The MoFo Top 100 Film Noir Countdown [Archive] - Page 4

PHOENIX74

03-28-24, 11:01 PM

Seen both, and one is on my ballot - things have really changed around here!

#54 D.O.A. - Classic film noir that I ended up checking out because I enjoyed the 1988 remake (which featured Dennis Quaid, Meg Ryan, Daniel Stern and Charlotte Rampling) when it came out. The very idea of a man bursting into a police station to report a murder, and then announcing that it's his murder that he's reporting, is such a head-spinner. Poisoned Frank Bigelow (Edmond O'Brien) finds out he has only days to live, so he goes back over everything that happened leading up to when he fell ill so he can try to investigate who poisoned him and why. Solving your own murder has to be one of the more unique occupations out there, which is why D.O.A. is such an interesting movie to watch - it has a complex web of conspirators with various motivations and wrong place/wrong time revelations, but there's one overlooked thing Frank overheard on the phone which has much fall into place. Bit of a bummer - knowing for sure the lead character is going to die - but that doesn't affect how exciting the film is at all. I had D.O.A. at #12 on my list.

#53 Kansas City Confidential - This is pretty good - I recently went through it on my watchlist thread, and I'm kind of surprised I didn't vote for it. Anyway - an interesting premise with ex con Joe Rolfe (John Payne) framed for a robbery, being a likely suspect that helps the real robbers get away. After being roughed up, and losing his job, Rolfe decides to track the real crooks down - and as revenge steal the loot for himself. There are a few surprising plot twists that shake everything up though - which makes Kansas City Confidential a film with some enjoyable 90 degree twists and turns. Oh, and Jack Elam is in it - that always makes a film more enjoyable for me. There is a portion of the film where it feels like we're just treading water near the end, and if not for that I'd say Kansas City Confidential would have definitely found a place in my 25.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Seen : 9/48
I'd never even heard of : 35/48
Movies that had been on my radar, but I haven't seen yet : 4/48
Films from my list : 4

#54 - My #12 - D.O.A. (1950)
#58 - My #23 - The Breaking Point (1950)
#61 - My #21 - Act of Violence (1949)
#67 - My #18 - The Hitch-Hiker (1953)

stillmellow

03-28-24, 11:06 PM

Is this the first movie from your list that made it on to the countdown?

It's the first movie on the overall list that I've seen, period.

Hence the celebration. 🥳

beelzebubble

03-28-24, 11:08 PM

It's the first movie on the overall list that I've seen, period.

Hence the celebration. 🥳
Wow! I can't wait to see your list. Should be interesting.

Iroquois

03-29-24, 12:34 AM

no votes. i do like both these films quite a bit, though.

WHITBISSELL!

03-29-24, 12:50 AM

I'VE SEEN 1 OUT OF 48!

D.O.A. is my #25!

We did it, Adrian!Time for some celebratory fireworks! ;)
https://gifrific.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/dog-grabs-firework.gif

dadgumblah

03-29-24, 03:16 AM

All right! D.O.A. wasn't on my list, but I recently gave it a re-watch, the first time in years in fact, and it's still as fine a film. Love it that it's a man (the great Edmond O'Brien) looking for his murderer. Time is against him as he tells his tale. He finds it hard to trust anybody and the fact that he's basically already dead doesn't stop people from trying to kill him! I knew that Beverly Garland was in the film but when she showed I didn't even recognize her, she was so young. Of course having Neville Brand as a psycho itching to kill you doesn't hurt things. Great scene where Brand is driving O'Brien down a nightly boulevard, practically bursting with joy that he's gonna get to kill O'Brien (he thinks). The only debit I'd give it is the scene where our hero first checks into his hotel and everytime he sees a pretty woman, the soundtrack has a slide whistle make a wolf call. Too silly for a noir, IMO. But it doesn't hurt much. And the fact that the film sticks to its guns and ends the only way it can makes it that much stronger. A real winner. Glad to see here.

Kansas City Confidential is a super movie, and like WHITBISSELL! I only remember seeing John Payne from Miracle on 34th Street. So he was a real revelation for me here, as a man determined to either clear his name, get revenge, or get his hands on some of the money he's accused of stealing, or maybe just the last two. Preston Foster was fine as the mastermind of the heist, and when he shows up later I was fooled for a bit when I realized I was seeing him again because he'd changed his demeanor. And what a trio of bad guys, a practical who's who of future character actors: Jack Elam, Lee Van Cleef, and Neville Brand. You just can't go wrong with them all together. The part in Mexico with Payne and the trio going back-and-forth getting the drop on each other almost had me laughing out loud. I love this movie and I learned about it years ago when my wife was watching a Hallmark movie of all things, and the leading lady's young son was a fan of film noir and he mentioned, believe it or not, both of today's reveals. So I put this one on my list back then (when I was first making a noir list) and finally got to watching it when this countdown started. I'm so glad I did. It made it at #6 on my list.

#6 Kansas City Confidential List Proper #53
#14 Kiss of Death List Proper List Proper #59
#15 He Walked By Night List Proper #88
#16 The Naked City List Proper #60
#22 This Gun For Hire List Proper #78

John-Connor

03-29-24, 07:07 AM

a Hallmark movie of all things
Do you remember the title of this film? Asking for Allaby. :p

MovieMeditation

03-29-24, 08:13 AM

I think I’ve seen a whopping ONE FILM from this countdown so far. I’m a movie master :cool:

(It’s Bob Le Flambeur, which I didn’t even like that much and I only watched it because it was part of a HoF I was in years ago. Oh well… :p )

honeykid

03-29-24, 11:13 AM

I'VE SEEN 1 OUT OF 48!

D.O.A. is my #25!

We did it, Adrian!

I think we're all very proud of you. I know I am.

Absolutely. Especially as it was actually a good one which broke your duck. :up:

Citizen Rules

03-29-24, 11:27 AM

98231
#52 The Big Combo (1955)

Director: Joseph H. Lewis
Production: Security-Theodora
Cast: Cornel Wilde, Richard Conte, Jean Wallace
69 Points, 8 Lists

'A police lieutenant is ordered to stop investigating deadly crime boss Mr. Brown because he hasn't been able to get any hard evidence against him. He goes after Brown's girlfriend, who despises him, for information instead.'

_______________________________________

Citizen Rules

03-29-24, 11:27 AM

98232
#51 Crossfire (1947)

Director: Edward Dmytryk
Production: RKO
Cast: Robert Mitchum, Robert Ryan, Robert Young, Gloria Grahame
73 Points, 10 Lists

'A man is murdered, apparently by one of a group of demobilized soldiers he met in a bar. But which one? And why?'

_______________________________________

Allaby

03-29-24, 11:37 AM

Seen and liked both, but didn't vote for them.

Seen: 46/50

Citizen Rules

03-29-24, 11:38 AM

When I was looking for the screenshots from The Big Combo, I found so many stylishly noir images that I could hardly make up my mind which to use. That's one visually good looking noir!

MovieMeditation

03-29-24, 11:49 AM

I have seen……

NONE OF THOSE! Yay me!

Torgo

03-29-24, 12:05 PM

Crossfire is #15 on my list. Robert Mitchum and noir went together like peas and carrots, didn't they? A short writeup:

This is a very good post-World War II whodunit noir about American soldiers who are implicated in the murder of a Jewish man. It has a flashback structure reminiscent of Rashomon's that flits between the investigation and the events leading up to and following the murder that deftly ramps up the uncertainty and tension. Speaking of uncertainty, the movie successfully captures the vibe of a country that is reckoning with its wartime actions and is not sure what to do next. All of the performances are strong, the standout being Robert Young's no-nonsense detective. Robert Mitchum fans may be disappointed because he has minimal screen time (it's not a spoiler for me to say so), but fans of noir, murder mysteries and/or stories about the dangers of prejudice are bound to enjoy it.

John-Connor

03-29-24, 12:10 PM

Can't find my Crossfire review but I remember liking it. The Big Combo is my #29 it's one of those originators, laying the blueprint for future noirs. It also stars the immortal villain Richard Conte, never forget kids; "It was Barzini all along." :D

https://y.yarn.co/e5d63ec7-ca6d-482c-9af0-753ffe1147d3_text.gif

https://y.yarn.co/eea311f1-4945-4c9c-b808-d948fed23f71_text.gif

https://media.tenor.com/InkgJpgaLNUAAAAM/donbarzini-barzinicrimefamily-barzini-godfather.gif

SEEN 20/50
BALLOT 4/25

44. Angel Face (1952)
36. Drunken Angel (1948)
32. Crime Wave (1953)
31. Body and Soul (1947)
30. Where the Sidewalk Ends (1950)
29. The Big Combo (1955)
26. Detective Story (1951)
-----------------------------------------
25. Kiss of Death (1947)
20. Kansas City Confidential (1952)
11. The Breaking Point (1950)
10. Bob Le Flambeur (1956)

Holden Pike

03-29-24, 12:38 PM

As we wrap up the bottom fifty, a pair of my choices…

98236

The Big Combo was my number twelve pick. Many montages or book covers about Film Noir use one foggy image to encapsulate the genre’s visual aesthetic, and it is one of the closing images of The Big Combo, shot by John Alton, of two figures in an airplane hanger with a heavy fog rolling outside. The journey to get to that conclusion is a fun one with Cornel Wilde’s cop trying to bring down notorious gangster Mr. Brown (Richard Conte) and his crew, including Brian Donlevy as his second in command, and Lee Van Cleef and Earl Holliman playing a couple of hitmen who really like each other (the model for Peckinpah’s hitmen in Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia a generation later). And of course there’s a dame. There’s always a dame (Jean Wallace). The dialogue ain’t the best in all of Noirdom, but the stylized tough guys and shadows, the secrets and jazz and tommy guns, it’s too damn fun to resist. “Go ahead: kill me, Copper! Kill me!”

Number twelve means fourteen big points from me.

98237

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGOovuvAX8I
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMrlRKUfUQA

98238

The Big Combo was toward the end cycle of Classic Noir, a low budget entry lovingly embracing all of the genre trappings, while Crossfire is one of the masterpieces that established those tropes and themes, it even wound up with some high-profile Oscar nominations, including for John Paxton’s script, Gloria Grahame as Best Supporting Actress, Best Supporting Actor for the wonderful Robert Ryan in his breakout role, and even Best Director (Edward Dmytryk) and Best Picture! While Crossfire didn’t win any of those Academy Awards, ironically beaten by Gentleman’s Agreement which has similar themes minus the murder plot, it was one of the few from the genre that was seen as a high-quality drama by the industry at large. A soldier is murdered, and it becomes clear the motive was the hatred of antisemitism. Roberts Ryan, Young, and Mitchum excel.

I squeezed it in as my twenty-fourth pick, but I couldn’t keep it off of my ballot.

98240

HOLDEN'S BALLOT
3. Too Late for Tears (#81)
12. The Big Combo (#52)
13. Phantom Lady (#69)
14. Born to Kill (#84)
18. He Walked By Night (#88)
19. Fallen Angel (#80)
22. Panic in the Streets (#98)
24. Crossfire (#51)
25. The Crimson Kimono (DNP)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0vjWhKNhqA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5iK7vMehBs

seanc

03-29-24, 12:49 PM

Been forever since seeing Big Combo. I want to see it again but it didn’t leave an impression at all.

Crossfire was one of my last watches, and I was thrilled I got to it. Thought it looked fantastic and the story was great. Maybe my favorite Ryan performance. If not close. I put it at 15.

SpelingError

03-29-24, 01:40 PM

Crossfire was #24 on my ballot. Though I like some noirs more than it, I warmed up to it some more in retrospect.

I haven't seen The Big Combo.

Harry Lime

03-29-24, 01:48 PM

A couple of classic film noirs with no debate on this classification here, with great casts and enough moody atmosphere but neither made my list.

So that's the first 50. Pretty good so far. I think I've seen 30 or so and have added quite a few to my watchlist. I've only had one film from my list show up so far but I kind of think my remaining 24 are going to place. We'll see. The top 50 awaits us!

edarsenal

03-29-24, 01:57 PM

How I do love Countdowns and the fast-growing watchlist they invoke!

86 Angel Face (1952) I'm always down with watching Robert Mitchum, but, migod, the look Jean Simmons does at the end that Mitchum misses is the price of admission. It's an excellent "holy sh#t" moment.

83 All The King's Men (1949) I think Crawford was pretty ideal playing the boisterous Willie Stark, who was a literary figure mirroring the Louisiana Governor Huey Long. A Hick from the Sticks fights his way into the seats of the corrupted men running things so that he can be the man in charge.

Next on the Rectification List
https://everythingnoir.files.wordpress.com/2015/12/tumblr_nn0kd3tl351u0nkw4o2_r1_500.jpg
https://resizing.flixster.com/5z5yHuwQGUmD3Pk1dcR5F8FECt4=/300x300/v2/https://resizing.flixster.com/-XZAfHZM39UwaGJIFWKAE8fS0ak=/v3/t/assets/p39049_i_v9_aa.jpg
81 Too Late For Tears (1949) Seeing Holden Pike placing this at #3 on his List, I knew it was going to be a hidden gem, and it was. Having seen Lizabeth Scott with Bogie in Dead Reckoning before finishing my List I would have happily found a spot for this had I done the same. Holden metions in his review that Scott did not care for doing the role in TLFT that she utterly nailed. Ruthless, wreckless, and scheming, her resolution to keep the money no matter what was an amazing spiral to witness. I loved seeing Dan Duryea playing a more confident role than the usual weasel, and then Scott's femme fatale tears him down. Damn fine noir!

78 This Gun For Hire (1942) The pairing of Veronica Lake and Alan Ladd is a very fun noir. Though it was not on my List, I am very happy to see it here.

76 Dark Passage (1947) Unsure why, but the first-person POV of the first part of this solid Bogie & Bacall noir never quite set with me. Strange.

74 The Blue Dahlia (1946) Another Lake and Ladd noir. You cannot go wrong.

70 Drunken Angel (1948) Being Kurosawa, the compositions were intoxicating to witness. Also, being Kurosawa, the master of exposition of the human condition with two of his best-used repeated actors, Takeshi Shumira and Toshirô Mifune, the story of a drunk/angry doctor and the upstart gangster dying of TB and the colliding personalities in a small, putrid village is an excellent watch.

68 Spellbound (1945) Dr. Alex Brulov: Women make the best psychoanalysts until they fall in love. After that, they make the best patients.
I loved the man's witticisms in this.

Coming in at #16
https://64.media.tumblr.com/232b0ed4d755bd30469443c96b506c44/330e7c81391d0bf6-17/s540x810/bf35b00b6194f802b26a5dbe0a8e16fd899d8e3a.gif
66 Where The Sidewalk Ends (1950) With Otto Preminger at the helm, Dana Andrews plays a volatile cop who tries his best not to be like his old man, a dirty cop. Quick to anger, he can't help but slip further while, with equal anger, fighting his way out of the spiral. The exquisite Gene Tierney is the love interest with a violent gangster of a husband. Everyone is looking to use everyone, and the stakes are getting higher and higher.

https://64.media.tumblr.com/b939ff03291d0690f52d9cdb774a2527/tumblr_plf7umvFn71y1j7pro1_500.gifv
64 To Have And Have Not (1944) This is a heart-breaking cut from my List with one of my lifelong crushes, Lauren Bacall. I've seen this numerous times throughout my life, and if not for the several Bogie films already on my List, it would have, should have, been included.

63 Bob Le Flambeur (1956) In the vein of the typical gambler who commits a Heist at a High Stakes Casino, Bob (Roger Duchesne) is not the typical degenerate, deep-in-the-hole loser. He's actually pretty d@mn f@ckin good at it. He's habitual. EXCEEDINGLY habitual. He doesn't owe big, but Bob gets a crew together to stage safe cracking during an armed holdup after one night of losing his high winnings.
Bob's charming style and class extend to everyone else in this film without losing the tension or impending menace. And, of course, a befitting, quite entertaining, excellent ending for this Melville classic film brimming with class and style.

