The MoFo Top 100 Film Noir Countdown

[GulfportDoc]

...

Doc, what a date! Did you ever keep up with the young lady and know whatever happened to her?
She was a cutie, but you know how those young romances are. By mid high school we dated other people, and forgot all about each another. But that date to I Want To Live I'll never forget!

[Citizen Rules]

...I saw two Noirs that I didn't include on my list. One of them is the Sterling Hayden film,Crime Wave, which I loved. His portrayal of the cop was super, chewing on the toothpick all the time and leading the ex-con on, making him think he was in big trouble. Plus, it had Phyllis Kirk in it. I like Phyllis Kirk and have ever since seeing her in House of Wax, which also co-starred Charles Bronson who was also in Crime Wave. And both films were released the same year and both directed by André De Toth! I was also delighted to see Timothy Carey playing it really sleazy in a small role. Love Crime Wave which was my 1 pointer, it delivers on all angles and full speed. Hayden is just so cool as a police detective, he makes the movie but the entire cast is great. I read that the cinematographer filmed Sterling Hayden from a low angle making him look even more tall and more imposing than he already was. Bummed that Crime Wave didn't make the countdown, but glad to hear it has some fans!

The other Noir I watched was Too Late For Tears (also known as Killer Bait) from 1949. Starring Lizabeth Scott (yum!), Dan Duryea, Don DeFore, and Kristine Miller (yum also!). Plus Arthur Kennedy, whom I noticed has been in several Noirs. I loved this one and loved how truly greedy and well, scummy Lizabeth Scott was in this. I couldn't wait for her to get what was coming to her and I don't mean money! As for Dan Duryea, I've got almost all of his Noir films in my Watch List, which is easily @125 films and growing. That's how much I've come to love Noir, which I started to get into slowly about 2 years ago. So I was jazzed when this Noir list from 1940-1959 came up because that's my preferred era of these films. Too Late For Tears is one of the best performances from Lizabeth Scott who's so damn nasty in the movie that she scares the britches of Dan Duryea...and that doesn't happen to readily to Dan the Man! I love that movie too. I'm both a fan of Lizabeth Scott's, loved her in The Strange Love of Martha Ivers and Dan Duryea...I use to have a Duryea avatar during the Western countdown as he made a number of westerns as well as noirs. Glad to hear you're becoming a fan of noir! Is your watchlist 125 noirs? or 125 movies including noirs?

[dadgumblah]

No, this particular Watch List is Noir only from the time period on this countdown. I can't believe how many of them were made in that time! I'm sure I'll be adding more to the list. The Strange Love of Martha Ivers is on my Watch List. I've heard about that one since I was a kid. Again, my Dad had an influence on a lot of my film-watching experiences, or films I want to watch. He talked about The Strange Love of Martha Ivers a lot, without giving anything away about the plot. But he would always tell me that it was Kirk Douglas' first film, just like he would say The Killers was Burt Lancaster's first film. I only got The Killers watched this year but the other one is going to get watched, and soon!

As for Watch Lists, my main one is on Letterboxd.com with all sorts of movies on there...but including Noirs I couldn't find elsewhere. However, I've found that there are a ton of Noirs on Arhive.org at this spot: https://archive.org/details/Film_Noir

[GulfportDoc]

#88 He Walked By Night (1948)

Directors: Alfred L. Werker, Anthony Mann
Production: Bryan Foy Productions
Cast: Richard Basehart, Scott Brady, Roy Roberts
27 Points, 4 List

'This film-noir piece, told in semi-documentary style, follows police on the hunt for a resourceful criminal who shoots and kills a cop.'

I've always felt that this picture was really more of a police procedural thriller than a noir in terms of story. But, good Lord, what sensational noir photography by the great John Alton!

I don't know who came up with the idea of the lengthy storm drain sequence, but I've always believed that it, along with Alton's filming of it, surely influenced and inspired the Paris sewer chase scenes in The Third Man, which came out the following year.

I think it was one of Richard Baseheart's best performances.

[dadgumblah]

Citizen Rules, I noticed that about the low angles on Sterling Hayden also. He did look really towering there, and menacing, despite being a good guy in the film. :cool:

[GulfportDoc]

#87 The Dark Corner (1946)

Director: Henry Hathaway
Production: Twentieth Century Fox
Cast: Lucille Ball, Clifton Webb, William Bendix
28 Points, 2 List

'A secretary tries to help her boss who's been framed for murder.'

A really strong noir story featuring a fine performance by Mark Stevens, and a lovely pre-comedy role by Lucille Ball.

It tickles me: ever since Clifton Webb starred in Laura (1944), every movie he subsequently played in, he was the exact same character with simply different circumstances...:D See what happens when a guy lives with his mother his entire life?..:indifferent:

[Citizen Rules]

No, this particular Watch List is Noir only from the time period on this countdown. I can't believe how many of them were made in that time! I'm sure I'll be adding more to the list. The Strange Love of Martha Ivers is on my Watch List. I've heard about that one since I was a kid. Again, my Dad had an influence on a lot of my film-watching experiences, or films I want to watch. He talked about The Strange Love of Martha Ivers a lot, without giving anything away about the plot. But he would always tell me that it was Kirk Douglas' first film, just like he would say The Killers was Burt Lancaster's first film. I only got The Killers watched this year but the other one is going to get watched, and soon!

As for Watch Lists, my main one is on Letterboxd.com with all sorts of movies on there...but including Noirs I couldn't find elsewhere. However, I've found that there are a ton of Noirs on Arhive.org at this spot: https://archive.org/details/Film_NoirThat's cool your dad liked old film noirs and those two are great...he had good taste!

A big thanks for that like to archive.org. I know the site but I can never seem to find anything there. It's me, I don't really know how to navigate it well, but that link helped alot! I just read through some of those titles and played with the filters on the right side and there's over 800 films! Right off the bat I seen a color noir I've been looking for in restored quality for sometime, Slightly Scarlet (1956) with Rhonda Fleming, Arlene Dahn and John Payne...best of all the copy looks restored! And there's nice download links there, so you know! I'll have to go through all 800 and see what's all there.

[Torgo]

https://i.postimg.cc/ZnHzcDQX/intro-1645549337.jpg

"We were a few days in and I was a gambler who walked under a ladder and past a black cat on the way to the casino: I had a whole lot of nothing. Worse yet, it was like I was the victim trying to find the guy who pulled a fast one on me, but everyone on the perp walk was from two towns over: not a single selection rang a bell. I suddenly had the strongest urge to drown my sorrows. Like a freshman from a dirt-poor town on his first day at Harvard, I had studied and worked hard on my ballot like I had someone to impress. Alas, like the lady of the night who deduced that her latest john left his wallet on the back seat of the night bus, she wouldn't deliver the goods. It was at this low point that like that gambler who finally saw three crowns instead of every variation of the saddest fruit salad you ever swallowed that it hit me: it was early and there was a long way to go. It could only mean that my ballot was the starting lineup of my beloved '27 Bronx Bombers: they all belonged at the top."

[Citizen Rules]

I've always felt that this picture was really more of a police procedural thriller than a noir in terms of story. But, good Lord, what sensational noir photography by the great John Alton!

I don't know who came up with the idea of the lengthy storm drain sequence, but I've always believed that it, along with Alton's filming of it, surely influenced and inspired the Paris sewer chase scenes in The Third Man, which came out the following year.

I think it was one of Richard Baseheart's best performances.When I go looking for the next day's noir reveal images, I quickly can tell if a movie had knock out cinematography. Some movies, like He Walked At Night I had so many great choices for images that it was hard settling on just 5.

[GulfportDoc]

He Walked By Night is on my list at #15. I loved this one, with the cop killer, played by Richard Basehart, trying to cover all his tracks by killing others. Nice feel to it, with quite a bit of it taking place at night (hence the title) which I love. Scott Brady was properly stoic, I loved Whit Bissell (whom I have dug since The Creature From the Black Lagoon) in the movie, and it was so much fun to see Jack Webb being a bit lighthearted as the lab guy who helped with the case, a bit of a forerunner to his later Dragnet role. One I need to see again soon.
...
Yeah, as you know, Jack Webb met the guy who gave him the idea for the long running Dragnet series, Marty Wynn, the police technical advisor on "He Walked".

And Webb did have a great sense of humor not evident on Dragnet. Here is a clever bit between he and Johnny Carson:
https://youtu.be/oIBRr-ri5PI?si=q4acB6UQaFDr1AqI

[dadgumblah]

That's cool your dad liked old film noirs and those two are great...he had good taste!

A big thanks for that like to archive.org. I know the site but I can never seem to find anything there. It's me, I don't really know how to navigate it well, but that link helped alot! I just read through some of those titles and played with the filters on the right side and there's over 800 films! Right off the bat I seen a color noir I've been looking for in restored quality for sometime,Slightly Scarlet (1956) with Rhonda Fleming, Arlene Dahn and John Payne...best of all the copy looks restored! And there's nice download links there, so you know! I'll have to go through all 800 and see what's all there.

You're welcome! I'm still looking through that list. I've only got 25 written down from the Archive site, so I will be looking through a certain other site to see what they have to offer. :) Also, I need to add Slightly Scarlet to my list so thanks for that! I like Rhonda Fleming and Arlene Dahl, so I'm already onboard! :love: Plus, I like John Payne from another Noir so it sounds like win/win!

[dadgumblah]

Yeah, as you know, Jack Webb met the guy who gave him the idea for the long running Dragnet series, Marty Wynn, the police technical advisor on "He Walked".

And Webb did have a great sense of humor not evident on Dragnet. Here is a clever bit between he and Johnny Carson:
https://youtu.be/oIBRr-ri5PI?si=q4acB6UQaFDr1AqI

That's a great, classic skit with Webb and Carson! Thanks for posting that. I need to get some Best of Carson on DVD. And I didn't know that Jack Webb got his idea for Dragnet from that film and the police tech advisor. How cool. I love trivia tidbits like that so thank you again!

[PHOENIX74]

Another couple of double zeroes for my account - neither seen nor heard of.

[Citizen Rules]

97939
#86 Angel Face (1952)

Director: Otto Preminger
Production: RKO
Cast: Robert Mitchum, Jean Simmons, Mona Freeman
31 Points, 4 Lists

'Ambulance driver Frank Jessup is ensnared in the schemes of the sensuous but dangerous Diane Tremayne'

_______________________________________

[Citizen Rules]

97940
#85 Force of Evil (1948)

Director: Abraham Polonsky
Production: Enterprise Productions
Cast: John Garfield, Thomas Gomez, Beatrice Pearson
33 Points, 2 Lists

'An unethical lawyer who wants to help his older brother becomes a partner with a client in the numbers racket.'

_______________________________________

[rauldc14]

Angel Face is a goodie!

[Allaby]

I've seen both, but neither made my ballot. I liked Angel Face a little more than Force of Evil, but both are a 7/10 from me.

Seen: 14/16

[John W Constantine]

I thought I found a spot on the bottom of my ballot for one of these but, nope. Anyway I watched each recently last year and enjoy both quite a bit. Glad to see them show up.

[John-Connor]

97943
Angel Face was an enjoyable watch. Great directing, cast and a surprising/cool ending. No vote but it does make my top fifty @ #44.

SEEN 3/12
BALLOT 00/25


44. Angel Face (1952)
32. Crime Wave (1953)
31. Body and Soul (1947)

[Citizen Rules]

I seen Angel Face, a few years ago and I wrote this about Force of Evil in the Noirvember 2023 (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2435029#post2435029) thread
https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftse3.mm.bing.net%2Fth%3Fid%3DOIP.ZjDwCb9KzQHwm3fTPo480gAAAA%26pid%3DApi&f=1&ipt=959b59c34023e784da419bb500f7f7d0f26fde322f6f5902e17893385d825fad&ipo=images
Force Of Evil (1948)
So many great shots in Force of Evil. It really looks good with an abundances of stunning shots. We see the city, we see the waterfront, we see unique camera angles all done creatively, nicely.


It's an interesting story too about the 'numbers racket' which must have been a thing back in the day. At the same time it juxtaposes the ethics of 'honest' petty criminals against violent gangster criminals. I wasn't always sure what the film was trying to say but it's an interesting conundrum.

