The MoFo Top 100 Film Noir Countdown

[John-Connor]

66038

Leave Her to Heaven was my #9. Creepy noir thriller with a subtle build-up. Exquisite color scheme, hair, make-up, wardrobe and interior design. Mesmerizing performances by Gene Tierney and Jeanne Crain. About the picture quality and popping colors, I've always wondered if it's because of the Blu-ray or if it was this good looking on the screen back in 1945? And yes CR, Tierney is definitely in the conversation when discussing ultimate femme fatale portrayals.

Haven't seen The Stranger, yet.

SEEN 31/64
BALLOT 8/25

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/jfijewoZOn2ET2VsSaNoIVXjKM.jpghttps://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/aUzQZt2UlaurZ3wlhzVXQb6PQk8.jpghttps://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/hNP8ikn0ixyv1DnsQNJhui9Xfu.jpghttps://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/lLZ366NsPpcfjWmNFtH0KBtInfb.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)
17. The Wrong Man (1956)
10. Bob Le Flambeur (1956)
09. Leave Her to Heaven (1945)
03. The Narrow Margin (1952)

[Holden Pike]

Color noirs are allowed! They just have to be tagged 'film noir' at IMDB or Wiki per the 1st post rules.

However North by Northwest is not a noir and it's not tagged as such so not eligible. Good movie though.
95966

Just starting to catch up with this thread. While most classic Films Noir are of course filmed in black & white, that is not a prerequisite. Some of the best known color Noirs are Leave Her To Heaven (1945), Niagara (1953), Desert Fury (1947), Black Widow (1954), I Died a Thousand Times (1955) - which is a remake of High Sierra, House of Bamboo (1955), Party Girl (1958), The Unholy Wife (1957), A Kiss Before Dying (1956), Hell on Frisco Bay (1956), and some obscure little flick by the name of Vertigo (1958). There are others, but those are some of the biggies.

North by Northwest, while one of Hitchcock's best, is definitely NOT Film Noir.

95965

Now that Leave Her to Heaven and Niagara have made the list, I suspect that will be it for color Noirs, unless Vertigo - which is more Noir-ish than Noir - made it into the mix. I wouldn't think I Died a Thousand Times will place above High Sierra nor will House of Bamboo be considered a top Sam Fuller. All of the others would have been in the bottom half if they were coming.

[Little Ash]

Now that Leave Her to Heaven and Niagara have made the list, I suspect that will be it for color Noirs, unless Vertigo - which is more Noir-ish than Noir - made it into the mix. I wouldn't think I Died a Thousand Times will place above High Sierra nor will House of Bamboo be considered a top Sam Fuller. All of the others would have been I'm the bottom half if they were coming.


Wasn't there some back and forth after that post where CR basically said Vertigo wasn't eligible? Makes it seem less likely it'd make the countdown.

[Little Ash]

The Stranger was my #19. My memory is kind of fuzzy on it, I just remember liking it, but it's been a few years.

[Citizen Rules]

98368

#36 Gun Crazy (1950)

Director: Joseph H. Lewis
Production: King Brothers Production
Cast: John Dall, Peggy Cummins, Berry Kroeger
137 Points, 15 Lists

'Two disturbed young people release their fascination with guns through a crime spree.'

_______________________________________

[Citizen Rules]

98369
#35 Rebecca (1940)

Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Production: Selznick International Pictures
Cast: Laurence Olivier, Joan Fontaine, George Sanders
142 Points, 8 Lists

'A self-conscious woman juggles adjusting to her new role as an aristocrat's wife and avoiding being intimidated by his first wife's spectral presence.'


_______________________________________

[Allaby]

I like both Gun Crazy and Rebecca, but neither made my ballot.

Seen: 63/66

[seanc]

Two from my list today.

Rebecca speaks for itself. Just one of the all time greats of atmosphere. One of those movies that every time I think about it, I can’t wait to watch it again. I don’t even know if I consider it Noir, but it’s fantastic and I knew it would be here. I put it at 9.

Gun Crazy was just a tremendous amount of fun. Love that female lead performance. The story feels fresh and cool. I put it at 23.

[John W Constantine]

Gun Crazy was my #3. First watched in my TCM w/o the dvr option days. It faded a little from my memory after haven't seen it again until a few months ago. Now I'll have a hard time forgetting it.

Rebecca is solid Hitch. I would have liked both to be a little higher up but glad they're here.

[Holden Pike]

98372

Rebecca was #10 on the MoFo Top 100 of the 1940s.

[Sedai]

Well, at least I have seen these two :)

Two very good noirs, and Rebecca just missed my list.

[Harry Lime]

It's been a long time since I saw it, so I won't be able to give any decent criticism supporting my opinion, but I didn't care too much for Gun Crazy - at least that's what I'm seeing based on my rating. I gave it a pas but hey it might have been my mood or it might be that it's not as great as the 15 of you who voted for it think it is. Who knows?

Another day, another Hitchcock film that may or may not be a noir depending on who you talk to and what day of the week it is. Ah..close enough. And it's still a very good picture.

On a side note, I really like how GulfportDoc refers to movies as pictures in reviews. It's actually quite legit (and a bit studio classy) if you think about it - awards use "Picture" and the studios do. Universal Pictures, Paramount Pictures...you get it. I'm in the business but I imagine it's used a lot. I just get tired of saying film or movie all the time.Thought I'd try it on there. Don't want to be seen as an imitator but what the heck!

[WHITBISSELL!]

2 for 2. Gun Crazy (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2251443#post2251443) is my #7 pick. Director Joseph H. Lewis stages a bank robbery scene that wouldn't look out of place in any modern day thriller. I don't know if this qualifies as a hidden gem but it certainly surprised and impressed me.

Rebecca is another film that ended up surprising but also delighting me. I knew Hitchcock had directed it but for the longest time I had it pegged as more of a romance type of film. I couldn't have been more wrong. Now it's right up there as one of my favorite Hitchcock films which is saying quite a lot.

37 seen of the 66 listed so far.

[Miss Vicky]

I've seen Rebecca, but was pretty indifferent to it and would not have voted for it.

[Thief]

2 for 2 seen, but only one made it into my ballot.

Rebecca is Top 10 Hitchcock. Well acted, neatly directed. I might share something I wrote back when I first saw it (2017), But as well made as it is, and as much as I love it, I have a couple other Hitchcock films on my ballot that I like a lot more.

Gun Crazy is a very gritty, very raw film. It was actually one of Dr. Richard Edwards' Top 5 noir films when we did an episode on Film Noir on the podcast. That's why I caught up with it and liked it a whole lot (waaay better than Bonnie & Clyde :shifty: ). Here's my review of it (https://www.movieforums.com/reviews/2258361-gun_crazy.html), and a brief excerpt from it:

Aside from that, the camerawork from Lewis, especially during the car chases is nothing short of impressive. Moreover when you consider this was a low budget film, with little resources when compared to the big studio productions of the time. All of this adds a certain energy to the film that's maintained until the last scene.

I had it at #20.


SEEN: 16/66
MY BALLOT: 7/25


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. Gun Crazy (#36)
21. The Hitch-Hiker (#67)
22.
23. The Woman in the Window (#65)
24. D.O.A. (#54)
25. Kansas City Confidential (#53)

[stillmellow]

Rebecca is my #11! We're getting into 'the good stuff', I see.

I've also seen Gun Crazy, but it didn't make my list. It was good, but not top tier to me.

Seen 9 of 66.

[Thief]

Interesting that Rebecca makes it into #35 with almost half the ballots than its predecessor, Gun Crazy. That means that whoever voted for Rebecca voted reeeeally high. It also has one of the highest IMDb ratings at 8.1.

[CosmicRunaway]

Two more films from my list have shown up now. I had The Stranger at #25, and considering the fact that I nominated Rebecca in the 15th Hall of Fame, it's probably no surprise that I had it high on my list here as well at #7.

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=41618

Rebecca (1940)
Dir. Alfred Hitchcock
Starring: Laurence Olivier, Joan Fontaine, Judith Anderson

Rebecca is a film that inhabits multiple genres during different parts of its story. It takes its time setting up a typical, slightly comedic romantic drama, before subtly working in elements during the second act that gradually transform the film into a psychological thriller, before shifting focus again just before the finale. It could easily have become a mess under a different director, but the various parts blend together really well, with a particularly smooth transition between the first two acts.

Throughout the film, the suspense builds incredibly slowly and organically without relying on blind twists, though the full details surrounding the central mystery are not revealed until it's necessary for the plot to progress. The haunting memory of Rebecca, who presence can always be felt lingering over the Manderley, helps establish a dark atmosphere that complements the story very beautifully. For a character that is never seen, Rebecca leaves a remarkable impression in her wake.

Judith Anderson was great as Mrs. Danvers, the housekeeper who is perhaps slightly too obsessed with the former Mrs. de Winter. She stole every scene she was in, which is quite the accomplishment considering the talented actors she appeared with on screen. While the film was quite a bit more subtle than I remembered it being, I rather enjoyed the pace this time around. It's still not my favourite Hitchcock film, but it is certainly masterfully crafted.

Seen: 22/66

My List: 8
03. Stranger on the Third Floor (1940) - #92
07. Rebecca (1940) - #35
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
25. The Stranger (1946) - #38

[SpelingError]

Gun Crazy was #14 on my ballot. Great characters and it has a handful of great set pieces.

Rebecca is pretty good, but it didn't have a chance at making my ballot.

[SpelingError]

14) Gun Crazy
18) The Stranger
19) Odd Man Out
24) Crossfire

[Thursday Next]

Rebecca was my #5. Brilliantly executed by Hitchcock. Dark, tense and fascinating.

[GulfportDoc]

Gun Crazy is a bona fide noir classic. I have it at my #15.

In Gun Crazy the cinematography was unusual and innovative for the time (1949). There was lots of location footage, but what was interesting was how many scenes were shot with the camera in the back seat of a car (they used a stretch limousine), showing the action of the people in the front seat, and observing integral action occurring where they were driving-- a great long take. I wondered who the cinematographer was, so I looked him up. Sure enough, it was Russell Harlan, who photographed Witness for the Prosecution, To Kill a Mockingbird, and Hatari. The picture is worth watching just for Harlan's work.

John Dall co-starred with Peggy Cummings. He seemed too refined for the role, but yet he seemed very familiar. I couldn't place what else he'd been in. Then it came to me that he'd co-starred with Farley Granger in Rope. He was best at portraying sophisticated characters.

A great film, and one of the greatest noirs. I love that long take sequence while the couple were driving to the bank heist. Very innovative for its day.

Peggy Cummins was such a sweet Irish lassie to play such a psychopathic femme fatale killer. And the kinky sexual turn-on from guns and murder was pretty suggestive for 1950.

I'm sure that the screen writers for Bonnie and Clyde(1967) were strongly influenced by this landmark film.

[John-Connor]

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/i8fiqKaQklF02VmQYhSxmwa8KOH.jpg
Rebecca is a classic noir mystery masterpiece and one of my all time/all genres favorite films, had it at #8. Gun Crazy is a great and highly influential noir classic. I have it at #49.

SEEN 33/66
BALLOT 9/25

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49. Gun Crazy (1950)
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)
09. Leave Her to Heaven (1945)
08. Rebecca 1940
03. The Narrow Margin (1952)

[Citizen Rules]

Tomorrow will be one of my favorite noirs, that's all I'm saying.

[GulfportDoc]

Rebecca is a memorable landmark picture, although I don't see it as a noir, apart from its dark tone. Veteran DP George Barnes was not known for noir, his only one being Nightmare (1942). He was later to work again with Hitchcock on Spellbound (1945), the 4th and final film Hitch had done under the thumb of David O. Selznick.

It was during filming that Hitchcock learned the trick of filming only what was necessary to present the script as written, so it couldn't be edited differently later. Still, when Selznick was freed up from working on Gone With the Wind, he insisted on some re-shoots for Rebecca.

The famous story is that Selznick had wanted the smoke from the burning mansion to spell out "R", but thankfully Hitch quietly ditched that, and substituted a burning monogrammed clothing case instead..🙂

[Thief]

REBECCA
(1940, Hitchcock)

https://i.imgur.com/kao9DnR.png


"I want you to get rid of all these things."
"But these are Mrs. de Winter's things."
"*I* am Mrs. de Winter now!"



Rebecca was Alfred Hitchcock's first film in Hollywood and his first collaboration with David O. Selznick, who was coming hot off the success of Gone With The Wind. The film follows a young woman (Joan Fontaine) who marries widower Maxim De Winter (Laurence Olivier), but has to deal with the constant comparisons and memories of his titular first wife.

Rebecca is unlike any film Hitchcock made before, and on the surface, you can feel Selznick's touch in it more than you can feel Hitchcock's. The scope feels more epic and broader, and the tone is more serious. Despite this "differences", Hitchcock's direction is great. But the cinematography and lighting were breathtaking. The film looks gorgeous in its black and white, shadow-filled majesty. Shades of films to come, like Citizen Kane and Hitchcock's own Vertigo, can be seen in the cinematography and even the plot.

I thought both Olivier and Fontaine filled their roles ably. Olivier, although not perfect, did managed to convey that heaviness and grief-stricken nature of Maxim, while Fontaine showed the necessary naivete and innocence needed for the role. However, Judith Anderson steals her scenes as Mrs. Danvers, the mysterious maid that remains fixated to the late Rebecca. To me, the film peaked in a tense scene between Anderson and Fontaine. The last act did lose some steam, but at least it had George Sanders in it, and he was great.

All in all, Rebecca remains a new direction and a growth of Hitchcock, even if lots of it were controlled by Selznick.

Grade: 4

[cricket]

I adore Rebecca, easily my favorite Hitch, and it did pop into my mind for this countdown. I just don't view it as noir so I'm surprised to see it show.

Seen Gun Crazy but don't remember it.

[mrblond]

#35. Rebecca (1940) is my #2.

Seeing this film outside of top 20 is a bit of surprise.
The character of Mrs. Danvers portrayed by Judith Anderson is a cult for cine-lovers. Quite obvious, the film-producers hired her several years later to repeat the same thing for the introduction scenes of The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (Mrs. Ivers).
Applause for Joan Fontaine too, a role she actually repeated the next year in Suspicion.

4.5+
92/100
98377
-----

My Ballot
▽
...
2. Rebecca (1940) [#35]
3.
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/ovvWrzp58tc2f59n3In34wtOwV6.jpg 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

-----

[SpelingError]

Tomorrow will be one of my favorite noirs, that's all I'm saying.

My guess is Pickup on South Street.

[stillmellow]

My guess is Pickup on South Street.


A great one that isn't on my list, because I didn't see it until after my list was submitted.

[dadgumblah]

Gun Crazy is one I love so it definitely went on my list. The tale of the gun-loving lovers on the lam is exceptionally well-done with Peggy Cummins especially shining as the more bloodthirsty of the pair. I think she's one of the more lovely femme fatales in Noir. This is a total winner. Had it at #20.

I always thought of Rebecca as a gothic thriller rather than Noir. Still, it's great to see it place in the top half of any list. A terrific film that always makes me think of Judith Anderson first, and the rest of the cast and crew second. 🙂 Very deserving of its Best Picture win.

#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
#20 Gun Crazy List Proper #36
#22 This Gun For Hire List Proper #78
#23 The Narrow Margin List Proper #43
#25 Crossfire List Proper #51

[Iroquois]

six new films and still no votes. most of them are pretty good, except for the strange loves of martha ivers (think it's just alright) and the wrong man (which i haven't seen).

[honeykid]

Can a noir be in colour? Purists can debate that but once I knew they were allowed Leave Her To Heaven was making my list because, if there can be colour noir, then this is it. Beautiful, stylish, hard as steel and cold as ice. That's not just Ellen, but a descrition of the whole film. It, and she, are stunning. Had it not counted I wouldn't have minded, but as it did, it was a certainty for my list because, even though I have Niagara higher, this is feels more noir if that makes any sense.

I also had Gun Crazy at #15, a film I was completely unaware of until I saw the Drew Barrymore version in the early/mid 90's. Minus Drew, I prefer the original and as a bona fide noir, it was a shoo-in for my list.

I don't know when you add to your overall list Citizen Rules but the last two haven't been added yet. :)

[Little Ash]

Gun Crazy - I finally watched it for the first time recently. It was alright, with the get away scenes seeming quite impressive for the time, but I'm also not really a car chase movie type of person. It was in consideration for the ballot but didn't make it.


Rebecca - I haven't seen this since I was a teen and don't remember much. I remember liking it though. It didn't even cross my mind for this ballot for a revisit because I remembered it as a gothic mystery or gothic thriller.

[Citizen Rules]

98382
#34 The Lost Weekend (1945)

Director: Billy Wilder
Production: Paramount Pictures
Cast: Ray Milland, Jane Wyman, Phillip Terry
149 Points, 12 Lists

'The desperate life of a chronic alcoholic is followed through a four-day drinking bout.'

_______________________________________

[Citizen Rules]

98384
#33 Nightmare Alley (1947)

Director: Edmund Goulding
Production: Twentieth Century Fox
Cast: Tyrone Power, Joan Blondell, Coleen Gray
164 Points, 17 Lists

'The rise and fall of Stanton Carlisle, a mentalist whose lies and deceit prove to be his downfall.'

_____________________________________

[edarsenal]

Nightmare Alley I had a VERY strong feeling that was what you meant, CR. VERY cool!

[Thursday Next]

Nightmare Alley was my #9, very good noir film and much better than the recent remake.

