ending, providing clues along the way. There is audible foreshadowing as well, with sounds from later scenes accompanying earlier ones, and of course the symbolic heartbeat that can frequently be heard. The significance of these elements become more apparent on subsequent watches, so unlike many films that revolve around a central mystery, the film actually becomes stronger on repeat viewings.

Mickey Rourke is practically unrecognizable here, and not because he's since undergone reconstructive surgery due to his boxing injuries, but because his performance is unlike anything I've seen from him before. He's practically perfect as Harry Angel, the private eye whose every step towards the truth drives him farther away from what he's capable of comprehending. What starts as a simple inquiry into a hospital patient takes him down the eastern seaboard and into a mysterious, occult world that threatens both his life and his sanity.

The film combines two things I absolutely love: psychological horror, and a noir detective story. It's not a blend that's going to appeal to everybody, but I think they work really well together. The cinematography is great, and there are a lot of washed out colours that give everything this vintage look. The score is a mix of electronic tracks and blues music, that do a fantastic job setting the atmosphere in both New York and New Orleans. There are some genuinely uncomfortable moments here, though it's strange to think that the MPAA were more concerned about Rourke's buttocks in that one scene, rather than any of its far more disturbing implications.



Great write up on the nuances of this film and YES it does get even better with every viewing.
And I agree about Mickey Rourke. While I have not seen The Wrestler, I consider this is very, VERY best film all around. The man was inspired while playing this role and he did an exceptional job compared to anything else I've seen him in since.

[ahwell]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/1c/Angel_Heart.jpg

Angel Heart

A man lives a normal life. He has a relatively high risk job, until one day. When Louis Cyphre shows up and bends his perception of reality. Changes that lifestyle - no longer is Harry so ignorant, and no longer is he so happy.

Angel Heart seems almost like a precursor to Fight Club - the obvious comparison being the split personality. However, Angel Heart also pushes us to examine our own guilts and pleasures, what we push deep inside of us so as never to remember it. This is fantasy horror, but it really does pertain in a relevant way to many people's situations today.

Angel Heart's intense score, tight cinematography, just all around creepy vibe really elevate it into something special for noir. I mean, how many horror noirs are really out there? It's like Bone Tomahawk, a truly special gem in the genre.

Which isn't to say it's entirely successful at what it's attempting. I think I would have enjoyed Angel Heart a lot more had it cut a huge chunk of the pointless middle section. It was Harry wandering around, collecting evidence, meeting new people and traveling to new places. Sorry, but it's boring. I get that it's necessary to the "plot" but surely there could be an easier way to explain this than extending the length by thirty minutes.

Rourke and De Niro give really great performances, although yuck Robert's haircut. The script was cool and interesting, but not to the level of most of the other noirs here. So, yeah, I had a good time watching Angel Heart. It definitely had an atmosphere and tension to carry it successfully through the two hour runtime.

2-

[ahwell]

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Murder, my Sweet

Murder, My Sweet might seem like a pretty cliche noir nowadays, especially considering it's famous main character. But it's also really incredible that this film - along with a few other real good ones - was one of the ground bases for what noir would become in the years after 1944.

Murder, my Sweet was released the same year as Double Indemnity, a far more famous (and better) noir. Comparing the two shows that perhaps Double Indemnity has a sharper script and more interesting characters. But Murder, my Sweet does a really admirable job of setting up tropes that would become "cliche" in the noir genre later on.

The femme fatale of course, in this case in the form of the sly and cruel Helen. The hard boiled detective, Marlowe himself. And all the in betweens - the sharp angles, the thick and complex plot, and the sense of casting our morals aside for a wild journey down crime avenue.

Murder, my Sweet has a really really complex plot. But it's not too hard to follow, which is a good thing since some of the more confusing ones simply gave me a headache. It packs a lot of plot into an hour and thirty minutes, but I was satisfied by the end. Characters had natural arcs and there were some beautiful moments of setting up relationships.

I think I'm just really starting to love the feel of old movies. Sure, there are the ones that I love because they're magic in any time. But at some point we have to face - and get over - the fact that most of these are dated. Of course old movies are "dated". I just love that feel, of sitting down to a black and white movie, with a racing pounding score, and the different accents, and the more stationary style. Just the feeling of it is something so entirely different from what's made today. Not saying one is better than the other, but I really love different experiences at the movies, and 40s noir gives me that.

So I'm glad these older 30s and 40s movies are still available. They're really a treasure. There are some misses, but also quite a few hits. I'd call Murder, my Sweet a solid hit.

3+

[Citizen Rules]

...I think I'm just really starting to love the feel of old movies. Sure, there are the ones that I love because they're magic in any time. But at some point we have to face - and get over - the fact that most of these are dated. Of course old movies are "dated". I just love that feel, of sitting down to a black and white movie, with a racing pounding score, and the different accents, and the more stationary style. Just the feeling of it is something so entirely different from what's made today. Not saying one is better than the other, but I really love different experiences at the movies, and 40s noir gives me that...Spoken like a true film aficionado. So true. That's how I feel about old movies too.

Glad you liked Murder, My Sweet.

[CosmicRunaway]

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=63496

Double Indemnity (1944)
Directed by: Billy Wilder
Starring: Starring: Fred MacMurray, Barbara Stanwyck, Edward G. Robinson

To me, the best looking noirs are the ones that still cling to those Expressionistic roots. Being one of the earliest films in the genre, Double Indemnity certainly delivers in that department. The dim corners and strong shadows on screen are a constant dramatic presence, with the main characters frequently concealed in darkness, or framed in a prison-like light effect created by window blinds. There is a stark contrast between the bright exterior shots, and the carefully crafted, dusty sound stage interiors that does a fantastic job setting the mood for each scene.