Coming in at #10
https://i0.wp.com/thelastdrivein.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/act-of-violence.jpg?resize=490%2C367
61 Act of Violence (1948) Frank (Van Heflin) has a perfect life: a really wonderful wife, Edith (Janet Leigh), and a baby boy. He's a war hero and a successful businessman that everyone likes.
But, ya see, during the war, in a POW camp, Frank made a mistake. We all make mistakes, right? Well, it was a pretty hefty one, and Joe (Robert Ryan) is coming to kill him for it.
With a cast that, along with those mentioned, includes Mary Astor playing a drifter who finds Frank at his worst and tries, in vain, to help. Phyllis Thaxter plays Joe's girlfriend, Ann, who tries and tries to dissuade Joe from this hellbent vengeance.
Along with all the cinematic shadowing and twisting roads of excellent noir, we are also treated with not only the tormented "prey" (Heflin) but also the tortured "hunter" (Ryan) as the chase draws to a close. Both men are haunted by what happened and how this will have to end.

Coming in at #23
https://64.media.tumblr.com/c4b2b9d03f01796c97ee105dd266ebcd/tumblr_prfgsaw6Yd1r6ja9oo1_540.gif
60 The Naked City (1948) Even with its terrible Narration that sounded like those Educational Films from grade school, this really is a good noir from the police perspective. There are some great shots on location, which was pretty new at the time. I absolutely loved Barry Fitzgerald as the leading Homicide detective.

59 Kiss of Death (1947) With a lousy actor that can be a fun romp to watch, Victor Mature, and for me, the real highlight in this, like numerous films I've seen him in, is Richard Widmark playing what he plays best: an utter psycho-f@ck

Next on the Rectification List
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/ef/30/2b/ef302b90a04ec69fbea4b1d3f894876e.gif
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/3MqGEAmcsLw/hqdefault.jpg
53 Kansas City Confidential (1952) What's that? A rectification when it was just announced? Um, yes, actually. This was one I needed to see, didn't and watched after the Countdown had begun. And yes, it would have found a spot or d@mn near on my vote.
With both Jack Elam and Lee Van Cleef rounding out the hired thieves whos' identities are hidden from one another, including the one masterminding it in a snatch-and-grab heist involving an armored truck. The successful job has only one hiccup. A flower delivery man with a record is snatched up because of the similar van used in the robbery. Pissed off and getting jerked around by the cops that arrested him, he goes after the crew to get his share for his troubles.
The twist/reveal at the end was one I was hoping for while viewing this, and I'm sure it surprised the original movie theater audience.

The Big Combo sounds VERY familiar, but then, so many noir films do that I thought I'd seen but were other films. Definitely one for the watchlist, that's for sure. If for anything, to see if I did really see it and if so, a great rewatch.

51 Crossfire (1947) While the hate motive has been changed from the book, from a homosexual to a Jewish man, you can still see the original scenario should you find yourself looking for it. And for me, it belongs to this story far more as it plays out. The characters, their actions, and how they interact with one another. It is more cohesive. Without it, I see the incorrect fitting of a "replacement" hatred that causes me to pause and wonder what exactly is going on and why it doesn't seem to fit together.
But that is a minor critique and easily rectified by a simple mindset of what it should be as opposed to what the Studio/Hays Code insisted upon.
Making for what this truly is, a d@mn good story that delves into what people felt and think as opposed to a basic mystery whodunit. Bringing an added depth to -- well, everyone. Many of them are world-weary of the hardships they've endured, creating not so much a callousness but a preference to be left out of more hardship. The hatred that led to the murder shook loose the tired, indifferent fog of those involved in the investigation. Reviving and giving people purpose. You see it most in Robert Young's Finlay. His indifference to yet another senseless death becomes a determined focus as he sets his sights on who is guilty and ensures they have him dead to rights.

Watched 21 out of 52 (40.38%)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8. Panic In The Streets (1950) (#98)
9.
10. Act of Violence (1948) (#61)
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16. Where the Sidewalk Ends (1950) (#66)
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22. Body and Soul (1947) (#94)
23. The Naked City (1948) (#98)
24. Dead Reckoning (1946) (#95)
25.

Rectification List
Stranger on the Third Floor (1940) (#92)
Too Late for Tears (1949) (#81)
Kansas City Confidential (1952) (#53)

WHITBISSELL!

03-29-24, 02:04 PM

1 for 2. The Big Combo is another one I've never heard of. When this is over I'll have to go back and compile a list.

I did watch Crossfire though. Great ensemble cast with Robert Ryan portraying yet another thoroughly repellent character. And I know Robert Mitchum has second billing but he really isn't in the movie that much in a mother hen type role. It's actually Robert Young that turns in a bravura performance as the shrewd and world-weary investigator Captain Finlay.

24 of 50 seen.

Citizen Rules

03-29-24, 05:58 PM

Two more great noirs make the countdown today. Neither made my ballot though I do like both. Previously I wrote:

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=48316&stc=1&d=1537751892The Big Combo (1955)

This had a French noir feel about it, in both the way the characters were written and in their dialogue and in the way the story was constructed too. I liked that none of the actors dominate their roles by being 'movie stars'. Everything is kept even keeled and balanced. The on location city shooting gives the film even more of that reality feel. The Big Combo is one of the best examples of stylish noir cinematography. It oozes ambiance, set by the dramatic dark shadows, the low key lighting and dramatic compositions, like the one I used above.
rating_4

Thief

03-29-24, 06:02 PM

These are two films that, as a film noir fan, I feel I should've already seen. Shame on me.

SEEN: 8/50
MY BALLOT: 4/25

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21. The Hitch-Hiker (#67)
22.
23. The Woman in the Window (#65)
24. D.O.A. (#54)
25. Kansas City Confidential (#53)

beelzebubble

03-29-24, 06:05 PM

Now I am pretty sure I have seen the Big Combo. I remember seeing a black and white noir with Cornel Wilde in it like a million years ago. But I only really remember the ones I have seen multiple times. So of course, it is not on my list. Crossfire is not on my list either. I tried to watch it, a short while ago. But things came up, and I never finished it.

Thursday Next

03-29-24, 07:30 PM

Seen both of these. The Big Combo sneaked onto my list at #22. It's very noir.

I didn't care much for Crossfire but everyone else seems to love it so I'm probably wrong.

Citizen Rules

03-29-24, 07:49 PM

Seen both of these. The Big Combo sneaked onto my list at #22. It's very noir.

I didn't care much for Crossfire but everyone else seems to love it so I'm probably wrong.I wasn't the biggest fan of Crossfire the last time I seen it which was many years ago.

GulfportDoc

03-29-24, 08:47 PM

The Big Combo (1955)

Directed by Joseph H. Lewis (Gun Crazy), and with an impressive if eclectic cast featuring Cornel Wilde, Richard Conte, Brian Donlevy, Jean Wallace, Robert Middleton, LeeVan Cleef, Earl Holliman, and Helen Walker, this is a great example of later film noir. In fact it could be said that John Alton’s excellent dark cinematography makes this one of the chief examples of noir.

The final scene with Wallace and Wilde in silhouette at a foggy airport must rank up there with classic noir frames, it’s impression as lasting as the iconic poster of Max Von Sydow standing outside the house in The Exorcist.

The plot, although with a nice twist, is rather tortured, and insures its “B” status, although it represents the highest level of that group. The dialogue is quirky, almost erratic, which tends to cover up the banality of the narrative.

Wilde does journeyman work with a role that is not given the chance to develop. But the character parts are the most alluring here. The ladies all sizzle right off the screen. Helen Stanton as the stripper was a doll. Her career was too short. And this was Helen Walker's final film.

Earl Holliman shined as the inept henchman (the following year he was to appear in George Stevens' Giant), and of course Van Cleef was at his most intimidating. Brian Donlevy played against type in his role as an intimidated consigliare to Conte's "Mr. Brown".

The picture is definitely worth a watch, especially for its noir elements, and the excellent cast.

GulfportDoc

03-29-24, 08:51 PM

Crossfire(1947)

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

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

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

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

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

John W Constantine

03-29-24, 08:57 PM

Citizen Rules

03-29-24, 09:47 PM

My entries thus far....

10 Mr. Arkadin (#79)
13 The Blue Dahlia (#74)
14 The Woman in the Window (#65)
16 Fallen Angel (#80)
19 Where the Sidewalk Ends (#66)
21 D.O.A. (#54)
24 On Dangerous Ground (#62)Those are some tasty entrees:D Veronica Lake, Joan Bennett, Alice Faye, Ida Lupino and not forgetting Pamela Britton who was quiet enduring in D.O.A. I use to like her in My Favorite Martian as a kid. I was a kid that is, she was the next door neighbor.

Thief

03-29-24, 10:18 PM

Stats: Pit Stop #5
https://qph.cf2.quoracdn.net/main-qimg-16c9afe8c8585ff370c68fe0bb059413-pjlq

-

After hitting our fifth pit stop (50), here's were we are now:

Yearly Breakdown

1940 = 2
1941 = 0
1942 = 1
1943 = 1
1944 = 5
1945 = 2
1946 = 3
1947 = 6
1948 = 9
1949 = 3
1950 = 6
1951 = 2
1952 = 2
1953 = 3
1954 = 0
1955 = 3
1956 = 1
1957 = 0
1958 = 1
1959 = 0

1948 continues to pull ahead, but a strong showing from 1947 in this batch puts it and 1950 close behind it.

Repeating Directors

Henry Hathaway = 3
Otto Preminger = 3
William Wyler = 3
Nicholas Ray = 2
Jules Dassin = 2
Fritz Lang = 2
John Cromwell = 2
Robert Rossen = 2
Robert Wise = 2

Three directors – Hathaway, Preminger, Wyler – sit at the top of the group with three entries. A couple more – Jules Dassin and Nicholas Ray – joined the group in this last batch. Who else will come up twice or more?

dadgumblah

03-30-24, 01:01 AM

Do you remember the title of this film? Asking for Allaby. :p

Sure, the name of the movie is Perfect Match (2015), and I knew right away what it was because it starred this lovely creature, Danica McKellar:

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/01/f4/dd/01f4dd1a0ae80e6c8c969c0b369ec682.jpg

Well, I got another two-fer! I watched The Big Combo and it's one I watched specifically for this Countdown and I'm glad I did. Super noir film, with everyone doing a great job. Cornell Wilde is fine as the policeman who wants bad guy Richard Conte badly, with Conte super-confident that nothing can stop him. Lee Van Cleef and Earl Holliman are great as the two henchmen of Conte that make sure nothing will stop their boss. I really dug the performance of Brian Donlevy playing the cowed former boss of the town who simply rolled over when Conte took the reins. As has been said, lots of Noir atmosphere in this movie and one my favorite moments is when a deaf person is mowed down by machine guns, and we see from his point of view, with the muzzles flashing and no sound coming out. Brilliant scene. This was the first film where I really noticed Helen Walker, who plays a mystery woman that might help Wilde's endeavors. Walker was a luminous beauty and looking through my Countdown list I realize I have another with her on it so I have seen her before, plus I've seen a couple since the Countdown started that have her featured. Love this lady. This was my #4.

Crossfire is my #25 and I really liked the three main stars, especially (like almost everyone) Robert Young. I've seen him play strong types in quite a few films and he does a super job here. Not to take anything away from Robert Ryan and Robert Mitchum. I wonder how many films on this Countdown that Ryan and Mitchum will end up being stars in, and of the two, who will beat the other one out? It should be tight!

#4 The Big Combo List Proper List Proper #52
#6 Kansas City Confidential List Proper #53
#14 Kiss of Death List Proper List Proper #59
#15 He Walked By Night List Proper #88
#16 The Naked City List Proper #60
#22 This Gun For Hire List Proper #78
#25 Crossfire List Proper #51

LAMb EELYAK

03-30-24, 01:19 AM

2. The Desperate Hours (1955) #71
9. The Letter (1940) #72
15. Spellbound (1945) #68
20. Niagara (1953) #56
21. To Have and Have Not (1944) #64
23. All the King's Men (1949) #83
25. Crossfire (1947) #51

I whiffed on Gaslight. Definitely would have voted for it over some of these. Other than They Drive By Night from the one-pointers, I think that's the only other one I've seen.

stillmellow

03-30-24, 03:12 AM

A second seen movie that is also on my list! Hopefully this means the floodgates have opened.

Rather fittingly, after having #25 the previous day, Big Combo is my #24. An absolutely gorgeous Noir, with complex and flawed characters. Only reason it didn't rank higher is our hero might be a bit 'too good', but that's splitting hairs.

I've never seen Crossfire, but from the description I definitely want to.

My list so far:

24. Big Combo
25. DOA

Seen 2 of 50 🥳

Thursday Next

03-30-24, 05:48 AM

Seen 14/50
My list 7/25

Thief

03-30-24, 10:30 AM

I welcome all of you to check Richard Edwards' podcast, appropriately called Out of the Past, where he tackles a bunch of film noir, neo-noir, and other related films.

Out of the Past: Investigating Film Noir (https://outofthepast.libsyn.com/)

cricket

03-30-24, 10:35 AM

In 2016 I gave Crossfire 3.5 and in 2015 I gave The Big Combo 3.5-

I watched a lot of these around the same time as I was prepping for decade countdowns. That's why I forget so many-it's hard to tell them apart unless they really stand out to me.

Citizen Rules

03-30-24, 10:49 AM

Today we enter the Top 50 of the Film Noir Countdown!Most of the upcoming noirs should be more well known to everyone!

Today Bogart makes a return showing and Cary Grant makes an appearance, seriously!

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fi.pinimg.com%2Foriginals%2Fc2%2Fb2%2Fff%2Fc2b2ffa9ea004feb3e575ba7412b98e7.gif&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=586b38d777061aeb10c2849193681928ee3475e31621371edce3d8e67de7c7f7&ipo=images

Citizen Rules

03-30-24, 10:49 AM

98248
#50 High Sierra (1940)

Director: Raoul Walsh
Production: Warner Bros.
Cast: Ida Lupino, Humphrey Bogart, Alan Curtis, Joan Leslie
75 Points, 6 Lists

'After being released from prison, notorious thief Roy Earle is hired by his old boss to help a group of inexperienced criminals plan and carry out the robbery of a California resort.'

_______________________________________

Citizen Rules

03-30-24, 10:50 AM

98249
#49 Suspicion (1941)

Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Production: RKO
Cast: Cary Grant, Joan Fontaine, Cedric Hardwicke
76 Points, 6 Lists

'A shy young heiress marries a charming gentleman, and soon begins to suspect he is planning to murder her.'

_______________________________________

Thief

03-30-24, 10:52 AM

Haven't seen High Sierra and Suspicion might be close to bottom-tier Hitchcock for me. I feel I should revisit it because as far as I remember, everything in it was solid, but the ending really soured it for me. But perhaps I'm being a bit unfair. Either way, it wasn't close to making my list. I have a couple other Hitchcock films in it, though.

SEEN: 9/52
MY BALLOT: 4/25

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6.
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8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21. The Hitch-Hiker (#67)
22.
23. The Woman in the Window (#65)
24. D.O.A. (#54)
25. Kansas City Confidential (#53)

Thief

03-30-24, 10:55 AM

Here's something I wrote about Suspicion back when I last saw it in 2010...

------

Alfred Hitchcock succeeded in drawing me into the main character's (Lina, played marvelously by Joan Fontaine) suspicions.

As the plot progresses, I was sure something was up with her irresponsible husband Johnny (Cary Grant). But when the ending came, I even felt cheated. I really wanted to punch Johnny in the face through most of the film; and Lina too, for always tolerating him.

All in all, an absorbing film, but the ending left me kinda "meh". I really was expecting more out of everything. Still, the performances from Fontaine and Grant were pretty darn good.

Thief

03-30-24, 11:05 AM

This is Alfred Hitchcock's second entry in the countdown, after Spellbound back at #68.

https://scontent.fsju2-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/232130088_3587697771332766_4600745368994260782_n.png?_nc_cat=101&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=5f2048&_nc_ohc=4uJ646VG8JEAX_gytJG&_nc_ht=scontent.fsju2-1.fna&oh=00_AfBF4WLEXvQf_Jq95ghh6kMEW0Py0sKcvjfmc-g0be_4hg&oe=660DD8C4

Allaby

03-30-24, 11:07 AM

High Sierra is good, but not one of my favourite Bogarts. I like Suspicion, but it didn't make my ballot.

48/52

Harry Lime

03-30-24, 11:15 AM

Suspicion is mid tier Hitchcock but let's be real that's still classified as pretty good film. I had a feeling this would show up and I'm glad to see it with classic Hitch direction and great performances from Cary Grant and especially Joan Fontaine. But it's also one of those Hitch films I'm not in a rush to go back and rewatch anytime soon.