[Citizen Rules]

Nightmare Alley I had a VERY strong feeling that was what you meant, CR. VERY cool!Love that film, so much that I 'choose' to believe that Stanton Carlisle (Tyrone Power) actually didn't fall for Helen Walker's scheming bag of tricks. I mean he's gotta be way too smart to not see through her. I just make up my own movie where him and Molly (Coleen Gray) live happily ever after performing their mentalist act in Vegas:D

[Iroquois]

no votes. the lost weekend is really good - didn't think of it for this list, which does make me wonder how many different titles i'd have voted for if i'd really gone to the trouble of verifying them as eligible.

[Harry Lime]

I like The Lost Weekend but haven't seen it for quite a long time. Billy Wilder has been moving up my favourite director list so I could give it a rewatch. I'm a big fan of Nightmare Alley and even like the recent remake. It's a great story with twists, and the twisted, and I had it at #25 - but it could have been higher on a different day.

15. Bob le flambeur (1956)
17. Rififi (1955)
25. Nightmare Alley (1947)

[John W Constantine]

I had to do some reshuffling when I submitted my ballot due to eligibility reasons. I could have sworn I replaced one with Nightmare Alley but somehow didn't. I rewatched it for this countdown and was very impressed with it as it offered a little more than just the standard noir. Great movie.

The Lost Weekend I watched years ago and remember liking it.

[Allaby]

Both The Lost Weekend and Nightmare Alley made my ballot. Two excellent films with great writing and fantastic performances. The Lost Weekend was my #11 and Nightmare Alley was my #16.

Seen: 65/68

[Citizen Rules]

Nightmare Alley made my ballot of course it was my #8, probably should've been higher. It's also in my Top 10 movie profile on MoFo. It was my nomination in the 13th HoF and I've reviewed it and wrote this:

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=41136&stc=1&d=1517697937 https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=29978&stc=1&d=1492973420
Nightmare Alley (1947)

The life of Stanton Carlisle, a carnival performer & mentalist whose abilities allow him to rise to great heights, only proving to be his weak point. CR



Nightmare Alley is a film that deals with a very unique subject. I could see this being a difficult film for some to get into as much of what happens is subtle and not readily shown on the screen.

Stanton (Tyrone Power) literately commands the film with his presences. Stan, could have been portrayed as some two dimensional bad guy and if that had been the case the film wouldn't be all that special.

But Stan is very human, very three dimensional. Like us, Stan has self doubts and carries baggage from his past that makes his journey all the harder for him. And like us, Stan has potential, that potential is the power of belief in himself, which then causes others to believe in him... and their utter belief makes his words true to them. And that's what the film is about, the power of belief...and self confidence.

Stan is not really motivated by the need for fame or money or even power....even though that's what he aims for and what we are shown...but what he's really seeking is the need to be believed in, by others. And that's something most of us can also relate to.

It's only when he runs up against a cold hearted, greedy woman psychologist Lilith (Helen Walker),that he begins to question that belief in himself. "It takes one to catch one"...that's his line to Lilith. He recognizes what she is, but still is drawn to her like a moth to a flame. It's not love or even sex that he's after, it's her knowledge of the human mind.

Stan's utter belief in himself makes him literally invincible...not even Zeena's (Joan Blondell) Tarot cards can break his self confidence....But Lilith can with her reverse guilt trip that she lays on him, during his one moment of self doubt. She finds the center within him, his Achilles heel, and lays the groundwork to destroy his ego, via Stan's guilt over the accidental poisoning of Pete.

That's when Stan falters, that's when he stops believing in himself. That lack of belief leads him ultimately to the bottom of his world...I call that a powerful film.

rating_5

[SpelingError]

The Lost Weekend was #22 on my ballot. A truly fine look at addiction.

Nightmare Alley is pretty good, but it didn't make my ballot.

[SpelingError]

14) Gun Crazy
18) The Stranger
19) Odd Man Out
22) The Lost Weekend
24) Crossfire

[rauldc14]

Seen both but voted for neither. But I did like both. Need to see both again as it's been awhile.

[Thief]

Haven't seen either, but both have been on my radar. Lost Weekend because of Wilder and Bogart, and Nightmare Alley because of the remake. I wanted to check it out back when I saw that one, but never got to it.

[Holden Pike]

98388

Nightmare Alley was #80 on the MoFo Top 100 of the 1940s while The Lost Weekend was #24.

[mrblond]

#34 The Lost Weekend (1945), I have it at #15 on my ballot.

I've examined most of the Wilder's catalog about seven years ago. Most of his works deserve a praise in their respective categories.
This one is not in my top 5 of Wilder but good enough to get into the middle slots of my ballot.

[seanc]

With both versions of Nightmare Alley I felt the same. Should have stayed in the carnival setting. Both are excellent when they are there, and pretty meh when they leave.

Lost Weekend deserves a rewatch, but I wouldn’t have considered it here regardless.

[Little Ash]

Watched both for this countdown, both made the ballot.

#16 - The Lost Weekend 1945 (#34)
#18 - Nightmare Alley 1947 (#33)



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. The Lost Weekend 1945 (#34)
17.
18. Nightmare Alley 1947 (#33)
19.
20. The Naked City (#60)
21. The Hitch-Hiker (#67)
22. Gaslight 1944 (#96)
23. Niagara 1953 (#56)
24.
25.

[WHITBISSELL!]

2 for 2. Both excellent noirs but neither The Lost Weekend (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2295948#post2295948) or Nightmare Alley (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2251353#post2251353) were on my ballot. I remember first hearing about TLW when I was a kid watching cartoons. That's how deeply embedded it was in the cultural zeitgeist. And even though I've always favored Tyrone Power as an actor NA had never been on my radar. The release of the remake brought it to my attention so I watched this, the original, first. Kind of ruined the remake for me. Couldn't finish it.

39 of 68 seen so far.

[stillmellow]

2 for 2 on my list! I believe this is the first day that's happened.


Nightmare Alley is my #20, and Lost Weekend is my #5. I'm surprised Lost Weekend isn't in the top 20. It's such quintessential noir, and one of the best lead actor performances in a noir of all time.


My list so far:


5. Lost Weekend
11. Rebecca
19. Leave Her to Heaven

20. Nightmare Alley
23. Suspicion
24. Big Combo, The
25. D.O.A.

[stillmellow]

I've seen 11 of 68.

Not bad considering my 0 of 46 start. 😅

I'm actually in the middle of a comeback, having seen all 6 of the previous films revealed.

[Thief]

List facts!


The Lost Weekend's IMDb rating of 7.9 is tied with The Strange Love of Martha Ivers for the second highest, below Rififi and Rebecca at 8.1.
The 15-point gap between The Lost Weekend and Nightmare Alley is now the highest, as points begin to spread more and more.
On that same note, Nightmare Alley presence in 17 ballots means is the most "popular" of the countdown so far. The previous highest was Gun Crazy, which was present on 15 ballots.

[Citizen Rules]

Citizen Rules ballot
1
2 Leave Her to Heaven (1945) #37
3
4
5
6
7
8 Nightmare Alley (1947) #33
9 The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946) #40
10
11 Ride the Pink Horse (1947) #45
12
13 Won't make it?
14
15
16 Too Late for Tears (1949) #81
17 Kansas City Confidential (1952) #53
18 Detective Story (1951) #57
19 The Set-Up (1949) #46
20
21
22
23
24 Almost made it
25 Crime Wave (1953) on the 1 pointer list

[Thief]

Haven't seen either, but both have been on my radar. Lost Weekend because of Wilder and Bogart, and Nightmare Alley because of the remake. I wanted to check it out back when I saw that one, but never got to it.

Oops, yeah. I meant Milland, who I've loved since I saw Dial M for Murder :D Thanks to the Noir Police who alerted me via Post Comments :laugh:

[GulfportDoc]

There is a famous comment from Billy Wilder after having worked with Raymond Chandler on Double Indemnity. He said that part of the reason he made The Lost Weekend was "to explain Chandler to himself".

I didn't love Nightmare Alley, but it was a landmark film that was very well done. I did put it up to #17 on my top 25 list. It was a much better picture than the 2021 remake.

[cricket]

Didn't love The Lost Weekend but I'd give it another shot. Don't remember seeing it as noir though.

Liked Nightmare Alley enough to vote for it.

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)
19. Nightmare Alley (#33)
20. The Blue Dahlia (#74)
23. The Stranger (#38)
24. Drunken Angel (#70)
25. The Letter (#72)

[Citizen Rules]

Oops, yeah. I meant Milland, who I've loved since I saw Dial M for Murder :D Have you seen Ray Milland in The Man With The X-Ray Eyes? Good stuff!

[Harry Lime]

Citizen Rules ballot
13 Won't make it?

Hm who would know if your #13 makes it or not. Guess you'll have to wait to find out.

[Citizen Rules]

Hm who would know if your #13 makes it or not. Guess you'll have to wait to find out.Ha:D I wondered if anyone would notice that. Truth is I'm too lazy to go look at the master list I have and so I really don't know if it will make it or not. But based on it's title it's not that popular and we're into the more well known noirs now.

[dadgumblah]

I've yet to see The Lost Weekend but that's not from lack of wanting to. It's just that there's so many movies to watch in life! I'm glad it made it because of its reputation.

I watched Nightmare Alley after the Countdown began, and wow! Not only is this a great Noir, but for me it's simply a great film. It quickly became one of my all-time favorites and I wish I'd seen it before we started but I don't care because it's seen now and I love it. Power was top-shelf in this, with co-stars Joan Blondell and Mike Mazurki doing fine work. But Coleen Gray and Helen Walker are beyond-beautiful and represent two ends of the spectrum when it comes to being human beings: Gray is decent and Walker is evil. But this is Power's show when it comes down to it and I don't recall him being better. Like @Citzen Rules I gave this one 5 popcorn buckets. So glad it made the list.

Have you seen Ray Milland in The Man With The X-Ray Eyes? Good stuff!

I haven't but there's an image that I've been thinking about lately that may happen on Monday if people look at the solar eclipse the wrong way:

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/9c/cf/e9/9ccfe9fb389e3389b395c0354bcf5941.jpg


#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
#20 Gun Crazy List Proper #36
#22 This Gun For Hire List Proper #78
#23 The Narrow Margin List Proper #43
#25 Crossfire List Proper #51

[Thief]

Have you seen Ray Milland in The Man With The X-Ray Eyes? Good stuff!

Ironically, I've only seen 4 of his films: Dial M for Murder, Ministry of Fear, The Uninvited, and Love Story. It's an actor I keep wanting to see more of, so I'll add that one to the watchlist.

[Citizen Rules]

I watched Nightmare Alley after the Countdown began, and wow! Not only is this a great Noir, but for me it's simply a great film. It quickly became one of my all-time favorites and I wish I'd seen it before we started but I don't care because it's seen now and I love it. Power was top-shelf in this, with co-stars Joan Blondell and Mike Mazurki doing fine work. But Coleen Gray and Helen Walker are beyond-beautiful and represent two ends of the spectrum when it comes to being human beings: Gray is decent and Walker is evil. But this is Power's show when it comes down to it and I don't recall him being better. Like @Citzen Rules I gave this one 5 popcorn buckets. So glad it made the list.... Yes! Another fan of Nightmare Alley. Poor Tyrone Power he wasn't taken seriously as an actor by some. He often was thought of as a matinee idol which is what most of his earlier movies were. Luckily he managed to land in a few choice movies like Witness for the Prosecution, The Razor's Edge and of course his triumph Nightmare Alley. Then he dies young at age 44 while doing a dueling scene for a movie...The same way his father who was an actor had died.

[Allaby]

I watched The Breaking Point and Act of Violence today. I thought both had good performances, but Act of Violence was the more interesting and effective of the two. Bob Le Flambeur is now the only remaining film (so far) on this countdown that I haven't seen.

Seen: 67/68

[Citizen Rules]

Ironically, I've only seen 4 of his films: Dial M for Murder, Ministry of Fear, The Uninvited, and Love Story. It's an actor I keep wanting to see more of, so I'll add that one to the watchlist.Count me as a fan of Milland. I've seen all those films except I haven't got around to Love Story yet. I did watch him recently in the noir The Big Clock (1948) and did a little write up on the now famous Noirvember 2023 Rate the Last Noir You Watched thread. (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?t=69073)
Sean and John-Connor also wrote it up and the links with the ratings are on the 1st post. One of my favorite Milland movies was Golden Earrings with Marlene Dietrich.

[PHOENIX74]

#36 Gun Crazy - Here's a snappy, dazzling, fast-paced film that hits hard throughout it's typically short film noir runtime. There are so many scenes from Gun Crazy that get recalled when I read about the genre as a whole, because it has that intensity derived from lust - something which all the best film noir classics have. The combination of lust and violence is bridged by passion, and it's something every human being can feel in their gut. So when gun lover Bart (John Dall) gets led astray by sociopath Laurie (Peggy Cummins) it's tragic, but makes some kind of sense in a fundamental way - a deadly, toxic mix of passions that spells doom for the young man. Such a great movie. I had it at #16 on my film noir ballot.

#35 Rebecca - I caught up with this years ago, because Rebecca has that kind of "great movie" reputation, and I liked everything about it except for the way Laurence Olivier played his role - I just felt like his dialogue was spat out at much too rapid a pace. Sometimes so fast I couldn't grasp it. I guess that was his character, but it started to drive me crazy. The film doesn't depend on that one factor though, and the story is told in gripping style and a dark, brooding mood. Just seen it the once, a while ago - it couldn't make my ballot.

#34 The Lost Weekend - I've been looking forward to this film for years and years. Still haven't gotten around to watching it - one day. One day.

#33 Nightmare Alley - It was the remake which spurred me to go back and check out the original Nightmare Alley. I felt that this version was more direct and the moral and ethical reading of what everything means is more neatly laid out and easier to read. (In other words, it wasn't as flashy and grandiose.) Great performance from Tyrone Power, whose eyes command most of our attention almost as if he were hypnotizing us in the audience. I'd always prefer to watch an original before seeing the remake, but I found the two movies to be quite distinct from each other, despite telling the same story. Really liked it a lot. I had it at #22 on my ballot.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Seen : 16/68
I'd never even heard of : 45/68
Movies that had been on my radar, but I haven't seen yet : 7/60
Films from my list : 7

#33 - My #22 - Nightmare Alley (1947)
#36 - My #16 - Gun Crazy (1950)
#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)

[John-Connor]

Can't find my The Lost Weekend review but I remember it being very good with a memorable performance by Ray Milland. I have it at #44. Nightmare Alley is good especially the scenes in the carnival setting, always nice to see Colleen Gray. The remake was terrible, not even Cate Blanchett could save it.

SEEN 35/68
BALLOT 9/25

49. Gun Crazy (1950)
47. Angel Face (1952)
44. The Lost Weekend (1945)
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)
09. Leave Her to Heaven (1945)
08. Rebecca 1940
03. The Narrow Margin (1952)

[John-Connor]

https://64.media.tumblr.com/e768400c39fcdd329407302d3bcd43b1/tumblr_p29l1r2x6N1vbltbwo2_r1_540.gif

Actor Stats Pit Stop

98392

6
Humphrey Bogart
(Dead Reckoning, Dark Passage, The Desperate Hours, To Have and Have Not, High Sierra, The Harder They Fall)

5
Will Wright
(The Blue Dahlia, Act of Violence, All the King’s Men, Niagara, They Live By Night)

4
Robert Ryan
(On Dangerous Ground, Act of Violence, Crossfire, The Set-Up)
Dan Duryea
(Too Late for Tears, Ministry of Fear, The Woman in the Window, Criss Cross)
Wallace Ford
(Dead Reckoning, Spellbound, The Breaking Point, The Set-Up)

98393

3
Coleen Gray
(Nightmare Alley, Kansas City Confidential, Kiss of Death)
Yvonne De Carlo
(This Gun for Hire, Brute Force, Criss Cross)
Lizabeth Scott
(Dead Reckoning, Too Late for Tears, The Strange Love of Martha Ivers)
Burt Lancaster
(Sorry Wrong Number, Brute Force, Criss Cross)
John Garfield
(Body & Soul, Force of Evil, The Breaking Point)
Cornel Wilde
(High Sierra, Leave Her to Heaven, The Big Combo)
Whit Bissell
(He Walked by Night, Brute Force, The Desperate Hours)
Arthur Kennedy
(The Desperate Hours, Too Late for Tears, High Sierra)
Elisha Cook Jr.
(Stranger on the Third Floor, Born to Kill, Phantom Lady)
William Bendix
(The Dark Corner, The Blue Dahlia, Detective Story)
Howard Da Silva
(They Live by Night, The Blue Dahlia, The Lost Weekend)
Walter Burke
(Mystery Street, All the King's Men, The Naked City)
Neville Brand
(Where the Sidewalk Ends, D.O.A., Kansas City Confidential)
Thomas Gomez
(Phantom Lady, Ride the Pink Horse, Force of Evil)
Harold J. Stone
(The Blue Dahlia, The Harder They Fall, The Wrong Man)
Reed Hadley
(The Dark Corner, He Walked by Night, Leave Her to Heaven)

[Thief]

The weekend is over, but that doesn't mean that the games are. Here's a little simple game of Fill in the Blanks. See how you do!

Missing Word: Film Noir (https://www.sporcle.com/games/Flick/filmnoirfun)

Let us know how you do!

[seanc]

I couldn’t figure out how to move past 711 Ocean…

That’s the only one I would have missed though

[Thief]

I couldn’t figure out how to move past 711 Ocean…

That’s the only one I would have missed though

You don't have to do them in order. You can just keep typing the others and it'll take them.