The film is very cleverly written as well, with a lot of great wordplay in the script, particularly between Walter and Phyllis during their first meeting. Stanwyck is always a powerful presence on screen, and her introduction from an elevated position atop the staircase heightens that impact even more. She has great chemistry with MacMurray, but MacMurray and Robinson were actually the duo I loved watching together the most. Perhaps I should be giving more credit to MacMurray, since even on his own narrating the film, he gives an incredibly captivating performance.

Double Indemnity is a cynical film about greed, seduction, and betrayal that is thoroughly engrossing no matter how many times I see it. With its snappy dialogue, beautiful cinematography, and a spectacular cast, it's easy to understand why so many subsequent noirs aspired to be like it. The bold choice to start at the end of the story could've drained the plot of any suspense, but instead it generated more intrigue than a conventional narrative structure would have. I've not read the novel the film is based on, so I'm not sure how many of these elements were present in the book as well, but in the cinematic world it was still pretty ground breaking at the time.

[CosmicRunaway]

I just love that feel, of sitting down to a black and white movie, with a racing pounding score, and the different accents, and the more stationary style. Just the feeling of it is something so entirely different from what's made today. Not saying one is better than the other, but I really love different experiences at the movies, and 40s noir gives me that.
I totally get what you mean. :up:

I don't actually have anything constructive to say, but on the subject of accents, my room mate can do a very exaggerated, over-the-top parody of the Mid-Atlantic/Transatlantic voice. It doesn't matter what film I'm watching, as long as it's in black and white he never fails to make a comment using that voice as he passes by.

With this HoF I've been hearing it a lot lately, and even though he keeps saying the exact same thing, it makes me laugh every single time haha.

[Frightened Inmate No. 2]

murder, my sweet
https://is4-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Video122/v4/8a/10/27/8a1027ea-6057-9d94-bb9a-b5f7fd1da3f9/Jobc5c43189-3709-4e28-b182-e661adc7f254-95919292-PreviewImage_Chocolate-Time1492152570237.png/560x315mv.jpg
really liked this. has everything you want and expect in a noir, plus an insane dream sequence that knocks you off balance and adds a touch of surrealism to the proceedings. also there's a guy named moose and he rules. the plot kinda lost me towards the end when i couldn't keep track of the character's motives, but i don't really care about following the plot to most movies so i'm sure i just tuned out for a second and missed something important. it's a testament to the first two-thirds of the film that i actually cared enough to bother keeping up for a while. i thought the last two minutes were really sweet too. powell is good, but also a bit of a letdown when you try to imagine how much better each one of his lines would've sounded coming out of humphrey bogart. he can't quite manage enough gritty cynicism to sell most of the one-liners and usually they just come off sounding dumb, but he's clearly trying his best and i think he pulls it off overall. the performance probably would've made more sense if he was playing some random detective and not the iconic philip marlowe, but it's not his fault the character would become so associated with bogey's style. good movie, dmytryk rules.

4

[ahwell]

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81C0Evb49zL._SX300_.jpg

The Asphalt Jungle

With the Asphalt Jungle - my first John Huston film - there is a dark tonal vibe that fits the noir genre really well... but at the same time I wouldn't even consider it noir. At core, of course, it's a heist movie, a crime story about a group of men who try - and ultimately fail - to steal some jewels and make $500,000. It's more tragic than other noirs I've seen - although plenty can be depressing.

Watching the Asphalt Jungle is watching this master plan completely crumble. We see the men at the beginning - cool headed, smart, witty - and by the end they are all either dead or a hot mess. We don't necessarily want to root for them - they are criminals after all - but the movie makes us sympathize quite a bit.

Even Dix, who is in fact quite a dick, has a death scene at the end which is painful and beautiful at the same time. We feel an immense sorrow not for Dix himself, but for the vain attempts these seven had at success, and how it all didn't work out.

Why didn't it work out? The plan was perfect, and even with the alarms going off unexpectedly it could have worked out. But it was the greed, need, and distrust in all seven that caused things to go the way they did. It was stupid errors. Doc goes down after getting a bit too entranced watching a young girl dance. Dix is too stubborn and refuses help. Emmerich is nervous, is legitimately bankrupt, and his death is perhaps the most cruel of all.

So, the Asphalt Jungle tell us, the world is cruel. There are moments of great beauty in the Asphalt Jungle, but mostly it is a biting, intense, and wonderfully crafted heist noir that is like nothing I'd seen before.

3+

[Citizen Rules]

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81C0Evb49zL._SX300_.jpg

The Ashpasldkfjashlt Jungle.


rating_3+OK, I gotta ask, what's up with the movie title?:p

[ahwell]

OK, I gotta ask, what's up with the movie title?:p
Hmmm?:p

[Citizen Rules]

Hmmm?:pHa;)

[CosmicRunaway]

So it turns out I had seen Spellbound before, or at least the majority of it. I must have caught it on tv at some point. This has become a rather common trend in these HoFs for me haha.

[pahaK]

The Big Heat (1953)

63542

Fritz Lang's The Big Heat is like a grandfather to modern, action-packed crime thrillers from Steven Seagal to Die Hard to Taken. It doesn't have their graphical violence or choreographed scenes of mayhem, but the characters, twists, and almost vigilante justice make it seem surprisingly modern. And has that car bomb scene been copied somewhere because it feels very familiar?

The Big Heat has a faster pace than other films I've reviewed this far. It paints its characters with broad strokes, but Lang manages to make them feel like people still. They don't have deep histories, there are no unneeded details to their schemes, and Lang ties loose ends on a personal, emotional level. It's so much like a typical action film that it's odd how noir it still is.