John Garfield slid into the educated lawyer role with ease. He was good, as was the actor who played his honest but petty criminal brother, Thomas Gomez. There's a lot of movie packed into those 79 minutes and this is one movie that would benefit from a rewatch.

[seanc]

Really enjoyed Angel Face when I watched it during list prep. The kind of movie that could make my list if I had made it on another day.

Force Of Evil was already on my Noir watchlist, but I didn’t get to it.

[Thief]

I feel ashamed. Still haven't seen anything

[Sedai]

I am also ashamed, and haven't seen anything from this list yet!

[Holden Pike]

Another pair of bonafide classics. Neither made my cut. I have two other “Angel”s on my ballot, but not Angel Face. However, I did forget to check my ballot yesterday and I did indeed have…

He Walked By Night

97945

Fantastic Police Procedural with a smart and dangerous antagonist, positively dripping in Noir style thanks to the cinematography of the great John Alton who lensed many classics of the genre, including Mystery Street, building to a grand chase finale. Because their mystery suspect (Richard Basehart) worked for the Police at one point and is up on the latest electronics, the Detectives (Scott Brady & Roy Roberts) have a devil of a time tracking him down. Alton should have at least three more titles make the countdown.

97946

I had it at eighteen, only eight points, but plenty to secure it a spot!

HOLDEN'S BALLOT
18. He Walked By Night (#88)
22. Panic in the Streets (#98)
25. The Crimson Kimono (DNP)

[Sedai]

I am excited to see He Walked by Night is available on Prime, so I will be firing that up very soon.

[dadgumblah]

I've had both Angel Face and Force of Evil on my Watch List but I'm so backlogged on some that it's hard to pick what to go with next. So neither made my list.

#15 He Walked By Night List Proper #88

[Citizen Rules]

I've had both Angel Face and Force of Evil on my Watch List but I'm so backlogged on some that it's hard to pick what to go with next. So neither made my list.

#15 He Walked By Night List Proper #88Go with Slightly Scarlet:) that's such a nice quality, restored print and Rhonda Fleming never looked hotter and Arlene Dahl is a hoot as a kleptomaniac-nyphomaic...Really I kid you not...Oh Payne's good as a sleezy political mover shaker and Ted De Corsia makes one bad ass thug.

[WHITBISSELL!]

Whiffed on the latest two. I've heard plenty about Angel Face though especially those lurid taglines.

FASTER! FASTER! FASTER! He thrilled to her lying lips...yield to her whispered promises...plunged into the trap her love had set for him! Force of Evil sounds pretty good too. I'm gonna rack up alot of potential watches by the time this thread is over.

[Miss Vicky]

I watched Angel Face for the 19th Hall Of Fame, but didn't care for it and wouldn't have voted for it.

[Harry Lime]

Force of Evil was good but saw it a ways back. But it sits in that 3/5 range that many film noirs do for me. Good films that have stood the test of time but not great. But that's just me. I haven't seen Angel Face but it made it onto four lists so might be worth a shot.

[GulfportDoc]

Angel Face is a really strong noir. Mitchum and Simmons work well together. Rather unique as Simmons' femme fatale character, it's embellished by her being nuts.

I suppose one could see the ending coming, but it was nonetheless shocking, and leaves the viewer perplexed and unsatisfied.

[SpelingError]

I've finally seen a film! Force of Evil is good, but it didn't make my ballot. I enjoyed the contrast between Joe and Leo, but felt the film didn't shine until the final act.

I haven't seen Angel Face.

[cricket]

Force of Evil is the 2nd from my ballot to show-both starring John Garfield. My #15

Not sure if I've seen Angel Face and don't feel like looking it up right now.

[Iroquois]

no votes. saw angel face once a long time ago, but i remember liking it.

[PHOENIX74]

If I said I'd heard of either of those two films I'd be pretending. But I don't feel bad because I was pretty much expecting the first half of this countdown to go this way for me.

Seen : 2/16
Heard of but not seen : 1/16
Never heard of : 13/16

[Citizen Rules]

97954
#84 Born to Kill (1947)

Director: Robert Wise
Production: RKO
Cast: Claire Trevor, Lawrence Tierney, Walter Slezak
33 Points, 3 Lists

'Walter Slezak, Lawrence Tierney, and Claire Trevor in Born to Kill (1947) A calculating divorcée risks her chances at wealth and security with a man she doesn't love by getting involved with the hotheaded murderer romancing her foster sister.'

_______________________________________

[Citizen Rules]

97955
#83 All The King's Men (1949)

Director: Robert Rossen
Production: Columbia Pictures
Cast: Broderick Crawford, John Ireland, Joanne Dru
35 Points, 4 Lists

'The rise and fall of a corrupt politician, who makes his friends richer and retains power by dint of a populist appeal.'

_______________________________________

[Allaby]

Born to Kill was my #8. It's fantastic and I'm glad it made the list. All The King's Men is very good too, but didn't quite make my ballot.

Seen: 16/18

[Holden Pike]

97956

Best Picture Oscar winner All the King's Men was #67 on the MoFo Top 100 of the 1940s.

[ScarletLion]

0/18

:D

[Miss Vicky]

I watched All The King's Men for the Best Picture Hall of Fame. I respected its intent but I really disliked the acting, the narration, and the intrusive score. Another film I would not have voted for if I'd been able to submit a ballot.

[seanc]

I’m trying not say this much, but when I see All The Kings Men listed as Noir I get baffled and realize even the experts definition is all over the place. It’s been a while, but I didn’t care for it much anyway, so it wouldn’t have made my list.

Born To Kill…Noir watchlist. It’s Robert Wise, so I am sure I will dig it.

[Thief]

All the King's Men is the first one I've seen from the list. I didn't vote for it mostly because I didn't see much noir in it, so it didn't really cross my mind, but I did like it a lot. Great performances from Broderick Crawford and Mercedes McCambridge. Here is my review from the film (https://www.movieforums.com/reviews/2350849-all_the_kings_men.html).

Haven't seen Born to Kill.


SEEN: 1/18
MY BALLOT: 0/25

[Thief]

Interesting list trivia, this is the first instance of recurring directors; not only one, but both Robert Wise and Robert Rossen are repeating. Wise had I Want to Live at #90, while Rossen had Body and Soul at #94 (and The Hustler in the Neo-noir countdown).

[Citizen Rules]

I watched Born to Kill, last Noirvember but most not have wrote anything about it...I do remember being luke warm to it.

My past review of All The King's Men


https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=43394&stc=1&d=1522601306

ALL THE KING'S MEN (1949)
Robert Rossen


What a photo! I love it!...It's raw, intense and focused. It's a great publicity photo...and Mercedes McCambridge was a powerhouse in this movie. I mean she was one tough hard boiled lady and in 1949 you just didn't get characters like that. And that's what I liked about All the King's Men, dynamic, forceful characters that seemed real.

Broderick Crawford made a damn good, corrupt-political boss, Huey Long. I've seen a documentary on the real Huey Long and he really did operate like a crime boss, using every trick he could to keep his political machine going. It's pretty sickening actually that he did what he did for so long.

Broderick Crawford was a great choice for this. I can't image another actor at the time better suited to playing Huey long. John Ireland was a good choice too, I liked him and most all of the supporting cast.

[Holden Pike]

Yeah, seeing All the King’s Men on Noir lists (ours is not the only one) is baffling to me as well. But so be it. Born to Kill, on the other hand, is exactly what Noir is all about…

97959

Born to Kill is a dark RKO production that is mean and wicked and full of despicable characters. And that’s why it is a Film Noir classic, directed by one of the all-time greats. This little potboiler follows an unscrupulous brute, played by the legendary Lawrence Tierney, who decides to marry a San Francisco dame (Audrey Long) to get her money. This is after the opening section of the flick where he murders his trampy girlfriend in Las Vegas and the new fella she was seeing just to make him jealous. It worked. As his mousey friend warns him, “You can’t just be goin’ round killin’ people whenever the notion strikes you, it’s not feasible!” His pal is played by one of the genre’s greats, Elisha Cook Jr. The bride’s sister (Claire Trevor) is a new divorcee and is strangely drawn to the man, and though she doesn’t trust him she also can't keep her hands and lips off of him. Between her dark desires and growing suspicions plus a cheeky private detective from Vegas trying to solve those murders, it is only a matter of time before that homicidal rage shows itself again.

97960

If you only know Lawrence Tierney from Reservoir Dogs and ”Seinfeld”, Born to Kill is a perfect place to start discovering what a scary badass he was as a young man (on and off screen). It is also an early effort of director Robert Wise, who had a remarkable career that eventually included Oscar wins (West Side Story and The Sound of Music) and the man seemingly never met a genre he didn’t like. This was his first Noir. His next is one of the all-time greats and should be very high on the collective list, but this mean little flick deserves its spot, too. Born to Kill is his second reveal thus far, following I Want To Live! (#90).

It was my fourteenth pick, good for a dozen of its thirty-three points.

HOLDEN'S BALLOT
14. Born to Kill (#84)
18. He Walked By Night (#88)
22. Panic in the Streets (#98)
25. The Crimson Kimono (DNP)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEMfxEWGe-k

[SpelingError]

0/18

:D
Fake cinephile alert!

[SpelingError]

Haven't seen either film.

[Sedai]

This is getting silly...

0/18

[SpelingError]

This is getting silly...

0/18
See my above response to ScarletLion.

[Sedai]

See my above response to ScarletLion.

Can confirm!

[Citizen Rules]

18/18 here:cool:

[Thief]

With the caveat that I *also* said I didn't see much noir in All the King's Men, here are some excerpts from critics and cinephiles about its noir leanings:

B Noir Detour said:

"The underside of politics, including lying, cheating, and crime — plus a bleak ending in which no one comes out whole: there are certainly claims to noirishness in this story based on the rise and fall of Louisiana politician Huey Long." (full review here (https://bnoirdetour.wordpress.com/2018/02/08/all-the-kings-men-1949/))

Paul Batters of Silver Screen Classics said:

"Production-wise, Rossen crafts a film with a starkness, obviously inspired by the Italian Realists. The documentary-style shooting, however, is also crossed with elements of noir, as much in rich tones as cinematic technique." (full review here (https://silverscreenclassicsblog.wordpress.com/2020/10/21/all-the-kings-men-1949-the-power-of-the-political-drama/))

Andreas Babiolakis of Films Fatale said:

"[Robert Rossen] channeled the noir genre by turning the lead character Willie Stark into a different kind of an archetypal “detective”: a community man trying to do what’s best for his people, only to get more monstrous the deeper he gets into politics." (full review here (https://www.filmsfatale.com/blog/2019/11/3/all-the-kings-men))


It seems to me that this is one of those cases that's more to one of the ends of the noir spectrum rather than the center; a borderline case, so to speak.

[ScarletLion]

Fake cinephile alert!

:D rumbled

[honeykid]

0/12 so far!!! Yikes!

I have some noir watching to do!

Forget it, Seds. It's noir. :D


One of mine has shown up as I had Brighton Rock at #11. Pinky is just evil. A plain nasty, sick sociopath with feelings which never go beyond his needs. It's a hard film to like (and I can't say that I do really) but that ending is just...everything.

[WHITBISSELL!]

1 for 2 on the latest ones. I also would never have thought All the King's Men was noir. But I certainly enjoyed it. I even tried watching the 2006 remake but just couldn't get into it. Haven't seen Born to Kill. It's weird because the ones I haven't seen sound like something I could have watched. Should have watched.

5 for 18.

[Thursday Next]

I had All the King's Men at #3. I see how it's not a typical noir, and that did make me hesitate when placing it, but there are noirish elements there and it's just a really good film.

[beelzebubble]

I am familiar with Born to Kill because of Laurence Tierney. But I can't remember whether I saw the whole thing or just a couple scenes.

Now All the King's Men is a great movie about how power corrupts. This is definitely a must see. But I never thought of it as noir.

[Harry Lime]

All the KIng's Men is noir eh. The more you know! It's a decent film. Haven't seen Born to Kill though. Looks good.