[Sedai]

No votes for me on the last couple, once again!

That said, I did get to one of the films that has appeared earlier in the list that I hadn't seen, which was He Walked by Night.

https://www.themoviegourmet.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/he-walked1.jpg

Steeped in noir imagery and lighting, this was excellent. May very well have made my ballot if I had seen it before the deadline.

[Holden Pike]

Citizen Rules ballot
8 Nightmare Alley (1947) #33
9 The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946) #40
10
11 Ride the Pink Horse (1947) #45
12
13 Won't make it?

I'll play! The remaining titles from my ballot...

1. definitely
2. definitely
3. Too Late for Tears
4. The Set-Up
5. absolutely
6. for sure
7. of course
8. Odd Man Out
9. Criss Cross
10. must be, probably soon
11. 100%
12. The Big Combo
13. Phantom Lady
14. Born to Kill
15. gotta be
16. I would think so
17. nope, must have missed the cut
18. He Walked By Night
19. Fallen Angel
20. for sure
21. would have said 100% when we started, now...50%
22. Panic in the Streets
23. nope, not at this point
24. Crossfire
25. The Crimson Kimono (one-pointer)

So of my remaining thirteen, ten for sure will show, two I think no way, and one on the bubble.

[Sedai]

I see Too Late for Tears up on Prime, so I think I will take that one in next...

[Thief]

I'm pretty confident that all but one from my ballot will make it. Not because I'm so good, cause I'm not, but because I assembled it without putting much thought into it, so I really didn't include a lot of obscure, out-of-left-field picks.

These are my odds:

1. 100%
2. 100%
3. 90%
4. 100%
5. 100%
6. 90%
7. 100%
8. 100%
9. 85%
10. 100%
11. Criss Cross (#44)
12. 90%
13. 100%
14. 80%
15. 85%
16. 95%
17. The Narrow Margin (#43)
18. 100%
19. 100%
20. Gun Crazy (#36)
21. The Hitch-Hiker (#67)
22. 50%
23. The Woman in the Window (#65)
24. D.O.A. (#54)
25. Kansas City Confidential (#53)

[Citizen Rules]

98395
#32 Stray Dog (1949)

Director: Akira Kurosawa
Production: Toyo Company
Cast: Toshirô Mifune, Takashi Shimura, Keiko Awaji
173 Points, 14 Lists

'During a sweltering summer, a rookie homicide detective tries to track down his stolen Colt pistol.'

_______________________________________

[Citizen Rules]

98396
#31 The Lady From Shanghai (1947)

Director: Orson Welles
Production: Mercury Productions
Cast: Rita Hayworth, Orson Welles, Everett Sloane
173 Points, 16 Lists

'Fascinated by gorgeous Mrs. Bannister, seaman Michael O'Hara joins a bizarre yachting cruise, and ends up mired in a complex murder plot.'

_______________________________________

[stillmellow]

I've seen Lady from Shanghai, but I only liked the ending. The rest was just okay. Orson Welles' Irish accent was pretty cringe.


I haven't seen Stay Dog.



Seen 12 of 70.

[Allaby]

Seen both and thought they were good, but not great.

Seen: 69/70

[Holden Pike]

98398

The Lady from Shanghai was #44 on the MoFo Top 100 of the 1940s and Stray Dog was #64 on that same list.

[Citizen Rules]

Missing Word: Film Noir Game (https://www.sporcle.com/games/Flick/filmnoirfun)

I blew one and it was even on my ballot! I knew the movie instantly but I thought the last word was a bit different.
I kept typing Act of Vengeance and thought I was misspelling it, so I took time to look up how to spell vengeance. The clock ran out as I also had to look up one of today's reveals, Lady of Shanghai I kept spelling it Shangai 100% on the titles, 0% spelling accuracy:eek:

[Citizen Rules]

I've seen Lady from Shanghai, but I only liked the ending. The rest was just okay. Orson Welles' Irish accent was pretty cringe.

I haven't seen Stray Dog.

Seen 12 of 70.Hey me too on both thoughts. Welles' Irish accent was too distracting for me to be able to get into Lady from Shanghai. And I'm pretty sure I haven't seen Stray Dog.

[Harry Lime]

The Lady from Shanghai was one that just missed making my list. Some great scenes and iconic images, including Rita Hayworth! I'm happy to see that Stray Dog made it. I was beginning to wonder if it got snubbed and didn't make the cut. It's a quality film about a stray german shepard/husky cross that goes from town to town making friends and helping along the way - but he never stays in one place too long. I had it at #10.

10. Stray Dog (1949)
15. Bob le flambeur (1956)
17. Rififi (1955)
25. Nightmare Alley (1947)

[SpelingError]

Both films are good, though neither of them made my ballot.

[Torgo]

I've seen Lady from Shanghai, but I only liked the ending. The rest was just okay. Orson Welles' Irish accent was pretty cringe. Pretty much my thoughts as well. That hall of mirrors shootout may be the most amazing sequence I've ever seen in a movie, but I can take or leave the rest.

Stray Dog is #19 on my list. I really enjoy Mifune and Shimura's partnership and how the detectives play off of each other.

[rauldc14]

The Lady From Shanghai should have been on my list to be honest. Whoops.

Stray Dog was pretty solid.

[Thief]

1 seen, but not on my ballot.

Lady from Shanghai is a fairly trippy and odd thriller that works on a lot of atmosphere and vibe. I enjoyed watching it, but it's not close to my top. I also should probably rewatch it. For what it's worth, Dr. Richard Edwards had it on his Top 5 Film Noirs when we did that episode on Film Noirs a couple of years ago.

I haven't seen Stray Dog.


SEEN: 17/70
MY BALLOT: 7/25


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. Gun Crazy (#36)
21. The Hitch-Hiker (#67)
22.
23. The Woman in the Window (#65)
24. D.O.A. (#54)
25. Kansas City Confidential (#53)

[Miss Vicky]

From yesterday, I watched Nightmare Alley for the 13th HOF but didn't care for it. I haven't seen either of today's movies.

[Little Ash]

I've seen Lady from Shanghai, but I only liked the ending. The rest was just okay. Orson Welles' Irish accent was pretty cringe.

I haven't seen Stay Dog.

Seen 12 of 70.


Put me down as another person who felt that way about Lady from Shanghai. It's probably why I ended up including The Stranger on my ballot (I remember this one being good-ish/interesting, but nothing standing out in my memory as being obviously bad).

[seanc]

Two I would really like to rewatch at some point but haven’t so far.

[Little Ash]

Stray Dog is okay, but I have a resistance to Kurosawa and find myself struggling to enjoy his pictures. I'm sure there's a top-x something list out there where I'd start to include his films on my ballot (apart from the top-100 Akira Kurosawa films).

[Holden Pike]

I'll play! The remaining titles from my ballot...
10. must be, probably soon

And I almost typed, "must be, probably today..."

98405

Kurosawa's Stray Dog - 野良犬 was tenth on my ballot, good for a sweet sixteen of its 173 points. A new homicide detective (Tishoro Mifune) has his pocket picked on a crowded trolley, and the thief gets away with his small colt pistol. He teams with a veteran detective (Takashi Shimura) to try and track down the weapon as it changes hands around the black market edges of Postwar Tokyo during an intense heatwave. You can feel the muggy desperation throughout, only momentarily cooled by a tremendous rainstorm before the final confrontation.

98406

Superb cinematography by Asakazu Nakai, one of Kurosawa’s favorite D.P.s also lensing Ikiru, I Live in Fear, Seven Samurai, Throne of Blood, High & Low, Red Beard, Dersu Uzala, and RAN. It was Kurosawa and Mifune’s second collaboration, following Drunken Angel. They would make fourteen more films together in their legendary partnership.

That makes a dozen of mine on the collective, and half of my Top Ten.

HOLDEN'S BALLOT
3. Too Late for Tears (#81)
4. The Set-Up (#46)
8. Odd Man Out (#47)
9. Criss Cross (#44)
10. Stray Dog (#32)
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=UQHsv0zT1g8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ew64pAllaOk&t=204s

[Thief]

Stats: Pit Stop #7
https://i.imgur.com/NjWRBsM.png

-

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

Yearly Breakdown


1940 = 4
1941 = 1
1942 = 1
1943 = 1
1944 = 5
1945 = 4
1946 = 5
1947 = 10
1948 = 9
1949 = 6
1950 = 7
1951 = 2
1952 = 3
1953 = 3
1954 = 0
1955 = 4
1956 = 3
1957 = 0
1958 = 2
1959 = 0


And 1947 just pulled ahead, after 1948 got no votes this week. We also haven't had anything from 1954, 1957, or 1959. What film noirs from those years deserve to be here?


Repeating Directors


Alfred Hitchcock = 4
Orson Welles = 3
Jules Dassin = 3
Robert Wise = 3
Henry Hathaway = 3
Otto Preminger = 3
William Wyler = 3
Akira Kurosawa = 2
Joseph H. Lewis = 2
Robert Siodmak = 2
Nicholas Ray = 2
Jules Dassin = 2
Fritz Lang = 2
John Cromwell = 2
Robert Rossen = 2


Several changes here this week. Alfred Hitchcock became the only one with 4 entries so far. How much he has left? Also, Orson Wells had two this week to jump into the 3-entries group, while Akira Kurosawa and Joseph H. Lewis joined the 2-entries group.

[Citizen Rules]

My old review of:
https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=48285&stc=1&d=1537655421The Lady from Shanghai (Orson Welles 1947)

What might have been?...if only Orson Welles' vision for the movie had been released. Orson's rough cut of the film was 155 minutes. At 2 1/2 hours, Columbia Picture executives considered the film too long and ordered it cut to 90 minutes. Welles' then sent detailed instructions to the film editor on how and where to edit the film. Sadly his wishes were ignored.

What we get today is a choppy film with an hour missing from it. If one watches the film closely you can see where some of the scenes were shortened. At two different times there's a sloppy splice. One is a close up of George Grisby (Glenn Anders) towards the beginning of the film, he's in a car with Orson, if you watch closely the film jumps where the splice is. Latter in the film it happens again.

In several places, most notably on the yacht, the scenes are choppy with quick edits, the scenes feel unfinished. Once again the editing was out of Orson's hands. The most famous cut to the film is the fun house mirror scene. We can only guess at the symbolic, cinematic achievements Orson made here, what we can see of the fun house scene is potent.

Much of Orson's trademark cinematography is apparent in the film. The spy glass triple diffuse to Rita Hayworth via a closeup of Glenn Anders is amazing!

I'd give Orson a 5/5 for the material he shot, BUT I have to review the film I seen, the cut and chopped version.

Orson deserved better than the treatment he received in Hollywood. After The Lady from Shanghai he retreated to Europe. He would make only one more major Hollywood film, Touch of Evil.

rating_3_5 for the edited version we have today.

[Holden Pike]

Stats: Pit Stop #6
Yearly Breakdown


1954 = 0
1957 = 0
1959 = 0


And 1947 just pulled ahead, after 1948 got no votes this week. We also haven't had anything from 1954, 1957, or 1959. What film noirs from those years deserve to be here?

1954 has a few good ones, the best probably being Don Siegel's prison flick Riot in Cell Block 11 and his Private Hell 36 with Ida Lupino. Crime Wave and Naked Alibi both with Sterling Hayden are fun. Fritz Lang's take on Human Desire with Glenn Ford, Gloria Grahame, and Broderick Crawford has a lot of fans. Suddenly, where Frank Sinatra plays a bad guy and again stars Sterling Hayden, may be the most-seen Noir of that year due to Sinatra being cast against type, but I would be shocked to see it this high on the collective list.

Wouldn't expect any of those to make it, at this point.

1957 has Sweet Smell of Success, which is definitely going to be on the list. Nothing else from that year will rise to the top.

1959 had my one-pointer, Sam Fuller's The Crimson Kimono, but I didn't really expect that one to have a lot of widespread support. Robert Wise's last Noir, Odds Against Tomorrow with the legendary Robert Ryan plus Harry Belafonte, Ed Begly (Sr.), Gloria Graham, and Shelley Winters, still has a legit shot. If it doesn't make it, it damn well should have been on the list of a hundred.

[Citizen Rules]

1954 has a few good ones, the best probably being Don Siegel's prison flick Riot in Cell Block 11 and his Private Hell 36 with Ida Lupino. Crime Wave and Naked Alibi both with Sterling Hayden are fun. Fritz Lang's take on Human Desire with Glenn Ford, Gloria Grahame, and Broderick Crawford has a lot of fans. Suddenly, where Frank Sinatra plays a bad guy and again stars Sterling Hayden, may be the most-seen Noir of that year due to Sinatra being cast against type... All good choices! Seen them all and liked them except I still need to watch Riot in Cell Block 11.


1959 had my one-pointer, Sam Fuller's The Crimson Kimono, but I didn't really expect that one to have a lot of widespread support.
I watched The Crimson Kimono when I seen it on your ballot. Both my wife and I thought it was unique and interesting. Good noir.

[Thursday Next]

Stray Dog was my #19.


I didn't care that much for Lady From Shanghai apart from the ending.

[Sedai]

I know I have seen The Lady From Shanghai, but damned if I can recall much about it save the end. The comments in this thread aren't inspiring to rush out and see it again.

I must admit I have never seen or paid attention to Stray Dog. I must rectify that!

[Kaplan]

My first top 10 made it, Stray Dog at #7. The movie oozes with heat and desperation. When I saw The Lady from Shanghai show up, my first thought was I didn't care for it, except the ending, and then I see a bunch of others wrote the same thing.

My List:
7. Stray Dog (#32)
11. Where the Sidewalk Ends (#66)
15. Elevator to the Gallows (#41)
20. This Gun for Hire (#78)
22. The Wrong Man (#39)
23. The Set-Up (#46)
25. Gun Crazy (#36)

[dadgumblah]

Unfortunately, despite liking Kurosawa quite a bit, I've never heard of Stray Dog. I will have to see it now.

I have seen The Lady From Shanghai and my feelings about seem to echo most everybody's here. Welles' Irish accent, liking it mostly for the justifiably famous ending in the hall of mirrors. But I'll add something that people might not agree with: Hayworth's blonde hair. I just didn't like that look on her. Still, it's a watchable movie. I really feel for Welles and what he went through in his career. It's like the studios had some sort of vendetta against him, what with all his films getting chopped to pieces. I'd pay to see a restored version of this one if the cut footage even exists anymore.

No joy for me today.

#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
#20 Gun Crazy List Proper #36
#22 This Gun For Hire List Proper #78
#23 The Narrow Margin List Proper #43
#25 Crossfire List Proper #51

[WHITBISSELL!]

1 for 2. I actually watched Stray Dog and it's my #14 pick. Watched it during my Kurosawa binge when TCM ran like 24 straight hours of his films. Back when I had cable. And a DVR. That was time well spent. How often can you say that? I was hoping High and Low would make the countdown but it's more of a police procedural. Great Kurosawa though. :up:

Haven't seen The Lady from Shanghai. I've had chances to watch it and have never pulled the pin. Add one to the pile of films I need to check out.

40 out of 70 seen.

[Citizen Rules]

....The Lady From Shanghai... Hayworth's blonde hair. I just didn't like that look on her...Agreed. Rita Hayworth looked much better with red and long hair.

[GulfportDoc]

The Lady From Shanghai is actually a very good picture, but it might possibly have been a great picture but for the meddling of Columbia head, Harry Cohn.

As Citizen Rules mentioned earlier, so much of Welles' version was cut, and re-shot that, we can only imagine what Welles' film was, as he made it.

Unfortunately, reportedly none of that edited out footage remains, and probably no longer exists. For example, Welles' had intended that the slow build to the climax scene in the funhouse to be a major finale. Welles' version of that scene was 20 minutes long, but Cohn had it cut to only 3 minutes!

Evidently there survives stills of entire scenes that were edited out.

This may not be a good comparison, but can you imagine if 30 minutes had been edited out of Citizen Kane??

There's some very clever stuff in "Shanghai", but we'll never know how that would have jibed with the full film that was destroyed.

[cricket]

Liked Stray Dog, but I think I'd like it more with another viewing.

Shanghai Lady squeezed onto 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)
19. Nightmare Alley (#33)
20. The Blue Dahlia (#74)
21. The Lady from Shanghai (#31)
23. The Stranger (#38)
24. Drunken Angel (#70)
25. The Letter (#72)

[Harry Lime]

I think I'll get 25/25 of my list making the countdown. That would mean 21 of the next 30 films posted will be on my list.

[beelzebubble]

I think I'll get 25/25 of my list making the countdown. That would mean 21 of the next 30 films posted will be on my list.
I do too. I Just can't imagine that the movies on my list will not be on the main list.


1. D.O.A.
2. definitely
3. definitely
4. of course
5. definitely
6. The Letter
7. Rebecca
8. of course
9. definitely
10. maybe
11. Suspicion
12. definitely
13. definitely
14. of course
15. definitely
16. The Strange Love of Martha Ivers
17. of course
18. maybe
19. Leave Her to Heaven
20. definitely
21. Fallen Angel
22. of course
23. Spellbound
24.maybe
25 A Woman's Face (my one-pointer)

[Little Ash]

Unfortunatley, despite liking Kurosawa quite a bit, I've never heard of Stray Dog. I will have to see it now.