High Sierra is another early classic of the genre and of Bogart's career as a lead - I think this was one of if not the film that pushed him to the next level although I'm sure The Maltese Falcon helped. It's not a perfect film but I give it a pass. I thought Ida Lupino was great too, of course, she usually is.

Citizen Rules

03-30-24, 11:17 AM

I like both films. I've seen High Sierra a couple of times and enjoy it. It's the film that put Bogart on top, literally!

I've only seen Suspicion once and liked it. I'm not really into Hitch's films except a few of his masterpieces. I don't think most of his films squarely fit into the noir slot, they're more mystery thrillers. Hitch does have one strong noir film, maybe it will make the countdown.

Citizen Rules

03-30-24, 11:28 AM

That's four films for Bogart that's made the countdown so far.

95 Dead Reckoning (1946)
71 The Desperate Hours (1955)
64 To Have And Have Not (1944)
50 High Sierra (1940)

Thief

03-30-24, 01:34 PM

That's four films for Bogart that's made the countdown so far.

95 Dead Reckoning (1946)
71 The Desperate Hours (1955)
64 To Have And Have Not (1944)
50 High Sierra (1940)

With easily 3 or 4 more to come.

WHITBISSELL!

03-30-24, 01:47 PM

Hitch does have one strong noir film, maybe it will make the countdown.Is it Shadow of a Doubt or Strangers on a Train? They're both on my ballot.

honeykid

03-30-24, 02:06 PM

I feel like I've seen The Big Combo, but I really not sure. Suspiscion I'm pretty sure I have seen, but as it's not one of the few Hitch films I like, I really don't care.

WHITBISSELL!

03-30-24, 02:09 PM

2 for 2. High Sierra was my #3 pick. It's p̶r̶o̶b̶a̶b̶l̶y̶ my favorite Bogart film. So much to like. Ida Lupino. The side story with the crippled girl. That harbinger-of-doom little dog.

I remember when I reviewed Suspicion (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2223449#post2223449) a discussion followed about that ending. I'm a little surprised it made the countdown. But if this somewhat flawed Hitchcock film can make the countdown there's no reason he shouldn't be back. Several more times.

26 of 52 seen.

SpelingError

03-30-24, 02:12 PM

High Sierra is very good, but it didn't make my ballot.

I haven't seen Suspicion.

beelzebubble

03-30-24, 03:04 PM

High Sierra is very good, but it didn't make my ballot.

I haven't seen Suspicion.
You need to remedy that. This one is great.

Thursday Next

03-30-24, 03:24 PM

I caught up with D.O.A.. Really like the premise of this. The main character is annoying and it takes a while to get going. Some of it is very silly. But when it finds its stride, it is an enjoyable thriller with plenty of red herrings and some really great locations.

stillmellow

03-30-24, 05:02 PM

Okay, now this is getting creepy. First I finally saw one of the movies in the list and it was my #25. Then the next day another movie came up, which was #24 on my list.

Day three, and we have the third movie I've seen, Suspicion, my #23.

So I already know what movies are on the list for the next 22 days. 😄

Seriously though, I get what people say about Suspicion being mid-tier Hitchcock, but I still really like the performances and visual style. Also I thought it was interesting the way it ended, with him not being a killer or monster, but a very weak and damaged man, and yet redeemable. Having his wife stay with him was admittedly a weird choice. It probably should've ended more like 'A Lonely Place'.

cricket

03-30-24, 05:23 PM

Seen both-recall neither!

SpelingError

03-30-24, 06:16 PM

You need to remedy that. This one is great.

I have a bunch of things I need to remedy on this list.

Harry Lime

03-30-24, 06:19 PM

GulfportDoc

03-30-24, 08:37 PM

High Sierra is landmark film for Bogart, but it's really an outlaw caper-- not much noir about it.

But a few interesting things came out of its production. John Huston and Bogie became tight friends and drinking buddies, which caused Huston to star Bogie later that year in the great The Maltese Falcon. That film not only established in film the independent, self seeking, hard nosed detective, but it put Bogie right smack into the big time. The pair would work together several more times.

Suspicion had a very peculiar feel about it because we become convinced that Johnnie (Cary Grant) was rotten, probably killed Beaky (Nigel Bruce), and was planning to kill Johnnie's wife, Lina (Lynne Fontaine). But at the end there was a sudden reversal, which I won't spoil.

Evidently Cary Grant would not stand for portraying an actual murderous character, so the plot was changed at the behest of RKO. Reportedly Hitchcock was forever regretful that he went along with it.

mrblond

03-30-24, 09:24 PM

Yep, 2 out of 2 for me this round... I saw both a few months ago specially for the countdown.

#49. Suspicion (1941) is my #5.

As a whole, I've found the Hitchcock's films that I've seen for this countdown to be a class above the rest. All they just have well presented atmosphere and a feel of idea, no matter if sometimes the ending is not quite satisfying.
This movie presents a very good story (though I didn't like the end too) and Joan Fontaine is outstanding.
4++
85/100
98256
-----

#50. High Sierra (1940) is my #24.
I must confess that it is kind of a filler for my list. The movie starts well and continues somewhat OK. And then, the final scenes... I couldn't believe how the filmmakers spoiled the film. After they've presented the main character as some absolute pro, all the time from the very beginning, finally it turned he to be not very clever. Even a kid would try to solve the final situation in a better way. 62/100 3+

My Ballot
▽
...
5. Suspicion (1941) [#49]
...
21. Spellbound (1945) [#68]
22.
23. Woman on the Run (1950) [#91]
24. High Sierra (1940) [#50]
25. Niagara (1953) [#56]

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/76zZNcz3pR2EEUwAKLO1MTHkVDa.jpg https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/f9ZXZkbgZmQhYDnGHoMPaFIbSbh.jpg https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/8RttDdrSVwYSSwGpmil0z3vu98g.jpg https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/s2E4Ifgug7lTkVsv3hrFADAqYc5.jpg https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/m9ftjuwaaKHR4iv5SgMpXA5pIGN.jpg

-----

Citizen Rules

03-30-24, 10:00 PM

I wrote this about High Sierra:
https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fi.pinimg.com%2F474x%2F95%2F5b%2Ffa%2F955bfa7eda32de42d38d116a757f71d6---film-humphrey-bogart.jpg&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=ae768742f7c2ad67ea607f30f8473c64fbbf61faf4c339111161ce54ef6fe8cd&ipo=images
High Sierra (Raoul Walsh 1941)

High Sierra is the movie that put Bogart on the map and took him out of the doldrums of character acting roles and into leading man roles. I read that Bogart sent telegram after telegram to Jack Warner head of Warner Bros. requesting that he be chose for the lead role. Eventually he was chose after Paul Muni left the studio and George Raft turned the role down. I believe I read once that George Raft had a history of turning down really good roles, I can believe it.

This one works, in part due to the apt direction of Raoul Walsh including a stunning mountain road chase scene and the big final on the rocks, high in the Sierras.

Bogart is an aging prohibition gangster doing life. He's sprung from prison by an old dying mobster who wants one more big job before he kicks the bucket. Both men are out of time and aging fast. The small pleasures in life evade them as theirs is a course set for crime and therefore doom.

Ida Lupino looks young here and Bogie with his hair dyed gray looks older than ever.
4

stillmellow

03-30-24, 10:24 PM

Very strange indeed. A little too neat....

If it's a conspiracy, then it goes straight to the top!

John W Constantine

03-30-24, 11:20 PM

Yeah, I dunno about that ending to Suspicion. Maybe it was against the rules to make Cary Grant look bad.

dadgumblah

03-30-24, 11:20 PM

I picked neither for today. I have yet to see High Sierra, Bogart fan that I am. It's one of those that I've been meaning to for years but still haven't. However, as a kid I did see the remake I Died a Thousand Times that starred Jack Palance and Shelley Winters. The most I can remember is that it had a little dog in it that licked Palance's face at a certain moment in the film, ahem.

Suspicion is one that I'm pretty much onboard with most everyone here in that I like it till the end, then feel cheated. I'm with Citizen Rules in that I don't think most of Hitchcock's films are straight-on noirs but thrillers. Suspicion certainly doesn't shout thriller to me. I like it but with reservations.

#4 The Big Combo List Proper List Proper #52
#6 Kansas City Confidential List Proper #53
#14 Kiss of Death List Proper List Proper #59
#15 He Walked By Night List Proper #88
#16 The Naked City List Proper #60
#22 This Gun For Hire List Proper #78
#25 Crossfire List Proper #51

Thief

03-31-24, 12:02 AM

Yeah, I dunno about that ending to Suspicion. Maybe it was against the rules to make Cary Grant look bad.

Yeah, that was precisely it. Hitchcock wanted the ambiguous ending from the book, but RKO wanted to protect Grant's image so they forced him to rewrite the ending. Like Gulfport said, apparently Hitchcock regretted that change through all his career.

Citizen Rules

03-31-24, 02:13 AM

...as a kid I did see the remake I Died a Thousand Times that starred Jack Palance and Shelley Winters. The most I can remember is that it had a little dog in it that licked Palance's face at a certain moment in the film, ahem... Count me as a big fan of I Died A Thousand Times. I like it at least as much as High Sierra, maybe even more.

Harry Lime

03-31-24, 08:22 AM

If it's a conspiracy, then it goes straight to the top!
Yoda! I knew it all along.

Citizen Rules

03-31-24, 11:50 AM

98260
#48 The Harder They Fall (1956)

Director: Mark Robson
Production: Columbia Pictures
Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Rod Steiger, Jan Sterling
78 Points, 5 Lists

'An ex-sportswriter is hired by a shady fight promoter to promote his latest find, an unknown but easily exploitable rising star from Argentina.'

_______________________________________

Citizen Rules

03-31-24, 11:50 AM

98261
#47 Odd Man Out (1947)

Director: Carol Reed
Production: Two Cities Films
Cast: James Mason, Robert Newton, Cyril Cusack
81 Points, 7 Lists

'A wounded Irish nationalist leader attempts to evade police following a failed robbery in Belfast.'

_______________________________________

Allaby

03-31-24, 11:54 AM

I have seen and liked both, but neither made my ballot.

Seen: 50/54

CosmicRunaway

03-31-24, 12:08 PM

Out of all the films revealed in the last week, I've only seen six of them. I don't remember much about The Naked City or Kiss of Death, but I did watch Woman in the Window specifically for the Countdown, though it didn't make my list. I'd been meaning to rewatch Suspicion, but never got around it, and ended up knocking it off my shortlist. Perhaps I'll regret that if I ever refresh my memory on it, but it's too late now.

I saw Crossfire in the 3rd Noir HoF, and wrote this about it:
https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=63215

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

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

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

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

While it didn't make the cut, the other film I've seen, Odd Man Out, was on my list at #13. Since I wrote about it in the 2nd 1940s Hall of Fame, I think I'll just copy that post as well since I don't really have anything new to add.

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=31408

Odd Man Out (1947)
Dir. Carol Reed)
Starring: James Mason, Kathleen Ryan, Robert Beatty

Even though the unnamed organization in Odd Man Out is clearly understood to be the IRA, the film doesn't get into any political issues. It instead uses the social unrest in the city to focus on the reactions of ordinary citizens to the situation at hand. Throughout the events of the film, every person Johnny comes into contact with has to decide whether helping him is worth being caught by the police, or if turning him in is worth the ire of the IRA. Each of the characters have their own motivations, with most of them falling into realistically self-centred behaviour.

However even with the kindest strangers, there is very little compassion for Johnny once his identity is revealed to each passer-by, with the exception of Kathleen, and any sympathy garnered for him by the audience. It's a race against time that doesn't need to focus on a clock, because we can see the dangers of each lost hour on Johnny's exhausted face as the manhunt continues. James Mason gives a great performance despite his lack of dialogue, and the film's slow, almost contemplative pace gives plenty of time to appreciate the spectacular cinematography.

Though gloomy, the photography is really beautiful, particularly the night time shots along the air raid shelters or down the empty city streets. There's a distorted perspective throughout most of the film, with an abundance of angled shots, and a lot of interesting camera work during the scenes when Johnny is mentally unstable. The sequence where he sees the faces of each character he's come into contact with over the course of the film in the spilt beer was especially interesting as well. While I didn't find the characters or story quite as engaging as I would have liked, I did thoroughly enjoy the visual style of the film, and the almost episodic nature of Johnny's encounters.

Seen: 17/54

My List: 5
03. Stranger on the Third Floor (1940) - #92
08. Ministry of Fear (1944) - #75
11. This Gun for Hire (1942) - #78
13. Odd Man Out (1947) - #47
19. Phantom Lady (1944) - #69

https://64.media.tumblr.com/ac1dafa452104813472ba4dbe68312db/3ba194af2cb20eb8-1c/s540x810/612b6ef1c8641c7f1f7f901c46aba12cb4eb8953.gifv

Thief

03-31-24, 12:21 PM

Haven't seen any of these two.

SEEN: 9/54
MY BALLOT: 4/25

1.
2.
3.
4.
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21. The Hitch-Hiker (#67)
22.
23. The Woman in the Window (#65)
24. D.O.A. (#54)
25. Kansas City Confidential (#53)

Citizen Rules

03-31-24, 12:48 PM

It's been along time since my one viewing of Odd Man Out. However I've seen Bogie's The Harder They Fall, twice and recently too.

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fm.media-amazon.com%2Fimages%2FM%2FMV5BOTE2MGFlM2QtOWE0OS00MDAzLWJjMmUtMmM2YzExNjdkZjhjXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyOTc5MD I5NjE%40._V1_.jpg&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=652221f95827f6bce782245c2906f13330141ac6c0fa2f92146e1c351a52291d&ipo=images
The Harder They Fall (1956)
Mark Robson

Bogart's last movie and it's a good one. This is a semi-biographical film about a heavy weight champion who can't actually fight well. His owner/promoter stages 'thrown' matches where the other boxer takes a dive. This is done without the knowledge of the champion who thinks he's so strong that he can knock men out with one blow. If you're into boxing history there are two boxers who play characters in the movie and their life stories follows what we see on screen.

But even if you're not interested in boxing history, this is still a fine movie about what use to be the sleazy underbelly of boxing. Bogart is in fine form here and so is Rod Steiger.
rating_4

seanc

03-31-24, 01:17 PM

Odd Man Out was my 16. Really loved it despite only one watch. Will this be the last Reed or last on my list? ;)

rauldc14

03-31-24, 01:33 PM

I quite enjoyed Odd Man Out. I'd say fairly close to making my list.

honeykid

03-31-24, 02:01 PM

Seen neither, not that that's unusual. Maybe I should leave it another week? :D

SpelingError

03-31-24, 02:32 PM

I haven't seen The Harder They Fall.

Odd Man Out was #19 on my ballot.

SpelingError

03-31-24, 02:34 PM

19) Odd Man Out
24) Crossfire

Thief

03-31-24, 03:05 PM

This is the Bogart show. We only live in it.

Citizen Rules

03-31-24, 03:11 PM

This is the Bogart show. We only live in it.Why do you think I picked this avatar:p

cricket

03-31-24, 04:48 PM

Odd Man Out was a contender for my ballot but not quite this time.

Don't think I've seen The Harder They Fall.

Harry Lime

03-31-24, 04:53 PM

Citizen Rules

03-31-24, 05:01 PM

Odd Man Out looks amazing and has a typically great performance by James Mason but I never fully connected with the film and while I give it a passing grade it's not one that I would have voted for. As for the Bogart show I haven't seen this one yet but seeing as it's his last I should probably give it a shot.That's how I felt about Odd Man Out, indeed when I was looking for images for the 6-panel film strip I was amazed at just how many great shots were in the film. That's not always true for all noir...The Harder They Fall had a lot less great screenshots for me to use, but none the less a real good noir.

stillmellow

03-31-24, 05:17 PM

I'm beginning to catch up! I've seen Odd Man Out. It was good, but didn't quite make my list. I'm not familiar with the Harder They Fall.

Seen 4 of 54

3 of 54 on my list

23. Suspicion
24. The Big Combo
25. DOA

dadgumblah

03-31-24, 07:01 PM

The Harder They Fall is one I've long wanted to see but, distractions in life and other films got in the way. I figured it would show up here and that's great for Bogie fans like me (I know I say I'm a fan but I seem to not have seen quite a few but I have, just not the past few that made it) and more Bogie will show, that's for sure because Bogie and noir fit together like a hand in a glove (a boxing glove, yeah, that's it!).