[GulfportDoc]

Born to Kill is as nasty a noir as there is!..🙂 The lovely Claire Trevor gets her hands chock full with sociopathic Lawrence Tierney as her boyfriend in this murderous double-dealing tale. Tierney plays such a good psycho because he wasn't all that far from it in real life-- a genuine hotheaded badass. Interesting trivia: Tierney and Elisha Cook, Jr. were close friends in real life.

I don't see All the King's Men as a noir at all, but so be it. It's a good picture with good acting by Broderick Crawford and Mercedes McCambridge. But since the story is based upon Louisiana's Huey P. Long ("The Kingfish"), it's always bugged me that they used an actor like Crawford, who's accent was right off the Philadelphia streets. The Kingfish was from central Louisiana which has a distinct type of southern drawl. Long was assassinated in the Louisiana State Capitol Building in Baton Rouge in 1935. The movie is good political drama though.

[cricket]

I gave All the Kings Men 3.5

and

Born to Kill 3+

No votes

[dadgumblah]

Citizen Rules, Slightly Scarlet it shall be! Love both those ladies and John Payne might be somewhere on my ballot. ;)

Born to Kill I have not seen, but it's been on my Watch List for quite a while. I've not seen All the King's Men and like a lot of people here, I didn't know it was considered Film Noir even in the slightest. But that just makes me want to watch it more. Some day.

#15 He Walked By Night List Proper #88

[PHOENIX74]

I've seen one of these!

#83 All The King's Men - I've got this on DVD and really like it. All the King's Men gives great insight into the political process as much as it corrupts even the most steadfast of incorruptible men, and features Broderick Crawford in a terrifically powerful performance as politician Willie Stark - perhaps the role of his lifetime. The role of the press in the political process makes for something really interesting as well - so much power the press really holds in it's hands when it comes to influencing a nation. At least in the way it wants to present the information it gleans. It's a complex film that treats it's viewers with respect and aims high at what it wants to say - doing so in a way that worked so well it was one of those big films of it's era. I have it on DVD and it is very much overdue another watch.

I have not seen (nor heard of) Born to Kill.

Seen : 3/18
Heard of but not seen : 1/18
Never heard of : 14/18

[Iroquois]

no votes. seen born to kill and remember nothing about it except how wild it is to see young laurence tierney. been meaning to watch all the king's men because it's the only best picture winner i haven't seen yet, think this should give me the push i need to actually do that.

[Allaby]

I watched Stranger on the Third Floor and Mystery Street today, so I am now at 18/18.

[Citizen Rules]

97973
#82 The Amazing Mr. X (1948)

Director: Bernard Vorhaus
Production: Samba Productions
Cast: Turhan Bey, Lynn Bari, Cathy O'Donnell
37 Points, 2 Lists

'On the beach one night, Christine Faber, two years a widow, thinks she hears her late husband Paul calling out of the surf; then meets a tall dark man Alexis, who seems to know all about such things.'

_______________________________________

[Citizen Rules]

97974
#81 Too Late For Tears (1949)

Director: Byron Haskin
Production: Hunt Stromberg Productions
Cast: Lizabeth Scott, Don DeFore, Dan Duryea
37 Points, 3 Lists

'Through a fluke circumstance, a ruthless woman stumbles across a suitcase filled with $60,000, and is determined to hold onto it even if it means murder.'

_______________________________________

[Sedai]

0/20

Y'all are trolling me now... ;)

[Allaby]

Too late For Tears is good, but didn't make my ballot. I haven't seen The Amazing Mr. X.

Seen: 19/20

[SpelingError]

I haven't seen either film.

[Thief]

After yesterday's glitch, we're back to our regular programming of me not having seen anything :laugh: Anyway, The Amazing Mr. X sounds like the kind of stuff I would dig. The fact that it got 37 points from only 2 lists means that those two people think really highly of it, so that's good.

[Thief]

Whoa, this pairing offers us the film with the lowest RT score/IMDb rating (38%/6.4) along with one of the highest RT scores (100%)

[Citizen Rules]

@Citizen Rules (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=84637), Slightly Scarlet it shall be! Love both those ladies and John Payne might be somewhere on my ballot. ;) Let us know how you liked it.

I watched Stranger on the Third Floor and Mystery Street today, so I am now at 18/18.Cool Allaby you just now watched those. Did you like both of those?

[seanc]

Two more for the watchlist. I knew I wasn’t Citizen or Holden level, but I thought I was a pretty decent Noir fan. Beginning to think I haven’t seen anything.

[Allaby]

Let us know how you liked it.

Cool Allaby you just now watched those. Did you like both of those?

Stranger on the Third Floor was pretty good and I rated it a 7/10. Mystery Street was just okay, a 6/10. Neither one would have made my ballot.

[Citizen Rules]

97975


The Amazing Mr. X (1948)...I'd never heard of it until I seen it on a couple of ballots so I watched it two nights ago. Visually it's shot really well. There's this huge mansion on the cliffs overlooking the Pacific ocean that is so cool that it should've got a starring credit. I believe the house and location is real and not a matte but I haven't researched that. At any rate it gives this film a cool gothic-mystic-noir vibe. The story wasn't well fleshed out, but at 78 minutes the time flies by. I wasn't familiar with the actor who played the scheming 'mystic' Alexis (Turhan Bey). I see he played in mainly poverty role b-adventure movies. He was good as a mystic as he had this very calm manner and unusual accent. Lynn Bari was the older sister with brunette hair who I'm not real familiar with. Cathy O'Donnell was the younger blonde sister and starred in many acclaimed movies, I seen her in another noir recently They Live By Night (1948). Not a favorite of mine, but a fun watch none the less.

[Citizen Rules]

Two more for the watchlist. I knew I wasn’t Citizen or Holden level, but I thought I was a pretty decent Noir fan. Beginning to think I haven’t seen anything.Holden has seen many, many more noirs than I have...but I'm working on it:D But when it comes to all other genres, film movements and new films...I ain't seen squat. I've only seen a few of the neo noir films on that countdown so far. You've seen many more neo noirs than I have...I guess Hollywood mid-century is just my jam:)

[Citizen Rules]

Yahoo again! So I had one of my ballot movies make the neo-noir countdown today and I have one of my favorite noirs with two of my favorite noir actors making this countdown. Too Late For Tears was my #16...I wrote this about it in the Noirvember 2022 thread:

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=89777
Too Late For Tears (1949)

Too Late For Tears is a fine example of a female lead protagonist in a classic noir. Lizabeth Scott is one of those 1940s-50s actresses that landed in a number of noirs and yet doesn't always get the recognition she deserves. I've seen her in other films and she's always good with her penetrating stare and gravelly voice but here she's something great. She plays a married woman who while driving in a convertible with her husband on a dark road finds that a passing car has tossed a bag of money into their back seat. She wants to keep it...She's desperate to keep it, at all cost! Her husband Arthur Kennedy wants to give it up to the police. She will not allow that.

What I liked about this noir was how Lizabeth Scott's acting propelled her character's sick compulsive obsessive need to have money. She's like an addict, she can't help herself and with her need for money she crosses the line into the world of crime. It's a fine acting job backed up by a tight script.

The other element that impressed was Dan Duryea. I've seen many of his movies and Dan has the patent on sniveling, taunting demeanor with a duplicitous smile...but I've never seen him play a heavy handed character who ends up being scared, I mean really scared and demoralized...and Lizabeth Scott's character did all that to him. That gave his character a unique pathos despite the fact that he was a black mailer and had beat Lizabeth in earlier scenes. Too Late For Tears is a prime example of the emotional and acting heights film noir can achieve.
rating_4_5

[John-Connor]

https://i0.wp.com/media4.giphy.com/media/gj3fWFdYixYA0/giphy.gif



Actor Stats pit stop

97978
With two appearances so far on the countdown: Lizabeth Scott, Elisha Cook Jr. and John Garfield. Read a few articles about Garfield's personal life story, which is quite a Noir story of its own, interesting read.

[WHITBISSELL!]

1 for 2. Haven't watched The Amazing Mr. X but Too Late for Tears was my #22. Looking at my list I could and should have placed it higher.

6 for 20.

[moongirl]

97973

#82 The Amazing Mr. X (1948)

Director: Bernard Vorhaus
Production: Samba Productions
Cast: Turhan Bey, Lynn Bari, Cathy O'Donnell
37 Points, 2 List

'On the beach one night, Christine Faber, two years a widow, thinks she hears her late husband Paul calling out of the surf; then meets a tall dark man Alexis, who seems to know all about such things.'

_______________________________________




I love this movie!!! Is it the greatest movie ever made? Probably not. But I enjoy it so much. Years ago, my friend and I had a set of films we'd watch over and over again in rotation, and this was one of them. To tell you the truth, I'd always considered it more of a supernatural film, but when I saw IMDb had tagged it noir, I had to put it on my list: #7.

[moongirl]

97954

#84 Born to Kill (1947)

Director: Robert Wise
Production: RKO
Cast: Claire Trevor, Lawrence Tierney, Walter Slezak
33 Points, 3 List

'Walter Slezak, Lawrence Tierney, and Claire Trevor in Born to Kill (1947) A calculating divorcée risks her chances at wealth and security with a man she doesn't love by getting involved with the hotheaded murderer romancing her foster sister.'

_______________________________________



I've seen this. I liked it a lot. If I remember right, some of the dialogue was very high-drama (not a criticism).


For those of you who get the Movies! Channel but aren't taking advantage of it, this was part of last night's noir marathon.

[CosmicRunaway]

Out of the last 10 reveals, I've only seen one: Force of Evil. It wasn't on my ballot, and there's another film I keep mixing it up with, and I'm still not entirely sure which one is which haha.

I've actually never heard of The Amazing Mr. X before, but CR saying it has a "gothic-mystic-noir vibe" makes me want to check it out. Maybe if I start watching some of these noirs, my seen count at the end of the Countdown won't be so sad looking haha.

Seen: 5/20

My List: 1
03. Stranger on the Third Floor (1940) - #92

[cricket]

I don't recall ever hearing of these 2

[Citizen Rules]

I don't recall ever hearing of these 2I bet you'll know tomorrow's reveals, both of those are well liked noirs.

[Harry Lime]

Haven't see either film! Oh well.

[beelzebubble]

Nope and Nope. I have seen The Amazing Mr. X. I like moongirl consider it more of a supernatural story. I didn't see The Lizabeth Scott movie either

[GulfportDoc]

Too Late for Tears is a lollapalooza of a noir. Lizbeth Scott plays a very nasty femme fatale, and it's one of her best roles-- really playing against type. The picture didn't get much praise when it came out in 1949, but it's since gotten quite a following. Film Noir Foundation and other contributors completely restored the film, so it's available on both DVD and Blue Ray.

I grew up watching Don Defore in "Ozzie & Harriet", but Defore was actually in a few good noirs, including this one and Dark City (1950).

I really like the movie, but it didn't crack my top 25.

[dadgumblah]

I haven't seen The Amazing Mr. X but I have heard of Turhan Bey as he was in one of the Universal 'Mummy' movies, The Mummy's Tomb. I love the Universal horror films, so I remembered his name even when I was little. He was also in a couple of episodes of Babylon 5 which I watched avidly, but dang if I can remember seeing him. The fact that he was older then (probably his 70s) by that time might have had something to do with it but I don't even remember his name in the credits. Cathy O'Donnell I remember from The Best Years of Our Lives and I was fairly smitten with her so I look forward to seeing her in this.

I saw Too Late For Tears too late (ahem) to put on my list, but if I had I would definitely have put it there. I had only seen Lizabeth Scott, to my recall, in two films before this. One made my ballot, but the first thing I ever saw her in was the comedy/thriller Scared Stiff (1953), my favorite Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis movie. She was fine in that (both acting and looks) so it was cool to see her as a total money slut! She was so icy in this. Her husband wasn't even cold before she starting snuggling up to Dan Duryea! Citizen Rules, you're so right in that it was unique to see Duryea turned into a quivering pile of nerves while trying to deal with Scott's evil ways. I liked Don DeFore in the old Hazel TV series and he's been in, funnily enough, a couple of Martin and Lewis films. He was also in a good movie that was Doris Day's first film, Romance on the High Seas, yet another film with a connection to my Dad that I won't boringly go into but it's funny how film connects you to other people and places. DeFore was also great in a fun Christmas movie, It Happened on Fifth Avenue, which I watch every year. Kristine Miller was very lovely as Scott's sister-in-law, and Miller is in another Noir on my Watch List.