I have seen The Lady From Shanghai and my feelings about seem to echo most everybody's here. Welles' Irish accent, liking it mostly for the justifiably famous ending in the hall of mirrors. But I'll had something that people might not agree with: Hayworth's blonde hair. I just didn't like that look on her. Still, it's a watchable movie. I really feel for Welles and what he went through in his career. It's like the studios had some sort of vendetta against him, what with all his films getting chopped to pieces. I'd pay to see a restored version of this one if the cut footage even exists anymore.

No joy for me today.

#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
#20 Gun Crazy List Proper #36
#22 This Gun For Hire List Proper #78
#23 The Narrow Margin List Proper #43
#25 Crossfire List Proper #51

I don't recall that complaint registering in my head as I watched it, though it was the one known complaint about it I remember hearing before going into it (mainly because that complaint is in Jarmusch's The Limits of Control).

[WHITBISSELL!]

10 out of 25 accounted for so that means I'd have to hit on half the remaining films to fill out my list. But then what would I do with all those monkeys? The ones flying out of my butt.

1.
2.
3. High Sierra (1940)
4.
5. Ride the Pink Horse (1947)
6. Mystery Street (1950)
7. Gun Crazy (1950)
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14. Stray Dog (1949)
15.
16.
17.
18.
19. The Narrow Margin (1952)
20. Kansas City Confidential (1952)
21. Where the Sidewalk Ends (1950)
22. Too Late for Tears (1949)
23.
24. The Set-Up (1949)
25.

[Little Ash]

10 out of 25 accounted for so that means I'd have to hit on half the remaining films to fill out my list. But then what would I do with all those monkeys? The ones flying out of my butt.



Of my top 15, only two have been revealed (Rififi and Elevator to the Gallows), one is ineligible (M), and of the remaining, I think only one of those isn't going to make it. This is more, I wasn't that original with those slots.
Of my 16-25, only four haven't been revealed and I don't think any of those will make it. So, probably 19 out of 24 will probably be revealed. I take that more as a sign of me not being well schooled in film noir than having great taste though.

[Citizen Rules]

98428
#30 White Heat (1949)

Director: Raoul Walsh
Production: Warner Bros.
Cast: James Cagney, Virginia Mayo, Edmond O'Brien
179 Points, 14 Lists

'A psychopathic criminal with a mother complex makes a daring break from prison and leads his old gang in a chemical plant payroll heist.'

_______________________________________

[Citizen Rules]

98429
#29 Scarlet Street (1945)

Director: Fritz Lang
Production: Fritz Lang Productions
Cast: Edward G. Robinson, Joan Bennett, Dan Duryea
181 Points, 13 Lists

'A man in mid-life crisis befriends a young woman, though her fiancé persuades her to con him out of the fortune they mistakenly assume he possesses.'

_______________________________________

[Allaby]

White Heat is fantastic and was my #21. Scarlet Street is good, but not one of my favourite noirs, so it didn't make my ballot.

Seen: 71/72

[Holden Pike]

98431

White Heat was #42 and Scarlet Street #73 on the MoFo Top 100 of the 1940s.

[Citizen Rules]

Of my top 15, only two have been revealed (Rififi and Elevator to the Gallows), one is ineligible (M), and of the remaining, I think only one of those isn't going to make it. This is more, I wasn't that original with those slots.
Of my 16-25, only four haven't been revealed and I don't think any of those will make it. So, probably 19 out of 24 will probably be revealed. I take that more as a sign of me not being well schooled in film noir than having great taste though.I just looked at your ballot and it's easily as well chosen as any of the ballots on the countdown. You have lots of great choices, some popular noirs and some hidden gem noirs. It's a solid ballot and I'm glad you sent it in.

[seanc]

White Heat was climbing that Noir watchlist pretty quickly but I didn’t get to it unfortunately.

Scarlet Street has all the elements for me to love it, but I didn’t first watch. Maybe next time.

[honeykid]

Lost Weekend is one of those blank spots in my films seen list. Like To Kill A Mockingbird it stands out but never seems to be filled.

The Lady From Shanghai is a film I think I've seen, but then look at and realise I haven't. I think I started watching it once and there's where the confusion comes from?

Never thought of White Heat as noir, but it's a great film I enjoy a lot.

Scarlett Street is one I thought about adding but it's been so long (over 30 years) since I saw it (and I only saw it the once) that can't say I remember anything at all about it except Edward G Robinson talking to a woman on a bed, I think?

[Thief]

1 seen, but not on my ballot.

Scarlet Street is well acted and entertaining, but as far as Robinson/Bennett/Duryea/Lang joints, I kinda prefer The Woman in the Window a bit more.

I haven't seen White Heat, but it's been on my radar. It's one of those that I feel I should've seen already, but just haven't.


SEEN: 18/72
MY BALLOT: 7/25


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. Gun Crazy (#36)
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]

Yahoo! Scarlet Street is #5 on my ballot...and in my top 10 movie profile..Love it. The characters are so colorful that it's a blast to watch, while having all the details and craftsmanship that you'd expect of a Fritz Lang noir. I previously nominated Scarlet Street for the Noir HoF III. I wrote this about it:
http://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=26280&stc=1&d=1468777941
Scarlet Street (Fritz Lang, 1945)

At the heart of this film is one idea: 'everyone screws someone else over, and pays for it in the end.'

What a great cast: Edward G. Robinson (Chris Cross), plays a vastly different role than the one that made him an iconic tough guy in Little Caesar (1931). He fits perfectly into his role as the meek, little man, who's brow beaten by his wife and escapes his misery by dreaming of becoming a painter.

I felt bad for him, especially when his wife threatened to throw away his paintings that he loved so dearly. Those paintings play a much bigger part in the film, than might first meet the eye.


https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c4/0c/16/c40c169722688e320e478a022f32d492.jpg



Dan Duryea (Johnny) made a successful career out of playing slimy, tauntingly snotty, bad guys. He became the guy everyone loved to hate and he's so good at. He's great here as a sociopathic hustler and two-bit con man, who likes to slap his girlfriend around.

Joan Bennett (Kitty, 'lazy legs') likes to get slapped around! It's bizarre how her and Johnny go together like a black & blue bruise. I thought Joan Bennett was a stand out in this. She's a knock out for sure but she has a certain careless, self-destructive attitude that just works wonders for the film.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-E-ANXaly7ms/VqBwjQFhmKI/AAAAAAAA3z0/BBaUYwXCIW0/s1600/ScarletStreetStill2.jpg

Forced Perspective is used to great effect by the cinematographer. Notice how tiny and weak Edward G. Robinson looks in this scene.


I loved the way Fritz Lang defines the characters by their actions. Lazy Legs, is too lazy to work so she has to engage in questionable actives by using men. We see her laziness in the record that plays over and over and in the way she throws her cigarette into a pile of dishes, and when she gets a stick of gum she careless dumps the wrapper on the floor.

I love the story itself, it's genius: The missing husband detective... and the way each tried to con the other. Johnny's ultimate fate, which I found actually sad, despite all of his negative qualities. The way Chris (Robinson) finally ends up is fitting as it fits the way he lived his life. And the whole commentary on art, hype and value, and how the truth of it was skewed, that was pure cleverness.

rating_5

[Thief]

List facts!


This is Fritz Lang's third entry in the countdown. He had The Woman in the Window at #65, and Ministry of Fear at #75. This is also Raoul Walsh's second entry in the countdown. He had High Sierra at #50.
Both White Heat and Scarlet Street have perfect RT scores. This is only the second time that both entries have had perfect RT scores, after Odd Man Out (#47) and The Harder They Fall (#48).
Also, at 8.1, White Heat is tied for the highest IMDb rating on the countdown, along with Rebecca and Rififi.

[WHITBISSELL!]

2 for 2. I think we're well into noteworthier noir territory. But then you still had to have made the right picks. And that brings up several questions. Was our list meant to be more of a contest where you show the depth of your noir knowledge? Or was it meant as more a personal preference? What we thought of as the best noirs we've watched? I went with the latter. I don't think I have the noir expertise to do well in the former even though I thought I did. :blush:

Anyway, White Heat isn't on my list even though it's a classic and probably Cagney's best known role. As I mentioned up thread I watched Scarlet Street and Woman in the Window as a two fer since WitW preceded SS by a year with the same director and cast. SS is supposed to be the stronger and more assured film but I preferred WitW by a hair.

42 out of 72 seen. (The noose keeps tightening and no phone call from the governor yet)

[cricket]

I like White Heat but don't view it as noir so I didn't consider it.

Love Scarlet Street

2. Scarlet Street (#29)
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)
19. Nightmare Alley (#33)
20. The Blue Dahlia (#74)
21. The Lady from Shanghai (#31)
23. The Stranger (#38)
24. Drunken Angel (#70)
25. The Letter (#72)

[rauldc14]

Scarlet Street was my 16!

[SpelingError]

White Heat was #8 on my ballot.

I haven't seen Scarlet Street.

[SpelingError]

8) White Heat
14) Gun Crazy
18) The Stranger
19) Odd Man Out
22) The Lost Weekend
24) Crossfire

[Citizen Rules]

... that brings up several questions. Was our list meant to be more of a contest where you show the depth of your noir knowledge?Oh no, not at all. I don't even like the word contest in relation to any countdown. It's not about who knows the most or anything like that....Though I hoped more people would become interested in noirs and so awareness of countdown movie/genre is always a goal of any countdown.

Or was it meant as more a personal preference? What we thought of as the best noirs we've watched?This! That's all any countdown is...plus the idea of 'Community'. We're all coming together and having some fun, that's what countdowns are good for.


For me personally I wanted to do this countdown to produce a solid Film Noir list for MoFo's list section. I think we've made a really solid Top 100 Noir list. Sure there's always a few films on any countdown list that people would change, but overall I'm thrilled with how this Film Noir countdown has turned out!

[WHITBISSELL!]

.... I hoped more people would become interested in noirs and so awareness of countdown movie/genre is always a goal of any countdown.

... We're all coming together and having some fun, that's what countdowns are good for.

For me personally I wanted to do this countdown to produce a solid Film Noir list for MoFo's list section. I think we've made a really solid Top 100 Noir list. ... overall I'm thrilled with how this Film Noir countdown has turned out!It has turned out really well so far. Something you and Thief and all the other contributors can be proud of. I for one will wait for the final tally and then go back and start mining for worthy noirs to check out. Of which there will be a plethora.

[stillmellow]

<i>White Heat</i> was #8 on my ballot.

I haven't seen <i>Scarlet Street</i>.

I'm very similar. White Heat is #10 on my ballot and I've never seen Scarlett Street.

[Citizen Rules]

It has turned out really well so far. Something you and Thief and all the other contributors can be proud of. I for one will wait for the final tally and then go back and start mining for worthy noirs to check out. Of which there will be a plethora.Thanks....glad you're liking these countdowns. Without people participating by sending in ballots and posting on the countdowns, we'd have nothing! So I'm glad for the participation.

[WHITBISSELL!]

Thanks....glad you're liking these countdowns. Without people participating by sending in ballots and posting on the countdowns, we'd have nothing! So I'm glad for the participation.It's been very edifying. But I was mostly referring to folks like John-Connor and Holden Pike who contributed all those fascinating little factoids about the picks.

[Citizen Rules]

It's been very edifying. But I was mostly referring to folks like John-Connor and Holden Pike who contributed all those fascinating little factoids about the picks.Bless 'em both! Thief too for his factoids! I would do more of that but I have to do all this manually. Right now it's taking me about 2 hours a day to find, fix and create the images and make the two reveal post and to keep up on the thread itself. I do have a fun-toid idea for the last segment of the countdown, I just hope I can find the time to do it.:eek:

[Torgo]

White Heat is indeed awesome and it landed at #11 on my ballot. Here's a short review:

An elaborate, bloody and very exciting heist of treasury bonds from a train kicks off White Heat, a movie I had been wanting to see for a long time, and luckily, it exceeded my expectations. What surprised me the most about it is its energy and speed. Instead of having the careful, measured pace typical of '40s film noir, it resembles what a feature-length episode of 24 would be like, and given the volatility of Cagney's Jarrett character, this is appropriate. He sunk his teeth into the role: his creepy behavior - especially his relationship with his mother - really gets under your skin, and when he's violent, he makes even Joe Pesci in Goodfellas seem tame. The violence in general is very shocking: there are many shootings and each one hasn't a shred of regret or remorse. As for the heist scenes, they are thrilling to watch, not to mention interesting in how they reveal how criminals operated during that era. Still, what is even more interesting is how the law uses technology to chase down Jarrett and his gang. There is heavy and seemingly accurate use of car phones, radar detection and other techniques I had no idea were in use at the time. In sum, I was very entertained, and I would be hard pressed to find a better example of noir and action done right.

I'd also recommend fellow fans to check out the horror comedy Fade to Black.

[Thief]

It's been very edifying. But I was mostly referring to folks like John-Connor and Holden Pike who contributed all those fascinating little factoids about the picks.

I echo this. The wonderful thing from these collaborations is that I don't think anybody has ever asked anybody to do anything, at least formally. These are all just organic collaborations that make the whole countdown richer and better, and I'm forever grateful to everyone that just chips in with any little fact, review, or whatever.

[stillmellow]

Thanks....glad you're liking these countdowns. Without people participating by sending in ballots and posting on the countdowns, we'd have nothing! So I'm glad for the participation.


Yes! Thank you so much for running this event! It's been a ton of fun, and has introduced me to so many new movies I've never seen.

[Citizen Rules]

Yes! Thank you so much for running this event! It's been a ton of fun, and has introduced me to so many new movies I've never seen.Cool! I hope you find some good noirs that you enjoy...I know I've found a bunch of noirs that I'd never seen in prep for this countdown. I love those hidden gems.

[Citizen Rules]

I just finished tomorrow's two reveals. I'm very surprised one of tomorrows movies made the countdown I didn't realize it was that well liked. I love it myself and it was on my ballot so happy it made it this high. The other noir tomorrow is aces.

[Kaplan]

I squeezed Scarlet Street on at #24, and if I'd seen it more recently, maybe it would have been higher.

My List:
7. Stray Dog (#32)
11. Where the Sidewalk Ends (#66)
15. Elevator to the Gallows (#41)
20. This Gun for Hire (#78)
22. The Wrong Man (#39)
23. The Set-Up (#46)
24. Scarlet Street (#29)
25. Gun Crazy (#36)

[Thief]

The other noir tomorrow is aces.

Hmm, are we gonna have to dig a hole to find it? :shifty:

[WHITBISSELL!]

Hmm, are we gonna have to dig a hole to find it? :shifty:I see what you did there.

[Harry Lime]

Another great noir by Fritz Lang that didn't make my list - as I mentioned none from Fritz did which is a bit of an oversight on my part. Oh well enough of you fine folks did. White Heat made my list at #23. Classic film with a dynamite performance by Cagney.

10. Stray Dog (1949)
15. Bob le flambeur (1956)
17. Rififi (1955)
23. White Heat (1949)
25. Nightmare Alley (1947)

[Thursday Next]

Scarlet Street was on my list somewhere. Good film.

[Citizen Rules]

Hmm, are we gonna have to dig a hole to find it? :shifty:Ha, I wouldn't be betting on that:D

[Little Ash]

I just looked at your ballot and it's easily as well chosen as any of the ballots on the countdown. You have lots of great choices, some popular noirs and some hidden gem noirs. It's a solid ballot and I'm glad you sent it in.

It's tough to explain, but for the other countdowns I've participated in, there's usually more struggle to squeeze in movies and having to make cuts, and the top 15 usually have more hidden gems rather than mostly well known movies. It's just how my movie preferences usually land. In this case, I'm attributing it more towards just me not having a breadth of noir viewership (and as opposed to war films, film noir is a movement that seems like I should have seen a lot of and should have a lot of movies at my recollection).

IDK how to express it. Conversely, I will say, compared to other lists, I'm more likely to use this one more as a means to address blind spots.

[Little Ash]

I keep thinking I saw White Heat recently, but then remember it was Scarface. In terms of Jimmy Cagney, I also kind of want to see Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye (possibly just crime and not noir, for all I know), just because it's on the movie theater marquis in Messiah of Evil. It's not a great reason, but it's a reason.

I'm pretty sure I saw the title for Scarlett Street on some list of noirs, but wouldn't have been able to say anything about it.

[GulfportDoc]

White Heat was a landmark crime thriller, with remarkable scenery chewing by James Cagney playing..... James Cagney on steroids. There are some comparisons to the later Pacino's Scarface.

This was probably the first noir film to go out it a wham-bang blaze of glory. "Made it, Ma! Top of the world!". Boom.

I've never gotten the love for Scarlett Street, except that the story was so nasty that it almost embarrassed the term "noir". The set up was pretty ridiculous, which steadily degraded into an air deflating downer ending. The over-acting by all, but mostly Duryea and Bennett, bordered on satire.

To my taste The Woman in the Window (1944), with the same 3 stars, was a far more absorbing and enjoyable picture.

[Citizen Rules]

It's tough to explain, but for the other countdowns I've participated in, there's usually more struggle to squeeze in movies and having to make cuts, and the top 15 usually have more hidden gems rather than mostly well known movies. It's just how my movie preferences usually land. In this case, I'm attributing it more towards just me not having a breadth of noir viewership (and as opposed to war films, film noir is a movement that seems like I should have seen a lot of and should have a lot of movies at my recollection).