Odd Man Out is one I've long heard of but not seen but I really like James Mason so it will get watched, sooner than later.

#4 The Big Combo List Proper List Proper #52
#6 Kansas City Confidential List Proper #53
#14 Kiss of Death List Proper List Proper #59
#15 He Walked By Night List Proper #88
#16 The Naked City List Proper #60
#22 This Gun For Hire List Proper #78
#25 Crossfire List Proper #51

WHITBISSELL!

03-31-24, 07:14 PM

2 for 2. I've seen both The Harder They Fall and Odd Man Out. THTF was more of a straight forward character study but OMO was closer to being a work of art.

28 of 54 seen.

GulfportDoc

03-31-24, 08:50 PM

Odd Man Out is a grim film, but wonderfully directed by Carol Reed, and photographed by Robert Krasker. It features a stand out performance by James Mason, which some consider it his best.

But it is the settings and chiaroscuro filming that are so absorbing in this picture. It was followed by equally compelling nighttime noirish photography in The Fallen Idol (1948) and the inimitable The Third Man (1949). He's able to bring alive the dark streets and glistening bricks that are so atmospheric.

The Harder They Fall takes inspiration from the career of the '30s heavyweight, Primo Carnera. The picture is really a sports drama. There's good photography by Barnett Guffey (All the King's Men, In a Lonely Place).

Bogart gives a wonderful performance despite the fact that he was dying of throat cancer. His character's kindness to the naive big lug fighter was a nice end to Bogie's career.

Holden Pike

04-01-24, 11:21 AM

98271

Suspicion was #71 and Odd Man Out #55 on the MoFo Top 100 of the 1940s.

Iroquois

04-01-24, 11:45 AM

one vote. odd man out ended up at #21 on my list. i do appreciate a movie that's almost entirely getaway and this is a very good example of that.

Citizen Rules

04-01-24, 12:25 PM

98274

#46 The Set-Up (1949)

Director: Robert Wise
Production: RKO
Cast: Robert Ryan, Audrey Totter, George Tobias
82 Points, 8 Lists

'Expecting the usual loss, a boxing manager takes bribes from a betting gangster without telling his fighter.'

_______________________________________

Citizen Rules

04-01-24, 12:25 PM

98275
#45 Ride The Pink Horse (1947)

Director: Robert Montgomery
Production: Universal International Pictures
Cast: Robert Montgomery, Thomas Gomez, Wanda Hendrix
100 Points, 7 Lists

'WW2 veteran Lucky Gagin arrives in a New Mexico border-town intent on revenging against mobster Frank Hugo but FBI agent Bill Retz, who also wants Hugo, tries to keep Gagin out of trouble.'

_______________________________________

Thief

04-01-24, 12:27 PM

Mac and Me is also my favorite noir. I had it at #1 through #25 on my list.

Thief

04-01-24, 12:29 PM

#46 The Set-Up (1949)

82 Points, 8 Lists

#45 Ride The Pink Horse (1947)

100 Points, 7 Lists

Whoa, seriously though, is this jump for real?

Allaby

04-01-24, 12:35 PM

Seen both The Set-up and Ride the Pink Horse, but was underwhelmed by both, rating them a 6/10. I watched Caged today, which was just added to the Criterion Channel and liked it.

Seen: 53/56

Citizen Rules

04-01-24, 12:37 PM

Whoa, seriously though, is this jump for real?That would be a pretty weak April Fools joke:D...I was thinking about posting two of Ed Wood Jr's noirs as an April Fools joke, but didn't want to go to all the trouble of making the images.

All the noirs on the countdown after today are all over 100 points. Just a coincidences that #45 was a 100 pointer today.

Thief

04-01-24, 12:51 PM

Thief

04-01-24, 12:55 PM

Anyway, with The Set-Up at #46, Robert Wise joins the group of directors with multiple entries. He had Born to Kill at #84.

Also, The Set-Up's IMDb score (7.8) is tied for the highest so far, while Ride the Pink Horse's RT score (100%) is tied for the highest so far.

Thief

04-01-24, 12:59 PM

While we revel in the glory that is Mac and Me, why don't you try your hand on this game?

Film Noir Movies Picture Click (https://www.sporcle.com/games/LisaSimpsonOH/film-noir-movie-picture-click)

Let us know how you do![/QUOTE]

John W Constantine

04-01-24, 01:02 PM

It's interesting that the Film Noir countdown started with a smaller amount of points (20 vs. 35 in the Neo-noir), and yet you cleared the 100 points hurdle first (Neo-noir won't clear it for the next 2 or 3 days).
Was just thinking the same thing.

Two excellent choices today, I had The Set-Up on my ballot but forgot where I placed it.

Harry Lime

04-01-24, 01:03 PM

I haven't seen The Set-Up yet but Ride the Pink Horse is a very good, dusty classic noir that was in the running for my list but didn't make it. It's been a while but I feel this film is a unique one of the genre, a standout even? Yes, sure. Now let's get back to more Mac & Me.

Holden Pike

04-01-24, 01:04 PM

Film Noir Movies Picture Click (https://www.sporcle.com/games/LisaSimpsonOH/film-noir-movie-picture-click)

Let us know how you do!
20/20 2:47

John W Constantine

04-01-24, 01:09 PM

19/20

90 seconds

Citizen Rules

04-01-24, 01:22 PM

20/20 and I didn't realize there was a clock running under the very end, so then I hurried up! yes I finished in time.

Pity the noir fan who didn't recognize The Night of the Hunter, that has to be the most iconic image there...Oh and my profile image was there too.

seanc

04-01-24, 01:31 PM

Both of these were underwhelming for me, but I would like to see both again eventually.

SpelingError

04-01-24, 01:43 PM

I thought The Set-Up made my ballot, but apparently it was a late cut.

I haven't seen Ride the Pink Horse.

WHITBISSELL!

04-01-24, 02:11 PM

2 for 2 and both are on my ballot. The Set-Up is my #24. I think Robert Ryan will be at or near the top (next to Bogart) for most cited actor.

Audrey Totter was so ... maybe not classically sultry .. but she sure gave off those "come hither" vibes. Different than someone like Gloria Grahame or Elizabeth Scott but still as much of a gut punch. And George Tobias was Mr. Reliable as far as supporting roles went. I grew up watching him as Abner Kravitz on Bewitched and had no idea at the time that he was such a long lived and prolific performer.

I've been a champion of Ride the Pink Horse since first watching it (TCM of course) and it's my #5 pick. Star and director Robert Montgomery had left MGM studios and was now working for Universal. The movie's taking place in a small New Mexico village was also different from the usual noir urban setting. His costar Thomas Gomez earned an Academy Award nomination which almost offset Wanda Hendrix in brownface.

30 of 56 seen. 7 picks accounted for (I think).

stillmellow

04-01-24, 02:14 PM

Mac and Me is also my favorite noir. I had it at #1 through #25 on my list.

That original ending was dark as f*ck, even for noir. 😆

I'm back to having seen neither. So now I'm 4 out of 56.

Citizen Rules

04-01-24, 03:58 PM

Well yeah! For the first time I've had two of my noirs on the same day make the countdown. From my ballot:

#11 Ride the Pink Horse
#19 The Set-Up

cricket

04-01-24, 05:53 PM

I'm not sure if I've seen The Set-Up

7. Body and Soul (#94)
13. Detective Story (#57)
15. Force of Evil (#85)
16. Ride the Pink Horse (#45)
20. The Blue Dahlia (#74)
24. Drunken Angel (#70)
25. The Letter (#72)

beelzebubble

04-01-24, 05:54 PM

I have never seen High Sierra, The Set-Up or Ride the Pink Horse. I know, ¯\_(ツ)_/¯what have I been doing with my life? The Harder They Fall and Odd Man Out are ones I've kind of seen in bits and bobs.
Suspicion is my #11. It is one of the most suspenseful movies you will ever see. The ending is a cop-out but, what can you do. Cary Grant had a long career ahead of him and didn't want to be typecast as a villain and I imagine the studio agreed.

Holden Pike

04-01-24, 06:58 PM

Another couple from my Top Ten have been revealed.

98289

Carol Reed’s Odd Man Out is not as well known as his Third Man, but it is another top notch piece of work. The influence of Film Noir traveled the cinemas of the world, and one of the best international entries in my book is this Belfast-set chase of James Mason’s Irish Nationalist, an escaped convict whose freedom is pressed even harder when a robbery goes wrong, accidentally shooting a guard in a struggle. But there is little loyalty to be found as he lurks in the snowy shadows of the city. Robert Krasker’s wonderful cinematography, whose dark corners are more naturalistic than Expressionistic but still cold and imposing, won the Oscar for The Third Man but this one is just as impressive.

98290

Odd Man Out was number eight on my ballot, good for eighteen of its eighty-one points.

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

98291

I try not to worry about the order on these lists too much, but frankly The Set-Up showing this early is a bit of a sin and pretty embarrassing. Robert Ryan is one of the genre’s towering greats, and this is surely his finest hour. Well, his finest hour and twelve minutes as the narrative unfolds in real time. Ryan plays an aging boxer who knows his days inside the ring are numbered. He wants to turn to managing and his wife (Audrey Totter) supports him but can’t bear to watch him get pummeled one more time. His manager (George Tobias) figures he’s going to lose anyway, so he agrees to throw the fight for some local mobsters. But he doesn’t bother to tell his boxer, wanting him to keep his pride. Unfortunately, he starts giving it his all.

98292

This tense, desperate moral dilemma makes for the perfect Noir. It was up at fourth on my ballot, twenty-two points.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kZ5-nwNbBg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4e7yd3ResrE

That makes ten of mine.

HOLDEN'S BALLOT
3. Too Late for Tears (#81)
4. The Set-Up (#46)
8. Odd Man Out (#47)
12. The Big Combo (#52)
13. Phantom Lady (#69)
14. Born to Kill (#84)
18. He Walked By Night (#88)
19. Fallen Angel (#80)
22. Panic in the Streets (#98)
24. Crossfire (#51)
25. The Crimson Kimono (DNP)

GulfportDoc

04-01-24, 08:47 PM

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=98271

Suspicion was #71 and Odd Man Out #55 on the MoFo Top 100 of the 1940s.
I'm sure you know this, but it's worth mentioning that Hitchcock revealed to Truffaut in their lengthy interview session that Hitch had the prop guy put a lit light bulb into the glass of milk to make it stand out in that important and iconic scene.

Citizen Rules

04-01-24, 10:06 PM

If you guys haven't seen today's two noirs, watch them! Both are unique and well made. Check them out.

My Spoiler Free review of Ride the Pink Horse
https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=31872&stc=1&d=1498405946
Ride the Pink Horse (1947)

What a uniquely different film noir Ride The Pink Horse was! I don't even know how to describe this? It's one of a kind, that's for sure. I do know I thoroughly enjoyed this from start to finish.

It works quite well as a mystery, but it's not the more usual who-done-it mystery...The mystery part is: why the characters are so enigmatic? I've never seen characters like this before in a noir and that was refreshing.

Gagin (Robert Montgomery) seem to be in another world. Is Gagin a tough ex G.I on a mission of revenge? Or was he shell shocked from the war? He's a mystery alright...'the walking wounded'.

Pila (Wanda Hendrix) she was a complete mystery to me. Her behavior was so odd that we're left wondering if she is mentally slow or what? She too was very ambiguous and that made her character fascinating.
I love the dialog in this, it's so clever and so damn odd.

Robert Montgomery not only stars but directed and he does one helluva job here. The movie flows seamlessly and never seems formulaic, like some noirs were. The scene where Pancho is beaten by two thugs shows Montgomery's skill as a director...instead of going with close ups, we see the beating from the viewpoint of the children who are on the carousel. We see their little faces turn to horror as they watch the helpless Pancho be brutally beaten. Then the carousel stops and they run screaming away. Brilliant.

rating_4_5

Citizen Rules

04-01-24, 10:31 PM

I tried to help this film get more fans:

From the Noirvember 2023 (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2436257#post2436257) thread
https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=48305&stc=1&d=1537725721The Set-Up (1949)
Robert Wise

My first and only viewing of this excellent noir was eight years ago in the very first Noir HoF, hosted by me. It was Holden Pike's nomination and I was impressed. So much so that I've never forgotten it. Last night I revisited The Set-Up and if anything was more impressed with the film.

I was utterly impressed at how polished the film was. The direction by Robert Wise is perfect. The performance by Robert Ryan was real, not acting, I believed him, the boxing looked real too. Audrey Totter is good here, I enjoyed her screen time as much as I did Robert Ryans.

Talk about world building! The Set-Up in one long sequence that's set in the locker room, gives us so much insight into the comradery, hopes, dreams and fears of these boxers. We see what they have to go through in a hope to move up the boxing ranks. I appreciated the sequences where Audrey Totter, who's too nervousness about the fight walks around Paradise City and is constantly reminded of the dangers her husband faces in the ring. Loved the realistic look of this dingy little town and the people who inhabited it. The resolve at the end is perfect.

So you noir fans, watch it, consider it for your ballot if you really like it.

PHOENIX74

04-02-24, 12:30 AM

Nothing at all for me during the last 8 reveals...

https://media3.giphy.com/media/F3BeiZNq6VbDwyxzxF/200w.gif?cid=6c09b952ni1n4xihmeuius6d7r7c3h8yvzvbd1ei6b1c3v0z&ep=v1_gifs_search&rid=200w.gif&ct=g

dadgumblah

04-02-24, 01:09 AM

That original ending was dark as f*ck, even for noir.

I know! I'm still ticked that it ruined any chance for a sequel. :mad:

I only got to see The Set-Up after the deadline, but I loved it. Robert Wise is one of my favorite directors who could work in almost any genre with skill, and this was no exception. Robert Ryan was 40 when this film came out but somehow he always seened to carry a "bit older" vibe and look about him, for me at least. Still, I totally bought him as a man in his mid-30s still puching away, trying to make something out of his going-nowhere boxing career. Audrey Totter is aces as his worried wife, just knowing that he's not going to make it out of the ring one night after being beaten so much. Everybody else was fine, especially George Tobias as his manager, who does not have his boxer's best interests in mind. You can't help but get invested after the half-hour stretch in the locker room, where various boxers tell of their hopes and dreams only to came back either a winner or a soon-to-be hospital occupant. One boxer keeps talking about how one boxer got beaten time-after-time only to finally escape the Paradise City venue and become World Champion. But you just know that this is but a dream for almost all these guys. Still, our hero just wants to beat this one guy and make enough to buy an interest in a boxer, not just for him, but for his wife's future also.

When Ryan finally gets in the ring, the fighting is not pretty like a Rocky movie, but messy, sweaty, and close-up business, with no slow-motion stuff going on. I love Rocky films but this is pretty much the real deal. I liked the set of Paradise City, where everything seemed to be about playing a game or getting entertained, like a mini-Reno or something. And Totter's nervous walk around the town helps offset her husband's fight, where she's constantly reminded of what he does to try to make money. The final minutes of the movie are great, with Ryan facing bad odds and Totter trying to make something good out of it. This is almost a perfect movie for me and again, another one I wish I'd seen before the Countdown because this would surely have been in my Top Ten.

I've heard of Ride the Pink Horse but didn't even know it was a Noir. I like Robert Montgomery both as actor and director so I'll definitely give this one a shot.

#4 The Big Combo List Proper List Proper #52
#6 Kansas City Confidential List Proper #53
#14 Kiss of Death List Proper List Proper #59
#15 He Walked By Night List Proper #88
#16 The Naked City List Proper #60
#22 This Gun For Hire List Proper #78
#25 Crossfire List Proper #51

John-Connor

04-02-24, 03:41 AM

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/2qR8uY03CLyjDzGefxHvWsZSr4U.jpg
The Set-Up was my #23. Powerful classic boxing tale film noir and probably my favorite noir starring Robert Ryan.