Lastly, Citizen Rules, I saw Slightly Scarlet last night and it was good stuff! Both ladies, Rhonda Fleming and Arlene Dahl, were beautfiul but I guess I lean more toward Fleming as the finer-looking one. Both were good in the acting department. And John Payne was great as the guy looking to better his position in the crooked ranks but by the end finds that he can be a better person through personal sacrifice. And yes, Ted de Corsia was really good as the big bad gangster of the piece. He's also in a couple on my ballot. Man, these actors were in a lot of Noirs, mixing and matching with the casts! From the sheer amount of Film Noir made in this time period of our countdown, I'm guessing that the genre was quite a lucrative business. Thanks for the recommendation of the movie!

[Thief]

Stats: Pit Stop #2
https://i.imgur.com/N9GHbJZ.jpg

-

After hitting our second pit stop (80), here's were we are now:

Yearly Breakdown


1940 = 1
1941 = 0
1942 = 0
1943 = 1
1944 = 1
1945 = 0
1946 = 2
1947 = 2
1948 = 5
1949 = 2
1950 = 3
1951 = 0
1952 = 1
1953 = 1
1954 = 0
1955 = 0
1956 = 0
1957 = 0
1958 = 1
1959 = 0



Short-lived dominion by 1950. Now it's 1948, with three entries getting it today.

Repeating Directors


Robert Rossen = 2
Robert Wise = 2


Only two so far, but will there be more? Who will show more than once here?

[dadgumblah]

https://i0.wp.com/media4.giphy.com/media/gj3fWFdYixYA0/giphy.gif



Actor Stats pit stop

97978
With two appearances so far on the countdown: Lizabeth Scott, Elisha Cook Jr. and John Garfield. Read a few articles about Garfield's personal life story, which is quite a Noir story of its own, interesting read.

John-Connor, did you know that woman flagging down the car in the road is none other than Cloris Leachman? This was her first full-fledged movie role in Kiss Me, Deadly. She had been in only one film in an uncredited role, according to IMDB. I'd looked up her credits and after that first bit part, it was nothing but television until the above-mentioned movie. When I first saw that film years and years ago, I was told it was her first film back then and I couldn't believe it was her, she looked so different, even from her The Last Picture Show looks, and that was just 16-years-later. Anyway, just rambling on about trivia in these film but I just get jazzed more and more about all the details in addition to the films.

[PHOENIX74]

Back to the regulation "never heard of those two" daily post.

Seen three out of twenty so far, but I wasn't expecting any at all (I think each time I was surprised that the film revealed was considered film noir) so that's okay.

[stillmellow]

0/18

:D




0/18


https://th.bing.com/th/id/OIP.1Q5rLf4Esso_gI0-5Trj7wAAAA

[Holden Pike]

The first from my top ten to show...

97991

I am crazy for Lizabeth Scott and Too Late for Tears is my favorite among favorites. For most of the Noirs she was in she was a conflicted character or an innocent mixed up with the wrong crowd. Here she is a full on Femme Fatale. As the story begins she is a seemingly normal housewife who has plenty but longs for much more in the way of material goods and status, though the straight arrow she is married to (Arthur Kennedy) can never do enough to please her needs. Driving home together from a party one night a giant bag of money almost literally lands in their laps. This is everything she has dreamed of, and though he wants to go immediately to the police, she convinces him to hold onto it, checking the suitcase at Union Station util they can figure out what is going on.

Of course a bag full of cash always comes with bad people looking for it. The first to show up is good ol’ Dan Duryea, at first claiming to be an insurance investigator (not a profession that turns up a lot…except in Film Noir!). She doesn’t buy his story but understands whoever he is, the money belongs to him. Instead of recoiling in fear or threatening to go to the police, she offers to split the loot. But her husband still wants to turn it in and that means his days are numbered.

97992

This all unleashes something in Scott’s character, but not desperation it is a steely cold resolution to get exactly what she wants. She is the smartest criminal of the bunch, always at least half a step ahead of everybody else…you know, until the end. This role was against type for her and she nailed it. Apparently she didn’t like playing it that much and never did another full on Femme Fatale, but we’ll always have Too Late for Tears, Dollface! It was my third pick, twenty-three points, the bulk of its thirty-seven points. I am a little surprised but not shocked to find only two other MoFos voted for it. Hopefully its placement on the list raises its profile at least here on the Forums and the next time the topic comes up it ascends to where it should be.

HOLDEN'S BALLOT
3. Too Late for Tears (#81)
14. Born to Kill (#84)
18. He Walked By Night (#88)
22. Panic in the Streets (#98)
25. The Crimson Kimono (DNP)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kNv7E0uRis
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3x5CdcHq7e8

[Harry Lime]

#3 on Holden's list eh? All right I'm convinced. Added to the watch list.

[Holden Pike]

Actor Stats Pit Stop
With two appearances so far on the countdown: Lizabeth Scott, Elisha Cook Jr. and John Garfield. Read a few articles about Garfield's personal life story, which is quite a Noir story of its own, interesting read.

Three more for ya. The stars will be evident, but the same rogues' gallery of character actors show up in Noir again and again. William Conrad (Sorry, Wrong Number and Body & Soul), Walter Burke (Mystery Street and All the King's Men), and Raymond Greenleaf (All the King's Men and Angel Face) all also have a pair of films in the first twenty reveals.

97995

[Allaby]

I watched The Amazing Mr. X today. I thought it was just okay. Performances are fine. I didn't think it was as entertaining or as engaging as it could have been though. So I'm now at 20/20 seen.

[Holden Pike]

That Pretty Meh X Fella would have been a more apt title.

[Citizen Rules]

98004
#80 Fallen Angel (1945)

Director: Otto Preminger
Production: Twentieth Century Fox
Cast: Alice Faye, Dana Andrews, Linda Darnell
37 Points, 4 Lists

'A slick con man arrives in a small town looking to make some money, but soon gets more than he bargained for.'

_______________________________________

[Citizen Rules]

98005
#79 Confidential Report (1955)

Director: Orson Welles
Production: Filmorsa
Cast: Orson Welles, Peter van Eyck, Michael Redgrave
37 Points, 4 Lists

'An elusive billionaire hires an American smuggler to investigate his past, leading to a dizzying descent into a cold-war European landscape.'

_______________________________________

[SpelingError]

Haven't seen either film... again.

[Thief]

Again... haven't seen either of these :o


SEEN: 1/22
MY BALLOT: 0/25

[seanc]

I think Fallen Angel was the first Noir I watched for the list compilation. I really liked it and thought it might get on there towards the tail end of my list, but I ended up watching a handful of great ones and it missed out. My kind of Noir though.

I watched Mr. Aradkin /Confidential Report a few years ago now. I enjoyed it but don’t remember a whole lot. I definitely don’t remember thinking Noir though, and never considered it.

[Harry Lime]

Otto Preminger made some great classic film noirs and this is one of them. It didn't make my lists - that was another ottonoir - but it could have. As for Mr Arkadin I recall not caring too much for it but I can't remember why. I'm a fan of everything else Orson Welles so it doesn't really make sense - maybe a prime candidate for a rewatch

[Allaby]

Seen both. I thought Fallen Angel was good, but not great. Confidential Report was just okay.

Seen: 22/22

[Thief]

List trivia factoid...

With Fallen Angel at #80, Otto Preminger joins Robert Wise and Robert Rossen as the only three directors so far to have multiple entries on the list. He also had Angel Face (cute name connection also), Wise had I Want to Live (#90) and Born to Kill (#84), while Rossen had Body and Soul (#94) and All the King's Men (#83) (...and The Hustler in the Neo-noir countdown) so far.

[Holden Pike]

And the hits keep coming…

98012

Fallen Angel is another from my ballot. No, it isn’t as perfect nor nearly as influential as Otto Preminger and Dana Andrews’ initial Noir pairing Laura (1944), but this piece deserves plenty of love, too. It opens with Andrews’ drifter getting kicked off the Greyhound in the middle of the night because he doesn’t have enough money to reach San Francisco. Instead he’s trapped in Walton, a small seaside town too far from Frisco or L.A. to be much of anywhere. Mostly to have a bed to sleep in he bluffs his way into the company of a traveling fortune teller (John Carradine) who is arranging a séance for the recently deceased town mayor. From there we meet the two fetching women in town (there are at least always two), Alice Faye and Linda Darnell, plus a former big city cop (Charles Bickford).

98013

The good girl is attracted enough to our charming drifter to marry him, but he doesn’t seem to want to give up on the other girl on the side. He’s only interested in the money, and you know down that path darkness lies. Andrews is perfect as the wandering cad, even through he reportedly balked at the part. Back in the Studio days not many stars had the power to decline assignments, and Dana Andrews was in no position to say no. Whether he fully believed in it or not, he plays the unscrupulous conman to the hilt. The web of lies and deceit is spun well, building to a suspenseful showdown between Andrews and Bickford and finally a bit of peace for the drifter.

It was nineteenth on my ballot, seven points.

HOLDEN'S BALLOT
3. Too Late for Tears (#81)
14. Born to Kill (#84)
18. He Walked By Night (#88)
19. Fallen Angel (#80)
22. Panic in the Streets (#98)
25. The Crimson Kimono (DNP)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhCMdVdNUcQ

[Citizen Rules]

I watched Confidential Report aka Mr. Aradkin, last night. I read that that once again Orson Welles had lost editing control of his film and that there's up to 9 different cuts/version of that film. The Criterion release is considered to be closest to what Orson originally wanted but still is only based on some old notes by Welles.

What I watched wasn't the Criterion collection and many of the scenes seemed abbreviated with jarring edits. I can't believe the great Orson Welles who once said a film is made in the editing room actually intended his film to be edited that way...but who knows? As it was I didn't care for the movie, it seemed unfinished like it was composed of 3 hours of film stock edited down to 90 minutes. Of all the many noirs I've watched it was my least favorite.

[John W Constantine]

Double shot Friday!

Mr. Arkadin is my #10 and Fallen Angel #16

With a voice like Welles it has to be a noir that includes gorgeous pictures, shady characters n such.

Fallen Angel is Preminger doing Preminger things.

[WHITBISSELL!]

Two swings, two misses. Haven't watched Fallen Angel or Mr. Arkadin.

6 for 22.

[Holden Pike]

I have had five of my choices plus my one-pointer revealed, thus far. I am feeling pretty darn good about the majority of my list's chances. There may only be one or two others that join The Crimson Kimono as misses. Cannot say the same on the Neo Noir side. Too many marginal choices already, in genre terms, which means more to come and inevitably some bonafide Neo Noir canon that will won't make it in favor of some action movies. Oh, well.

98015

[cricket]

When I watched Fallen Angel back in 2017, I only gave it 2.5-

Not familiar with Confidential Report

[Sedai]

Still a perfect record for me!

0/22 :D

[Citizen Rules]

I wrote this about Fallen Angel in the Noirvember 2022 thread last year.


https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=89649

Fallen Angel (Otto Preminger 1945)


I knew the title Fallen Angel but it wasn't until I was halfway through the film that I realized why it's such a landmark film in the history of cinema. I remembered watching a biography on Alice Faye. Faye had done something unique at the time, she walked away from a successfully film career by breaking her studio contract. She did that over this film Fallen Angel. Alice Faye was set to be the costar of the film but the studio cut her role down to allow newcomer Linda Darnell to have a big build up. That pissed off Alice Faye enough that she literally told the studio where they could stick their film and left the movie making business, not returning for another 17 years.

My thoughts on the film: as I was watching it, it seemed in the first half to be a bit disjointed. Dana Andrews didn't seem really suited to his pitch/con man role and Linda Darnell didn't evoke a femme fatale quality that would make men do anything to get her. My thoughts about Darnell's character was that she was a loser who slung hash and had a poor attitude. When I first seen Alice Faye she seemed to be a background character and Dana Andrews showing interesting in her seemed at first to come out of the blue. I attribute that to the film's editing with important scenes with Alice Faye being cut out.