IDK how to express it. Conversely, I will say, compared to other lists, I'm more likely to use this one more as a means to address blind spots.Oh OK, I see what you're saying. I'm just glad you decided to give it a go and send in a ballot🙂

[Citizen Rules]

...I've never gotten the love for Scarlett Street, except that the story was so nasty that it almost embarrassed the term "noir". The set up was pretty ridiculous, which steadily degraded into an air deflating downer ending. The over-acting by all, but mostly Duryea and Bennett, bordered on satire....
I really like Scarlett Street...but I think you hit the nail on the head as to why some of us do like it so much. Scarlett Street is such a broad and colorful characterization, that it's almost, as you said, satire. It doesn't feel real to me but more like characters in a play, so then the violence becomes unreal and more entertainment, kind of like Dan Duryea in Winchester 73 along with Shelley Winters, there both so over the top that I love em!

[beelzebubble]

White Heat is great. The most cold blooded action in noir is when Cagney shoots "airholes" in the trunk. Unfortunately, it is not on my list. As for Scarlet Street, I don't think I have ever seen it.

[edarsenal]

Got 18/20.
Here's the kicker. One of the two I missed was a total brain fart moment. Complete blank. Spent the last 45 seconds thinking: It's on my post---dammit. It's. . . it's... Sierra... Dark? No, it ain't that... Shit, what the f@ck is it? The other was one I didn't know, The 711 Ocean.


50. High Sierra (1940) Is a film I saw after sending in my list, having stumbled upon it after finding, watching and fully enjoying Dead Reckoning for my list. Pre Maltese Falcon and following defining roles such as Dead End and the more famous Angels with Dirty Faces, Bogart incorporated some vulnerability to the hard-edged ex-prisoner doing a heist with inexperienced youths. A great watch and very worthy of this list.

49 Suspicion (1941) I have seen this only once, and the ending seems "incorrect" to me. As if it was not the ending meant to be but, for whatever reason, insisted upon.

Coming in at #11
https://64.media.tumblr.com/a54e61bd5d4647e822dbe1eba113d9a0/tumblr_my8s8qMd4R1rdfgw4o1_500.gif
47 Odd Man Out (1947) Where the question of morality is placed upon those whom James Mason meets far more than the wounded individual himself.
The imagery is quite something to see—some truly beautiful and stark imagery, coupled with the story and all of the secondary actors within this movie.
For me, it was those characters who really piqued my interest. For some odd reason, I kept thinking about my #1 favorite, The Great Escape, as everyone split up and tried to make it out of a bad situation. I think it may have been the underlying subterfuge, as, with each encounter, you really did not know if it was a haven or a pitfall that would engulf not only Mason but the others who were with him in the attempted robbery. From the one aunt that the two men sought out only to be betrayed, the two older women who come across Mason's character, and the older man with the birds. His little "conversation" with the priest was quite enjoyable.
My favorite watching is Robert Newton as the brawling artist. It was excellent to watch him let loose.

Coming in at #14
https://s3.amazonaws.com/criterion-production/posts/3465-e6d78ee4a571ed74843ec13c26d25c0a/PINKHORSE_original.jpg
45 Ride the Pink Horse (1947) The opening scene and many of the "movement of chess pieces" was nicely done and great fun to watch.
For most noirs, the secondary characters, those that the leading character runs into, rarely expand into nothing more than filler. Not so here. There is far more detail and, dare I say, love for the secondary characters when it comes to the townsfolk and, of course, Pancho and Pila. I found myself enjoying every nuance and conversation shared between them and Gagin as the movie continued the most. Such as Pila's eventual opening up and Pancho's wisdom regarding life were the moments that really stuck with me. I really connected with them and looked forward to when the story came back around to them.
The merry-go-round scene was an incredible highlight because the focus was moved to the children's reactions as they circled around instead of what was occurring. This had far more of an impact and was done exceptionally well.

44 Criss Cross (1949) I Watched this for the 4th Noir HoF, and while I still remain on the fence regarding Burt Lancaster afterward, I was impressed and enjoyed the foggy shoot-out at the end.

42 Rififi (1955) One of, in my opinion, one of the top French-noir films and an utter and complete sin committed in idiocy that I did not include it on my list where I'm sure it would have placed quite high.
The execution of the Heist was top-class AND VERY INNOVATIVE. In fact, it played out a little too much like a Self-Help diagram to commit the Jewel Heist, so Mexican authorities pulled the movie from theaters after multiple burglaries were committed, employing methods similar to those shown. How f@ckin cool is that?
Director Jules Dassin (one of Hollywood's Black Listed during the witch hunts, aka McCarthism-ran Communist Trials) plays the safecracker, Cesar, and changes what becomes of his character from the VERY explicit book it is based upon, making it a bit personal and symbiotic to when friends betray friends.

Coming in at #17
https://nitratediva.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/701.png?w=526&h=392
38 The Stranger (1946) For an actor best known for iconic portrayals of gangsters, Edward G. Robinson plays one helluva detective. He is patient, clever, determined, and willing to take risks if the outcome is worth it, such as his opening gambit to let Meinike escape in hopes of bringing him to the greater prize.
The trailing of Meinike and Wilson's arrival in town was very well done from an investigative aspect, and I found myself watching the strategically placed pitfalls by Wilson for Welles' Prof Rankin, aka Franz Kindler.
I would have loved to have seen the edited scenes that delved more into that. Scenes that Welles was infuriated by when the studio cleared the Editor to have the freedom of removing anything he felt wasn't necessary. Resulting in about 30 minutes removed, 19 of which involved the opening trailing of Meineke as well as the original meeting of Loretta Young's Mary and Welles' character.
Makes you wonder if it was for the better or for worse.

36. Gun Crazy (1950) The couple of times I've seen this I've bounced back and forth with my level of enjoyment while my appreciation for the ending remains steadfast.

35. Rebecca (1940) This is a splendid Hitchcock film with all of his key elements of suspense, moments of comedy interspersed within, a sojourn of camera angles, twists and turns, and the hints of a juicy, dirty little story that he deftly slid into the film—the Hays Code be damned for its prudish restrictions.

33. Nightmare Alley (1947) Power does a truly amazing job in this movie of cons and carnies. The charisma, confidence, and smoothness that is the top layer of Stan, and, as the movie proceeds, the darker, insecure, broken aspect beneath are equally played brilliantly. His rise and eventual fall are all quite spectacular and he does a sterling job of it throughout.

32. Stray Dog (1949) Been quite a while since I've seen this Kurasawa film about a rookie cop who loses his gun.

31. The Lady From Shanghai (1947) I've always enjoyed this the numerous times I've seen it. I knew about the unsanctioned editing but did not know the details regarding the Mirror Maze. Thanks, CR, for that. This was a sad cut, though I knew there was plenty of love to place it nicely, and bravo, MoFo, for doing just that.

30. White Heat (1949) I saw this so many times in my youth, and it's been a few decades since my last viewing. I remember it more as a Crime/Gangster film. I would need a rewatch to consider its noir aspect, which would be fun.

#29 Scarlet Street (1945) Been far too long since I've watched this. Somewhere in the nineties when I was running through both Lang and Robinson. It was offsetting at the time, knowing only his gangster films previously. I need to revisit and appreciate and enjoy Edward G. I think this may be my introduction to the Master of Slimeballs, Dan Duryea, whom I've come to truly love. Most recently, in my Rectification entry, Too Late For Tears.



Watched 38 out of 72 (52.77%)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8. Panic In The Streets (1950) (#98)
9.
10. Act of Violence (1948) (#61)
11. Ride The Pink Horse (1947) (#45)
12.
13.
14. Odd Man Out (1947) (#47)
15.
16. Where the Sidewalk Ends (1950) (#66)
17. The Stranger (1946) (#38)
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)

[PHOENIX74]

#31 The Lady From Shanghai - When I read/heard about the version Orson Welles tried to make, and the changes eventually made to this film, it kind of poisoned my enjoyment of it a bit. No doubt a great film by a man in his element (although the Irish accent, as thick as it is, distracts) with extraordinary cinematography, and a film noir narrative with twists and turns galore. The Welles cut of the film would have been 155 minutes long, and the version we have now is 88 minutes long - I can't help but think that there's a possible version that would have been one of the greatest films ever made that would have ran somewhere around the 120 minute mark. It's a filthy business, and the artist's imperative always seems to be the first casualty when it comes to moviemaking. If Welles fighting the studio wasn't enough, he was starring opposite his estranged wife Rita Hayworth - which must have been interesting. The next time I watch this, I'm going to try to forget about the film's history and just enjoy it as it is. Good enough to scrape onto my ballot at #25.

Stray Dog, White Heat and Scarlet Street aren't films I've tangled with, although I've heard of White Heat.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Seen : 17/72
I'd never even heard of : 47/72
Movies that had been on my radar, but I haven't seen yet : 8/72
Films from my list : 8

#31 - My #25 - The Lady From Shanghai (1947)
#33 - My #22 - Nightmare Alley (1947)
#36 - My #16 - Gun Crazy (1950)
#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)

[dadgumblah]

White Heat is a movie I've watched over and over since I was a preteen. I love it so much but I, too, never considered a Noir. Just a rip-roaring, no-holds-barred James Cagney showpiece. Not to detract from the rest of the cast; Virginia Mayo as his "moll"; Margaret Wycherly as Ma Jarrett---she was so good here that I didn't realize she was the same actress who played Mother York, Sergeant York's mom from that film eight years before White Heat: Steve Cochran as Cody's gang "leader" who tries to have him offed while Cody's in jail, but aside from those, Edmond O'Brien is almost equal to Cagney for me as the new fellow in Cody's gang who has a secret that I won't spoil for those who haven't seen it. I love O'Brien's facial reactions in any film, but especially here when Cagney says to the guy in the car trunk:" Oh, stuffy, huh? I'll give ya a little air," and then fires bullets through the trunk lid, killing the guy. O'Brien jerking his head and the look on his face had me in stitches. Yes, Cagney is nuts! Cagney was so enjoyable that you can't wait to see what he'll do next and to whom. An all-time classic from one of my favorite actors but not on my list for the reason I gave at the first. Glad to see it got so much love!

Scarlet Street wasn't on my list but it's near the top of my Watch List.

#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
#20 Gun Crazy List Proper #36
#22 This Gun For Hire List Proper #78
#23 The Narrow Margin List Proper #43
#25 Crossfire List Proper #51

[John-Connor]

The other noir tomorrow is aces.
Hmm, are we gonna have to dig a hole to find it? :shifty:
I didn't know Ace Ventura: Pet Detective was eligible. :D

https://media4.giphy.com/media/mTTYiPUZF28PC/200w.gif

[dadgumblah]

I didn't know Ace Ventura: Pet Detective was eligible. :D

https://media4.giphy.com/media/mTTYiPUZF28PC/200w.gif

:rotfl:

[Sedai]

Just ask Citizen Rules... I was watching noirs right up until the minute I clicked submit on my ballot. Right before submission, I had just finished watching Scarlett Street. It just missed my list, but it is an excellent picture with Edward G playing against type. It had a very bizarro ending that was probably pretty unsettling at the time. Really good, just missed my list!

[Citizen Rules]

98444
#28 Murder, My Sweet (1944)

Director: Edward Dmytryk
Production: RKO
Cast: Dick Powell, Claire Trevor, Anne Shirley
182 Points, 14 Lists

'After being hired to find an ex-con's former girlfriend, Philip Marlowe is drawn into a deeply complex web of mystery and deceit.'

_______________________________________

[Citizen Rules]

98445
#27 Gilda (1946)

Director: Charles Vidor
Production: Columbia Pictures
Cast: Rita Hayworth, Glenn Ford, George Macready
183 Points, 21 Lists

'A small-time gambler hired to work in a Buenos Aires casino discovers his employer's new wife is his former lover..'

_______________________________________

[Thief]

2 seen, but only one made my ballot.

I saw both Murder, My Sweet and Gilda for one of the recent Film Noirs HoF that Citizen hosted. Really enjoyed both, but Gilda in particular is the one that stuck more with me. I was surprised by how dark it was, but also by how good Rita Hayworth was. Granted, I hadn't seen anything from her before, but she's not an actress you hear often about. You can read my full review here (https://www.movieforums.com/reviews/2429932-gilda.html), but here's an excerpt:


Although Gilda is often labeled as a romantic drama, the truth is that 85% of the film is Farrell and Gilda just taking jabs at each other as they are each filled with seething hatred. The toxicity of this relationship is quite bleak and probably one of my favorite things on the film. What does that say about me? I don't know, but I really loved seeing these two trying to take down each other. The dialogue and the lines were so pointed and sharp that I couldn't help but gasp and laugh at some of them ("Statistics show that there are more women in the world than anything else. Except insects."). Still, the delivery of these is never light, but extremely serious.


To be honest, I really didn't like the ending. I suppose it was one of those studio mandated things, or they just wanted to please the audiences. But regardless of that, I still think it was quite powerful and a great watch. I had it at #10.

Murder, My Sweet was also a pretty good watch, but I think I left it out in favor of another Marlowe film. Still, it was surprising to see Dick Powell's take on the detective. He's confident, witty, tough, and charismatic. Here is the link to my full review (https://www.movieforums.com/reviews/2422842-murder_my_sweet.html), so feel free to check it out.



SEEN: 20/74
MY BALLOT: 8/25


1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10. Gilda (#27)
11. Criss Cross (#44)
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17. The Narrow Margin (#43)
18.
19.
20. Gun Crazy (#36)
21. The Hitch-Hiker (#67)
22.
23. The Woman in the Window (#65)
24. D.O.A. (#54)
25. Kansas City Confidential (#53)

[rauldc14]

Gilda was my #8!

Didn't like Murder, My Sweet

[Citizen Rules]

I'm really surprised Murder, My Sweet made the countdown this high. I wasn't sure if it had enough fans to even make the countdown...BUT I'm glad it did! Murder, My Sweet was my #13.


From the Film Noir IV (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?t=69067) that I ran to support this countdown.
My review:

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.criminalelement.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2014%2F08%2Fmurder-my-sweet-dick-powell.jpg&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=3911d33e3af6fe5f4528c8bd5184e2cfdeb4af0617294781889e1a18c1ba24ad&ipo=images
Murder, My Sweet (1944)


If I was Phillip Marlowe, I'd be like Dick Powell's Marlowe in Murder, My Sweet. I could see myself in those muddy shoes and wrinkled suit, needing a shave as I haphazardly tried to solve a case. I'd get one step forward thinking I was on top of things...and then I'd get knocked on my ass, but I'd get back up and come up with another hair-brained idea to ferret out the truth...And if I kept plugging away maybe I'd end up with the rich guys' daughter. Don't think I'd be like Bogart or Mitchum's Philip Marlowe, but I do see myself when I watch this movie, well sort of:cool:

[Holden Pike]

98446

Gilda was #72 on the MoFo Top 100 of the 1940s.

[stillmellow]

98444
#28 Murder, My Sweet (1944)

Director: Edward Dmytryk
Production: RKO
Cast: Dick Powell, Claire Trevor, Anne Shirley
182 Points, 14 Lists

'After being hired to find an ex-con's former girlfriend, Philip Marlowe is drawn into a deeply complex web of mystery and deceit.'

_______________________________________



Yay! We have my #6 and one of my personal favorite movies ever! I couldn't justify ranking it higher, as it's not exactly high art, but I love Dick Powell's more comedic take on the hard boiled detective. The story and cinematography are classic noir. Love it!


Gilda was good, but didn't quite make my list. Rita Hayworth is worth the price of admission, alone.

[stillmellow]

I'm really surprised Murder, My Sweet made the countdown this high. I wasn't sure if it had enough fans to even make the countdown...BUT I'm glad it did! Murder, My Sweet was my #13.


From the Film Noir IV (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?t=69067) that I ran to support this countdown.
My review:

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.criminalelement.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2014%2F08%2Fmurder-my-sweet-dick-powell.jpg&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=3911d33e3af6fe5f4528c8bd5184e2cfdeb4af0617294781889e1a18c1ba24ad&ipo=images
Murder, My Sweet (1944)


If I was Phillip Marlowe, I'd be like Dick Powell's Marlowe in Murder, My Sweet. I could see myself in those muddy shoes and wrinkled suit, needing a shave as I haphazardly tried to solve a case. I'd get one step forward thinking I was on top of things...and then I'd get knocked on my ass, but I'd get back up and come up with another hair-brained idea to ferret out the truth...And if I kept plugging away maybe I'd end up with the rich guys' daughter. Don't think I'd be like Bogart or Mitchum's Philip Marlowe, but I do see myself when I watch this movie, well sort of:cool:



Dick Powell is my favorite Marlowe, and my second favorite noir detective. My favorite is in my number one movie choice.


Who is that? You'll have to wait and see. (Distracts self by playing with fidget toy)

[John-Connor]

98449
Well well well, my very first twofer on the countdown. Gilda has that wonderful undefinable classic Hollywood noir magic that really worked on me. Murder My Sweet is one of the most complete film noirs I've seen in terms of what I believe makes the genre. Stray Dog is great and was in heavy consideration for my ballot but ended up @ #35. And White Heat is high on my essential Crime classics list. At this rate I believe all but one from my ballot will make it.