Glenn Ford shines as Bannion, who's more interested in justice than law or his career. He also has good chemistry with both his wife and Debby. Lee Marvin is also perfect in his slimy dirtbag role. I guess I like the whole cast. The direction is top-notch, and Lang's faster tempo is a welcome change from the earlier, slower films.

I had my hopes high for this due to Fritz Lang, and I didn't have to disappoint. It wasn't exactly as I imagined it, but as a fan of 80s trash, I had no issues in enjoying this missing link between the golden age of Hollywood and straight to video action

[ahwell]

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71spCKxu1PL._SY445_.jpg

The Stranger

The Stranger presents us with the Nazi-hunting trope that has been used many many times today. Almost every bit of it has been done again, whether it's the noir aspect, philosophy/morality aspect, or story telling aspect.

The Stranger, however, does remain a very gripping and conscious thriller, one that perhaps is not quite yet as fleshed out as the films that would come later, but is still admirable, and presents another remarkable technical achievement from the great Orson Welles.

And really, the best thing about the Stranger is the cinematography and tense tone (the former likely increasing the latter). Shadows are used brilliantly, and Welles really knows how to do black and white cinematography, although of course Russell Metty was officially in charge. It is no surprise the lighting and shots are so well constructed; Metty would also go on to shoot Welle's more famous the Touch of Evil (famous for its one shot opening), Spartacus (which he would win the Oscar for), and All That Heaven Allows.

Scenes inside the house are darkly lit, and we often see silhouettes of the characters. I could see Coppola watching this and saying "That's how I want the Godfather to look." It certainly is beautiful to look at.

It slightly overshadows the story, but that's not much of an issue. The Stranger, released just a year after World War II ended, was surely important then, and perhaps remains important now. It hasn't aged as well as other noirs of the time with it's over dramatic score and sometimes stiff acting. But that is excusable, since the Stranger digs into some deep topics and is overall a rewarding and engaging film. Well done, Welles :)

3

[edarsenal]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/1c/Angel_Heart.jpg

Angel Heart

A man lives a normal life. He has a relatively high risk job, until one day. When Louis Cyphre shows up and bends his perception of reality. Changes that lifestyle - no longer is Harry so ignorant, and no longer is he so happy.

Angel Heart seems almost like a precursor to Fight Club - the obvious comparison being the split personality. However, Angel Heart also pushes us to examine our own guilts and pleasures, what we push deep inside of us so as never to remember it. This is fantasy horror, but it really does pertain in a relevant way to many people's situations today.

Angel Heart's intense score, tight cinematography, just all around creepy vibe really elevate it into something special for noir. I mean, how many horror noirs are really out there? It's like Bone Tomahawk, a truly special gem in the genre.

2-
This is quite the original perception to a film I've seen countless times. Thank you for that!!
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/3/31/SweetPoster.jpg/225px-SweetPoster.jpg

Murder, my Sweet

I think I'm just really starting to love the feel of old movies. Sure, there are the ones that I love because they're magic in any time. But at some point we have to face - and get over - the fact that most of these are dated. Of course old movies are "dated". I just love that feel, of sitting down to a black and white movie, with a racing pounding score, and the different accents, and the more stationary style. Just the feeling of it is something so entirely different from what's made today. Not saying one is better than the other, but I really love different experiences at the movies, and 40s noir gives me that.

So I'm glad these older 30s and 40s movies are still available. They're really a treasure. There are some misses, but also quite a few hits. I'd call Murder, my Sweet a solid hit.

3+
Like Citizen Rules expressed and this little amusing anecdote:I totally get what you mean. :up:

I don't actually have anything constructive to say, but on the subject of accents, my room mate can do a very exaggerated, over-the-top parody of the Mid-Atlantic/Transatlantic voice. It doesn't matter what film I'm watching, as long as it's in black and white he never fails to make a comment using that voice as he passes by.

With this HoF I've been hearing it a lot lately, and even though he keeps saying the exact same thing, it makes me laugh every single time haha.
I'm sure a lot of us others feel the same about: agreeing on how you feel about older films (30s/40s and the like) and very happy to see you discovering such. Much like the incredible list of films you get to check out for the first time in the Recommendation HoF, the same will go for films in those eras as well -- ENJOY!!
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81C0Evb49zL._SX300_.jpg

The Asphalt Jungle

With the Asphalt Jungle - my first John Huston film - there is a dark tonal vibe that fits the noir genre really well... but at the same time I wouldn't even consider it noir. At core, of course, it's a heist movie, a crime story about a group of men who try - and ultimately fail - to steal some jewels and make $500,000. It's more tragic than other noirs I've seen - although plenty can be depressing.

Watching the Asphalt Jungle is watching this master plan completely crumble. We see the men at the beginning - cool headed, smart, witty - and by the end they are all either dead or a hot mess. We don't necessarily want to root for them - they are criminals after all - but the movie makes us sympathize quite a bit.

Even Dix, who is in fact quite a dick, has a death scene at the end which is painful and beautiful at the same time. We feel an immense sorrow not for Dix himself, but for the vain attempts these seven had at success, and how it all didn't work out.

Why didn't it work out? The plan was perfect, and even with the alarms going off unexpectedly it could have worked out. But it was the greed, need, and distrust in all seven that caused things to go the way they did. It was stupid errors. Doc goes down after getting a bit too entranced watching a young girl dance. Dix is too stubborn and refuses help. Emmerich is nervous, is legitimately bankrupt, and his death is perhaps the most cruel of all.