But all of that changes in the third act and the film tightens up to a good mystery that kept me guessing as to the film's outcome. Loved Charles Bickford as a violent cop putting on gloves to beat a suspect, ouch! I also liked Dana Andrews final outcome which was surprising given the Hays Code.

Good film, enjoyed it.

[stillmellow]

Still a perfect record for me!

0/22 :D



There's at least three of us, I believe. Who will crack first?!


0/22

[Citizen Rules]

There's at least three of us, I believe. Who will crack first?!


0/22Maybe you'll get lucky tomorrow🙂

[Thief]

There's at least three of us, I believe. Who will crack first?!


0/22

I'm sure there are more of us

https://c.tenor.com/mpmbsd82G14AAAAC/tenor.gif

[beelzebubble]

I like Fallen Angel. I love Dana Andrews. I don't know whether it was on my list or not because I can't find my list. I haven't seen Mr. Arkadin. Maybe I will watch it tonight.

[Holden Pike]

cI don't know whether it was on my list or not because I can't find my list.
Should be in your inbox.

[Citizen Rules]

I like Fallen Angel. I love Dana Andrews. I don't know whether it was on my list or not because I can't find my list. I haven't seen Mr. Arkadin. Maybe I will watch it tonight.Look in your Sent folder, but just in case I will message you your voting ballot now.

[beelzebubble]

Thanks guys!


Fallen Angel is on my list.

My list
21. Fallen Angel

[PHOENIX74]

https://y.yarn.co/8c340717-1d30-48cd-974c-64f4c05d5f46_text.gif

I come here expecting it, and by God I get it. But I'll be like a kid in a candy store when we get to the upper reaches.

[stillmellow]

I'm sure there are more of us

https://c.tenor.com/mpmbsd82G14AAAAC/tenor.gif



You did see All the King's Men, but we're all still well in the running for 'seen the least number of movies in the countdown'. 😄

[James D. Gardiner]

Time for me to make a post before this ends up being War and Peace. ;)

Stranger on the Third Floor was not on my ballot but was a close contender. Gave it a re-watch after it was revealed and it still holds up very well. Great visual style and I really like the characters, especially Peter Lorre of course doing what he does best.

I had Woman on the Run placed at #22. It's got a very unique flavour about it and it's probably thanks in no small part to Ann Sheridan's gutsy no-nonsense performance and interesting dialogue. The nice location photography and tense roller coaster scene at the end make it a stand out.

https://i.imgur.com/s4i9v27.jpg


I Want to Live! was on my ballot at #10. The beginning's quite noirish but it does then admittedly move into being more of a tense drama concerning the justice system. Whatever the facts in reality may be about Barbara Graham it made the basis for a great movie, and the phenomenal knock-out performance from Susan Hayward is one you can never forget.

https://i.imgur.com/HKP2VG2.jpg


Brighton Rock is one I think I may have only vaguely ever heard of, which is interesting as I've seen a lot of Richard Attenborough's earlier films. Great to see a Brit film like this make the countdown as most of them don't get tagged film noir as much as the American films.

He Walked By Night was on my list at #19 and I saw it again after the reveal. No messing around in this film as it gets on with the job of portraying the tense cat and mouse game between the criminal and the police investigators. Great lighting in this throughout, especially in the underground sequence. And great sound for that portion as well with all the cops advancing and the subsequent gun battle. Very cool to see how much this influenced Jack Webb and Dragnet. Incidentally I was considering the 1954 Dragnet movie for my ballot, a film which in my opinion was ahead of its time.

https://i.imgur.com/hu47rz9.jpg


Seen The Dark Corner a couple of times but can't remember much about the story. I do however remember the visuals being outstanding, so there's that at least. Also seen Angel Face several times and liked it just fine. The ending was easily predictable but brutal all the same.

Had Force of Evil at #4. It's an interesting thing that whenever I think of film noir this is always the first film to come to my mind. There's just something about it that symbolises the genre to me, which is peculiar I guess because there were certainly a lot of better noirs made overall which will no doubt be appearing here in due course. This clip from A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese Through American Movies encapsulates what I mean:

https://youtu.be/ca4ez-w9Dro


Seen Born To Kill a couple of times and really enjoyed it. A lot of powerful stuff there about a guy to whom murder comes casually and very irrationally (although is murder ever rational?). Lawrence Tierney plays his part with ease and Claire Trevor makes for a natural counterpart to his corruption. A similarly great cast in All The Kings Men but otherwise I didn't care for it unfortunately. The Amazing Mr. X is one I've not heard of, and Too Late For Tears ticks a lot of noir boxes and Lizabeth Scott and Dan Duryea are always great. It's a solid noir although I did find some of the plot a little frustrating to endure at times. Not seen Fallen Angel or Confidential Report.

Also watched Crime Wave from the one pointers and thought it was excellent. Really appreciated the high frequency of realistic lighting and locations. I'm wondering if Kubrick was influenced by it in any way for when he made The Killing.

So that's five from my ballot so far (these in addition to Sorry, Wrong Number) with 14/22 seen, and I'm currently expecting three on my list to not make the cut.

[dadgumblah]

Fallen Angel was smack-dab in the middle of my Watch List but I didn't get to it in time, which unfortunately will be the case for a lot of films in the Countdown on my part. I relied on quite a few that were already tops for me instead of new watches but I've been watching more and more that will oust some out of my all-time favorite Noirs list, including one I watched last night. I won't reveal it but I know it will make the Countdown.

I'd not heard of Confidential Report till its reveal but the name Mr. Arkadin sounds really familiar to me. Still, I come up with nada on this reveal.

#15 He Walked By Night List Proper #88

[ScarletLion]

0/22

[Harry Lime]

I am now thoroughly invested in which one of you 0/XX Mofos lasts the longest.

[Hey Fredrick]

Haven't had anything from my ballot show yet, but that's not too surprising as I only watch the best of the best when it comes to noir. The only film I've seen so far is Gaslight.

[stillmellow]

I am now thoroughly invested in which one of you 0/XX Mofos lasts the longest.



That's three of us that are currently 0/22, and at least two more that are 1/22.


Let's see both who lasts longest as 0/22, and who has the least in the end. 😅

[Harry Lime]

I think it's four: stillmellow, Sedai, Thief and ScarletLion. EDIT: Removing Thief he's seen one.

Not to shame you all or anything. You are the ones posting your (lack of) stats. I'm cheering for you. I'm on your side!

And protip you can watch any of the 22 films listed so far today and end the misery. But why would you want to do that this far in.

[stillmellow]

0/22: Stillmellow, Scarlet Lion, Sedai


1/22: Thief, Hey Frederick

[Citizen Rules]

98019
#78 This Gun For Hire (1942)

Director: Frank Tuttle
Production: Paramount Pictures
Cast: Alan Ladd, Veronica Lake, Robert Preston
37 Points, 5 Lists

'When assassin Philip Raven shoots a blackmailer and his beautiful female companion dead, he is paid off in marked bills by his treasonous employer who is working with foreign spies.'

_______________________________________

[Citizen Rules]

98020
#77 Caged (1950)

Director: John Cromwell
Production: Warner Bros.
Cast: Eleanor Parker, Agnes Moorehead, Ellen Corby
38 Points, 3 Lists

'A gentle, naive, pregnant 19-year-old widow is slowly, inexorably ground down by the hardened criminals, sadistic guards, and matron at a woman's prison.'

_______________________________________

[Citizen Rules]

...I am crazy for Lizabeth Scott and Too Late for Tears is my favorite among favorites. For most of the Noirs she was in she was a conflicted character or an innocent mixed up with the wrong crowd...The more I see of Lizabeth Scott the more I like. She really was quite talented. I've seen here in a few noirs I image you've seen alot of her work...Which of her other movies/noirs would you recommend to us?

[Citizen Rules]

Cathy O'Donnell I remember from The Best Years of Our Lives and I was fairly smitten with her so I look forward to seeing her in this.If you like Cathy O'Donnell she's a must see in the noir They Live By Night (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0040872/), a good noir too, which romantically paired her with a delinquent but 'nice' criminal played by Farley Granger, with Nicholas Ray directing.


[Lizabeth Scott] was fine in [Too Late For Tears] (both acting and looks) so it was cool to see her as a total money slut! She was so icy in this. Her husband wasn't even cold before she starting snuggling up to Dan Duryea! @Citizen Rules (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=84637), you're so right in that it was unique to see Duryea turned into a quivering pile of nerves while trying to deal with Scott's evil ways...I just asked Holden to recommend some of Lizabeth Scott's other movies/noirs...I've seen here in a few noirs and she's always a highlight, so I need to see more of her! Don DeFore, I like him, I mean he's usually the likable guy in his films. Big fan of both Romance on the High Seas and It Happened on Fifth Avenue one of my go to Christmas movies with the lovely Gale Storm. I watched a couple of Miss Storm's noirs but none made my ballot, right now I can't think of what they were called?


Lastly, @Citizen Rules (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=84637), I saw Slightly Scarlet last night and it was good stuff! Both ladies, Rhonda Fleming and Arlene Dahl, were beautfiul but I guess I lean more toward Fleming as the finer-looking one. Both were good in the acting department. And John Payne was great as the guy looking to better his position in the crooked ranks but by the end finds that he can be a better person through personal sacrifice. And yes, Ted de Corsia was really good as the big bad gangster of the piece. He's also in a couple on my ballot. Man, these actors were in a lot of Noirs, mixing and matching with the casts! From the sheer amount of Film Noir made in this time period of our countdown, I'm guessing that the genre was quite a lucrative business. Thanks for the recommendation of the movie!Glad to hear you liked Slightly Scarlet!

[seanc]

Two I liked but didn’t love. Gun For Hire worth the price for Lake alone. Been a while since I watched Caged. I wouldn’t have considered it for a Noir list.

[SpelingError]

Haven't seen either film.

[WHITBISSELL!]

1 for 2. Yes to This Gun for Hire. No to Caged. Neither on my ballot.

Have watched 7 of 24. Not even a third. I'm neither a noir watching machine like Citizen Rules or Holden Pike or an iconoclast like Stillmellow, Scarlet Lion or Sedai. I'm just part of the great unwashed. :(

[Thief]

Two more donuts for me!

But John Cromwell does join the list of directors with multiple entries. He had Dead Reckoning at #95.

[Thief]

Another weird list factoid...

At 50%, Caged has one of the lowest RT scores from the countdown so far, and yet it has one of the highest IMDb scores so far (7.6)

[Citizen Rules]

What the heck have you people been watching for the last 4 months:D

[Citizen Rules]

Another weird list factoid...

At 50%, Caged has one of the lowest RT scores from the countdown so far, and yet it has one of the highest IMDb scores so far (7.6)Caged made the MoFo Top 100 1950s countdown too.

[mrblond]

What the heck have you people been watching for the last 4 months:D

I think we've mostly watched the ones that gonna be #1 to #30. ;)

[Citizen Rules]

I think we've mostly watched the ones that gonna be #1 to #30. ;)Yup, most likely. So set back and enjoy until we get to the biggie noirs!


https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fi.pinimg.com%2Foriginals%2Fae%2Ff8%2F3e%2Faef83e52859a6899d7d49ff7c0140607.gif&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=011f1e317d138edc6af9d47921e18b5f5c276a07756a6ae6bb507de754d7aad6&ipo=images

[CosmicRunaway]

After having not seen either of yesterday's reveals, I was excited to see This Gun for Hire today, since I definitely had that on my list. But when looking for where exactly I placed it, I couldn't find it. Figured I must've accidentally cut it, or it got lost in the shuffle when I was trying to figure out the order of my ballot.

Then I checked to make sure it was on my original shortlist and that I wasn't mixing it up with some other film. It was there, and I had it rated higher than some of the films in the middle of my list. I felt bad that I had missed it somewhere along the way, but then I took another look at my final ballot... and it is there at #11!