SEEN 42/74
BALLOT 11/25
https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/jfijewoZOn2ET2VsSaNoIVXjKM.jpghttps://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/jCXeztl1uZyDzbqhPg8B6Zu4TNg.jpghttps://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/agM0xGwaziQodv405SGOhUTcnKS.jpghttps://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/aUzQZt2UlaurZ3wlhzVXQb6PQk8.jpghttps://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/hNP8ikn0ixyv1DnsQNJhui9Xfu.jpghttps://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/lLZ366NsPpcfjWmNFtH0KBtInfb.jpg
https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/46eKPjoWEyNBAQKDoXEcDFBcaUw.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

49. Gun Crazy (1950)
47. Angel Face (1952)
44. The Lost Weekend (1945)
36. Drunken Angel (1948)
35. Stray Dog (1949)
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)
17. The Wrong Man (1956)
14. Gilda (1946)
11. The Breaking Point (1950)
10. Bob Le Flambeur (1956)
09. Leave Her to Heaven (1945)
08. Rebecca 1940
05. Murder, My Sweet (1944)
03. The Narrow Margin (1952)

[Sedai]

Two votes from me today!

Murder, My Sweet was my #22 and Gilda was my #19. :)

Murder, My Sweet is a classic flick, and we are clearly getting into the best of the best at this point. How do you know which are the best? Why, they are on my ballot of course! ;)

Gilda is super well-known, and is also fantastic noir of the highest caliber. I do have just a minor quibble with the tone of the ending, which sort of flies in the face of true noir themes, but I love it all the same. Many people who tend to watch more contemporary fare were made aware of this film when they watched The Shawshank Redemption, which famously features this poster in the first act of the film.

[Holden Pike]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0JxkfyJIA0

[WHITBISSELL!]

2 for 2 but neither Murder, My Sweet (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2184760#post2184760) or Gilda were on my ballot. I liked Powell's interpretation of Phillip Marlowe and Ford and Hayworth made for a memorable pairing.

44 of 74 seen so far.

[mrblond]

#27. Gilda (1946) is my #11.

Another view of mine, specially for the countdown. Interesting story and very well placed Rita Hayworth for one of the most memorable female roles of the 40's. Honestly, Glenn Ford was not my cup of tea here.

4
80/100
98451
-----

My Ballot
▽
1.
2. Rebecca (1940) [#35]
3.
4. The Wrong Man (1956) [#39]
5. Suspicion (1941) [#49]
...
11. Gilda (1946) [#27]
12. The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946) [#40]
...
15. The Lost Weekend (1945) [#34]
...
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/ovvWrzp58tc2f59n3In34wtOwV6.jpg 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/hz2gG5D3GHaaPZUSnRNjMC3Wl1r.jpg https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/hIsRVPP0zqGGrm6Sh7wI1meeB0E.jpg https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/5fZWKQREZ3QVNjBKMLa7NmqufnE.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

-----

[Holden Pike]

I liked Powell's interpretation of Philip Marlowe
https://media1.giphy.com/media/JqDVgroowQy4sYgqjp/giphy.gif?cid=790b7611272a35596c0c48dd13aba7c57ffebe46dac22c57&rid=giphy.gif&ct=g

[Allaby]

Gilda is great, but just missed my ballot. Murder My Sweet is good too, but I didn't vote for it.

Seen: 73/74

[CosmicRunaway]

Nightmare Alley was nominated in the 13th Hall of Fame, and while I liked the look of the film, and thought it had a strong start, it kind of lost me somewhere along the way. This was what I wrote at the time - though kindly ignore the part where I say it doesn't seem to be that well known, since the recent remake has certainly changed that haha.

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=30237

Nightmare Alley (1947)
Dir. Edmund Goulding
Starring: Tyrone Power, Coleen Gray, Joan Blondell

I thoroughly enjoyed the majority of this film. It drew me in quickly, and was very captivating to watch. Tyrone Power was very charming, which definitely aided the believability of his mentalism performances. His intuitive mind reading tricks were a lot of fun to watch. I'm not entirely sure what happened, but towards the end I just suddenly lost touch with the film. The first two thirds were very enchanting, but the final act, where things tend to get rather intriguing in film noirs, did not enthral me in the least.

As such, I was not on board with the film when it started to bring up religious superstitions, and its heavy handed warnings about the dangers of ambition. I typically enjoy stories that have a cyclical nature to them, but I found the ending of Nightmare Alley to be far too predictable and uninteresting. It's really strange because I loved a lot of the film, and being completely disconnected during the last half hour or so made me feel very bitter. I wish I could point to something in particular, but my enjoyment of the film simply ceased, and I don't know why.

Even when I was uninterested during the finale, the film was still very beautifully shot. The cinematography, sets, and costumes were all very well done and helped sell the atmosphere. Given the stellar performances and visual appeal of the film, I'm surprised that Nightmare Alley doesn't seem to be that well known. Despite not caring for the film's ending, I thought it was a great film and am glad I had the opportunity to watch it.



I didn't participate in the 4th Noir HoF where Murder, My Sweet was nomianted, but I had nominated it myself in the 3rd Noir HoF. My reasons for picking it then are the same reasons why it was on my list at #4. It's such a quintessential noir; I can't help but love it.

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

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

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

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

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

Funnily enough, before going with that film as my nomination, I had rewatched both Gilda and Stray Dog - the other 2 films from the recent reveals that I've seen. Both were very late cuts to my list though.

Seen: 26/74

My List: 9
03. Stranger on the Third Floor (1940) - #92
04. Murder My Sweet (1944) - #28
07. Rebecca (1940) - #35
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
25. The Stranger (1946) - #38

[seanc]

Gilda made my list on the strength of a rewatch. I really loved it second time around. Had it at 22.

Murder My Sweet was close to making my list. Awesome Noir.

[cricket]

I liked both of todays entries with 1 making my ballot

2. Scarlet Street (#29)
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)
19. Nightmare Alley (#33)
20. The Blue Dahlia (#74)
21. The Lady from Shanghai (#31)
22. Gilda (#27)
23. The Stranger (#38)
24. Drunken Angel (#70)
25. The Letter (#72)

[Harry Lime]

What an intro, Rita-I mean Gilda. Classic noir with great characters and development and I placed it at #20. I liked Murder, My Sweet but didn't love it like others apparently - I had no idea!


10. Stray Dog (1949)
15. Bob le flambeur (1956)
17. Rififi (1955)
20. Gilda (1946)
23. White Heat (1949)
25. Nightmare Alley (1947)

[beelzebubble]

Okay. now we're cooking with gas!!
Murder, My Sweet and Gilda are both on my list. I love Dick Powell and the "hardboiled" dialogue. When the big lug says, "she was cute as lace pants," I crack up.

In Gilda, Glenn Ford and Rita Hayworth have great chemistry. This is George Macready's, the actor who plays Gilda's sugar daddy, most memorable role. And Rita Hayworth is on fire.

[Thief]

This is George Macready's, the actor who plays Gilda's sugar daddy, most memorable role. And Rita Hayworth is on fire.

He's very good here, but I also like him in Paths of Glory a lot. He's also in a mostly underseen Bette Davis film I like called Dead Ringer.

[SpelingError]

Seen and like both films, but neither made my ballot.

[GulfportDoc]

Murder, My Sweet

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

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

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

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

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

There have been a number of Philip Marlowes portrayed in American feature film adaptions of Chandler novels. My personal ranking of the actors in order are: Humphrey Bogart, Dick Powell, Robert Mitchum, Robert Montgomery, James Garner, Elliot Gould, James Caan, and George Montgomery. But, having read all of Chandler's Marlowe novels I'd say that Dick Powell plays it as close to the shamus of the novels.

[GulfportDoc]

Gilda is a great noir, and also one of Glenn Ford's sourest starring roles. Was Rita Hayworth drop dead gorgeous, or what?! Their off-screen romance carried on for years.

It didn't break into my top 25, although it could have..;)

I had Murder, My Sweet up at #9.

[dadgumblah]

Murder, My Sweet is one of my favorite Noirs and it made my list at #13. It was mentioned that Dick Powell had previously been in musicals and that's where I knew him from. My wife and I were pretty much glued to Turner Classic Movies for a couple of years and we saw several of his musical extravaganzas, including the three Gold Diggers films. So it was a joy when he put on the shoulder holster and fedora and wisecracked his way through this great Noir. I have to applaud the supporting cast: it was hard for me to reconcile Claire Trevor as the same woman from Stagecoach (1939). She was so sultry here, it was night and day for me. Anne Shirley was fine also, and although she didn't strut around slinkily, she still made an impression. Otto Kruger was great as the heavy of the piece, but almost stealing Powell's thunder was Mike Mazurki in my favorite role of his as Moose Malloy, the bruiser who gets Marlowe into the whole mess of a case so he "find Velma" for Moose. And about Moose, Marlowe says, " I tried to picture him in love with somebody, but it didn't work." :p

And I just love his whole hard-boiled detective lingo, which is how these guys should talk:"I caught the blackjack right behind my ear. A black pool opened up at my feet. I dived in. It had no bottom. I felt pretty good - like an amputated leg." :cool:

I like Gilda very much and the trio of Glenn Ford, Rita Hayworth, and George Macready were super. I like Glenn Ford when he's sour or bitter, or just plain mad, yet I included another Noir on my list where he's all three but I don't know if it'll make it at this point. Too bad, 'cause it's a killer!

#4 The Big Combo List Proper #52
#6 Kansas City Confidential List Proper #53
#13 Murder, My Sweet List Proper #28
#14 Kiss of Death List Proper #59
#15 He Walked By Night List Proper #88
#16 The Naked City List Proper #60
#20 Gun Crazy List Proper #36
#22 This Gun For Hire List Proper #78
#23 The Narrow Margin List Proper #43
#25 Crossfire List Proper #51

[PHOENIX74]

Both of these are on my ballot, and both are memorable...

#28 Murder, My Sweet - Detectives in noir movies get knocked out so often they must have suffered from CTE later in life. Here Philip Marlowe (Dick Powell) gets poisoned, crushed, knocked out and generally abused trying to work a few cases which he finds out are connected. This is a typically twisty, complex web of a Chandler mystery brought to life by Edward Dmytryk, who would go on to make films like The Young Lions, The Caine Mutiny and Broken Lance. The biggest surprise for me was how well Dick Powell acquits himself playing such a revered character - he kind of makes him his own, adding Powell's particular touch of charm. I had Murder, My Sweet at #11 on my ballot.

#27 Gilda - Rita Hayworth, and that great shot where she bobs up. The suave and handsome Glen Ford. Turn up the heat, the coolness, the sex-appeal and the mysterious power of Gilda - all wrapped up in Buenos Aires, a Casablanca-like den of corruption, blackmail, sex, gambling, hustling and crime. Great costumes and music. Loads of tension, and murderous intrigue. Gilda has it all, including mutual obsession, steamy heat, visual artistry and resentful recriminations from all of the characters. It's one of the sexiest film noir films I've seen from this era. I had it at #14 on my ballot.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Seen : 19/74
I'd never even heard of : 47/74
Movies that had been on my radar, but I haven't seen yet : 8/74
Films from my list : 10

#27 - My #14 - Gilda (1946)
#28 - My #11 - Murder, My Sweet (1944)
#31 - My #25 - The Lady From Shanghai (1947)
#33 - My #22 - Nightmare Alley (1947)
#36 - My #16 - Gun Crazy (1950)
#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]

Two more I haven't seen, but recognize the titles of.

[Citizen Rules]

98472
#26 Key Largo (1948)

Director: John Huston
Production: Warner Bros.
Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Edward G. Robinson, Lauren Bacall, Claire Trevor
187 Points, 21 Lists

'A man visits his war buddy's family hotel and finds a gangster running things. As a hurricane approaches, the two end up confronting each other.'

_______________________________________

[Citizen Rules]

98473
#25 Night and the City (1950)

Director: Jules Dassin
Production: Twentieth Century Fox
Cast: Rita Hayworth, Glenn Ford, George Macready
189 Points, 16 Lists

'A small-time grifter and nightclub tout takes advantage of some fortuitous circumstances and tries to become a big-time player as a wrestling promoter.'

_______________________________________

[Allaby]

Key Largo is good, but didn't make my ballot. Night and the City is excellent and was my #7.

Seen: 75/76.

[Holden Pike]

98474

Key Largo was #77 on the MoFo Top 100 of the 1940s.

[John W Constantine]

Two entries very much overdue for a revisit.

[stillmellow]

Key Largo is my #21. Quintessential, feel-good noir. I liked Night in the City, but it didn't make my list.

[seanc]

Key Largo was just okay for me, but it’s been a long time.

I will be watching Night And The City very soon and looking forward to it. It just hit Criterion Channel this month. Just a bit too late for me to get it in before list time.

[John-Connor]

98478
I considered both Jules Dassin's noirs; The Naked City and Night and the City for my ballot. But because of it's immersive story, stronger performances and characters, I went with the latter. Not necessarily for it's cinematography because I think the former probably wins in that department. Key Largo was a very enjoyable classic, with a veteran cast and good looking set pieces. I have it at #39.

SEEN 44/76
BALLOT 12/25
https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/jfijewoZOn2ET2VsSaNoIVXjKM.jpghttps://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/jCXeztl1uZyDzbqhPg8B6Zu4TNg.jpghttps://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/agM0xGwaziQodv405SGOhUTcnKS.jpghttps://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/aUzQZt2UlaurZ3wlhzVXQb6PQk8.jpghttps://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/hNP8ikn0ixyv1DnsQNJhui9Xfu.jpghttps://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/lLZ366NsPpcfjWmNFtH0KBtInfb.jpg
https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/46eKPjoWEyNBAQKDoXEcDFBcaUw.jpghttps://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/2MQuJkwOYF9GL85ECKpVAoI5Hjk.jpghttps://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/yUMQWsEkOZSVC6xg6rl3vRHalAg.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

49. Gun Crazy (1950)
47. Angel Face (1952)
45. Elevator to the Gallows (1958)
44. The Lost Weekend (1945)
39. Key Largo (1948)
38. The Naked City (1948)
36. Drunken Angel (1948)
35. Stray Dog (1949)
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)
18. Night and the City (1950)
17. The Wrong Man (1956)
14. Gilda (1946)
11. The Breaking Point (1950)
10. Bob Le Flambeur (1956)
09. Leave Her to Heaven (1945)
08. Rebecca (1940)
05. Murder, My Sweet (1944)
03. The Narrow Margin (1952)

[Thursday Next]

Night and the City was my #8 . A really good film. I didn't know whether to root for the protagonist to succeed or for him to get his comeuppance.


I've seen Key Largo but don't remember it well.

[Citizen Rules]

Key Largo is a fun watch with lots of top notch stars. Night and the City made my ballot! It was my #15 ballot choice. I wrote this about it Night and the City(1950) (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2430235#post2430235)

[Thief]

Two donuts from me, but both have been on my radar.



SEEN: 20/76
MY BALLOT: 8/25


1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10. Gilda (#27)
11. Criss Cross (#44)
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17. The Narrow Margin (#43)
18.
19.
20. Gun Crazy (#36)
21. The Hitch-Hiker (#67)
22.
23. The Woman in the Window (#65)
24. D.O.A. (#54)
25. Kansas City Confidential (#53)

[Thief]

Night and the City is Jules Dassin's fourth entry in the countdown. He has already placed Brute Force (#73), The Naked City (#60), and Rififi (#42). It also has one of the highest IMDb ratings in the countdown at 7.9 (tied with Elevator to the Gallows and The Lost Weekend).

[Holden Pike]

I am hoping there is still room for one more Jules Dassin flick - the one I have on my ballot - though we are quickly running out of real estate. Maybe tomorrow?

[Holden Pike]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFnPqcsB2_4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puS38upnGDc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3j2vVxu0g4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoM2jH2D390
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCD8yi4JLFg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7_k9ckB5y8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XYyyVdoTl4

[mrblond]

Another pair of mine...

#25 Night and the City (1950) and #26 Key Largo (1948), I have them both respectively at #20 and #19 on my ballot.

I've bought Key Largo DVD at some clearance sale couple of years ago but haven't seen it until the last December, just in time for the countdown. It's okay movie, a bit naive, and landed at my lower slots. Honestly, I'm a bit surprised it made it so high on the list. Now I wonder how I put Night and the City below it.

[Little Ash]

I'm not familiar with Key Largo. IDK if Night and the City was on my radar before the countdown, but I did watch it recently (this month) because it came onto the criterion channel's Peak Noir collection. If I had seen it before making my ballot, it probably would have placed on my ballot. I just loved the intertwining, backstabbing through "helpful" measures. Something about it reminded me of the plot structure of Blood Simple, which I love.

[WHITBISSELL!]

Wowzers. 2 for 2 and they're both on my list. Key Largo is my #16 and Night and the City is my #11.

Key Largo is a fine example of film noir while, at the same time, transcending the genre. From director John Huston to Bogart, Bacall and Robinson. Lionel Barrymore. Claire Trevor positively shining as Gaye Dawn. Rocco's crew of nonchalantly murderous thugs. Such a powerhouse, faultless cast. I liked how Rocco's dismissive nickname for Bogart's Maj. Frank McCloud took on a different meaning and tone as the film progressed. "Soldier!, Soldier!" I love this movie.

Night and the City featured what is probably Richard Widmark's best role as born-to-lose Harry Fabian. You know how it's bound to end for Harry but Jules Dassin and Widmark keep you invested all the same. Another great noir this time with London's seedy underbelly as the setting.

46 of 76 seen so far. 12 picks accounted for.

1.
2.
3. High Sierra (#50)
4.
5. Ride the Pink Horse (#45)
6. Mystery Street (#93)
7. Gun Crazy (#36)
8.
9.
10.
11. Night and the City (#25)
12.
13.
14. Stray Dog (#32)
15.
16. Key Largo (#26)
17.
18.
19. The Narrow Margin (#43)
20. Kansas City Confidential (#53)
21. Where the Sidewalk Ends (#66)
22. Too Late for Tears (#81)
23.
24. The Set-Up (#46)
25.