So, the Asphalt Jungle tell us, the world is cruel. There are moments of great beauty in the Asphalt Jungle, but mostly it is a biting, intense, and wonderfully crafted heist noir that is like nothing I'd seen before.

3+
Some great points for a great read!! BRAVO

[ahwell]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMmY1YzRmZDgtMTU4NS00NTcwLWE3N2EtNDc0MTk1ODg2YTA2XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTYzMTY1MjQ@._V1_UY1200_CR82,0,6 30,1200_AL_.jpg

The Big Heat

Fritz Lang is genuinely incredible. What can the man not do? I've seen three of his films now, an epic war fantasy, a dystopian sci-fi... and an American film noir! All top notch! He seems to be a filmmaker that isn't so much an auteur but could be compared with people like Sam Mendes nowadays - a ****ing good director.

Everything here is so top notch, and proves that Lang really did possess that charm he was last seen wtih in 1931's M. Everything here is smooth, calculated, yet never cold. Characters have feelings and nothing feels rushed, which can't be said for every noir I've seen. At the heart of it all is Bannion's personal struggle between his life and his career.

The Big Heat is unique in that it deals with a main character's personal struggle. Many other noirs discuss crime, the cycle of evil and violence, and deceptive love. This one is so incredibly different; there is no femme fatale, no female villain reveal. Instead, Bannion's wife (who dies) is a pivotal and important character in the first half. We see his four year old daughter, and see what a great relationship they all have. So when Katie dies it's so depressing. Bannion turns vile and cruel especially after that incident, but it is his encounter with Debbie that turns him back into a human.

Some of the conversations the two have together, stowed away in his hotel room trying to crack some murder cases, are genuinely insightful into the human condition; why we love, and if we would choose justice for the evil over the safety of the people around us.

Which is the burning question at the end of the Big Heat (get it lololol): Was it worth it? Bannion has defeated the corrupt high officials, and now the town is likely much safer. But in the process everyone he had close to him - save his four-year old daughter - has died or been changed for the bad in some way. As Debby slowly dies on the carpet, it's one of the bleakest "happy endings" ever.

The thing, is to me, Bannion's story is a tragedy. The film manipulates us to think that Bannion's real goal is to solve the murder; in the end, we - and he - realize that it was not so. He will never have his wife, or Debby, back. And that's terrifying and infuriating. **** those crime bosses.

The Big Heat is a masterpiece of suspense and mystery, and also adds themes that are super provocative and interesting. Fritz Lang never disappoints.

3.5-

[edarsenal]

AMEN to Fritz Lang as a Director. I remember utterly falling in love with his films back in my late teens/early twenties. When you talk of expressionist styled films he's top on my list. Add the emotional depths and contrasts of his characters, he is just astounding.

List of Lang films I've seen
Spies (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0019415/?ref_=nm_flmg_dr_34) ANYONE who loves spy flicks NEEDS to see this
Metropolis
M
You Only Live Once (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0029808/?ref_=nm_flmg_dr_28) which I scarcely remember since it's been forever since I've seen it.
Scarlet Street (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0038057/?ref_=nm_flmg_dr_18) where my man Edward G. Robinson steps out of his iconic persona and plays a timid man.
The Big Heat

and two silent films I NEED to see by him is Destiny (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0012494/?ref_=nm_flmg_dr_39) and Dr. Mabuse the Gambler (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0013086/?ref_=nm_flmg_dr_38), along with, (why I have NOT seen yet is a downright shame,) Fury (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0027652/?ref_=nm_flmg_dr_29). And a couple of other crime films like Man Hunt (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0033873/?ref_=nm_flmg_dr_24).

[CosmicRunaway]

I almost nominated Lang's Ministry of Fear for this HoF, but compared to some of his other work (particularly Metropolis and M), it's a little disappointing. I still really enjoy it, and it does have an amazing opening, but I think the film I ultimately nominated is a better noir, and figured it would be the one more people would enjoy.

When I saw that the The Big Heat was also nominated, I thought I had at least avoided giving us two films from the same director...but we ended up with two from Dmytryk instead haha.

[ahwell]

AMEN to Fritz Lang as a Director. I remember utterly falling in love with his films back in my late teens/early twenties. When you talk of expressionist styled films he's top on my list. Add the emotional depths and contrasts of his characters, he is just astounding.

List of Lang films I've seen
Spies (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0019415/?ref_=nm_flmg_dr_34) ANYONE who loves spy flicks NEEDS to see this
Metropolis
M
You Only Live Once (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0029808/?ref_=nm_flmg_dr_28) which I scarcely remember since it's been forever since I've seen it.
Scarlet Street (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0038057/?ref_=nm_flmg_dr_18) where my man Edward G. Robinson steps out of his iconic persona and plays a timid man.
The Big Heat

and two silent films I NEED to see by him is Destiny (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0012494/?ref_=nm_flmg_dr_39) and Dr. Mabuse the Gambler (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0013086/?ref_=nm_flmg_dr_38), along with, (why I have NOT seen yet is a downright shame,) Fury (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0027652/?ref_=nm_flmg_dr_29). And a couple of other crime films like Man Hunt (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0033873/?ref_=nm_flmg_dr_24).

M in particular looks so amazing, but I look forward to the others as well :)

[Citizen Rules]

I considered nominating Fritz Lang's Fury (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0027652/?ref_=nm_flmg_dr_29) (1936). I thought that would be a nice example of proto-noir. It's been a long time since I seen it, but it left an impact.

[GulfportDoc]

The Asphalt Jungle (1950)

I've always been a big fan of most of John Huston's work, from The Maltese Falcon (1941) through to Prizzi's Honor (1985). As far as noir films, the former may have been the first mainstream instance of the form in its classic presentation.