If I had spent an extra two seconds double checking my list, I wouldn't have wasted minutes investigating where the film went. And to add to that, I've now completely forgotten what I was going to say about the film! Maybe I should just go back to sleep? haha

Seen: 6/24

My List: 2
03. Stranger on the Third Floor (1940) - #92
11. This Gun for Hire (1942) - #78

https://64.media.tumblr.com/173a6bbf414a5da4a1f36ab14fa8558d/de634ec2a7f8f51a-02/s540x810/049af2ef61b1300c00487b9864af8a784a334f0c.gifv

[Allaby]

I thought This Gun For Hire was just alright. It was never in contention for my ballot. I haven't seen Caged yet.

Seen: 23/24

[Harry Lime]

I've seen This Gun for Hire but I didn't love it. In fact I thought it was low to mid tier. I'm not sure why. Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake and still. As for Caged I haven't seen it but you had me at women's prison film noir...

[Harry Lime]

What the heck have you people been watching for the last 4 months:D
Zero noirs. I know I'm a monster.


Actually that's not true I did rewatch a few for each list. So zero first time watched film noirs. Still a monster. I had a pretty good list to work from though so I forgive myself.

[Thief]

What the heck have you people been watching for the last 4 months:D

HEEYY!! I did the first Noir Hall of Fame and the Neo-noir Hall of Fame, plus my own podcast challenge. Lay off of me :laugh:

[Citizen Rules]

HEEYY!! I did the first Noir Hall of Fame and the Neo-noir Hall of Fame, plus my own podcast challenge. Lay off of me :laugh:Yeah that was good, you joined both. I have to confess I didn't watch a single neo noir during the watch period:eek:

[Citizen Rules]

I re-watched this one in the Noirvember 2023 thread and wrote: https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.britannica.com%2F21%2F90521-050-37528D95%2FAlan-Ladd-Veronica-Lake-The-Blue-Dahlia.jpg%3Fw%3D400%26h%3D300%26c%3Dcrop&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=450bdec24b1aec478bb3f3def0d339aa68c8695e8ef8b78d70d7c761718e3174&ipo=images
This Gun For Hire (1942)


Fun movie, not perfect but an enjoyable watch none the less. The opening scenes must have shocked the hell out of the audiences back in 1942...Those contract killing scenes are cold blooded violence. I doubt audiences had seen anything like that before. I've never been a fan of Alan Ladd but this is my favorite performance of his and I think he's real good here. However I am a fan of Veronica Lake and Miss Lake is on the beam. Even her musical number that she does in the nightclub of the bad guy is a treat to watch. So was the bad guy, Laird Cregar, really a strong performance from him. It's a pity he died so young, he was such a talent. Oddly Robert Preston who owns The Music Man was rather milquetoast in his role as a cop and boyfriend of Veronica Lake, maybe he was waiting for a musical number of his own. I liked this well enough that I'm going to watch the other Ladd, Lake noir pairings.***Which I did.

[Citizen Rules]

I wrote this about Caged:
http://imgc.allpostersimages.com/images/P-473-488-90/67/6721/LKMA100Z/posters/caged-claudia-caldwell-eleanor-parker-marjorie-crosland-betty-garde-1950.jpg

Caged (1950)

Caged, is a Film Noir from 1950, a gritty expose that was part of the 50's socially aware movement in films.

Screen writer, Former LA Times reporter Virginia Kellogg actually had her self locked up to experience prison life first hand. She then wrote a book about her time in prison called, Women without Men. Warner Brothers then hired her to write the script for Caged. The movie plays like her personal diary of the corruption and abuse of a women's prison. She was nominated for an Academy Award for best Screen Play.

Elanor Parker I find her to be excellent in most all of her movies. Here she plays a frightened 19 year old girl who's sent to prison for being an accessory to a robbery that her husband committed. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actresses.

The film could have went with the tired cliche of an innocent girl locked away for a crime she didn't commit...But the film intelligently decides not to say she's innocent, instead if focuses on how the prison system hardens a first time offender.

Each of the women prisoners have their own backstory as to why she was stuck in the jail system. Prisons might not be like this today, but a half century ago they were ripe with corruption and abuse. In a small way, films like Caged help to bring about prison reforms.

[rauldc14]

Caged was my number 23! Parker was great in it.

[dadgumblah]

Citizen Rules, I've got They Live By Night on my Watch List and am looking forward to it. More Cathy O'Donnell---yes!

Another one of those links in my life to Noir---my wife's Aunt knew Gale Storm when her Aunt was a child. We all live in Texas where Storm was born and it so happened that her Aunt lived on the same road as Storm. Her older brother (according to the Aunt) used to play with her when they were kids. That's all the info I've got. I can't ask more as her Aunt is now in an assisted living center. But the world just seems so much smaller to me with ths Countdown.

I looked up Storm's film list and the Noirs are:
Walk a Crooked Mile 1948 (voice on tape recorder only)
Abandoned 1949
The Underworld Story 1950
Between Midnight and Dawn 1950

Those are the only ones that IMDB listed as Noir, so I hope that helps.

On todays reveal, I had heard of one and had the other on my list. Caged is one I've heard of but there's only one "women's prison" film I've seen and it isn't on my list but it's a good one. This Gun for Hire was #22 on my list. I watched it for the countdown and I really liked it. Every Alan Ladd film I've seen so far I've enjoyed, no matter the genre but I always like it when he and Veronica Lake are paired up. I found it interesting that he would kill people with no remorse but care for a kitten in the apartment he stayed in. He wouldn't kill cats until he had to. And Laird Cregar, what a slimy weasel he was! But I have to admit, I like the slimy weasels, especially when they get what's coming to them.

#15 He Walked By Night List Proper #88
#22 This Gun For Hire List Proper #78

[Citizen Rules]

@Citizen Rules (http://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=84637), I've got They Live By Night on my Watch List and am looking forward to it. More Cathy O'Donnell---yes! Both me and Sean watched that in the Noirvember 2023 thread. Actually Sean watched it first and rated it a rating_4_5 which prompted me to check it out and I gave it rating_4...it's a good one alright.
They Live by Night(1948) (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2421129#post2421129) Sean
They Live by Night(1948) (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2425413#post2425413) Citizen

Another one of those links in my life to Noir---my wife's Aunt knew Gale Storm when her Aunt was a child. We all live in Texas where Storm was born and it so happened that her Aunt lived on the same road as Storm. Her older brother (according to the Aunt) used to play with her when they were kids. That's all the info I've got. I can't ask more as her Aunt is now in an assisted living center. But the world just seems so much smaller to me with this Countdown.

I looked up Storm's film list and the Noirs are:
Walk a Crooked Mile 1948 (voice on tape recorder only)
Abandoned 1949
The Underworld Story 1950
Between Midnight and Dawn 1950
That's a neat story about Gale Storm! Thanks for sharing it. Yup that list of her movies helped, it was Abandoned that I seen. I didn't care much for it but I still plan on watching those other noirs.
Abandoned(1949) (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2431940#post2431940)

[cricket]

I believe it was a HoF that I had the opportunity to watch Caged, and I believe I gave it around 3.5

I don't recall seeing This Gun for Hire, but I'll scour my records before crossing films off the eventual noir list.

[Citizen Rules]

I believe it was a HoF that I had the opportunity to watch Caged, and I believe I gave it around rating_3_5...It was the 1950s HoF that I hosted. Caged won and I believe thanks to that HoF it made the 1950s countdown.

[cricket]

It was the 1950s HoF that I hosted. Caged won and I believe thanks to that HoF it made the 1950s countdown.

Oh wow I didn't remember it winning

[Citizen Rules]

Oh wow I didn't remember it winningProbably because it didn't:D My mistake, I'm tired really tired. I just looked and Witness for the Prosecution (Billy Wilder 1958) won. Caged came in the middle of the pack.

[PHOENIX74]

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/9b/a8/6a/9ba86a7de4881e0e69ea1c6a2f5b4d32.gif

They just keep rolling off the assembly line...2 at a time...

[stillmellow]

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/9b/a8/6a/9ba86a7de4881e0e69ea1c6a2f5b4d32.gif

They just keep rolling off the assembly line...2 at a time...




Yeah, me too. I see now that my noir viewing has mostly been the better known ones. I did not stray off the beaten path.


On the other hand, in the neo noir countdown I've seen 10 of 24.

[Citizen Rules]

Yeah, me too. I see now that my noir viewing has mostly been the better known ones. I did not stray off the beaten path.
On the other hand, in the neo noir countdown I've seen 10 of 24.I've only seen 5/24 in the neo noir countdown, pretty low. I suppose for me I will know the top 30-25 neo noirs much better.

[Kaplan]

The first movie from my list has made it, This Gun for Hire. Alan Ladd is great as the killer and Veronica Lake is, as always, killer in her own way. I had it at #20.

[Holden Pike]

98026

Caged was #94 on the MoFo Top 100 of the 1950s.

[SpelingError]

I've only seen Le Corbeau, Gaslight, and Force of Evil so far.

[Citizen Rules]

98030
#76 Dark Passage (1947)

Director: Delmer Daves
Production: Warner Bros.
Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Bruce Bennett
38 Points, 3 Lists

'A man convicted of murdering his wife escapes from prison and works with a woman to try to prove his innocence.'

_______________________________________

[Citizen Rules]

98031
#75 Ministry of Fear (1944)

Director: Fritz Lang
Production: Paramount Pictures
Cast: Ray Milland, Marjorie Reynolds, Carl Esmond
39 Points, 3 Lists

'Stephen Neale has just been released from an asylum during World War II in England when he accidentally stumbles onto a deadly Nazi spy plot and tries to stop it.'

_______________________________________

[seanc]

Watched both of these for the list but didn’t love either. Especially thought Dark Passage was pretty bad actually.

[Allaby]

I thought Dark Passage was pretty good, but not one of Bogart's best films. Ministry of Fear was a little underwhelming for me.

Seen: 25/26

[Thief]

https://gifs.cackhanded.net/ghostbusters/we-got-one.gif

My second *seen* film, though not on my ballot. Ministry of Fear is a pretty solid noir. Milland and Lang are always great. Here's what I wrote about it (read review here (https://www.movieforums.com/reviews/2251800-ministry_of_fear.html))

I haven't seen Dark Passage.


SEEN: 2/26
MY BALLOT: 0/25

[Harry Lime]

I didn't care much for Dark Passage despite Bogie and Bacall. Ministry of Fear is a great film noir that just missed making my list. It was in a battle with another Fritz Lang noir but now that I look at my list somehow neither film make the cut and I don't have anything from Fritz Lang. This feels like a serious oversight on my part.

[Citizen Rules]

Ministry of Fear has got to be one of the coolest noir titles. I kept planning on watching it or re-watching it as I don't recall if I did ever see it?

[Thursday Next]

Well I've at least heard of these two, although I haven't seen either. Putting Ministry of Fear along with Caged on my watchlist.

[Iroquois]

no votes. have seen dark passage but remember nothing about it beyond its pov sequence. no strong feelings about it one way or the other, i guess.

[WHITBISSELL!]

1 for 2. I've seen Dark Passage but I don't think I've ever heard of Ministry of Fear. I do agree that DP is one of Bogey's best and that MoF is a way cool title. :up:

8 of 26.

[SpelingError]

I haven't seen either film.

[Citizen Rules]

We seem to be pretty evenly spit on Dark Passage. It didn't make my ballot. Here's what I wrote about in the Noirvember 2023 thread:


https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftse2.explicit.bing.net%2Fth%3Fid%3DOIP.DGFyvQYFfVz2P1TLOvKgNAHaE6%26pid%3DApi&f=1&ipt=423abe8366abe2b7732b8d3a953be4636e36788eac1acb459f0363d699fdb9c4&ipo=images
Dark Passage (1947)


This one was definitely a step-up from the last two Bogart noirs I watched (Conflict, Knock on Any Door). When I seen that the director also had wrote the screenplay I knew it would be a more focused story as often what a writer envisions and the director shoots are two different things. But here the director was shooting what he wrote and it paid off. The story is well fleshed out with added nuances and interesting side characters, all which brought the story alive. Oh and this was based on a novel too which helps as did the bigger film budget with the on-location shooting in San Francisco.

What makes this film very different is that for the first third of the film we never see Bogart, instead it's shot in a first person viewpoint from Bogart's perspective. That first person POV was done previously in 1947's Lady in the Lake but there it only kinda worked. In Dark Passage the first person perspective is achieved with a German ARRIFLEX 35 hand held camera, the first time that camera was used in a U.S. film. As a result the first person POV is seamless and very believable. I bought it as actually happening, it never seemed like a camera 'trick'.