[WHITBISSELL!]

I like Glenn Ford when he's sour or bitter, or just plain mad, yet I included another Noir on my list where he's all three but I don't know if it'll make it at this point. Too bad, 'cause it's a killer! Ooh, ooh! I know. Is it The Courtship of Eddies Father?

[Citizen Rules]

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=98478
I considered both Jules Dassin's noirs; The Naked City and Night and the City for my ballot. But because of it's immersive story, stronger performances and characters, I went with the latter. Not necessarily for it's cinematography because I think the former probably wins in that department. Did you go with only one noir per director? Some do some don't just curious. Also curious about that photo has Night and the City been colorized at some point?

Night and the City was my #8 . A really good film. I didn't know whether to root for the protagonist to succeed or for him to get his comeuppance...I rooted for Widmark 100% of the way, he certainly had the sad eyed pathos in this film. One of my favorite actors.

[John-Connor]

Did you go with only one noir per director? Some do some don't just curious. Also curious about that photo has Night and the City been colorized at some point?
Nope, *spoiler…. I have three ......... noirs on my ballot. :D
Yes it has been colorized but I've only seen the original, I'm also very much in favor of watching a film in the way the director intended and delivered it.

[cricket]

2 good movies but I strongly prefer Key Largo

2. Scarlet Street (#29)
3. Rififi (#42)
6. The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (#40)
7. Body and Soul (#94)
10. Key Largo (#26)
13. Detective Story (#57)
15. Force of Evil (#85)
16 Ride the Pink Horse (#45)
19. Nightmare Alley (#33)
20. The Blue Dahlia (#74)
21. The Lady from Shanghai (#31)
22. Gilda (#27)
23. The Stranger (#38)
24. Drunken Angel (#70)
25. The Letter (#72)

[SpelingError]

I haven't seen Key Largo, but I've been meaning to for a little while.

Night and the City was #5 on my ballot Excellent film.

[SpelingError]

5) Night and the City
8) White Heat
14) Gun Crazy
18) The Stranger
19) Odd Man Out
22) The Lost Weekend
24) Crossfire

[Harry Lime]

Dassin is really doing well this countdown. Well deserved. I didn't have Night and the City on my list but it's a great picture and one of his best. Key Largo is decent but I recall being kind of neutral on it when I watched it and figured if it wasn't for some of the actors I wouldn't care for it at all.

[GulfportDoc]

Night and the City (1950)

Produced at the peak of the classic film noir era, this picture is a lollapalooza of a noir, ticking so many boxes of classic noir's characteristics, that it risked coming close to being a send up.

It stars Richard Widmark, Gene Tierney, and Brit star Googie Withers, with nice turns by Francis L. Sullivan, Herbert Lom, and Hugh Marlowe. Shot on location in London, it's wonderfully directed by Jules Dassin (Brute Force), with immensely impressive noir cinematography by Max Greene (So Evil My Love). The locations and studio sets are perfect.

Widmark moved away from being typecast as another psychopathic killer like Tommy Udo in Kiss of Death (1947), but he gave 110% as a sleazeball get-rich-quick dreamer Harry Fabian, who would stop at nothing to try to scam his way into prominence and to claw away at elusive respect. It's almost exhausting watching his schemes, antics and emotional outbursts.

Tierney plays Fabian's sweet, honest but enabling girlfriend. Fabian continually lies to her and asks for money for his big final attempt to be a big shot by rising to prominence as London's biggest wrestling promoters. But Fabian goes too far and has burned too many bridges. The underworld kings eventually have enough of Fabian's scheming and lying.

Of particular interest is a long and authentic private grudge wrestling match between Mike Mazurki (Murder, My Sweet), "The Strangler", and Stanislaus Sbyszko (Madison Square Garden), "Gregorius the Great". Both men had been former championship wrestlers, and the realism in their contest makes it one of the best on film.

Dassin reported that Fox studio head Darryl Zanuck had requested that Tierney be cast in the film. She was having psychological problems at the time, and he felt that the work would help pull her out of them. She rose to the occasion in this memorable picture.

But it's the keen photography by Max Greene that sets this film apart. His set ups, locations, lighting and camera angles rival those of the great John Alton, and continue to the movie's uniqueness.

I didn't love this film as much as I admired it. But it's such a great noir I put it at #18 on my list.

[GulfportDoc]

I don't think of Key Largo as a noir, but as a landmark crime/hostage picture notable for putting Bogie on the map, as well as for the superb performance by Claire Trevor. She wasn't afraid to take any role, and usually excelled at all of them. She was rightly awarded the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in Key Largo.

I finally got down to visit Key Largo, FL a few years ago, and was able to take a ride on the original "African Queen" boat, moored there, which was a thrill because I'd seen the picture when it came out, and several times since. But the entire Key Largo film was shot in Burbank at Warner Bros. But after the movie became popular, in the northernmost FL Keys the postal name Rock Harbor was changed to Key Largo.

[PHOENIX74]

#25 Night and the City - Here's a movie I saw just too late to include on my ballot, and it would have indeed made my ballot, perhaps as high as #10 or so. Night and the City was great, and here's what I had to say about it on my watchlist thread :

Another great film noir - another great filmmaker. Jules Dassin had just made Thieves' Highway, and would make Rififi after this - so he was in top form. He'd also just left the United States because he was about to be blacklisted, his name being mentioned numerous times at the Committee on Un-American Activities - and as such Night and the City was made in London, and also set in London - Dassin making great use of the city's dark corners and bombed out ruins from the blitz. The story involves hustler and con-man Harry Fabian (Richard Widmark), and his attempts to build his own wrestling empire after convincing legend Gregorius the Great (Stanislaus Zbyszko) and his son Nikolas of Athens (Ken Richmond) to work for him. What he doesn't realise is that his own financial partner, and many other London players, are all working against him - determined to bring him down.

The great thing about character Fabian is his child-like enthusiasm for whatever he's doing, and his crazily boundless optimism and self-belief. Fabian believes that every scheme he latches onto is a "sure thing" - if only someone would front the money for him, he'd be living on "easy street" and make a fortune. He's never aware of potential pitfalls and the various cul de sacs, and always takes various short cuts and cheats that become future land mines. Richard Widmark seems born to play this character, his expressive, pale face looking like a kid on Christmas morning when on the verge of a big score. I ended up watching the U.S. version of the film, but I did end up checking out some scenes that are only in the British version - the two are quite different, and have completely different scores along with being edited from scratch each time. Some of the scenes in the British version expound on Fabian's never-ending trail of get-rich-quick schemes, and how they've all blown up in everyone's face.

The film features Gene Tierney as Mary Bristol, Fabian's long-suffering girl, along with Francis L. Sullivan as nightclub owner Phil Nosseross - Fabian's partner, and in the end nemesis. Googie Withers plays Helen, Phil's wife, who Fabian cons and basically ruins. The film runs at a breakneck speed and includes a lot of action, movement and excitement. The cinematography is first-class, plunging us into the pitch-black dead ends and the shadowed dungeon-like cold spaces of London. There's no such thing as the 'easy money' Fabian dreams of, only the shifty cons he uses to make a buck, or working for Nosseross by fooling people into going to his nightclub. Watching the movie is like seeing a car crash in slow motion - but still praying it won't happen. I mean, I kind of liked Fabian - or at least I would of if he'd only wake up and not be so self-destructive. I really enjoyed watching Night and the City - it was exciting, and a great film noir classic from Dassin. It's the fourth film of his I've seen, and I'm surely going to watch more.

Key Largo is a huge film that I haven't seen yet - I've got a lot of catching up to do still when it comes to films pre-1960, and there are various omissions which are criminal if I were to ever think of myself as a cinephile.

Seen : 20! Huzzuh!

[dadgumblah]

Ooh, ooh! I know. Is it The Courtship of Eddies Father?

How did you guess??? :eek: Yes, I can't wait to talk about the scene where Tom (Ford) gets tired of Eddie (Ronny Howard) interfering in his love life, and threatens to have the local kids "have a meeting with Eddie." Cold-blooded stuff!

Key Largo is a fine film but it's been a few years since I've seen it so I didn't include it, although Bogie did make my list a couple of times. Love the cast and am especially fond of Barrymore, Robinson, and Trevor. I'll mention Trevor again in terms of looks---I had talked earlier in the thread about Trevor seeming somehow older in Stagecoach, although that came out in 1939, and in Murder My Sweet she looks much younger and that was in 1944. Then comes Key Largo in 1948 and, sorry, but she looks ten years older to me. I don't know if it was makeup or what, because she was only 38-year-old and she looks almost 50 to me. Maybe it's just because she was a chameleon. Yeah, that's it!

I hadn't seen Night and the City by the time the Countdown started, but I got around to it. And was I blown away! For my money, Richard Widmark should have been nominated for an Oscar for his portrayal here. I had been used to Widmark mainly in films during the 60s and beyond. So, his performance here was amazing to me, showing things I'd never seen in him: fear, desperation, greed, etc. etc. His eyes show a lot of what's going on in his mind and it ain't pretty. The whole movie with its slew of characters, seemingly on Harry's (Widmark) side, most of them not (except for Tierney, and by extension her friend, played by Hugh Marlowe). And all it takes is a reward offer for them to flip very easily. My man Mike Mazurki shows up again in a great role and was super. But one of my favorite scenes is when Philip Nosseross (Francis L. Sullivan), Harry's employer, laughs his head off at Harry's idea to run the wrestling scene in London, and Harry's fury at not being taken seriously. Just one great scene among many. Not only one of my favorite all-time Noirs, but a serious contender for my All-Time Top 10. If we have another Noir Countdown like this one, look out list!

#4 The Big Combo List Proper List Proper #52
#6 Kansas City Confidential List Proper #53
#13 Murder, My Sweet List Proper #28
#14 Kiss of Death List Proper List Proper #59
#15 He Walked By Night List Proper #88
#16 The Naked City List Proper #60
#20 Gun Crazy List Proper #36
#22 This Gun For Hire List Proper #78
#23 The Narrow Margin List Proper #43
#25 Crossfire List Proper #51

[Torgo]

Key Largo ended up at #14 on my ballot. Here's something I wrote about it:

This is a great classic noir that doesn't fit the mold of classic noir established in movies like The Maltese Falcon or The Big Sleep. Instead of a city like New York, it's set at the seedy Hotel Largo in Key West. Also, instead of taking place in familiar noir locations like police stations, train cabins, safe houses and bars (well, except for the hotel's bar), most of the action happens inside the hotel. Counterfeiter Johnny Rocco (Edward G. Robinson) and his cronies have taken over the hotel while awaiting buyers of their goods. In doing so, they've made hostages of manager James (Lionel Barrymore), his daughter Nora (Lauren Bacall) and guest Frank (Humphrey Bogart), an ex-soldier tasked with letting James know how his son died in the war. To complicate matters, there's a hurricane raging, so nobody can leave, and Rocco killed a suspicious cop and disposed of the body, so the sheriff is just as likely to show up when the storm subsides as the buyers are.

It's been said that the best acting occurs in confined spaces, and while this star-studded cast would have amazed in any setting, this opinion very well could be traced to this movie. Robinson makes Rocco out to be a classic noir villain if there ever was one, and since I've only seen Bogart play characters that could be considered neutral, it's nice to see him in a heroic role. Even so, in true noir fashion, this movie deftly challenges whether anyone is wholly good or evil as Fred and the other good guys must do less than heroic things for their own survival. It's also been said that movies mostly set in one place falter when they leave that place. However, this movie's finale is as tense and thrilling as anything that happens in the hotel and thus avoids that trap.

[honeykid]

Key Largo just snuck onto my list at #16. I don't remember a great deal about it, other than it was OK and made me think of a noir version of The Pertrified Forest, another film I've only seen once about 35 years ago. :D

[Hey Fredrick]

Quick recap

Crossfire was one of the last films I watched before submitting my ballot and I thought it was good enough to land at # 18 for me. Would like to have seen Mitchum do a little more, I like him when he's a little more dangerous, but it was good.

Nightmare Alley Noir isn't my favorite genre so most of the films on my ballot I've only watched once and barely remember most of them but this was really good and is one of the few that will get a rewatch at some point. Had it in my top ten at seven.

The Lady From Shanghai is my 22nd favorite noir. I'm really scratching at this point to fill out a top 25.

Key Largo was my number 25. Going off of my rating when I watched it and this seemed like a good spot for it.

[Citizen Rules]

98487
#24 Detour (1945)

Director: Edgar G. Ulmer
Production: PRC Pictures
Cast: Tom Neal, Ann Savage, Claudia Drake
200 Points, 22 Lists

'The life of Al Roberts, a pianist in a New York nightclub, turns into a nightmare when he decides to hitchhike to Los Angeles to visit his girlfriend.'

_______________________________________

[Citizen Rules]

98488
#23 The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946)

Director: Tay Garnett
Production: MGM
Cast: Lana Turner, John Garfield, Cecil Kellaway
225 Points, 18 Lists

'A married woman and a drifter fall in love and then plot to murder her husband.'

_______________________________________

[Thief]

During the last months, Citizen hosted two Film Noir Hall of Fames. These is the list of films present in both:

Film Noir HoF IV (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2420575#post2420575)

1. The Maltese Falcon
2. Out of the Past
3. The Asphalt Jungle
4. Touch of Evil
5. Gilda (#27)
6. Mildred Pierce
7. Gun Crazy (#36)
8. Criss Cross (#44)
9. Detour (#24)
10. Act of Violence (#61)
11. Thieves' Highway
DQ. Murder, My Sweet (#28)


Last Chance... Film Noir HoF V (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2428093#post2428093)

1. Double Indemnity
2. Sweet Smell of Success
3. Ace in the Hole
4. Kiss Me Deadly
5. The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (#40)
6. The Night of the Hunter
7. The Breaking Point (#58)

See how many have placed already and where. Do you think the other ones will make it?

[Allaby]

I really enjoyed Detour and it landed at #17 on my ballot. The Postman Always Rings Twice is great, but couldn't make my list.

Seen: 77/78.

[Holden Pike]

98489

Detour was #94 and The Postman Always Rings Twice #82 on the MoFo Top 100 of the 1940s.

[Thief]

I'm a big fan of Detour. It was one of the first films I saw years ago when I took a Film Noir online course and it was highlighted how much it embraces all of the typical film noir trademarks down to a T. Here's my full review (https://www.movieforums.com/reviews/2422256-detour.html) and a bit from it:


Both Neal and Savage were very good portraying the desperation from their characters. Her performance might've been a bit more forced, but the character called for it. Still, they worked pretty well off each other. Director Ulmer makes the most of what he got with some great use of shadows, lights, and music, which serves to create a unique and effective atmosphere.


Bottom line, it's grimy and dark and I love it. I had it at #14.

I haven't seen The Postman Always Rings Twice, which seems like another glaring omission from my part. I should get on that.


SEEN: 21/78
MY BALLOT: 9/25


1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10. Gilda (#27)
11. Criss Cross (#44)
12.
13.
14. Detour (#24)
15.
16.
17. The Narrow Margin (#43)
18.
19.
20. Gun Crazy (#36)
21. The Hitch-Hiker (#67)
22.
23. The Woman in the Window (#65)
24. D.O.A. (#54)
25. Kansas City Confidential (#53)

[Allaby]

During the last months, Citizen hosted two Film Noir Hall of Fames. These is the list of films present in both:

Film Noir HoF IV (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2420575#post2420575)

1. The Maltese Falcon
2. Out of the Past
3. The Asphalt Jungle
4. Touch of Evil
5. Gilda (#27)
6. Mildred Pierce
7. Gun Crazy (#36)
8. Criss Cross (#44)
9. Detour (#24)
10. Act of Violence (#61)
11. Thieves' Highway
DQ. Murder, My Sweet (#28)


Last Chance... Film Noir HoF V (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2428093#post2428093)

1. Double Indemnity
2. Sweet Smell of Success
3. Ace in the Hole
4. Kiss Me Deadly
5. The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (#40)
6. The Night of the Hunter
7. The Breaking Point (#58)

See how many have placed already and where. Do you think the other ones will make it?

I expect these to make it:

The Maltese Falcon
Out of the Past
The Asphalt Jungle
Touch of Evil
Mildred Pierce
Double Indemnity
Sweet Smell of Success
Ace in the Hole
Kiss Me Deadly
The Night of the Hunter

I don't think Thieves' Highway will make the countdown, but you never know. It's also possible that one of the films that everyone assumes will make the list might end up missing it in a shocking upset.

[Citizen Rules]

Key Largo just snuck onto my list at #16. I don't remember a great deal about it, other than it was OK and made me think of a noir version of The Petrified Forest, another film I've only seen once about 35 years ago. :DI just watched Bogart in the TV drama Producers Showcase: The Petrified Forest (1955) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0394853/?ref_=nm_flmg_eps_tt_1) I believe it's on Youtube. The video quality was rough of course but it was interesting seeing a different cast perform. Of course Bogart was reprising his role as Duke Mantee, Lauren Bacall played the Bette Davis part 'Gabby', and Henry Fonda played the Leslie Howard part 'Alan Squier'. Bacall wasn't good in this role and Fonda wasn't a good fit either. You could call that produced for television noir!

[Citizen Rules]

Love Detour! It made my ballot at #12 I wrote this in a Noir HoF

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=95943
Detour (1945)


Gosh I really like Ann Savage, I thought she was cute. Especially in the beginning in that little white sweater when she doesn't have so much make-up on and her hair isn't curled. I love that look in her eyes in that photo, it's such a vivid look.