SEEN 24/56
BALLOT 5/25

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/hNP8ikn0ixyv1DnsQNJhui9Xfu.jpghttps://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/2MQuJkwOYF9GL85ECKpVAoI5Hjk.jpghttps://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/2RcTYPzsR0QfN5d8g3HjIkIqcbg.jpghttps://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/uxE5LZP0RClXKsAqtrHQPiNLHzf.jpghttps://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/qRRXuktpspL3czJrwsrcAcOVX5B.jpg

44. Angel Face (1952)
36. Drunken Angel (1948)
32. Crime Wave (1953)
31. Body and Soul (1947)
30. Where the Sidewalk Ends (1950)
29. The Big Combo (1955)
26. Detective Story (1951)
-----------------------------------------
25. Kiss of Death (1947)
23. The Set-Up (1949)
20. Kansas City Confidential (1952)
11. The Breaking Point (1950)
10. Bob Le Flambeur (1956)

Kaplan

04-02-24, 05:02 AM

I had The Set-Up at #23. I first saw it for a noir hall of fame several years ago. This is what I wrote about it then:

The story is very simple and the movie barely cracks 70 minutes, but it's all atmosphere and mood, dark alleys and flashing lights, criminals and losers. Ringside is where the darkness of people's souls are exposed, the one-eyed man screaming for the boxer to take out the other boxer's eye, the large man stuffing his face round after round, the housewife screaming for blood, where chants of "Kill him!" wash over the fighters in the ring.

At the center of the movie is a boxer who's over the hill, but still dreaming, still telling himself he's only one punch away from being on top again, and his loyal wife, who can't stand to watch him get beaten up again. There's poignancy in these scenes, and the actors are terrific. Robert Ryan is the perfect lead, a former boxer in college, and much of the movie is focused on his fight and it keeps you on the edge of your seat. I can see why Martin Scorsese was a fan of the movie.

My List:
11. Where the Sidewalk Ends (#66)
20. This Gun for Hire (#78)
23. The Set-Up (#46)

rauldc14

04-02-24, 11:36 AM

Ride the Pink Horse was my #2! Love the film!

Citizen Rules

04-02-24, 11:53 AM

98302

#44 Criss Cross (1949)

Director: Robert Siodmak
Production: Universal Pictures
Cast: Burt Lancaster, Yvonne De Carlo, Dan Duryea
106 Points, 8 Lists

'An armored truck driver and his ex-wife conspire with a gang to have his own truck robbed on the route.'

_______________________________________

Citizen Rules

04-02-24, 11:53 AM

98303
#43 The Narrow Margin (1952)

Director: Richard Fleischer
Production: RKO
Cast: Charles McGraw, Marie Windsor, Jacqueline White
109 Points, 10 Lists

'A woman planning to testify against the mob must be protected against potential assassins on the train trip from Chicago to Los Angeles.'

_______________________________________

Allaby

04-02-24, 12:01 PM

Seen and liked both. Didn't vote for either one.

Seen: 55/58

stillmellow

04-02-24, 12:12 PM

Criss cross just barely missed my list. An excellent noir only held back by the unbelievable naivety of its protagonist. I also have some issues with the final 15 minutes, but it's still excellent. Our femme fatale's speech at the beginning, in the parking lot, is classic.

Seen 5 of 58

seanc

04-02-24, 12:17 PM

I have seen Criss Cross twice now. It’s good but another one coming from them that’s great.

Thief

04-02-24, 12:25 PM

2 and 2 seen AND 2 and 2 from my list!

I saw Criss Cross last year for one of the MoFo HoF and I loved it. You can read my full review here (https://www.movieforums.com/reviews/2421825-criss_cross.html), but here's an excerpt from it:

"This film is one of those perfect encapsulations of what film noir is. From the flashback narrative to the dim-lit cinematography, from the romance to the heist, from the lead man thrust into a situation he feels he can't control to the femme fatale you're never really sure where she stands on. It's all in there, in prime form."

I had it at #11, but it could probably be a bit higher. It has certainly stuck with me.

The Narrow Margin is one I saw a couple of years ago and I really liked it. It is a very lean and stripped down thriller. Feel free to check out my full review here (https://www.movieforums.com/reviews/2251101-the_narrow_margin.html), but here's an excerpt from it as well:

"The performances are not necessarily flashy, but they're all effective in doing what they're supposed to do; rough cop, feisty woman, tough bad guys, and it all works extremely well with the snappy dialogue that allows them to shoot one liners as fast as they do punches or bullets. In addition, the narrow and cramped corridors of the train help to amp up the claustrophobia of our characters, and how trapped and with no escape they are."

I had it at #17. At 70 minutes, it's a very breezy and fun watch.

SEEN: 11/58
MY BALLOT: 6/25

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11. Criss Cross (#44)
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17. The Narrow Margin (#43)
18.
19.
20.
21. The Hitch-Hiker (#67)
22.
23. The Woman in the Window (#65)
24. D.O.A. (#54)
25. Kansas City Confidential (#53)

Citizen Rules

04-02-24, 12:32 PM

Two great noirs, wish I had room on my ballot for them.

Thief

04-02-24, 12:58 PM

Some list facts!

The 6 point gap between yesterday's Ride the Pink Horse and today's Criss Cross is the second largest of the countdown; obviously after yesterday's 18 point gap.
With Criss Cross, Robert Siodmak joins the group of directors with multiple entries. He had Phantom Lady at #69.
With a 100% RT score and a 7.6 IMDb rating, The Narrow Margin is tied at the top of the countdown on both. Others with the same scores/ratings are Odd Man Out (#47), and Where the Sidewalk Ends (#66).
The Narrow Margin is only the second entry whose ballot count (10) hits the double-digits. The other one was Crossfire (#51) who also had 10. Obviously, from now on, most entries will fall on that category.

Holden Pike

04-02-24, 01:08 PM

Another day, another choice from my Top Ten.

98305

As I said when Phantom Lady (#69) was revealed, to me and many Noir enthusiasts Robert Siodmak is THE director of the genre’s classic age. Criss Cross is arguably his best, along with another title that is more famous and will likely be top ten on the collective list. Lesser known or not, Criss Cross is fantastic. Burt Lancaster stars as a lovelorn man who returns to L.A. He thinks the last thing in the world he wants is to reunite with his ex-wife (Yvonne De Carlo), but once he sees her he can’t deny that he is still drawn to her. Unfortunately for him she has remarried, to a violent gangster (Dan Duryea). Don’t you hate it when that happens? Rather than give up on the idea Lancaster gets embroiled in heist with the gangster. He works driving armored cars and has a plan to knock one over when it is most full of cash. Double crosses upon double crosses are on deck from there.

98306

This may be the best use of Los Angeles locations in a Noir, or any film of that era. The Bunker Hill neighborhood and the famous Angels Flight are the perfect den for this tale of mistrust and betrayal. I had Criss Cross ninth on my ballot, seventeen of its hundred and six points. On another day it could have been even higher on my list. It is a magnificent Noir. Like The Set-Up it is ridiculous where it falls on the collective, but so be it. Hopefully more of you MoFos see it, now.

HOLDEN'S BALLOT
3. Too Late for Tears (#81)
4. The Set-Up (#46)
8. Odd Man Out (#47)
9. Criss Cross (#44)
12. The Big Combo (#52)
13. Phantom Lady (#69)
14. Born to Kill (#84)
18. He Walked By Night (#88)
19. Fallen Angel (#80)
22. Panic in the Streets (#98)
24. Crossfire (#51)
25. The Crimson Kimono (DNP)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6yza4Z9Vuk&t=1s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsa8lZG-Olg

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=98307&stc=1&d=1712074256

rauldc14

04-02-24, 01:32 PM

Criss Cross was a little underwhelming for me. I have not seen The Narrow Margin.

SpelingError

04-02-24, 01:39 PM

Haven't seen either film.

Sedai

04-02-24, 01:40 PM

Finally a couple more from my list!

I had The Big Combo at #16 and D.O.A. at #21.

The Big Combo is a fantastic noir, and thinking back, I probably should have put it in my Top 10. It is a quintessential noir, one that ticks all the boxes and is a great example of what noir can be.

D.O.A. is also great, with the fun mechanic of the poisoned man trying to track down his killer as the last hours of his life tick away.

Both films are must-sees in the genre, IMO.

Holden Pike

04-02-24, 01:41 PM

The Narrow Margin and Criss Cross both have Neo Noir remakes from the 1990s. The 1990 version of Narrow Margin was directed by Peter Hyams (Capricorn One, Outland, Running Scared) and is worth a watch if only because Gene Hackman is Gene Hackman and James B. Sikking enjoys his best non-"Hill Street Blues" role. As much as I love Criss Cross I kinda like its remake, too. Retitled The Underneath (1995) it was directed by Steven Soderbergh. Soderbergh has pretty much publicly disowned it, but I think it works very well, especially being the first time I really noticed the wonderful character actor William Fichtner, playing the Dan Duryea part.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HledE87pUjs&t=1s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IGoUeVzBbk

Harry Lime

04-02-24, 03:01 PM

Criss Cross is another classic film noir by Siodmak that I like but not the one I chose for my list. I haven't seen Narrow Margin but I'm adding to my watchlist every noir that ranks this high up seeing as enough Mofos are voting and telling me I should.

WHITBISSELL!

04-02-24, 03:35 PM

1 for 2. Haven't seen Criss Cross. I don't think I've ever heard of it either but it sure sounds like something I'd enjoy. Added to my watch list. 👍

I have seen The Narrow Margin and it's my #19 pick. You can't go wrong with Marie Windsor. She was outstanding in The Killing. And I recognized her immediately when she was on a couple of episodes of Cheyenne. Charles McGraw was an unsung supporting actor specializing in no-nonsense, tough guy roles. Border Incident and Spartacus. And according to IMDb he played Rick Blaine in a Casablanca TV series in 1955. I just can't picture that.

31 of 58 seen.

John-Connor

04-02-24, 03:48 PM

98315
The Narrow Margin was my #3. Placed it extra high on my ballot for guaranteed placement but I see now that wasn’t really necessary. Nice to see it has more than enough fans on MoFo. :highfive: I like the 90s remake as well and also considered it for my neo-noir ballot. Seen Criss Cross recently and liked it, loved the musical sequence in the bar scene.

SEEN 26/58
BALLOT 6/25

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/hNP8ikn0ixyv1DnsQNJhui9Xfu.jpghttps://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/2MQuJkwOYF9GL85ECKpVAoI5Hjk.jpghttps://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/2RcTYPzsR0QfN5d8g3HjIkIqcbg.jpghttps://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/uxE5LZP0RClXKsAqtrHQPiNLHzf.jpghttps://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/qRRXuktpspL3czJrwsrcAcOVX5B.jpghttps://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/jfijewoZOn2ET2VsSaNoIVXjKM.jpg

44. Angel Face (1952)
36. Drunken Angel (1948)
32. Crime Wave (1953)
31. Body and Soul (1947)
30. Where the Sidewalk Ends (1950)
29. The Big Combo (1955)
26. Detective Story (1951)
-----------------------------------------
25. Kiss of Death (1947)
23. The Set-Up (1949)
20. Kansas City Confidential (1952)
11. The Breaking Point (1950)
10. Bob Le Flambeur (1956)
03. The Narrow Margin (1952)

beelzebubble

04-02-24, 08:22 PM

Does Criss Cross have the funicular in it? If it does, then I have seen it. But it's not on my list. I have never seen The Narrow Margin.

GulfportDoc

04-02-24, 08:34 PM

Well, now we're getting into the good stuff!..;)

Both Criss Cross and The Narrow Margin are great noirs.

Criss Cross is an iconic film directed by the great Robert Siodmak. Burt Lancaster is impressive as the chump, Duryea is at his slimiest best, and the gorgeous Yvonne De Carlo plays a rotten femme fatale.

I also really enjoyed the L.A. settings, showing the famous historical Bunker Hill section of downtown, along with the celebrated Angel's Flight incline, and the vintage Union Station.

The Narrow Margin may be my favorite "B" noir. Despite its small budget, perfectly cast are the granite jawed Charles McGraw, and the "Queen of the B's" Marie Windsor (one of the best in noir).

Robert Fleischer's direction is flawless. The tension is continuous in this picture, and it features a surprise twist that I never saw coming. It has continued to impress me on subsequent viewings. Credit is due to George Diskant (They Drive By Night; Kansas City Confidential) for impressive noir photography in such confined sets.

I love this picture, and recommend it to any who haven't seen it.

crumbsroom

04-02-24, 08:38 PM

I've had a copy of Criss Cross laying around for ages. Now I guess I have more reason to check it out.

cricket

04-02-24, 09:02 PM

Seen both, barely remember them but I do remember liking The Narrow Margin quite a bit.

Citizen Rules

04-02-24, 09:53 PM

Does Criss Cross have the funicular in it? If it does, then I have seen it...I'm almost certain it doesn't, which probably means it does:D

Thief

04-02-24, 11:22 PM

Does Criss Cross have the funicular in it? If it does, then I have seen it. But it's not on my list. I have never seen The Narrow Margin.

If you mean this scene, it's from Act of Violence, which came up at #61

https://live.staticflickr.com/3057/2947722863_507859aff4_z.jpg

dadgumblah

04-03-24, 12:24 AM

Does Criss Cross have the funicular in it? If it does, then I have seen it. But it's not on my list. I have never seen The Narrow Margin.

If this is what you mean, then yes, through a window:

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Fjr0jfWaYAE7VbC.jpg:large

It was the only image I could find on short notice. Hope that helps.

Wow, believe it or not, I watched Criss Cross for the first time just last night! Burt Lancaster is totally believable as the lovelorn sap who can't get ex-wife Yvonne De Carlo out of his system. And boy is she beautiful here. I knew she was a looker from old pictures of her, but seeing her in a film young like this made me realize just how good-looking she was back then. You can't blame Burt for being hung up on her. Dan Duryea played the Dan Duryea we've all came to know and love to hate. Special mention has to be given to Stephen McNally as Burt's old friend who happens to be a Police Lt. now, who tries to talk Burt out of pursuing Yvonne because he knows her true character, only Burt ain't listening. This all leads to tragic consequences. The ending just blew me away. I knew I was watching Noir but I was pretty stunned. I loved it.

The Narrow Margin is on my list at #23. Tight action with even tighter corridors on the train, brittle dame Marie Windsor, tough-as-nails Charles McGraw (this guy is awesome!), affable portly man Paul Maxey, and the gang of pursuers just waiting for the chance to rub out the gangster's widow. Throw in the lovely Jacqueline White with a bratty son in tow and you've got a winner. I loved the dialogue, as when McGraw and his detective partner have a bet on what the widow they'll escort looks like and the conversation goes like this:
"A dish"
"What kind of dish?"
"Sixty-cent special, cheap, flashy, strictly poison under the gravy." :cool:

And Maxey, after squeezing his heavy frame past people in the train corridor:
"Nobody loves a fat man, except his tailor and his grocer."

And McGraw putting down sassy Windsor:
"Sister, I've known some pretty hard cases in my time, but you make 'em all look like putty."

Add several twists to cap it off and you've got a hell of a Noir thriller.

#4 The Big Combo List Proper List Proper #52
#6 Kansas City Confidential List Proper #53
#14 Kiss of Death List Proper List Proper #59
#15 He Walked By Night List Proper #88
#16 The Naked City List Proper #60
#22 This Gun For Hire List Proper #78
#23 The Narrow Margin List Proper #43
#25 Crossfire List Proper #51

Holden Pike

04-03-24, 08:42 AM

Wow, believe it or not, I watched Criss Cross for the first time just last night! Burt Lancaster is totally believable as the lovelorn sap who can't get ex-wife Yvonne De Carlo out of his system. And boy is she beautiful here. I knew she was a looker from old pictures of her, but seeing her in a film young like this made me realize just how good-looking she was back then. You can't blame Burt for being hung up on her. Dan Duryea played the Dan Duryea we've all came to know and love to hate. Special mention has to be given to Stephen McNally as Burt's old friend who happens to be a Police Lt. now, who tries to talk Burt out of pursuing Yvonne because he knows her true character, only Burt ain't listening. This all leads to tragic consequences. The ending just blew me away. I knew I was watching Noir but I was pretty stunned. I loved it.
And I'm sure you spotted an unbilled Tony Curtis in the dance scene? Eight years before Lancaster & Curtis were paired in The Sweet Smell of Success.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7olKyJhbsE

In addition to Criss Cross and Act of Violence the Angels Flight Funicular is also featured in Kiss Me Deadly (1955), The Night Has a Thousand Eyes (1948), The Turning Point (1952), Cry of the Hunted (1950), The Unfaithful (1947), Hollow Triumph (1948), the American remake of M (1951), and later films including The Exiles (1961), The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-Up Zombies (1964), The Muppets (2011), (500) Days of Summer (2009), and La La Land (2016)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEeGtkybr10&t=27s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jqc50ySFqIs&t=19s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TInxFdwmT0w&t=82s
98317

honeykid

04-03-24, 09:17 AM

#45 Ride The Pink Horse [
How is this not a euphemism?