Laureen Bacall is very effective here with real screen chemistry with her hubby Boggie. The standout performance has to go to one of Orson Welle's hand picked Mercury Theater performers...Agnes Moorehead. Moorehead has some juicy scenes and plays them with enough spit and polish to make the most of her onscreen time.
rating_4

[CosmicRunaway]

I watched Ministry of Fear while trying to figure out what I wanted to submit for the 3rd Film Noir HoF. I didn't end up nominating it, but I liked it quite a bit. It's a little uneven overall, but it starts out strong and has a very tangible paranoid atmosphere running through it, as well as some interesting visuals and a weird mix of occultism and cake. I think it's worth watching, even if just for its novelty. It was on my list at #8.

Seen: 7/26

My List: 3
03. Stranger on the Third Floor (1940) - #92
08. Ministry of Fear (1944) - #75
11. This Gun for Hire (1942) - #78

https://64.media.tumblr.com/6a6cd045d0ec67571a24a70f732cbb61/5c7b6f3fd05509bd-a3/s540x810/61cd4f73f08f3e0725b3c5bdcf3d9e95da38bde2.gifv

[cricket]

I guess I liked Dark Passage as I gave it 3.5 in 2016.

Don't think I've seen Ministry of Fear.

[honeykid]

Still a perfect record for me!

0/22 :D

Jesus! That's me with 2010+ levels of nothing. Although I'm guessing by the end you'd have seen more of these than I would those. :D


Since I last posted I think the only one I've seen is Dark Passage, which I saw about 30 years ago and don't remember enjoying very much.

[GulfportDoc]

#76 Dark Passage (1947)
Director: Delmer Daves
Production: Warner Bros.
Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Bruce Bennett
38 Points, 3 List

'A man convicted of murdering his wife escapes from prison and works with a woman to try to prove his innocence.'
Pretty decent mystery/thriller. Here's a few comments from 7 years ago:

Dark Passage(1947)

An enjoyable film, although not the best Bogart/Bacall. Bacall did shine, however. Agnes Moorehead was a stand out in a delightful --albeit overacted-- outing, showing her range. She was actually a dish. There was also a brief but effective part as Bacall's wannabee boyfriend from Bruce Bennett, the actor who was to play the prospecting intruder in the following year's Treasure of the Sierra Madre.

Bogart did not appear on screen for the first third or so of the film, instead telling the story via narrative, and through his eyes. The device was similar in technique to the prior year's The Lady in the Lake, starring Robert Montgomery.

Doc's rating: 7/10

[Citizen Rules]

Agnes Moorehead is always a treat for me to see on the screen. I see her from time to time usually in small roles. She was the warden in the movie Caged which also made the noir countdown.

[stillmellow]

I almost watched Dark Passage, but didn't get around to it. I'm still in the zero club.

[dadgumblah]

I'm with honeykid in that I don't think I've seen Dark Passage in several decades, although I intended to re-watch it for the Countdown but didn't make it. I remember liking it quite a bit and look forward to seeing it again.

Ministry of Fear is one that, again, is on my Watch List but didn't get watched in time. CosmicRunaway, I like that gif of Milland you posted. I don't know if it's from Ministry of Fear or The Uninvited or something else? But for some reason I immediately thought of Hot Fuzz and the people chanting "The greater good!" placed on the gif with Milland's eyes darting around. You have to have seen the movie to get it. But it gave me a laugh, so thanks! :)

No show for me today.

#15 He Walked By Night List Proper #88
#22 This Gun For Hire List Proper #78

[John W Constantine]

Chalk Ministry of Fear as a thought I put it on my ballot but somehow didn't. It's a favorite in the Fritz Lang cannon.

[PHOENIX74]

https://media.tenor.com/FDyIwntxpBgAAAAM/nolla-plus.gif

I think I've heard of Dark Passage.

[CosmicRunaway]

I like that gif of Milland you posted. I don't know if it's from Ministry of Fear or The Uninvited or something else? But for some reason I immediately thought of Hot Fuzz and the people chanting "The greater good!" placed on the gif with Milland's eyes darting around. You have to have seen the movie to get it. But it gave me a laugh, so thanks! :)
It is from Ministry of Fear. I can definitely see why you thought of Hot Fuzz, especially with the semi-comedic subtitle. Glad it gave you a laugh!

[Little Ash]

This Gun for Hire was in consideration for my ballot, but was more liked than loved. I remember the overall story not really grabbing me and you're mostly there for Ladd and Lake (minus her song and dance number, which I remember feeling like it lacked energy or something). Would have been weird to have a top 100 and not have at least one of their movies together not show up.


So that's the second movie to appear that I've actually seen.

ETA: on the upside, the ratio of movies I feel like I've actually heard of higher is going up, which for other countdowns is usually much higher.

[ScarletLion]

0/24

[Holden Pike]

Agnes Moorehead is always a treat for me to see on the screen. I see her from time to time usually in small roles. She was the warden in the movie Caged which also made the noir countdown.
Her biggest role, pop culture wise, was certainly Sammantha's mother Endora on "Bewitched", but she goes all the way back to Citizen Kane as she was a member of Welles' Mercury Players on the stage and radio before he came to Hollywood. She had four Oscar nominations and more than half a dozen Emmy nods. A long, fruitful career.

[Sedai]

Due to a busy weekend, I missed a couple of days, but I am happy to report that I am no longer a member of the 0-fer club! I have seen not one, but two of this weekend's entries, and one of them even made my ballot. I have seen both This Gun for Hire and Dark Passage!

This Gun for Hire was #25 on my list, just making it. Not the strongest noir, but both leads were great and it contains some fantastic shots.

https://i0.wp.com/setthetape.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/This-Gun-for-Hire-HEADER.jpg?fit=1200%2C460&ssl=1

2/26

[stillmellow]

0/24

0/26

Time to see who blinks first.

[Torgo]

Finally, one I've seen: The Confidential Report/Mr. Arkadin, which I enjoyed well enough, but not enough to put on my ballot. Like Christopher Nolan's Following, there's too much cake and not enough icing for me to fully embrace it; in other words, the story's clever, but aside from the cinematography and Welles' beard, there's not a whole lot about the characters, performances, etc. that leaves a lasting impression. The best thing about it is this bit of financial advice: "a fool is a man who pays twice for the same thing."

[Citizen Rules]

98040
#74 The Blue Dahlia (1946)

Director: George Marshall
Production: Paramount Pictures
Cast: Alan Ladd, Veronica Lake, William Bendix
41 Points, 5 Lists

'An ex-bomber pilot is suspected of murdering his unfaithful wife.'

_______________________________________

[Citizen Rules]

98041
#73 Brute Force (1947)

Director: Jules Dassin
Production: Mark Hellinger Productions
Cast: Burt Lancaster, Hume Cronyn, Charles Bickford
42 Points, 2 Lists

'At a tough penitentiary, prisoner Joe Collins plans to rebel against Captain Munsey, the power-mad chief guard.'

_______________________________________

[seanc]

Watched both of these for list prep. Liked both rating them a 3.5. Not strong enough to get on my list though.

[Allaby]

Seen both, voted for neither. I thought Brute Force was well made with good performances. The Blue Dahlia was fine, but I felt it should have been more interesting.

Seen: 27/28

[Citizen Rules]

Due to a busy weekend, I missed a couple of days, but I am happy to report that I am no longer a member of the 0-fer club! I have seen not one, but two of this weekend's entries, and one of them even made my ballot. I have seen both This Gun for Hire and Dark Passage!

This Gun for Hire was #25 on my list, just making it. Not the strongest noir, but both leads were great and it contains some fantastic shots.

2/26
Yahoo! you did it!
https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2F4.bp.blogspot.com%2F-z4fU1vQAaA8%2FWoOGx2iigJI%2FAAAAAAAAUuw%2FbIVZpn4ok2wnMm16TcN751pXhduzHPvtQCLcBGAs%2Fs1600%2Frita_ha yworth_gilda.gif&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=da5d6753440c6c7d0f2b1d5eaf44ebb768a1899d98b78712221bd8639ee515ea&ipo=images

[Citizen Rules]

Finally, one I've seen: The Confidential Report/Mr. Arkadin, which I enjoyed well enough, but not enough to put on my ballot. Like Christopher Nolan's Following, there's too much cake and not enough icing for me to fully embrace it; in other words, the story's clever, but aside from the cinematography and Welles' beard, there's not a whole lot about the characters, performances, etc. that leaves a lasting impression. The best thing about it is this bit of financial advice: "a fool is a man who pays twice for the same thing."I liked that quote too, it's similar to the Rule of Acquisition #3 'Never spend more for an acquisition than you have to.'

[ScarletLion]

0/28

[John-Connor]

Dark Passage was an enjoyable solid noir I would place it somewhere between 50-60 on my personal noir list. Same goes for Brute Force but l felt only the flashbacks had the typical Film Noir elements. Burt Lancaster's flashback was my favorite scene of the film, just perfect.

SEEN 5/28
BALLOT 00/25

[Harry Lime]

I like both films, more so The Blue Dahlia. Here's a quality Lake/Ladd Noir!

[Citizen Rules]

So far we've had two Ladd and Lake pairings (This Gun For Hire & The Blue Dahlia) will we have more?

[Allaby]

So far we've had two Ladd and Lake pairings (This Gun For Hire & The Blue Dahlia) will we have more?

I'm going to guess that The Glass Key will show up within the next few days.

[Holden Pike]

So far we've had two Ladd and Lake pairings (This Gun For Hire & The Blue Dahlia) will we have more?
I wish. I did not vote for The Glass Key (it was on my short list) but it is by far my favorite. Any fans of Joel & Ethan Coen's Miller's Crossing who haven't stumbled across it yet, do yourself a favor. It's my favorite Bendix role, too.

But I can't see it placing on this list above those two more famous flicks. We shall see.

[rauldc14]

Brute Force was one of my last cuts. A very good film.

[SpelingError]

Haven't seen either film.

[Thief]

Again, haven't seen either of these, but Brute Force in particular sounds like something I would dig. I've been catching up with a lot of Burt Lancaster films and I've really enjoyed his presence in all of them.

[Citizen Rules]

I wish. I did not vote for The Glass Key (it was on my short list) but it is by far my favorite. Any fans of Joel & Ethan Coen's Miller's Crossing who haven't stumbled across it yet, do yourself a favor. It's my favorite Bendix role, too.

But I can't see it placing on this list above those two more famous flicks. We shall see.Yup strong film and William Bendix! I've become a big fan of Bendix since I started watching/rewatching noirs.
https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2440053#post2440053

[John W Constantine]

The Blue Dahlia was my #13. My preferred Ladd & Lake choice. Brute Force was a great Dassin i watched some years back but haven't seen it since. Great choices.

[rauldc14]

9/28 with Caged the only to show so far.

[stillmellow]

0/28


Hello, darkness my old friend. Sup?


0/28

[mrblond]

I patiently wait the more fruitful passages of the list for my ballot.

-----

So Far for me
▽
...
23. Woman on the Run (1950) [#91]
...

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/8RttDdrSVwYSSwGpmil0z3vu98g.jpg

[Citizen Rules]

Hello, darkness my old friend. Sup?


0/28Well hopefully:)....
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[stillmellow]

Well hopefully:)....
https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2F2.bp.blogspot.com%2F-oKPKYuGGa8U%2FTp8tf7TlepI%2FAAAAAAAABOc%2F7cj5doDslAo%2Fs1600%2FTomorrow.jpg&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=32eefa709db6dc7257716fafa3643ca561bd8118b15d99ad755901ebfb3bd614&ipo=images



😄

[Kaplan]

I wish. I did not vote for The Glass Key (it was on my short list) but it is by far my favorite. Any fans of Joel & Ethan Coen's Miller's Crossing who haven't stumbled across it yet, do yourself a favor.

I highly recommend Dashiell Hammett’s book even more.

[cricket]

The Blue Dahlia is the 3rd from my ballot to make it as my #20-loved the cast and dialogue.

I know of Brute Force but haven't seen it yet.

[Thief]

Random list facts...