I got this feeling that her character Vera had been through a lot of pain in her life. As she was dying of tuberculous she had this pragmatic, negative outlook on life...yet I don't think she was evil, just troubled. I believe she could've been helped and Tom Neal 'Al' was an idiot for not taking her up on her offer to spend the night...I mean what does he have to lose at that point?

His character is well written...but he's the world's biggest loser with this sour, down trodden and beaten by life look on his face. His blonde girlfriend leaves him for California and he makes the world's stupidest decision when he steals the dead guy's car, money and ID. In true noir fashion he's doomed himself! So why not sleep with Vera, just don't kiss her. She clearly likes him and I found that touching in a doomed sort of way.

Detour was the first 'B' movie chose by the Library of Congress to include it it's National Film Registry...that says a lot!

rating_4++

[Citizen Rules]

I also love The Postman Always Rings Twice it was #14 on my ballot. I wrote this about it:


https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fi.pinimg.com%2Foriginals%2F2d%2Faa%2F95%2F2daa9557e0623e5f6d0465ad3d7a17be.jpg&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=c454364eb513193e6326d9454247552ad99225509c60d98c99a751755147d3a5&ipo=images
The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946)


The Postman Always Rings Twice is based on the 1934 crime novel by James M. Cain. A novel that oozed so much steamy sexuality that it took 12 years before a movie script could pass the Hays production code. Before the 1946 classic, there had been two other movie versions made: Le dernier tournant (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0031222/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1) (1939) a French movie, and the Italian Ossessione (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0035160/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1) (1943). In 1981 there was an American remake The Postman Always Rings Twice (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082934/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1) (1981) featuring Jack Nicholson and Jessica Lange. But it's the 1946, Lana Turner, John Garfield classic that lives in the hearts of film noir fans.

The Postman Always Rings Twice had one of the most nuanced scripts I've seen for a noir and was very polished as one would expect from a big budget MGM production. So many wonderful little details and a great supporting cast that makes this noir stand out.

I loved the way the movie introduced John Garfield to the Two Oaks Diner with the Man Wanted sign, and he'd just hitched a ride from the District Attorney of all people.

And I loved the way they introduced Lana Turner, with her lipstick rolling across the floor, as the camera pans to her and then up her legs, then back to Garfield's stunned expression as he takes in her sheer beauty. Then the scene continues with her expecting Garfield to bring the lipstick across the floor to her, but Garfield is too cool to do that.

That scene really established the love hate relationship between the love crossed pair. Oh, and the hamburger burning on the grill because of Garfield's distraction at seeing her, really laid it out...she would be his doom. Like I said lots of nuanced details.

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=35281&stc=1&d=1506010577
Just look at the expressions on their faces! If a picture is worth a million dollars, then I'm taking that photo to the bank!


John Garfield was made for this role. MGM thought so too as they borrowed him from Warner Brothers. Garfield is excellent in this as his personality of the roguish, but self destructive rebel worked perfectly for the film.

I liked Lana Turner better than I would have expected. This is one of her greatest roles. She's the cold beauty, that spells doom. She sure looked great in the all white ensemble that she wore.

Not to be missed are three great character actors, Cecil Kellaway as her likeable goof of a husband. Hume Cronyn has one of his finest screen moments as a sleazy defense lawyer and Leon Ames isn't too shaby either as the prosecuting attorney.

rating_4++

[Holden Pike]

Not that #24 and #23 are bad spots at all, but I thought both of these titles would be higher. I had them Top 20, and I thought Postman may even go Top 10.

I voted for neither, though both are obvious classics.

[seanc]

Watched Detour twice now, and I just don’t get the love. Feels like a cheap imitation of good Noir to me.

I need to see Postman again. I remember absolutely nothing and it’s only been a couple years. Want to see the remake as well. Still haven’t checked that out.

[SpelingError]

Detour was #9 on my ballot. The Postman Always Rings Twice was #16 on my ballot. Huge fan of both.

[SpelingError]

5) Night and the City
8) White Heat
9) Detour
14) Gun Crazy
16) The Postman Always Rings Twice
18) The Stranger
19) Odd Man Out
22) The Lost Weekend
24) Crossfire

[Thursday Next]

I had both The Postman Always Rings Twice and Ossessione (which has no chance showing up now so I guess it's ok I mention it) on my list.

[WHITBISSELL!]

2 for 2 today. Detour (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=2160024#post2160024) really impressed me the first time I watched it and it's my #18 pick. Edgar G. Ulmer turned out an excellent 67 minute long noir on a 30,000 dollar budget. Ann Savage really put the fatal in femme fatale.

I was convinced I hadn't seen The Postman Always Rings Twice. I thought I had started it once and stopped. But when I tried to pinpoint how far I had gotten I kept remembering more and more of the movie. So I guess I did watch it all. This was a while back. For some reason, this and Double Indemnity are inextricably tied together in my noir watching experience.

47 of 78 seen and 13 picks accounted for with 22 more to be revealed.

[WHITBISSELL!]

I expect these to make it:

The Maltese Falcon
Out of the Past
The Asphalt Jungle
Touch of Evil
Mildred Pierce
Double Indemnity
Sweet Smell of Success
Ace in the Hole
Kiss Me Deadly
The Night of the HunterI hope you're right. I have six of those in my picks.

[John W Constantine]

Getting down to the nitty gritty, still expecting a bunch of my picks, plus both no.1s to show rather high. My neo-noir will seemingly have casualties.

[CosmicRunaway]

Night and the City and Detour are both films I watched in preparation for the Countdown. They both made my list, and have now made the Countdown as well! I don't think I've seen Key Largo (or at least not all of it), but The Postman Always Rings Twice is one of those films that always seemed to be on tv when I went home (on TCM, usually), and I'd frequently turn it on. It didn't squeeze onto my ballot, however.

Seen: 29/78

My List: 11
03. Stranger on the Third Floor (1940) - #92
04. Murder My Sweet (1944) - #28
06. Detour (1945) - #24
07. Rebecca (1940) - #35
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
18. Night and the City (1950) - #25
19. Phantom Lady (1944) - #69
25. The Stranger (1946) - #38

https://64.media.tumblr.com/0d89a1680939ff60d6912881055a4b65/fc7f1267f6e0dff5-b6/s540x810/a20ea7ae9809fcc8a9a7598f09fff703c71474dd.gifv

[Thief]

Not that #24 and #23 are bad spots at all, but I thought both of these titles would be higher. I had them Top 20, and I thought Postman may even go Top 10.

I voted for neither, though both are obvious classics.

If you had voted for them, they'd be Top 20 :shifty:

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/72/d9/4e/72d94ebe9022f80fc9e0bd057648943c.gif

:D

[WHITBISSELL!]

My neo-noir will seemingly have casualties.Same here. It's gonna be the Pork Chop Hill of countdowns.

[mrblond]

#23. The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946) is my #10.

In my post-school years, the 1981 version of this film has been one of my favorite movies. Naturally, when film-noir theme was launched, I've hurried to catch up with the older one. I've found it quite good so it made my top 10.

98494
-----

My Ballot
▽
1.
2. Rebecca (1940) [#35]
3.
4. The Wrong Man (1956) [#39]
5. Suspicion (1941) [#49]
...
10. The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946) [#23]
11. Gilda (1946) [#27]
12. The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946) [#40]
...
15. The Lost Weekend (1945) [#34]
...
19. Key Largo (1948) [#26]
20. Night and the City (1950) [#25]
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/ovvWrzp58tc2f59n3In34wtOwV6.jpg https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/lLZ366NsPpcfjWmNFtH0KBtInfb.jpg https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/76zZNcz3pR2EEUwAKLO1MTHkVDa.jpg https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/7yY32i0KZtA1cQmbjGHYR1B40h7.jpg https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/hz2gG5D3GHaaPZUSnRNjMC3Wl1r.jpg https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/hIsRVPP0zqGGrm6Sh7wI1meeB0E.jpg https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/5fZWKQREZ3QVNjBKMLa7NmqufnE.jpg

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/1WT7az5rvteBNmgJrZoRb6whhuB.jpg https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/2NBmzm8z5fd283eWeECkPrkwta8.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]

I expect these to make it:

The Maltese Falcon
Out of the Past
The Asphalt Jungle
Touch of Evil
Mildred Pierce
Double Indemnity
Sweet Smell of Success
Ace in the Hole
Kiss Me Deadly
The Night of the Hunter
Some of those might make it, some might not:eek:

[Citizen Rules]

Tom Neal (Detour) had to be one of the most noir like actors in real life. While noir actor Dan Duryea was a commented family man who attended PTA meeting and spent his time gardening in his greenhouse. Tom Neal was a real life sleaze ball. From Wiki:

In the early 1950s, Neal met actress Barbara Payton (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbara_Payton) at a party. The two began dating, but Payton ended the relationship after meeting and becoming engaged to actor Franchot Tone (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franchot_Tone). Despite her engagement, Payton began seeing Neal again. On September 14, 1951, Neal, Payton, and Tone made headlines after Neal got into a physical altercation with Tone over Payton in her front yard. Tom Neal beat Tone severely while Payton reportedly watched the fight. Tone suffered severe injuries, including a smashed cheekbone, a broken nose, and a brain concussion, for which he was hospitalized....

After his much publicized fight with Franchot Tone, Neal was blacklisted in Hollywood, as was Barbara Payton...With his acting career over... In 1961, Neal married receptionist Gail Bennett in Las Vegas. On April 2, 1965, police were summoned to the couple's Palm Springs home by Neal's attorney. They discovered Bennett's body on the couch, partially covered by a blanket, with a gunshot wound in the back of her head. It was later determined that Bennett had been shot with a .45 caliber gun on April 1. Neal, who was not at the home when police arrived, became an immediate suspect. He surrendered to police on April 3 and was indicted on one charge of murder on April 10
At his trial, Neal admitted that he and Bennett were separated at the time of her death but said that her death was accidental. He testified that on April 1, he had returned to the couple's Palm Springs home from Chicago, where he had been living, to see if a reconciliation was possible. Neal said the two began fighting after he accused Bennett of sleeping with other men. He claimed that Bennett pulled out a gun and held it to his head, and the two began to struggle. During the ensuing struggle, Neal said that the gun accidentally discharged, killing Bennett. Although prosecutors sought the death penalty, a jury convicted Neal of involuntary manslaughter...he served six years.

[Kaplan]

I had The Postman Always Rings Twice at #21, but it certainly could have been higher. An excellent noir, where sexuality is a dangerous weapon to be used to manipulate others and always leads to disaster. As for Detour it has one of the best endings to a noir ever, but I otherwise don't get the love.

My List:
7. Stray Dog (#32)
11. Where the Sidewalk Ends (#66)
15. Elevator to the Gallows (#41)
18. Gilda (#27)
20. This Gun for Hire (#78)
21. The Postman Always Rings Twice (#23)
22. The Wrong Man (#39)
23. The Set-Up (#46)
24. Scarlet Street (#29)
25. Gun Crazy (#36)

[Harry Lime]

I thought The Postman Always Rings Twice was decent but didn't care for it too much. It's been a very long time so I wonder what I would think on a rewatch. I don't need a rewatch to tell me how cool Detour is. What a great, low-budget, film noir. Great example of the genre by the director and what can be done with very little. I had it at #13. It's raw.

10. Stray Dog (1949)
13. Detour (1945)
15. Bob le flambeur (1956)
17. Rififi (1955)
20. Gilda (1946)
23. White Heat (1949)
25. Nightmare Alley (1947)

[Harry Lime]

Tom Neal (Detour) had to be one of the most noir like actors in real life....
I did not know this thanks.

[stillmellow]

Detour is my #15! We had feel-good noir with Key Largo, and now we're firmly back on track with the grimy feel-bad noir I love in equal measure. 😃


The Postman Always Rings Twice didn't make my list, being a bit preachy for my tastes, but still a good movie.

[dadgumblah]

Wow, this is my third two-fer in this countdown! That's never happened to me. I'm just hooked on Noir, so I guess that accounts for it. :shrug:

I love Detour and the first time I saw it, it played almost like a horror film to me, with Ann Savage's character like the unstoppable monster stalking Tom Neal. The moment after he picks her up and she's "sleeping" then suddenly opens her eyes and is glaring at him without him knowing---that still freaks me out! She was off the chain in this, but towards the end, I did feel sorry for her in the moments where she was reaching out to Neal for some sort of comfort---but she'd burned her bridges by the time and he was, ahem, wasn't haven' any. :shifty: The cinematography was great, with the shadow play being aces, like the horn players on the wall behind Claudia Drake, the lights growing dim on Neal's face in the diner as he tells his story, with only the minimal light around his face---just excellent stuff. And the ending is perfect Noir. My #18 And totally killing the idea of Noir, here's the cast all happy:

https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KQrGgckomMQ/U1F_REiF8aI/AAAAAAAAFMQ/wg32UV3ixaM/s1600/b7rx1g_8Mb+copy.jpg

The Postman Always Rings Twice is one I've known about for decades, as I've mentioned before that John Garfield was liked by most of my family---I maybe wasn't as huge of a fan but I certainly liked the guy's movies. This one is tops for me in his resume. And once you see Lana Turner, you can't blame him for wanting to help her kill her husband. Wow---I doubt that she's ever looked this fine. And I agree with Citizen Rules that Hume Cronyn played one of his best roles here. I tried to get into the remake with Nicholson and Lange but for me they took out the doom that this one laid out and replaced it with sad tragedy. Meh. I had this one at #12

#4 The Big Combo List Proper #52
#6 Kansas City Confidential List Proper #53
#12 The Postman Always Rings Twice List Proper #23
#13 Murder, My Sweet List Proper #28
#14 Kiss of Death List Proper #59
#15 He Walked By Night List Proper #88
#16 The Naked City List Proper #60
#18 Detour List Proper #24
#20 Gun Crazy List Proper #36
#22 This Gun For Hire List Proper #78
#23 The Narrow Margin List Proper #43
#25 Crossfire List Proper #51

[beelzebubble]

Yessss! The Postman Always Rings Twice is such a great noir. I love Lana Turner in this role. John Garfield is great. The script, the dialogue, the suspense it is all perfect.Of course it is on my list.

[rauldc14]

The Postman was my 21. Detour was my 19!

[Sedai]

Key Largo was my #18. A bit of odd duck, as it is also sort of natural disaster flick, but the metaphor of the storm is clear, if a bit on the nose. But man, Bogie, Bacall, Edward G, Lionel Barrymore... what a cast! Not as dark as some noirs, hence its placement in the middle tier of my list, but it's still a total classic, and a must own for any noir fan, as far as I am concerned.

https://www.imfdb.org/images/thumb/a/a5/KL_1.jpg/500px-KL_1.jpg

Night and the City was on my list at #20. This should probably be higher, but I hadn't seen it for several years, and I couldn't get around to another viewing in time. Stylistically, it's top shelf stuff; I just didn't recall enough about it to place it up higher. That's all on me. Most certainly deserves to be on the list. When thinking out allegory for Theseus and the labyrinth in film, this one always springs to mind for me, with the city as labyrinth.

https://filmnoir.art.blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/2d960-nightandthecity.png?w=767

The most recent reveals I have seen, but neither made my list. I couldn't find room for Postman, and I bounced off Detour the first time I saw it; I need to revisit that one.

[Little Ash]

Detour was my #25 and Postman was my #15.


Despite knowing the title of the latter since I was probably a kid, I only watched it a few years ago. Was it good? Yes, but it was something of lesser film compared to something like Double Indemnity, which I had also finally caught up with a few years prior.


Detour, I saw a couple years ago as part of Noirvember and I recall generally being positive on it. I probably should have rewatched it before putting it on my ballot, but hey, #25. I was expecting to find some new watches that would have edged it out over the past few months, but didn't.

[GulfportDoc]

Detour (1945)

When I first saw the picture I wasn't such a fan of this one. It looks shoddily made and the plot is fairly preposterous. The main character is either an idiot... or he really is lying. That's a more interesting angle to the whole thing that's never quite explored but then again it's barely more than an hour long.

Detour was actually meant to be a much longer film, but much of the script was not used. That's maybe why it felt so collapsed. OTOH it enhances the claustrophobia.

I think Al Roberts could have been better cast than by using Tom Neal, but he kinda grows on the viewer. A small thing that bugged me was Tom Neal's hat, especially at the beginning. It made him look like a caricature.

Ann Savage's Vera is definitely one of the nastiest, shrill, low down femme fatales in all of noir. Between Roberts' defeatist and very noir decisions and Vera's rottenness, the story keeps up on the paranoia and depression.

One thing that I think is interesting is that in the end Roberts doesn't actually get caught for his crimes, he just imagines that scenario in his mind! Another obvious hard to believe thing about Vera's murder is that Roberts could have simply ripped the phone cord out from the wall rather than tugging on it through the closed door in order to keep Vera from calling the police. But that of course would have prolonged the story.

Still, it's a heralded great "B" noir, and I put it up at #22 on my list.

[GulfportDoc]

I've never written much commentary about The Postman Always Rings Twice, but in my view it approaches Double Indemnity quality, even as its story is somewhat similar.

The chemistry between Garfield and Turner sizzles. It's hard to believe that her husband (played by the veteran Cecil Kellaway) could have been so stupid, but there you have it. The picture's ending is perfect noir.

One of the great noirs. I had it up at #5 on my list.

[Citizen Rules]

Tomorrow's reveal has one of the hottest looking femme fatales...and the other reveal makes me wish I had some cold beer.

Which are they?