I've not seen any since my last post.

Holden Pike

04-03-24, 09:30 AM

Baloney Pony.

Thief

04-03-24, 11:49 AM

In addition to Criss Cross and Act of Violence the Angels Flight Funicular is also featured in Kiss Me Deadly (1955), The Night Has a Thousand Eyes (1948), The Turning Point (1952), Cry of the Hunted (1950), The Unfaithful (1947), Hollow Triumph (1948), the American remake of M (1951), and later films including The Exiles (1961), The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-Up Zombies (1964), The Muppets (2011), (500) Days of Summer (2009), and La La Land (2016)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEeGtkybr10&t=27s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jqc50ySFqIs&t=19s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TInxFdwmT0w&t=82s
98317

It's also the setting of a key murder in one of the seasons of the TV series Bosch, which one could say has some neo-noir leanings.

https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/woMHf2QQb7kD5g21vbMB8xXHA38=/1400x1400/filters:format(jpeg)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/16125780/Bosch_Angels_Flight_Season_4.jpg

Holden Pike

04-03-24, 11:56 AM

The new and grisly and very Noir "Perry Mason" on HBO uses Angels Flight in its first season opening, involving a dead infant in a kidnapping gone horribly wrong!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ur3197-kF3I&t=39s

Citizen Rules

04-03-24, 12:18 PM

98319
#42 Rififi (1955)

Director: Jules Dassin
Production: Pathé Consortium Cinéma
Cast: Jean Servais, Carl Möhner, Robert Manuel
117 Points, 7 Lists

'Four men plan a technically perfect crime, but the human element intervenes...'

_______________________________________

Citizen Rules

04-03-24, 12:18 PM

98320
#41 Elevator to the Gallows (1958)

Director: Louis Malle
Production: Nouvelles Éditions de Films
Cast: Jeanne Moreau, Maurice Ronet, Georges Poujouly
119 Points, 9 Lists

'A self-assured businessman murders his employer, the husband of his mistress, which unintentionally provokes an ill-fated chain of events.'

_______________________________________

Citizen Rules

04-03-24, 12:19 PM

Didn't see that coming did ya? A pair of French noirs.

Citizen Rules

04-03-24, 12:24 PM

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=76957
Rififi (1955)

Rififi reminded me of John Huston's The Asphalt Jungle and Stanley Kubrick's The Killing. I'm sure I'm not the first to compare those three film noirs.

It was great seeing Paris in the 1950s and very interesting watching the master mind criminals plan and then execute their caper. Of course there was an even nastier gang afoot and that spelled trouble for them. I liked the musical number and the way it was staged:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_da9mMJzlP8

Holden Pike

04-03-24, 12:24 PM

98321

Rififi was #52 on the MoFo Top 100 of the 1950s and #78 on the MoFo Top 100 Foreign Language Films.

ScarletLion

04-03-24, 12:26 PM

If I'd remembered Rififi I would have had it on my list. Superb film.

Elevator to the Gallows was my number 4. It is absolitely scintillating and superbly shot. Tense too. I'd say this film along with 'Charade' are the most Hitchockian of all films ever made that were not directed by Hitchcock.

crumbsroom

04-03-24, 12:27 PM

Rififi was almost certainly on my list. It's great.

Elevator to the Gallows left me cold the only time I saw it. I should give it another chance at some point. It's soundtrack is killer though.

Allaby

04-03-24, 12:48 PM

I forgot to put Rififi on my list. It's a masterpiece and on my list of all time favourite films, but imdb didn't tag it as film noir, so I forgot to include it. Shame on me. Elevator to the Gallows is great too, but it didn't make my list either.

Seen: 57/60

stillmellow

04-03-24, 12:58 PM

And I draw 2 blanks. I'm not really very familiar with French Noir.

Thief

04-03-24, 12:59 PM

I've checked and re-checked my ballot and just can't imagine how I missed putting Rififi. It should've been there, maybe even in the Top 10. Ahh, c'est la vie. You can all read my full review here (https://www.movieforums.com/reviews/2252614-rififi.html), but it's great.

I haven't seen Elevator to the Gallows, but it's been one that has been on my radar for a long time. Looks like something I would enjoy.

SEEN: 12/60
MY BALLOT: 6/25

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11. Criss Cross (#44)
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17. The Narrow Margin (#43)
18.
19.
20.
21. The Hitch-Hiker (#67)
22.
23. The Woman in the Window (#65)
24. D.O.A. (#54)
25. Kansas City Confidential (#53)

Thief

04-03-24, 01:01 PM

If I'd remembered Rififi I would have had it on my list. Superb film.

I forgot to put Rififi on my list. It's a masterpiece and on my list of all time favourite films, but imdb didn't tag it as film noir, so I forgot to include it. Shame on me.

I've checked and re-checked my ballot and just can't imagine how I missed putting Rififi. It should've been there, maybe even in the Top 10.

How much higher would it have ended if we all had remembered? :facepalm:

Thief

04-03-24, 01:13 PM

List facts...

Both Rififi and Elevator to the Gallows have two of the highest IMDb ratings of the countdown so far (8.1 and 7.9).
The 8-point gap between yesterday's The Narrow Margin and today's Rififi is the second highest after that big 18-point gap from yesterday.

SpelingError

04-03-24, 01:42 PM

It didn't occur to me to include either of those films, but they both would've made it had I voted in time.

Holden Pike

04-03-24, 01:58 PM

Love both, voted for neither. Elevator to the Gallows/A Lift to the Scaffold came closer to making my cut. Terrific stuff, even with the one major plot hole of...
...who is it, exactly, that took that picture of the two of them on their picnic?Ultimately it doesn't matter, and it does have maybe the best score for any Noir or Neo Noir by the one and only Miles Davis. Much of the film seems to be Jeanne Moreau walking around the streets at night to the strains of Miles, and frankly that is wonderful. I am down for it!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wc4tT-55ZzI&t=2s

cricket

04-03-24, 02:01 PM

Big surprise today as I thought Rififi was going to be top 10.

I've seen Elevator to the Gallows but can't recall it right now.

3. Rififi (#42)
7. Body and Soul (#94)
13. Detective Story (#57)
15. Force of Evil (#85)
16 Ride the Pink Horse (#45)
20. The Blue Dahlia (#74)
24. Drunken Angel (#70)
25. The Letter (#72)

stillmellow

04-03-24, 02:19 PM

Thief

04-03-24, 02:29 PM

Stats: Pit Stop #6
https://obscuretrainmovies.files.wordpress.com/2015/04/nar03.jpg

-

After hitting our sixth pit stop (60), here's were we are now:

Yearly Breakdown

1940 = 3
1941 = 1
1942 = 1
1943 = 1
1944 = 5
1945 = 2
1946 = 3
1947 = 8
1948 = 9
1949 = 5
1950 = 6
1951 = 2
1952 = 3
1953 = 3
1954 = 0
1955 = 4
1956 = 2
1957 = 0
1958 = 2
1959 = 0

1948 stayed pretty much the same, while 1947 and 1949 both made a push for the top spot.

Repeating Directors

Robert Wise = 3
Henry Hathaway = 3
Otto Preminger = 3
William Wyler = 3
Jules Dassin = 2
Robert Siodmak = 2
Alfred Hitchcock = 2
Nicholas Ray = 2
Jules Dassin = 2
Fritz Lang = 2
John Cromwell = 2
Robert Rossen = 2

Robert Wise joins Hathaway, Preminger, and Wyler at the top spot, while Jules Dassin, Robert Siodmak, and Alfred Hitchcock join the list.

Torgo

04-03-24, 02:31 PM

I would have voted for Rififi, but Wikipedia lists it as a "crime film," so I didn't put it on my list.
(Bill Clinton voice) "Genre semantics are tearing this country apart!"

Anyway, that heist scene is spectacularly tense, isn't it? I've seen some that come close like the ones in Le Cercle Rouge, Grand Slam and Topkapi, but no cigar.

Thief

04-03-24, 02:47 PM

Big surprise today as I thought Rififi was going to be top 10.

Based on all of us who could've/should've/would've voted for it, it might as well have been Top 10.

beelzebubble

04-03-24, 04:08 PM

How is this not a euphemism?

I've not seen any since my last post.
Totally!!
“Ride the cotton pony” was a thing

beelzebubble

04-03-24, 04:12 PM

If you mean this scene, it's from Act of Violence, which came up at #61

https://live.staticflickr.com/3057/2947722863_507859aff4_z.jpg
I’m pretty sure this was the one.

Harry Lime

04-03-24, 04:25 PM

Bonjour. So far the only two from my list that have made it are from France. I wasn't a huge fan of Elevator to the Gallows but recognize the great performance by Jeanne Moreau and appreciate the influence on the new wave that was to follow. I do like Rififi a lot and had it at #17. Everything is on point with this film and what we get is a quality, brutal, heist noir. One of the essential films to come out of France in the fifties, especially this genre. Dassin had a great run of films leading up to getting blacklisted and so he goes off to France to make a movie and what I think is the peak film of his career. An easy add to my list.

15. Bob le flambeur (1956)
17. Rififi (1955)

WHITBISSELL!

04-03-24, 04:29 PM

1 out of these 2 seen. Well, Rififi is the second French heist movie I have yet to watch. The other being #63 Bob le Flambeur. I'll leave it up to the fates and check out the first one I run across.

But what do you know. I actually watched the other French noir, Elevator to the Gallows. But it's one of several films stretching back a couple of years that I never wrote up. I'll get around to doing that sooner or later. For some reason I always associate this with Death of a Cyclist (Muerte de un ciclista), a 1955 Spanish film. Maybe because both feature clandestine lovers, a murder and the inexorable unraveling of their lives.

32 of 60 seen so far.

Kaplan

04-03-24, 05:00 PM

I had Elevator to the Gallows at #15. The incredible score by Miles Davis elevates the movie to next-level greatness.

My List:
11. Where the Sidewalk Ends (#66)
15. Elevator to the Gallows (#41)
20. This Gun for Hire (#78)
23. The Set-Up (#46)

Thursday Next

04-03-24, 05:14 PM

Yay for French noir. I had Elevator to the Gallows at #15 although I could have sworn I'd put it higher. Very tense, very cold noir movie.

dadgumblah

04-03-24, 07:13 PM

And I'm sure you spotted an unbilled Tony Curtis in the dance scene? Eight years before Lancaster & Curtis were paired in The Sweet Smell of Success.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7olKyJhbsE

In addition to Criss Cross and Act of Violence the Angels Flight Funicular is also featured in Kiss Me Deadly (1955), The Night Has a Thousand Eyes (1948), The Turning Point (1952), Cry of the Hunted (1950), The Unfaithful (1947), Hollow Triumph (1948), the American remake of M (1951), and later films including The Exiles (1961), The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-Up Zombies (1964), The Muppets (2011), (500) Days of Summer (2009), and La La Land (2016)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEeGtkybr10&t=27s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jqc50ySFqIs&t=19s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TInxFdwmT0w&t=82s
98317

I sure did notice Tony dancing with Yvonne! And I totally forget to mention it! Argh! So cool that they (he and Burt) were in a Noir together before the other Noir they did. Shades of things to come.

I've seen neither of today's Noirs but they're both on my list, and Rififi has been on my radar since I was going to watch a group of heist films but got sidetracked a while back. Still, it will be watched, oh yes, it will be watched! And thanks, Holden Pike for including that fairly comprehensive list of funicular scenes! Some I've seen and totally forget they were in those films!

#4 The Big Combo List Proper List Proper #52
#6 Kansas City Confidential List Proper #53
#14 Kiss of Death List Proper List Proper #59
#15 He Walked By Night List Proper #88
#16 The Naked City List Proper #60
#22 This Gun For Hire List Proper #78
#23 The Narrow Margin List Proper #43
#25 Crossfire List Proper #51

beelzebubble

04-03-24, 08:03 PM

In addition to Criss Cross and Act of Violence the Angels Flight Funicular is also featured in Kiss Me Deadly (1955), The Night Has a Thousand Eyes (1948), The Turning Point (1952), Cry of the Hunted (1950), The Unfaithful (1947), Hollow Triumph (1948), the American remake of M (1951), and later films including The Exiles (1961), The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-Up Zombies (1964), The Muppets (2011), (500) Days of Summer (2009), and La La Land (2016)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEeGtkybr10&t=27s

Wow! Kiss Me Deadly and The Night Has a Thousand Eyes might be it. I remember seeing them. It was a movie that I think had the funicular as part of a chase scene. Maybe it was the M remake. I remember the little girl on the street near the funicular.
As far as our French films go, I saw a part of Elevator to the Gallows and wasn't sufficiently interested to stay up and watch it. I am ashamed that I have not seen Rififi either. I know it considered one of the greats. I hang my head in shame. :(

GulfportDoc

04-03-24, 08:31 PM

I'm almost certain it doesn't, which probably means it does:D
Heh, heh. Yes it does show Angel's Flight amongst their footage of the historic Bunker Hill section of downtown L.A.

GulfportDoc

04-03-24, 08:52 PM

Rififi (1955)

Rififi reminded me of John Huston's The Asphalt Jungle and Stanley Kubrick's The Killing. I'm sure I'm not the first to compare those three film noirs.

It was great seeing Paris in the 1950s and very interesting watching the master mind criminals plan and then execute their caper. Of course there was an even nastier gang afoot and that spelled trouble for them. I liked the musical number and the way it was staged:
Good comparison on the 3 films. I've never thought of Rififi as a noir, despite the fairly dark photography, but more of a straight heist film. It dragged a bit, but I enjoyed the film. The notable heist, shot in silence, may have been one of the first to do this.

Director Jules Dassin did have plenty of noir cred though. His two prior films were Thieve's Highway, and Night and the City-- before he fled Hollywood for France after he was exposed as a practicing communist.

GulfportDoc

04-03-24, 09:17 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEeGtkybr10&t=27s

Really nice find. It's kinda sad that the old buildings had to go. At least Angel's Flight is still there..:)

Siddon

04-03-24, 10:30 PM

So from the looks of it...all but one of my films is going to be on this list. I was worried about Elevator to the Gallows getting overlooked as it's really the first true neo-noir film in my opinion.

XXXXXXXX
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Niagra
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Elevator to the Gallows
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The Breaking Point
Gaslight
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They Live by Night
Angel Face
Le Corbeau
The Hitch-Hiker
The Big Combo
XXXXXXXX
(didn't make it)
The Guilty(1 pointer)

PHOENIX74

04-04-24, 01:07 AM

#44 Criss Cross - I like Burt Lancaster and I like films that have characters in it that are so blinded by love that they do the stupidest things imaginable. Everyone else can see clearly, but Steve Thompson's (Lancaster) vision is so blurred that he inexorably marches towards doom, thinking all the while that he's on the right path. I love how he fixes it that he runs into his ex-wife Anna (Yvonne De Carlo) but in his narration makes out like it was a chance meeting. Anyway, saw this a little while ago and it's stuck with me. I had it at #19 on my list.

#42 Rififi - I really like Rififi but I seem to have overlooked it when considering my ballot. I probably didn't realise that it's release date fit in with the time period allowed on the film noir countdown. Obviously the biggest talking point is the famous heist scene, and how innovative and amazing it is. I've only seen it the once, but I have it on Criterion and I'm looking forward to dusting it off and giving it another watch as my memory of it fades.

All the other reveals over the past dozen entries I'm not familiar with

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Seen : 11/60
I'd never even heard of : 44/60
Movies that had been on my radar, but I haven't seen yet : 5/60
Films from my list : 5

#44 - My #19 - Criss Cross (1949)
#54 - My #12 - D.O.A. (1950)
#58 - My #23 - The Breaking Point (1950)
#61 - My #21 - Act of Violence (1949)
#67 - My #18 - The Hitch-Hiker (1953)

Little Ash

04-04-24, 02:05 AM

For everyone saying they were expecting Rififi to be in the top 10. Correct, it was in my top 10.
As was Elevator to the Gallows as well.

Rififi has the stoic, experienced, hyper-competent professionals pulling off an amazing heist, and then things go unravel, because, well, that's what happens in noir and neo-noir films when hyper-competent professionals pull off a tough heist.