Huston's The Asphalt Jungle is one of his better films, especially so as a noir example. Cinematographer Harold Rosson was fresh from filming On The Town (NYC) and Key to the City (San Fran), so he had experience representing the feel and power of big cityscapes, which was on display right from the git-go in Jungle's opening scenes: the post war stylized fedora-wearing mug framed by the enormity of building arches; the shadowy doorways and litter shown in urban alleyways-- mostly filmed in Cincinnati.

As a heist film it was notable for showcasing early variations of the now familiar story mechanics: the gang is formed; the plan is made; the characters are developed; and the complicated burglary is pulled off-- although not without some bad luck. It's also the first time in memory that the thieves must slide on their backs underneath an electronic eye.

In my view the standout performance was by Marc Lawrence, playing the underworld bookie wannabe big shot gangster. His performance never varied or weakened, and was completely believable. Sam Jaffe also gets plaudits as the mastermind ex con, Doc Riedenschneider. And Jean Hagen had a tough part to play as the weak gal named Doll who was head over heels for ex con Dix Handley (Sterling Hayden), and she came through in spades. Hayden himself was convincing as the tough guy who was looking to make a big score so he could return home to buy his family's previous horse farm. Much of Hayden's performance, as well as most of the other cast's, was over-acted by today's standards; but yet they didn't want anyone missing the point in those days.

Louis Calhern did a journeyman's job as the regal but untrustworthy financier of the operation. Calhern's approach was pretty similar most in any role that he played. Anthony Caruso was starting to get notice here as Louis Ciavelli, the expert safe cracker. Much notice has been made of Marilyn Monroe as Calhern's mistress. She certainly exuded allure and raw sexiness as a dimwitted plaything, who eventually causes Calhern's end.

The picture was fairly long for its era, but filled all of its 1' 52" effortlessly. It was nominated for 4 Oscars that year, and remains today as one of our finer noirs.

[CosmicRunaway]

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=63675

Spellbound (1945)
Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock
Starring: Ingrid Bergman, Gregory Peck, Michael Chekhov

Spellbound is a film that requires some suspension of disbelief, since the science its plot depends upon has become less and less credible over the years. I still found it thoroughly enjoyable, but I can imagine it being an obstacle to certain audiences. As one would expect from Hitchcock, many shots are brilliantly framed, and the cinematography helps builds tension in many scenes. I've seen some criticisms online regarding Peck's performance, which surprised me because I quite enjoyed him in this. I thought he had great chemistry with Bergman, which given their alleged affair during filming, was likely authentic. Bergman was undeniably the real star though, and she carries much of the film on her own.

I personally think that Salvador Dalí is incredibly overrated as an artist. While I'm not a fan of surrealist paintings in general, I find his work to be particularly unappealing. However for some reason I absolutely love his contributions to this film. That dream sequence is simply fantastic, with initially startling imagery that becomes more bleak and angular as it continues. Every second of it was a treat to watch. It's very restrained in comparison to Dalí's paintings, but still strange enough to be intriguing. The black and white photography gives it a very clean look as well, and makes me wonder if I'd like his artwork more if the colours were different.

While I found the music to be quite effective overall, it was often far too loud and infringed upon the scenes rather than enhancing them. I'm not sure if that was a deliberate choice during production, or if I just didn't like the audio mixing on this particular release. I often have similar problems with the sound in older films, so it's probably just me. This restoration also included an extended overture that I almost couldn't sit through, though I'm not going to hold that against the film since those openings were typically intended for a theatrical setting anyway, and not the home viewing experience.

[ahwell]

https://static.rogerebert.com/uploads/review/primary_image/reviews/great-movie-the-third-man-1949/EB19961208REVIEWS08401010366AR.jpg

The Third Man

I never knew the old Vienna before the war... with its Strauss music, its glamor and easy charm. Constantinople suited me better. l really got to know it in the classic period of the black market. We'd run anything if people wanted it enough and had the money to pay. Of course, a situation like that does tempt amateurs... but, you know, they can't stay the course like a professional. Now the city, it's divided into four zones, you know, each occupied by a power-- the American, the British, the Russian and the French. But the center of the city, that's international, policed by an international patrol, one member of each of the four powers. Wonderful ! What a hope they had, all strangers to the place... and none of them could speak the same language, except a sort of smattering of German. Good fellows, on the whole. Did their best, you know. Vienna doesn't really look any worse than a lot of other European cities. Bombed about a bit.

The Third Man has a quiet sadness to it... it's in the air of post-war Vienna. Or perhaps the remains of it - the four "regions" dominated by different countries. There is no "culture" left; nothing to be inspired about. We see ruins of old buildings and unusable cars. Deep beneath Vienna are the sewer lines, which run for miles to the Blue Danube itself. Never is the war and its effects truly brought up in the thick story of the Third Man, but it is looming there, making each character question his or her motives.

As is so often with noir, the Third Man deals with evil and corruption. No character is good completely, and no character is rotten to the core. A case could be made for Harry Lime, who was causing - and allowing - innocent death through his illegal alteration of penicillin. But at the very end we the see the fear in his eyes, before he dies; the desperate hope that he just wanted to be successful, and he wasn't trying for any evil plan.

Every character of the Third Man is desperate. What brings Martins to Vienna in the first place is desperation; for a job, and perhaps, for a life. It later transforms into his desperation to find Lime's murderer, and by the end has developed to a profound desperation to gain back his morality and sense of what is right and wrong. Anna on the other hand, is so desperate for Lime that even when she discovers he is alive and avoiding her, she cannot let him go; she finds out the evil things he does and holds fast in her belief that he is innocent, causing Martins to question his own choices in the matter.