Obviously, things will change as the list goes on, but so far things have been really tight. The biggest point gap has been three (3) between The Dark Corner (28 points) and Angel Face (31 points).

On that same line, there have been 6 ties, including a 5-way tie from #82 to #78.

So far, there have been four (4) films with a 100% RT score: The Dark Corner, Force of Evil, Too Late for Tears, and The Blue Dahlia.

On a similar line, the highest IMDb scores so far have been for Le Corbeau and Gaslight (both with 7.8) while the lowest has been The Amazing Mr. X (6.4) and Stranger on the Third Floor (6.8).

[GulfportDoc]

The Blue Dahlia and Brute Force. Both good films, but really weren't close to making my list.

The Blue Dahlia proved without a doubt that Veronica Lake could not act. But she's sure easy to look at. Raymond Chandler's script was dynamite, but he was furious --as he deserved to be-- that the studio changed his ending. He had written that Buzz (Bendix) was the murderer while in a blackout, but Paramount refused to allow a serviceman to be portrayed as a murderer.

Brute Force was a powerful film with first rate performances by Lancaster and by Hume Cronyn as the graphically sadistic prison warden. But the movie is not a noir, it's a prison break film. I'm not sure why Wikipedia lists it as noir. Maybe because it's in black & white??

[Citizen Rules]

Didn't vote for either of today's noirs but seen both and enjoyed them.
I wrote this:

Brute Force (1947)


Surprisingly violent prison film with Burt Lancaster as a prisoner stuck in an overcrowded and abusive prison. Hume Cromyn is the captain of the prison guards and behaves like a Nazi (a message the film draws comparisons to). Exciting and fast paced.


The Blue Dahlia (1946)
A fun noir, if you go into it knowing it's not hard hitting or serious...it's lighter fare. I was interested throughout the film and it never drags. BUT it does get real silly in the last scene that wraps up the mystery of who killed a returning war veteran's wife. A man holds a match so that his buddy can shoot it, 'lighting up' the match, which is suppose to prove the buddy is such a good shot that he couldn't be the killer. Never mind that the gun is fired in the office of a nightclub. I guess the police who are also in the room aren't concerned that the bullet will travel through the wall, possibly killing someone on the dance floor. As silly as that was, the ending with the perpetrator confessing all of his crimes like an ending to a Scooby Doo cartoon is even more daft.

Still I liked it, for just a fun relaxed watch. I always enjoy seeing Veronica Lake. And while Alan Ladd never impresses me, William Bendix was one colorful character. I also enjoyed the performances by Doris Dowling who plays the wife and Howard Da Silva who's the shady man having an affair with Ladd's wife.

[stillmellow]

I highly recommend Dashiell Hammett’s book even more.



Despite never seeing it, I have read it. Excellent book.

[Little Ash]

The Blue Dahlia - a movie that was on my general watchlist, so I bumped it for this countdown. I enjoyed it, but it wasn't top 25 material (basically see similar comments I had for This Gun for Hire).

[WHITBISSELL!]

1 for 2. Haven't seen The Blue Dahlia, yet another iconic noir that I should have watched. I did watch The Blue Gardenia though. Maybe that'll show up on the countdown later.

But I did watch Brute Force back when I was trying to find as many Jules Dassin movies as I could. Good prison noir with Burt Lancaster and Hume Cronyn laying the acting groundwork for an all out anarchic ending. Neither were on my ballot.

9 of 28 seen.

[dadgumblah]

The Blue Dahlia is one I didn't watch (once again) until after the deadline, but I really liked it. Yes, the proving of the innocence of Bendix didn't quite make sense to me, but I'm glad it wasn't him despite the author's misgivings. Everyone was fine for me in the movie but it was Bendix who stole the show for me. I was never quite sure what he was going to do when he got "fuzzyheaded" or whatever he called it. That's what made it real fun for me.

I haven't seen Brute Force but it looks like another Lancaster film I'll have to add to the old list, as I really like the guy.

Fizzling out lately. Oh well, lots to come.

#15 He Walked By Night List Proper #88
#22 This Gun For Hire List Proper #78

[honeykid]

I've not seen either of the last two.

[Holden Pike]

I highly recommend Dashiell Hammett’s book even more.
I read all of Chandler and Hammett about the same time I was digesting my first classic Noirs - age fifteen or sixteen. Chandler is really peerless; his prose is such a treat, with lines like, "She was a blonde. A blonde to make a Bishop kick a hole in a stained-glass window." But Hammett and Cain are wonderful, too. I still have my very worn copies of the Modern Library and Everyman's Library collections. Jim Thompson is my favorite from the next generation, I can't get enough if his (several adaptations of which should show up on the Neo Noir list, plus his work with Kubrick high up on this list).

It definitely helped fuel my Noir mania that I was also reading a lot of the best source material, too.

98052

[Holden Pike]

I feel like we may have a Hitchcock coming today?

[Thief]

I feel like we may have a Hitchcock coming today?

Good question would be what Hitchcock films might have a chance to make it into this countdown. I'm thinking mostly Notorious and Shadow of a Doubt, but I can see a case for Strangers on a Train as well.

[Allaby]

Good question would be what Hitchcock films might have a chance to make it into this countdown. I'm thinking mostly Notorious and Shadow of a Doubt, but I can see a case for Strangers on a Train as well.

I expect all three of those to make the countdown.

[Citizen Rules]

98056
#72 The Letter (1940)

Director: William Wyler
Production: Warner Bros.
Cast: Bette Davis, Herbert Marshall, James Stephenson
45 Points, 5 Lists

'The wife of a rubber plantation administrator shoots a man to death and claims it was self-defense, but a letter in her own hand may prove her undoing.'

_______________________________________

[Citizen Rules]

98057
#71 The Desperate Hours (1955)

Director: William Wyler
Production: Paramount Pictures
Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Fredric March, Arthur Kennedy
46 Points, 2 Lists

'Three escaped convicts move in on and terrorize a suburban household.'

_______________________________________

[Holden Pike]

98059

The Letter just snuck onto the MoFo Top 100 of the 1940s at #98.

[Allaby]

Seen and liked both of today's entries, but neither made my ballot.

Seen: 29/30

[seanc]

Two Wylers, that’s kind of neat. Unfortunately not the Wylers I love.

The Letter is fine but it pales in comparison to Little Foxes for me. I also wouldn’t have considered it for a Noir list. Que the broken record.

Watched Desperate Hours for this list. Super cool concept that felt very neutered to me. This should have been much nastier, to be effective.

[Holden Pike]

Watched Desperate Hours for this list. Super cool concept that felt very neutered to me. This should have been much nastier, to be effective.
Michael Cimino's 1990 remake is nothing but nasty...and no more effective.

74512
74513
74515
74516
74519

[Sedai]

Back to striking out on today's entries!

2/30 seen

[Citizen Rules]

I've seen and liked The Letter but didn't get around to a needed rewatch so it didn't make my ballot.


I wrote this about: The Desperate Hours So intense and so void of the usual noir trappings that this home invasion film is 20 years ahead of it's time. "Three escaped convicts move in on and terrorize a suburban household."...and it's surprising just how terrorizing they can be. Here Bogart isn't doing Bogart, he's a plain rotten and angry escaped murderer, who's just as likely to shoot the family as he is to let them live. Fine performances all around especially from the great Fredrick March. Director William Wyler keeps it real, keeps it intense, no wonder this one is highly rated.

[seanc]

Michael Cimino's 1990 remake is nothing but nasty...and no more effective.

I need to check that out

[John W Constantine]

One I saw and thought was ok, One I need to see, and a remake of One I want to see.

[Thief]

The Letter was highly mentioned and highly praised during the Film Noir online course I took several years ago. I've been meaning to catch up with it several times, but just haven't for whatever reason. I need to get to it.

I also haven't seen Desperate Hours.


SEEN: 2/30
MY BALLOT: 0/25

[Thief]

Stats: Pit Stop #3
https://cdn.thecollector.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/film-noir-kiss-me-deadly-movie-still.jpg?width=1400&quality=55

-

After hitting our third pit stop (70), here's were we are now:

Yearly Breakdown


1940 = 2
1941 = 0
1942 = 1
1943 = 1
1944 = 2
1945 = 1
1946 = 3
1947 = 4
1948 = 5
1949 = 2
1950 = 4
1951 = 0
1952 = 1
1953 = 1
1954 = 0
1955 = 2
1956 = 0
1957 = 0
1958 = 1
1959 = 0



1948 remains at the top, even though it had no activity in this last batch. But a couple other years did, which means they got closer. 1947 and 1950 in particular are just one film away.


Repeating Directors


William Wyler = 2
John Cromwell = 2
Otto Preminger = 2
Robert Rossen = 2
Robert Wise = 2


William Wyler jumps into the group instantly with two entries on the same day, joining also John Cromwell and Otto Preminger, both of which had their second entries in this last batch.

[SpelingError]

Haven't seen either film.

[Torgo]

(Bart Simpson voice) "I know...of Desperate Hours."

How is the Michael Cimino remake from 1990? I've heard its better than its reviews would suggest.

[WHITBISSELL!]

I see a pattern of sorts developing. Out of the two mentioned I've usually seen one but haven't watched the other even though I've had innumerable opportunities to do so. This time it was The Letter. I don't know why exactly I decided to repeatedly pass it by. That goes for The Little Foxes too. Maybe it's a Bette Davis thing. Either way it needs to rectified.

But I did check out The Desperate Hours. It did put me in mind of something like Suddenly which I can only assume will be showing up eventually (or maybe even ... :shifty: ... suddenly).

10 of 30 seen.

[Thief]

Point Blank was #22 on my ballot.

I didn't realize Branded to Kill was eligible when I made my list, so I didn't include it, but it would've made my top five.

Wrong thread, my friend :D

[Harry Lime]

I haven't seen either Wyler noir but both have been on my watchlist for what must be at least a decade if not longer. One day I'll watch both!

[Kaplan]

I read all of Chandler and Hammett about the same time I was digesting my first classic Noirs - age fifteen or sixteen. Chandler is really peerless; his prose is such a treat, with lines like, "She was a blonde. A blonde to make a Bishop kick a hole in a stained-glass window." But Hammett and Cain are wonderful, too. I still have my very worn copies of the Modern Library and Everyman's Library collections. Jim Thompson is my favorite from the next generation, I can't get enough if his (several adaptations of which should show up on the Neo Noir list, plus his work with Kubrick high up on this list).

98052

I used to be more of a Chandler guy, but then Hammett might be edging him out for me these days, with The Maltese Falcon, Red Harvest, and The Glass Key just as good as I can imagine hard-boiled noir fiction being. And coincidentally, I've just recently got into Jim Thompson, and I've decided to mostly start with his earliest books, since it's obvious he will quickly become a favorite.

[John-Connor]

The Desperate Hours is another solid classic noir I enjoyed watching and placed somewhere in the 50-60 range on my personal list. Haven't seen The Letter.

SEEN 6/30
BALLOT 00/25

[SpelingError]

Wrong thread, my friend :D
Fixed.

[GulfportDoc]

I've seen and liked The Letter but didn't get around to a needed rewatch so it didn't make my ballot.

I wrote this about: The Desperate Hours So intense and so void of the usual noir trappings that this home invasion film is 20 years ahead of it's time. "Three escaped convicts move in on and terrorize a suburban household."...and it's surprising just how terrorizing they can be. Here Bogart isn't doing Bogart, he's a plain rotten and angry escaped murderer, who's just as likely to shoot the family as he is to let them live. Fine performances all around especially from the great Fredrick March. Director William Wyler keeps it real, keeps it intense, no wonder this one is highly rated.
Of the two, I prefer The Letter. It gets your attention when they show Bette Davis gun down her lover right outta the box..;) I thought everyone was good in the picture. It's too bad they had to make some significant plot changes due to the Hays Code.

The Desperate Hours is pretty glum, especially since Bogie had already become a big star, and had just starred in a light version of a benevolent home invasion 3 months earlier: We're No Angels. Bogart characterized his role in The Desperate Hours as "Duke Mantee grown up."..;)

I don't care for the hostage/kidnap plot any more. It's been done to death. But at the time it was fairly fresh.