Elevator to the Gallows - Calling it a neo-noir seems fair, since the premise just reminds me so much of a Coens' brothers type of fiasco (in terms of its plot). I'm not going to say anymore than that for people who have not seen it.

1.
2.
3. M 1931 <- ineligible so just bump up everything below this by 1.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9. Rififi 1955 (#42)
10. Elevator to the Gallows 1958 (#41)
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20. The Naked City (#60)
21. The Hitch-Hiker (#67)
22. Gaslight 1944 (#96)
23. Niagara 1953 (#56)
24.
25.

James D. Gardiner

04-04-24, 05:10 AM

Lots to catch up on with five from my list in recent times.

D.O.A. was there at #23. Definitely one of the first noirs I remember seeing and with such a unique character perspective, being told that he's just been murdered.

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

I re-watched The Big Combo soon after I'd sent in my ballot on which I'd put it at #21. In hindsight I should've put it way higher as it's an awesome film noir with great visuals. Richard Conte's seemingly invincible Mr. Brown makes for an enjoyably entertaining villain, while Jean Wallace's performance is surprisingly engaging and refreshing.

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

Crossfire. Hate is like a loaded gun! I had 'the three Roberts' down at #8. There's so much in this movie with a great supporting cast. I particularly enjoyed Paul Kelly's tetched monologue scene in Ginny's apartment. It never fails to get your attention. Always a great noir to revisit.

https://i.imgur.com/8QswdUj.jpg

"Well that's the way it is. If you're a fighter, you gotta' fight", and I had The Set-Up coming in at #7. There's been a lot of boxing noirs made, but none do it quite like this one with its sense of close in ultra-realism, believable characters and no-nonsense settings. The real time aspect adds to the drama and emotion, with Robert Ryan and Audrey Totter playing their parts perfectly. A really engaging supporting cast helps make this somewhat unusual noir the gem that it is.

https://i.imgur.com/AXk03Mf.jpg

The Narrow Margin was way up at #2. Love just about everything in this movie from start to finish. Charles McGraw and Marie Windsor are absolute tops in the genre for me, and I think Jacqueline White is considerably under appreciated. Train movies usually work well as they have a natural beginning and final destination. The story is easy to follow and works great here in my opinion. Even the comedic aspects including the obnoxious kid take nothing away. Some very inventive photography and the complete lack of any musical score other than the natural elements that appear in the film are nice touches also. As an obvious rail enthusiast I'm sure Hitchcock would've approved.

https://i.imgur.com/oyDBMFY.gif

Of other recent reveals have also seen Kansas City Confidential, High Sierra, Suspicion, Criss Cross, The Harder They Fall and Rififi, and liked them all. That latter two were both in contention for my list, with the former giving way to something more obscure, and whilst I considered Rififi, failed to see how it was eligible within the guidelines. No matter though, and I'm pleased to see it appear.

James D. Gardiner

04-04-24, 05:37 AM

Charles McGraw was an unsung supporting actor specializing in no-nonsense, tough guy roles. And according to IMDb he played Rick Blaine in a Casablanca TV series in 1955.I just can't picture that.

Well, seeing is believing. :D
(Decent choice of actress too IMO ;)).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OXc5IESOA0&t=551s

Holden Pike

04-04-24, 09:23 AM

Mmmmmmmmm, Chesterfield!

They tried to turn Casablanca into a weekly series in the 1980s, starring David Soul as Rick (also Hector Elizondo as Captain Renault, Scatman Crothers as Sam, and Ray Liotta as Sacha).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nw2CZtTCXuc

Hey Fredrick

04-04-24, 10:58 AM

Citizen Rules

04-04-24, 11:36 AM

98339

#40 The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946)

Director: Lewis Milestone
Production: Hal Wallis Productions
Cast: Barbara Stanwyck, Van Heflin, Lizabeth Scott
120 Points, 10 Lists

'A man is reunited with his childhood friend and her husband who believes he knows the truth about the death of her rich aunt years earlier.'

_______________________________________

Citizen Rules

04-04-24, 11:36 AM

98340
#39 The Wrong Man (1956)

Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Production: Warner Bros.
Cast: Henry Fonda, Vera Miles, Anthony Quayle
123 Points, 10 Lists

'In 1953, an innocent man named Christopher Emanuel "Manny" Balestrero is arrested after being mistaken for an armed robber.'

_______________________________________

Allaby

04-04-24, 11:41 AM

Seen and liked both, but neither made my ballot.

Seen: 59/62

Iroquois

04-04-24, 11:43 AM

two votes. rififi was #6, one of the best heist films ever made. elevator to the gallows was my #11, maybe one of the finest examples of classic noir vibes ever.

Harry Lime

04-04-24, 11:48 AM

I haven't seen The Strange Love of Martha Ivers but Barbara Stanwyck and Lizabeth Scott...instant watchlist add. Now I just have to watch it.

Nice to see The Wrong Man but it's not really a surprise. Good film, not my favourite from Hitch but as I've said before anything mid range for Hitch is a pretty good film to me. The always relatable Henry Fonda adds to this nightmare scenario - being an innocent person mistaken for a criminal. Doesn't seem like a fun time to me. And apparently it's based on a true story.

Citizen Rules

04-04-24, 12:01 PM

I've been championing The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946), and hoping it would make the countdown and it did yeah! It was my # 9. It was also my nomination in the Film Noir HoF V (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?t=69315)

I wrote this about it:
https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2F1.bp.blogspot.com%2F-jZfF2stb5WY%2FVgsEE5eBWzI%2FAAAAAAABF28%2FZAfh5ho9e6w%2Fw1200-h630-p-k-no-nu%2FCQF8iIrWIAIDgII.jpg&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=21e51c445724071cdc406ac14aa537dd8ed404ca467c8a6a1be8a025fced38c1&ipo=images
The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946)

This one is a lock for my noir countdown ballot. A pity more people don't know about this one, at least I don't hear it mentioned. I suspect it's the title that turns them off as it sounds like a romance drama, it's not!

It's one of the best written, best constructed film scripts I've seen. It's two parallel stories with Van Heflin being the connecting element. The characters are given plenty of backstory and pathos to bring them and their actions to life. And the acting is top notch. If you've only seen Van Heflin in Act of Violence where he plays a meek man on the run then you need to watch this as here Heflin is playing the type of role he's known for. Heflin is the rogue outsider who drifts into town and causes events to happen. He's good, real good so is Stanwyck who is controlling and rich.

But it was Lizabeth Scott who utterly impressed me. This was her second movie and her first major role. It's clear to me she was taping into real emotions as she comes across very compelling and very real as a troubled woman with no place to go. Likewise I'm impressed with Kirk Douglas' first movie role. He's not the tough guy here. He's a weak willed district attorney who's married to Martha Ivers and controlled by her. They both have a secret that binds them together and sets events in motion that in true noir fashion ends in tragedy for some.

Thief

04-04-24, 12:13 PM

I love The Wrong Man. It's Top 20 Hitchcock for me. I really liked how Fonda communicates the desperation of his character through his eyes and body language, and how Hitchcock tries to get us inside the mind of someone who's wrongly accused. That said, I didn't vote for it, mostly because I didn't see it as much of a noir.

I've never seen Martha Ivers, but it's been on my radar.

SEEN: 13/62
MY BALLOT: 6/25

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11. Criss Cross (#44)
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17. The Narrow Margin (#43)
18.
19.
20.
21. The Hitch-Hiker (#67)
22.
23. The Woman in the Window (#65)
24. D.O.A. (#54)
25. Kansas City Confidential (#53)

Thief

04-04-24, 12:15 PM

With this one, Hitchcock gets his third entry in the countdown. He had Suspicion at #49 and Spellbound at #68.

SpelingError

04-04-24, 01:39 PM

Haven't seen either film.

Little Ash

04-04-24, 01:41 PM

I had Rififi top five in my initial list but didn't see it listed as noir on wiki or anywhere on imdb so off it went. Is this a case of it seeming like such an obvious noir that some didn't check? Or did I miss it on imdb?

Excellent question! I totally did not bother checking and went with the principle of, "if I considered it noir and loved it and it's not eligible, I'm okay with it being stricken from my ballot and just having a shorter ballot)."

So, looking now, I'm kind of surprised it's not even tagged as film-noir on imdb (given how generous it was to some neo-noir movies).

Looking at wiki...

https://img001.prntscr.com/file/img001/SGUPaH71QBWNRC8X7zekKw.png (https://prnt.sc/l_fBNMpIukKX)

https://img001.prntscr.com/file/img001/Ob18IYQtTaq2hKiUDgTXSA.png (https://prnt.sc/BrzoShKvoKpz)

I guess it isn't in the first sentence as the eligibility rules specified.
No comment.

John-Connor

04-04-24, 01:42 PM

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/o2kinEG8751T8dOjFnKVQSm5V2.jpg
Yeah Hitchcock, keep em coming! The Wrong Man is my #17. Rififi is on the mount Rushmore of my heist list but wasn't sure for this one. Elevator to the Gallows is kind of a masterpiece but no vote, it's between classic and neo genre wise. Don't mind them both placing at all though. Haven't seen The Strange Love of Martha Ivers.

SEEN 30/62
BALLOT 7/25

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/hNP8ikn0ixyv1DnsQNJhui9Xfu.jpghttps://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/2MQuJkwOYF9GL85ECKpVAoI5Hjk.jpghttps://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/2RcTYPzsR0QfN5d8g3HjIkIqcbg.jpghttps://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/uxE5LZP0RClXKsAqtrHQPiNLHzf.jpghttps://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/lLZ366NsPpcfjWmNFtH0KBtInfb.jpghttps://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/qRRXuktpspL3czJrwsrcAcOVX5B.jpghttps://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/jfijewoZOn2ET2VsSaNoIVXjKM.jpg

44. Angel Face (1952)
36. Drunken Angel (1948)
32. Crime Wave (1953)
31. Body and Soul (1947)
30. Where the Sidewalk Ends (1950)
29. The Big Combo (1955)
26. Detective Story (1951)
-----------------------------------------
25. Kiss of Death (1947)
23. The Set-Up (1949)
20. Kansas City Confidential (1952)
11. The Breaking Point (1950)
17. The Wrong Man (1956)
10. Bob Le Flambeur (1956)
03. The Narrow Margin (1952)

Thursday Next

04-04-24, 01:48 PM

I had The Strange Love of Martha Ivers at #18. Stupid title, good movie.

I don't think I've seen The Wrong Man. But I might be wrong.

Citizen Rules

04-04-24, 01:55 PM

..I don't think I've seen The Wrong Man. But I might be wrong.Ha, I see what you did there:p

honeykid

04-04-24, 03:21 PM

None seen since my last post. I've not seen them either, so nothing to say.

CosmicRunaway

04-04-24, 03:28 PM

I've only seen three of the last 8 reveals, but one of them was on my list!

I watched Ride the Pink Horse for the 2nd 1940s Hall of Fame, but other than loving the opening, the film didn't really do much for me. This was what I wrote about it at the time:
https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=32171

Ride the Pink Horse (1947)
Dir. Robert Montgomery
Starring: Robert Montgomery, Wanda Hendrix, Art Smith

I really enjoyed the opening of this film. The scene at the bus shop did a great job building atmosphere and creating intrigue. I was captivated by Gagin's movements, and the unexplained context surrounding his actions. It was a very interesting start to a film I had no expectations of before hand, however I was quickly disappointed because the remainder of the film (save for a scene or two) failed to compete with those first few shots, and I was left hoping for something a little more substantial.

I think Robert Montgomery makes for a much better director than he does an actor. His silence at the beginning was great, but there was something about his performance that just didn't sit right with me. I've never seen him in anything else, so I can't tell whether or not the things I disliked about him were part of his persona, or if I just didn't like his acting here. He did make some smart choices with his direction though. I'd like to know how much of that carousel scene with the children was his idea, and how much came from the cinematographer, because it was quite brilliant and easily rivalled the bus stop scene in terms of technique and significance.

Most of the other performances were great, particularly Thomas Gomez as Pancho, however I couldn't really buy the character of Pila. I felt that she was a little uneven, and her motivations needed at least some clarification to make her appeal to me. I also found many of the sets to be rather unimpressive, though they were usually lit nicely enough to showcase that lovely noir feel. It's hard to explain, but there was this undercurrent of mystery to the film that I did rather enjoy, but the plot didn't manage to put it to good use. I didn't dislike the film, but I thought it had the potential to be so much more than it was.

Since I was really mixed on it, it's probably no surprise that it wasn't in contention for my ballot. I've also seen The Narrow Margin, but don't really remember enough about it to comment.

The Strange Love of Martha Ivers, however, was one of the last films I watched in preparation for the Countdown so it's still fairly fresh in my mind. I hadn't even heard of it before, but I saw CR mention it a few times, so I decided to add it to my watch list and I wasn't disappointed! It has a very memorable ending that helped it find a spot pretty high on my list at #9.

Seen: 20/62

My List: 6
03. Stranger on the Third Floor (1940) - #92
08. Ministry of Fear (1944) - #75
09. The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946) - #40
11. This Gun for Hire (1942) - #78
13. Odd Man Out (1947) - #47
19. Phantom Lady (1944) - #69

https://64.media.tumblr.com/3348bab26bc0cccace1a61c75c2e27f0/2541895cba038c0f-53/s640x960/2c43f23b021e26b90d620f837693a6d51d8f400a.gifv

stillmellow

04-04-24, 05:47 PM

Haven't seen either film.

Ditto

mrblond

04-04-24, 06:10 PM

Five rounds later, I hit 2 out of 2 again, this time both of my upper half.

#39. The Wrong Man (1956) is my #4.

I came across this film accidentally about fifteen years ago at some DVD sale. When the theme of the countdown was announced, I knew this one will be high on my list.
This is a premier league material, from start to the end. In addition, I'm a big Henry Fonda admirer.
Rewatched the movie a few months ago and liked it even more.
4.5
90/100
98346
-----

#40. The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946) is my #12.

Saw this movie specially for the countdown. It was the Kirk Douglas name that brought me here.
Interesting story, well composed. I've noticed the Lizabeth Scott special expression.
4
80/100
98347
-----
My Ballot
▽
...
4. The Wrong Man (1956) [#39]
5. Suspicion (1941) [#49]
...
12. The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946) [#40]
...
21. Spellbound (1945) [#68]
22.
23. Woman on the Run (1950) [#91]
24. High Sierra (1940) [#50]
25. Niagara (1953) [#56]

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/lLZ366NsPpcfjWmNFtH0KBtInfb.jpg https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/76zZNcz3pR2EEUwAKLO1MTHkVDa.jpg https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/hIsRVPP0zqGGrm6Sh7wI1meeB0E.jpg https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/f9ZXZkbgZmQhYDnGHoMPaFIbSbh.jpg https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/8RttDdrSVwYSSwGpmil0z3vu98g.jpg https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/s2E4Ifgug7lTkVsv3hrFADAqYc5.jpg https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/m9ftjuwaaKHR4iv5SgMpXA5pIGN.jpg

-----

beelzebubble

04-04-24, 06:13 PM

The Strange Love of Martha Ivers is my #16. I love this movie. Always a good watch. It's got the peerless Barbara Stanwyck, Van Heflin(who really carries the movie), Lizabeth Scott and Kirk Douglas playing a pantywaist. It's quite a wild story. I never get tired of it.
I have never seen The Wrong Man.

WHITBISSELL!

04-04-24, 06:58 PM

2 for 2 for today.

I've seen both The Strange Love of Martha Ivers and The Wrong Man. I'd put the two at the same entertainment level. Some might prefer the powerful triumvirate of Stanwyck, Van Heflin and Douglas while others might favor the combination of Fonda, Vera Miles and Hitchcock directing. But IMO they're both equally worthy of a watch even though I'm assuming TSLoMI is the more well known of the two. If you haven't seen them do yourself a favor and take the time to check them both out.

34 of 62 seen.

GulfportDoc

04-04-24, 08:21 PM

The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946)

I’ve wondered if Paramount hadn’t taken a bit of a risk with this title, since it makes it sound like a melodramatic love story. The fact is that the picture is one of the best examples of classic down and dirty noir. The film is epic in nature, the tale beginning in 1928, and concluding in 1946. It stars Van Heflin,Barbara Stanwyck,Lizbeth Scott(in her second film role),Judith Anderson,and Kirk Douglas(in his first). Directed by Lewis Milestone(Casablanca), and photographed by the veteran Victor Milner(The Lady Eve).