Lime himself has a desperation for something more concealed. Orson Welles was the perfect choice to play him; he is mystical, almost a God-like figure until of course the ending chase scene. He has some of the most thought-provoking and profound quotes in the film, but through it all his stone-cold heart is looking for money and power. Is that it? Or is Lime a deeper character himself? I almost want a sequel/backstory to this, but that would ruin it entirely. The mystery is what makes Lime such a great character.

The needs of everyone in the Third Man dissolve by the end, whether they die or simply lose the will to live. The final shot is so so beautiful... Anna walking down the road after the funeral, while Martins patiently waits for her. Without a glance, she walks by him, shielding her eyes, trying to forget. Was it worth it? For any of these characters? It's the burning question.

This is one of those movies that could not be made in color, or at least, shouldn't be. The harsh, dark, shadows, the lighting, everything about it screams that black and white was the perfect choice. Every shot seems to framed meticulously, and I seriously think it's one of the best looking movies I've seen. The final chase scene is one of the best - technically - I've seen in a while.

High up there somewhere sits God on his throne who deems right and wrong. He infuses his passion and "glory" into human beings, and he trusts in us that we may choose - and know - the difference. Perhaps almost as high up sit Lime and Martins on that ferris wheel. As Lime points below to the dots on the ground scurrying about and explains his philosophy about life and death, we feel both revolted and entranced. Here is the man who was best friends with Martin. Here is the man that Anna defends with her life. Here is the man who nearly makes us feel sympathy for him as he dies on the stairs of the sewer. Perhaps the Devil isn't so evil after all; he simply forgot the difference between right and wrong.

4+

[pahaK]

Just finished Spellbound. Apologies to Hitchcock, but this was probably my least favorite film in this HoF this far.

EDIT: What newer film replicates the overture intro from this (it may have been an interlude, don't remember)? I know I've mentioned it in my post about the film but couldn't find it with the search and now it's driving me nuts.

EDIT 2: Did more searches and finally found the other film guilty of this non-sense: Jeremiah Johnson.

[CosmicRunaway]

Did more searches and finally found the other film guilty of this non-sense
I don't know what it is about derisively calling the overture "non-sense" that made me laugh, but it amuses me for some reason haha.

I also didn't like the overture in Spellbound, and agree with whoever cut it from the other releases of the film in the first place. I might be misjudging its intended usage, but it's the kind of thing I imagine playing as background music while everyone is piling into the movie theatre. So I don't hate the concept, but it's completely unnecessary when you're watching the film at home, and now have to sit and wait through the entire thing before the opening credits.

If it is something the filmmakers legitimately wanted us to experience and enjoy, perhaps to help set the mood, then I might have to rescind my previous statement where I said I wouldn't hold it against the film. I did like Spellbound more than you did however, so I'd half forgotten about it once things got going.

[ahwell]

I don't know what it is about derisively calling the overture "non-sense" that made me laugh, but it amuses me for some reason haha.

I also didn't like the overture in Spellbound, and agree with whoever cut it from the other releases of the film in the first place. I might be misjudging its intended usage, but it's the kind of thing I imagine playing as background music while everyone is piling into the movie theatre. So I don't hate the concept, but it's completely unnecessary when you're watching the film at home, and now have to sit and wait through the entire thing before the opening credits.

If it is something the filmmakers legitimately wanted us to experience and enjoy, perhaps to help set the mood, then I might have to rescind my previous statement where I said I wouldn't hold it against the film. I did like Spellbound more than you did however, so I'd half forgotten about it once things got going.

I liked the overture because the music was so beautiful! Miklos Rosza was such a fantastic composer and won a deserving Oscar for his score here. I didn't have a problem with it at all.

[ahwell]

https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/images/newsite/newjpg/Spellbound_43_600.jpg

Spellbound

Spellbound may not be one of Hitchcock's best works, but it's far from bad. I think with a director like Hitch his lesser films are actually going to get less acclaim - how can a movie like Spellbound be compared to masterpieces such as Psycho and Vertigo? Yet if it was directed by someone else, I really do think Spellbound might be a bit more acclaimed. Bergman and Peck obviously give stellar performances, and there's an atmosphere to the film that's super unique.

As someone taking - and immensely enjoying - a psychology class right now, Spellbound is fascinating to look at in regards to how mental illness/psychology was seen "back then". There are some things that may come across as rather non-PC these days; the use of the word "normal" and "insane" for instance to separate the mentally ill from fully functioning people. But that's to be expected; if anything, it was Hitchcock correctly documenting his time period.

I love the sympathy Spellbound has for these mentally ill characters, though. It clearly has Freudian inspirations (how can a psychology film not?) and delves into our childhood, our past trauma, and how our memories affect our current physical and emotional state. All really powerful themes, but in the end Spellbound is simply a beautiful tale of how love and passion can transcend science.

As I said before, Bergman is so incredible here. Aside from Casablanca, this is my favorite performance from her. I loved that she got to play the lead; I haven't seen a noir yet that has a female lead, but Spellbound pushes that stereotype even back when noir was getting started. It's incredible, and in many ways even delves into deep embedded gender stereotypes. Notice Dr. Constance is the only female at her institution, and in fact in the entire film! Perhaps this is simply to make her stand out as a female character, but there is a severe sense of loneliness she must feel in a world surrounded by men.

Gregory Peck is also quite fine, although I suppose I liked him more in 1950's The Gunfighter. Both these actors bring warmth and passion to their characters, making us really care about what will happen next. Seeing Peck's character detained at the end was infuriating! Partially because it's a Hitch movie and I expected a true sad-ish ending. But also partially because I love both of their characters. But when the authority is rooted out and the two lovers end happily in each other's arms, it's spectacular.

Spellbound was, well, spellbinding. After first seeing three of Hitchcock's masterpieces (Psycho, Rear Window, and Vertigo) I was afraid I had gone through them all too fast and I wasn't to really find anything I loved that much from him. I don't love Spellbound that much, but it showed me that any movie of his can have a passionate magic that shines through, entrancing you for the entire time.

3+

[ahwell]

Which means I've wrapped up for this HoF. Citizen Rules do you want me to send in my list or wait until if you've decided on yours?

[Citizen Rules]

Which means I've wrapped up for this HoF. @Citizen Rules (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=84637) do you want me to send in my list or wait until if you've decided on yours?Congrats on finishing. Yeah please hang onto your voting ballot until I've decided on mine. I'll let everyone know when my own ballot is done and finalized.

[CosmicRunaway]

I rewatched The Third Man yesterday, but probably won't write anything about it until this evening, or maybe even tomorrow. I have no idea how I'm going to rank these films, so I'm sure CR will be long since finished watching all the nominations before I'm able to send my list haha.

Notice Dr. Constance is the only female at her institution, and in fact in the entire film! Perhaps this is simply to make her stand out as a female character, but there is a severe sense of loneliness she must feel in a world surrounded by men.
She's not the only female character in the entire film, since the patient she's seeing at the start is also a woman, but you're right that she's shown to be alone in an industry dominated by men.

She doesn't have the same respect that they do, as they often talk about her being a woman first rather than a psychoanalyst. Some of that may just be dated concepts from the time of the film's release, but there are a number of instances that indicate it's intentional commentary.

[ahwell]

I rewatched The Third Man yesterday, but probably won't write anything about it until this evening, or maybe even tomorrow. I have no idea how I'm going to rank these films, so I'm sure CR will be long since finished watching all the nominations before I'm able to send my list haha.


She's not the only female character in the entire film, since the patient she's seeing at the start is also a woman, but you're right that she's shown to be alone in an industry dominated by men.

She doesn't have the same respect that they do, as they often talk about her being a woman first rather than a psychoanalyst. Some of that may just be dated concepts from the time of the film's release, but there are a number of instances that indicate it's intentional commentary.

Oh, yeah, forgot about that scene. Totally agree, seems sort of subtle but intentional.

[GulfportDoc]

Spellbound was, well, spellbinding. After first seeing three of Hitchcock's masterpieces (Psycho, Rear Window, and Vertigo) I was afraid I had gone through them all too fast and I wasn't to really find anything I loved that much from him. I don't love Spellbound that much, but it showed me that any movie of his can have a passionate magic that shines through, entrancing you for the entire time.

rating_3+
Hitchcock characterized Spellbound as, "Just another manhunt story wrapped up in pseudo-psychoanalysis." But yet it was the first big film which featured psychoanalysis. Evidently when Hitch came back to the States to do the picture, Ben Hecht was assigned to it. Hecht was "very keen" on psychoanalysis, so Hitch felt that he was a very fortunate choice for a picture that was so dependent upon that theme. But Gregory Peck was simply not a Hitchcockian actor. He had chemistry with I. Bergman, but less so with the story. Hitch was happy to get the big stars; and he admitted that occasionally it clouded his judgement.

I must say I'm surprised in these old movie HOFs, especially so with a noir theme, that some folks criticize the films for being corny, or dated, or shmaltzy. These movies are 75 years old! They cannot be compared shoulder to shoulder with contemporary films. Many of the films that we discuss in various threads were cutting edge at the time, and very innovative. But they've all been copied over and over to the point where further copying would be seriously trite and anachronistic. IMO it's an important distinction to keep in mind when thinking about many of these great old films.

~Doc

[pahaK]

Spellbound (1945)

https://66.media.tumblr.com/2e23f095a84bbf4925cfff4a83f47001/tumblr_pk905dNdbH1ug4j7ao2_500.gif

I have no idea what to write about this one, but maybe it'll mean the review's going to be better than my usual rigid rants. I feel that Spellbound hasn't aged well (not only the psychology but also things like the characters and the ridiculous skiing scene).

The best thing in Spellbound is Ingrid Bergman. Her character is silly and naive in worldly matters, but she makes the poor doctor adorable. By the way, anyone else thinking that she reminds Jodie Foster a lot (especially her facial expressions). Peck is quite weak in this, and most other characters would fit better to romantic comedies (most doctors at Green Manors and maybe even Peck) or random sketches (Chekhov).

Dali's dream sequence is okay, but it would have worked better as an actual dream instead of a weirdly accurate recollection of one. The four-minute overture is pointless, and all it did was giving me a negative mindset for the rest of the film. There's very little suspense considering the director is supposed to be the master of it. Also, for a noir (is it really?), the absence of cynicism is noticeable (it's rare to see more gullible and trusting "investigator" than Dr. Petersen).

It would be too harsh to call Spellbound bad, but it's far from being a masterpiece either. At this point, it's firmly at the bottom of my vote.

[CosmicRunaway]

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=63826

The Third Man (1949)
Directed by: Carol Reed
Starring: Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli, Trevor Howard

The Third Man deals with betrayal and corruption in a city still visibly scarred and divided after the war. There's an almost cyclical nature to the film as well, with similar scenes near the beginning and end that ultimately produce a rather cynical outlook on the future. It's also clever in that viewers who don't know German may feel as lost as Holly does during his conversations with the locals, however audiences who do speak the language hear lines of fear and distrust from a population that is quick to bring up his status as a foreigner and outsider.