Martha Ivers (Janis Wilson, Stanwyck as an adult) is the niece of a wealthy industrialist (Anderson) who has been Martha’s guardian since the demise of her father, a man named Smith. She hates her cold domineering aunt, and tries to run away with a young rogue friend Sam Masterson (Daryl Hickman, Heflin as an adult). The aunt has her captured and brought back telling her that she’ll never be able to escape. Another boy, Walter O’Neil, Jr. (Mickey Kuhn, Douglas as an adult), the son of her tutor, Walter O’Neil, Sr. (Roman Bohnen), is responsible for ratting out Martha’s escape.

Soon Martha attempts another escape with Sam, but Mrs. Ivers overhears them upstairs. During Mrs. Ivers’ walk up the stairway she stumbles upon the pet cat, and starts to beat the cat with her cane. Martha and Walter Jr. appear, whereupon Martha grabs the cane and strikes Mrs. Ivers, who tumbles down the stairs to hear death. Walter Sr. appears but agrees to testify that Mrs. Ivers’ death was an accident as long as he and his son can benefit.

Years later Sam happens by the town on a trip, where he learns that Martha is now the wealthy industrialist, and that she has married Walter Jr. --who has become the town’sdistrict attorney-- in a pact to keep Martha’s involvement in the Ivers death a secret. Sam visits his old home which is now a boarding house, where he meets a girl who is on probation, Toni Marachek (Scott). Sam soon approaches Walter to see if he’ll rectify Toni’s legal problem, but Walter wrongly suspects Sam is blackmailing him.

What follows are several twists and entanglements which lead to a classic memorable noir ending.

The picture was a huge success, and along with Double Indemnity two year prior, it cemented Stanwyck as one of the best femme fatales in film history. In fact she was never again to do a comedy. It was Heflin’s role in this film that made me realize what a great actor he was. Like Stanwyck, he was completely at home in any type of film. In addition this is the picture that put Kirk Douglas on the map. One can recognize the kernels of depth that he exhibited in his many subsequent films. And Lizabeth Scott
was absolutely smoldering in her portrayal of a blithe probationer who gets her man.

The success of Robert Rossen’s complex screenplay insured his future success as a director in such memorable films as All the King’s Men (1949) and The Hustler (1961).

Doc's rating: 9/10

rauldc14

04-04-24, 08:25 PM

Voted for neither, seen neither.

GulfportDoc

04-04-24, 08:29 PM

I enjoyed The Wrong Man, as I have each and every Hitchcock picture. But it admittedly is atypical, even low tier, Hitchcock.

The film is a closely spun docudrama, unique in Hitchcock's output. It was shot using the exact locations where the story took place. Hitchcock's own fear of prison and police made it interesting for him-- to portray the story from the innocent man's point of view. The early part of the film and the shocking reveal are the highlights.

It's not widely known that Hitchcock took the film as a favor to Warner Bros. It was his last film for that company, and since the industry was in a bit of a financial slump, Hitchcock did not take a salary for directing the movie. Afterwards he returned to Paramount.

dadgumblah

04-04-24, 11:48 PM

The Strange Love of Martha Ivers is, as CR can tell you, one that I've heard about since my Dad told me about since I was a kid, and for decades after. He assured me it was good, and I'm glad to see he was right, as I only just watched it a couple of weeks ago. I was hooked from minute one and glad I finally saw it. Would have placed fairly high on my list had I watched it in time. But it's good to see it make it!

I have The Wrong Man on my DVR and I had seen half of it last year till we had to get a new DVR and I lost my previous recording. I will finish it and I'm glad to see it made the Countdown.

#4 The Big Combo List Proper List Proper #52
#6 Kansas City Confidential List Proper #53
#14 Kiss of Death List Proper List Proper #59
#15 He Walked By Night List Proper #88
#16 The Naked City List Proper #60
#22 This Gun For Hire List Proper #78
#23 The Narrow Margin List Proper #43
#25 Crossfire List Proper #51

James D. Gardiner

04-04-24, 11:57 PM

Seen both. I probably expected more from The Wrong Man so it's not particularly memorable. I thought The Strange Love of Martha Ivers was very good, script and casting of very high calibre. I like the second half better than the first and that's probably a good thing.

Torgo

04-05-24, 08:57 AM

I thought I saw Alfred Hitchcock, but it was...

Sorry, I couldn't resist. I wasn't sure if it was a noir or not, so I didn't put it on my ballot. Here's something I wrote about it anyway:

The Wrong Man is a more grounded and less stylish Hitchcock movie, but it still cuts deep. It's based on the true story of Manny Balestreto (Henry Fonda), a New York jazz bassist and family man who is wrongly convicted of armed robbery. While his struggle to prove his innocence is compelling, this movie really succeeds in how it shows the toll that Manny's wrongful conviction takes on his family life. Vera Miles is amazing as Manny's wife Rose, whose acceptance of the blame for Manny's situation leads her to a stay in an insane asylum. Fonda is no less effective in conveying the frustration of having one's entire life crumble to pieces. The great Netflix miniseries Unbelievable, which is also about the devastating consequences of insufficient police work, likely took some cues from this movie.

Citizen Rules

04-05-24, 11:37 AM

98355
#38 The Stranger (1946)

Director: Orson Welles
Production: International Pictures
Cast: Orson Welles, Edward G. Robinson, Loretta Young
124 Points, 12 Lists

'An investigator from the War Crimes Commission travels to Connecticut to find an infamous Nazi.'

_______________________________________

Citizen Rules

04-05-24, 11:37 AM

98356
#37 Leave Her to Heaven (1945)

Director: John M. Stahl
Production: Twentieth Century Fox
Cast: Gene Tierney, Cornel Wilde, Jeanne Crain
137 Points, 13 Lists

'A writer falls in love with a young socialite and they're soon married, but her obsessive love for him threatens to be the undoing of them both as well as everyone around them.'

_______________________________________

Allaby

04-05-24, 11:45 AM

Leave Her To Heaven is very good, but missed my ballot. I thought The Stranger was just okay.

Seen: 61/64

Holden Pike

04-05-24, 11:51 AM

98357

Leave Her to Heaven was #47 on the MoFo Top 100 of the 1940s.

stillmellow

04-05-24, 11:59 AM

98357

Leave Her to Heaven was #47 on the MoFo Top 100 of the 1940s.

My #19, and one hell of a dark movie. With the scene you've pictured being one of the darkest in movie history. An unapologetically "feel bad" movie. I approve.

I liked the Stranger, especially the ending, but it just missed my list.

That's 7 I've seen so far.

My List so far:

19. Leave Her to Heaven
23. Suspicion
24. The Big Combo
25. D.O.A.

Citizen Rules

04-05-24, 12:32 PM

Leave Her to Heaven was #2 on my ballot!Love that film...I previously wrote this:

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fimgc.allpostersimages.com%2Fimg%2Fprint%2Fu-g-PH5AYM0.jpg%3Fw%3D400%26h%3D300&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=561fbba5443a94330f98d41792111f558d8d91ab38a66d8de67304eaa96cbe3d&ipo=images
Leave Her To Heaven (1945)

Leave Her to Heaven has a quality to it that's hard to describe. It's a slow burn, like sipping on a glass of fine brandy. At first it's easy, mellow and smooth. Slowly there's a growing sense that something is amiss with Ellen (Gene Tierney)...but she's so beautiful in another worldly way, that we're drawn to her like a moth to a flame. Richard (Cornel Wilde) is an innocuous man, and it's easy to be in his shoes and fall for Ellen. Who wouldn't?
I love the way the film really takes the time to develop the relationship between the two. So many films rush from the first meeting, to being in love in the very next scene. The strength of Leave Her to Heaven is the way the film never rushes the story.

No one but Gene Tierney could have played this part. She gives Ellen grace, beauty and a strange ethereal quality that makes Ellen attractive and yet reprehensible all at the same time.

The other thing I love is the look of the film. The art direction is sublime. The theme of aqua is used often in the film and is associated with Ellen. In set design, aqua is considered a 'cool color' and Ellen is cold as she is beautiful.

http://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=26057&stc=1&d=1466901793

I love the care the director put into the scenes, one that stands out is the staircase scene. We see Ellen take her time getting dressed, she picks out aqua shoes and dresses in an aqua & white print negligee, which matches the wall paper. All of this, for a particularly fatalistic event in the movie. This simply scene of getting dressed, expresses the mindset of Ellen.

I love this film. rating_5

Sedai

04-05-24, 12:39 PM

Two more days of films I haven't seen...

Onward!

Thief

04-05-24, 12:43 PM

I've seen The Stranger but didn't vote for it. It's a solid film, but it's a weird one. In some ways, it feels like two movies: the one that Orson Welles wanted, and the one that the studio wanted, which results in some awkward shifts in terms of tone and the overall feel of the film. Still, Welles and Robinson are both pretty good, and it's a fun watch.

I haven't seen Leave Her to Heaven.

SEEN: 14/64
MY BALLOT: 6/25

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11. Criss Cross (#44)
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17. The Narrow Margin (#43)
18.
19.
20.
21. The Hitch-Hiker (#67)
22.
23. The Woman in the Window (#65)
24. D.O.A. (#54)
25. Kansas City Confidential (#53)

Thief

04-05-24, 12:45 PM

Speaking of Welles, this is his second entry in the countdown, after Mr, Arkadin, a.k.a. Confidential Report back at #79.

Also, the 13-point gap between The Stranger and Leave Her to Heaven is the second biggest point-gap so far, after the 18-point gap from several days ago.

Citizen Rules

04-05-24, 12:56 PM

Speaking of Welles, this is his second entry in the countdown, after Mr, Arkadin, a.k.a. Confidential Report back at #79.
Probably not his last film to make the countdown either:D

Thief

04-05-24, 01:08 PM

Probably not his last film to make the countdown either:D

I don't know. Do you think he has the touch for more?

SpelingError

04-05-24, 01:39 PM

The Stranger was #18 on my ballot.

I haven't seen Leave Her to Heaven.

SpelingError

04-05-24, 01:41 PM

18) The Stranger
19) Odd Man Out
24) Crossfire

Allaby

04-05-24, 01:43 PM

I don't know. Do you think he has the touch for more?

Nah, his films aren't evil enough.

WHITBISSELL!

04-05-24, 01:54 PM

1 for 2 today. I see some people were left underwhelmed by The Stranger but it checked off most of my boxes. I thought Edward G. Robinson made the movie as the laid-back yet relentless pipe smoking investigator Mr. Wilson. Welles was busy directing so maybe he didn't have the time to put his heart and soul into his character like he did with Charles Foster Kane. But his Franz Kindler/Professor Charles Rankin was still a villain worthy of building a cat and mouse, pursuer and pursued thriller around. If there was a weak link I thought maybe Loretta Young was it. Her character came off a little underwritten. Some might be able to predict the ending but it's still worth a watch.

Haven't seen Leave Her to Heaven.

35 of 64 seen so far.

dadgumblah

04-05-24, 06:08 PM

I don't know. Do you think he has the touch for more?

I see what you did there. :)

Nah, his films aren't evil enough.

I also see what you did there. :)

The Stranger is a very good film. I thought Orson Welles was pretty dang evil in this one and that Robinson matched him as the force for good. But Welles would stop at nothing to keep his cover, even killing a dog! Richard Long also showed up this week in the Countdown in Criss Cross as Burt Lancaster's younger brother. Glad to see The Stranger made the list.

I haven't watched Leave Her to Heaven since I was a kid but I'll never forget the scene that Holden Pike posted. Heavy darkness, very Noir! That said, I very much need to see it again.

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beelzebubble

04-05-24, 06:12 PM

My #19, and one hell of a dark movie. With the scene you've pictured being one of the darkest in movie history. An unapologetically "feel bad" movie. I approve.

Leave Her to Heaven is my #19 as well. An unapologetically "feel bad" movie. Is a nice turn of phrase.
The Stranger is not on my list. It is certainly a movie that I have seen an enjoyed several times. Do not disparage Loretta Young. I thought she was fine as the damsel in distress. It was only Welles character that needed beefing up.

cricket

04-05-24, 06:28 PM

Like all of the last 4 with 2 making my ballot

3. Rififi (#42)
6. The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (#40)
7. Body and Soul (#94)
13. Detective Story (#57)
15. Force of Evil (#85)
16 Ride the Pink Horse (#45)
20. The Blue Dahlia (#74)
23. The Stranger (#38)
24. Drunken Angel (#70)
25. The Letter (#72)

seanc

04-05-24, 07:44 PM

Citizen Rules

04-05-24, 07:55 PM

Two I liked pretty well but didn’t make my list. Leave Her To Heaven probably could have. I don’t think I every considered it and I scanned a lot of Noir lists. I don’t think these lists are making my Noir definitions any clearer, in fact I think it’s muddying the waters. So goes genre.Some of the movies on the countdown are noir-ish, but not full on noir, which is OK. I've been thrilled with the results so far and the best is yet to come:)

I don't really remember The Wrong Man much but I've seen Leave Her to Heaven a couple of times and if Gene Tierney isn't the ultimate femme fatale in that movie I don't know who is. She's conniving, controlling and murderous and beautiful!
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Harry Lime

04-05-24, 08:16 PM

A pair of good films each with their own evil characters (and excellent performances). Neither made my list but both were (semi-)considered.

rauldc14

04-05-24, 08:39 PM

Leave Her to Heaven was my 25.

GulfportDoc

04-05-24, 09:05 PM

The Stranger

Right from the opening scenes we are treated to Welles' signature camera angles, shadows, long shots, and unique stylistic techniques. An escaped Nazi criminal's colleague is released from prison, with the expectation by the authorities that he'll reunite with the highly sought after fugitive who is believed to be hiding in the U.S. The somber foreboding tone is set early. In fact this is one of Welles' darker films. There was hardly a smile in the entire picture.

Surprisingly Welles --as the Nazi fugitive who has established a completely new identity as a professor at a small Connecticut college-- gives himself a fairly humdrum first entry into the story, in contrast to many of his other movies. His character is introduced into the film without flourish.

But soon the colleague Konrad Meinike, played by the superb Russian cum American actor Konstantin Shayne, hooks up with Welles' Franz Kindler, who is shocked that he risked his exposure by meeting with him in person. In short order Kindler murders Meinike to avoid further recognition. These actions occupy the first 15 minutes of the picture, and Shayne is perfection in his role as the loyal but frightened Nazi.

Kindler is about to marry the daughter (Loretta Young) of a state supreme court justice, but the Nazi Hunter --in a wonderful performance by Edward G. Robinson-- figures out who Kindler is, and plots to take him down. Kindler is gradually exposed as a ruthless psychopath who is even willing to kill his new wife after he is exposed. Kindler's end provides a memorable and well filmed section of film in a clock tower that has been imitated many times by others.

It was surprising to me that Welles maintained his role as Kindler in an almost one dimensional fashion: serious, humorless, and distant. He could have imbued the character with many facets, but instead kept it very steadfast. His minor attempts at portraying Kindler as a pillar of the community, or a "right guy" were so scarce that one wonders if footage that portrayed a more well rounded character weren't edited out. In fact, upon research, editor Ernest Nims was given the order to freely cut scenes which did not advance the story. So many of Welles' explanatory and side scenes were slashed, some to the picture's detriment. Still, Welles' Kinlder was imposing, chilling, and memorable, and was probably deeply impressed upon the minds of post war American audiences.

That brings up an important point about viewing Welles' films in retrospect. Many of his pictures, and certainly his earlier ones-- were not only innovative, but very timely and fresh. For example in The Stranger, which was shot soon after the end of WWII, people were not convinced that the Nazi concentration camps were real; and the idea that an escaped important Nazi could be living undetected in the U.S. had not occurred to people. Welles' insertion of Nazi death camp newsreel footage was a first in American films, and brought home the reality to American movie-goers. So too, the Nazi fugitive theme was unique for the era.

Therefore some in contemporary audiences aren't able to experience the impact that films like The Stranger had at the time, so it's helpful to experience them with that in mind.

Despite Welles' agreed-to restrictions, and his contractual obligation to finish the film on time and within budget, The Stranger is a memorable production that was not only popular in its day, but made the studios handsome profits-- a combination which may have been unique in Welles' prolific career.