While the camera doesn't move very frequently, it's often tilted slightly on its side. These Dutch angles help to generate discomfort and act as a visual representation of Holly's alienation, but they would've been far more effective had they been used sparingly. The cinematography is otherwise brilliant, with fantastic lighting, and impressive shadow work. That iconic chase sequence in the sewers is cleverly shot, but for me, Welles' perfectly framed entrance is the highlight of the film. Welles has fairly minimal screen time, but he always leaves a huge impact.

There is only one thing that holds The Third Man back, and unfortunately its the score. If it were played on any other instrument it might've been fine, but the sounds of the zither were so discordant with what was happening on screen that it was often comical. I wish I could watch this film devoid of its soundtrack, because many scenes were completely drained of tension by music that elicited imagery of calm, tropical beaches. Luckily the film ends on a fantastic note, and I'm glad that Reed fought for that ending, rather than sticking to the one Greene originally envisioned.

[CosmicRunaway]

We randomly lost power just after I posted that review earlier. Luckily it wasn't in the middle of me writing it! I do save often though, so I might not have lost anything even if it had.

With all this praise, I do have a complaint...The music score. Which was composed of a zither stringed instrument. The music score was both a distraction and annoying.
I was browsing some online reviews while the power was out (since I have a good data plan on my phone that I never use), and was surprised to find quite a lot of praise for the film's score. So I'm glad I'm not the only one who didn't think it was a good match.

[Citizen Rules]

We randomly lost power just after I posted that review earlier. Luckily it wasn't in the middle of me writing it! I do save often though, so I might not have lost anything even if it had.


I was browsing some online reviews while the power was out (since I have a good data plan on my phone that I never use), and was surprised to find quite a lot of praise for the film's score. So I'm glad I'm not the only one who didn't think it was a good match.Yeah! someone finally agrees with about the zither:p Though Captain Steel didn't like the zither either.

[GulfportDoc]

Angel Heart (1987)

This film is worth watching for Mickey Rourke’s acting. He’s at his scruffy tawdry best in his role as a private investigator hired to locate a crooner named Johnny Favorite, who has broken a contract with Rourke’s client. This is some of Rourke’s best work since The Pope of Greenwich Village. It’s interesting to see fellow New Yorker Robert DeNiro in the role of Rourke’s employer, Louis Cyphre. It was the type of role that DeNiro could have phoned in, and it would be surprising if he had more than two day’s work out of it.

The rest of the cast did creditable work, including early roles for Lisa Bonet, and the always absorbing Charlotte Rampling.

Outside of Rourke’s performance, the chief attraction for this picture is the wonderful cinematography by Michael Seresin. His framing and lighting produced a gorgeous looking film. The set design is also memorably good, adding to the spookiness of 1950s New York and New Orleans cityscapes.

Apparently there was a tiff with the ratings board, culminating in some minor cuts in order to acquire the picture’s “R” rating. The objections are almost laughable today, what with every form of brutality, perversion, language, and violence so common in many popular contemporary films—which attests to a steep moral slide in the past 30 years.

The story itself was somewhat of a let down—starting with one premise and ending with a switcheroo conclusion. Without spoiling the narrative or its denouement, the outcome put me in mind of 2010’s Shutter Island.

The movie is not really film noir, but a supernatural horror thriller. The shadowy photography is the principle nod to noir. Yet the acting and cinematography keep it from B movie status. And if one likes that kind of Faustian tale, then it holds up today as a good period piece.

[pahaK]

I just watched L.A. Confidential. Deeper (or at least wordier) thoughts in near future but to put it short, I mostly liked it (needed to get that out of the way as my review is likely to delve in the film's faults and you'd all think I hated it).

[CosmicRunaway]

(needed to get that out of the way as my review is likely to delve in the film's faults and you'd all think I hated it)
Criticism doesn't necessarily equate to negativity, but I think how it's worded can contribute a lot to how others perceive what was written. Sometimes I read over a review I wrote and think it sounds like I hated the film, when in reality I rather enjoyed it. I find that tweaking the phrasing helps a little, but it's often easier to end by saying I enjoyed the film, just to make it clear haha.

[pahaK]

Criticism doesn't necessarily equate to negativity, but I think how it's worded can contribute a lot to how others perceive what was written. Sometimes I read over a review I wrote and think it sounds like I hated the film, when in reality I rather enjoyed it. I find that tweaking the phrasing helps a little, but it's often easier to end by saying I enjoyed the film, just to make it clear haha.

I know how my reviews usually end up :D There is a reason why people in here think I hate almost every film.

[ahwell]

I know how my reviews usually end up :D There is a reason why people in here think I hate almost every film.

I usually dread your reviews of my noms :) (Let's see, you hated Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Minority Report, and surprisingly actually kind of liked Tree of Life). Glad you did end up enjoying L.A. Confidential, though :D

[Citizen Rules]

I just watched L.A. Confidential. Deeper (or at least wordier) thoughts in near future but to put it short, I mostly liked it (needed to get that out of the way as my review is likely to delve in the film's faults and you'd all think I hated it).I find that when I really like a film and review it, I tend to be more critical of any perceived flaws. Where if I find a film OK, I will be less hard on it.

Criticism doesn't necessarily equate to negativity, but I think how it's worded can contribute a lot to how others perceive what was written. Sometimes I read over a review I wrote and think it sounds like I hated the film, when in reality I rather enjoyed it. I find that tweaking the phrasing helps a little, but it's often easier to end by saying I enjoyed the film, just to make it clear haha.If there's one thing I've learned about life: it's not what a person says, buy how they say it.