Noirvember 2021

I think the beginning is really strong, the ending is really strong. And the middle is pretty good, though it includes a part where someone throws potato chips on a floor that'll make you want to punch someone in the face.

Scrolling through my Letterboxd diary I was reminded of I Walk Alone and Too Late For Tears, both from Byron Haskin.

Watched them last year and gave them both 4 stars. They appear to be available on the Criterion Channel as we speak.

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I'll also throw in a word for He Walked by Night

I may be popping on BW in the next few moments so I'll share my thoughts.

I nabbed as many Twilight Time Fuller Blu-rays as I could when they were going out of business. I got Underworld USA, Crimson Kimono, and House of Bamboo. I was a huge fan of them all and I feel they each stand up alongside his more famous ones like Naked Kiss and Pickup, if not for thrills and craft then for interesting subtext and themes. I need to give his war movies a spin sometime.

As for the Lupino recs, I've almost caved and popped on Hitch Hiker but I've been really wanting to catch that Kino boxed set of hers and just want to catch it on sale. It's currently $45 and I just can't quite pull the trigger.

For her recommendations, I'd toss out High Sierra (top billed over Bogie!), They Drive By Night (also top billed over Bogie!) and Private Hell 36, which she wrote. I would for a biopic about her to come out starring Juliet Landau. Capture what a mover and shaker she was in a male dominant industry and genre.

Check out Renoir's La Chienne before Scarlet Street. Both are great but Renoir's is the original.

Woman in the Window is almost perfect but they forced Lang to tack on a less dark ending so like Nightmare Alley, pretend it ends a scene early.

I've been watching SS for 25 years and didn't know there was an earlier version.

By perhaps the most renowned French filmmaker of that era! It's a little less sanitized due to the French not having the Hayes Codes (it's title translates to The Bitch) but SS has Robinson in it so I consider them mostly equals of greatness.

Lang remade another Renoir flick but I can't remember which off the top of my head as I haven't seen it.

Human Desire/La Bete Humaine

I've seen 0 Renoir films. I'm gonna go through his stuff in 2022.

I haven't ventured too far into noir, but I may get to a few films this month.

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That's the one (er... Two?)

I've only seen a few from Renoir but he's left a heck of an impression on me. The Grand Illusion and Rules of the Game are mandatory viewing.

I hope this thread helps guide you to some awesome picks! Basically anything from Wilder, Huston, Curtiz and Lang are safe bets.

I'll probably assemble a list of films to get to this month and post them here tomorrow. As an aside, I checked IMDb and here are my top rated classic noirs:

Double Indemnity
In a Lonely Place
The Killing
The Maltese Falcon
The Night of the Hunter
Out of the Past
Scarface
Shadow of a Doubt
Sunset Boulevard
Touch of Evil
White Heat

Neat thread! I love noir, but I haven't watched much lately. I've seen a lot of the titles mentioned but it's been almost over a decade or more for many of them, so I'm well do for a rewatch.

Besides all the more well known noirs that I love, these are a few of my hidden gems I've found:

Deadline at Dawn (1946) screenplay by Clifford Odets the guy who penned Sweet Smell of Success. I'd say his dialogue and Susan Hayward are two reasons to watch this close-to-real-time noir.

The Glass Wall (1953) social commentary noir about an emigrant desperate to be an American and those who help him as he flees the authorities. It's essentially several stories about the emigrant (Vittorio Gassman). I recommend watching it for what might be one of Gloria Grahame's best performances.

Mystery Street (1950) forensic investigative-procedural film that works well as a mystery noir. Intelligent performance by Ricardo Montalban as the police investigator...and both Elsie Lanchester and Jan Stirling give inspired and colorful performances.

If I had to recommend 1 noir to you, it would be Ace in the Hole.

Well that's one way to get this on my radar! Absolutely love Gloria Grahame. The difference of her performances in The Big Heat and In A Lonely Place is astounding (not to mention the other noir and stuff like Its a Wonderful Life). I'll try and get to the other two as well but this one feels like a priority.

You can’t beat the atmosphere of a noir with an icy femme fatale. I watched The Lady from Shanghai a few days ago. I love when movies are narrated throughout by the protagonist.
https://www.movieforums.com/communit...18#post2251018

Ya know, I hadn't thought about it, TCM used to take care of this for me until I got rid of cable.
I like the idea, though I'm a bit worn out on themed months after doing my sci-fi/thriller month and my Horrorthon month, but I do love me some noir and I haven't watched much of it recently - and I have some pretty gaping holes left in this genre - so maybe this is as good a time as any.

Are "Neo-noirs" welcome?

(I do have to see Bond, Dune, and The Eternals this month, though. I won't post about them here, don't worry.)

I've already seen it and I think it's really good. Not sure how to feel about the final 5 or so minutes, but aside from that, I find it to be a well-acted, powerful satire on media manipulation anchored by Doulgas's character. I'm a huge fan of Billy Wilder in general.

Might I humbly suggest Tightrope (1984)? A decent Neo Noir Starring Eastwood.

Ace in the Hole is another film I’ve been meaning to watch for, again, well over a decade, and I love Wilder. And….oh hey, whaddya know? It’s available to stream on prime!
Might as well add that to my list of noir for this month.

Oh cool you're into Gloria Grahame! She's one of my all time favorites I made a point of watching all of her movies...and I did, with the exception of a couple obscure ones that I couldn't find (still looking for them).

She was in 13 noirs if my memory serves me and of course it depends on how one defines a noir. Most of them are pretty darn good and even the lesser ones are worth watching for Gloria's performance as she usually gave it her all. In my book Gloria Grahame is the quintessential noir female lead. I'm not sure I'd call her a femme fatale. Though I guess she did play that roll in a couple of her noirs, but mostly she goes beyond that and invibes an aching soul into her character.


Odds Against Tomorrow (1959)
Not as a Stranger (1955)
Naked Alibi (1954)
Human Desire (1954)
The Good Die Young (1954)
The Big Heat (1953)
The Glass Wall (1953)
Sudden Fear (1952)
Macao (1952)
In a Lonely Place (1950)
Roughshod (1949)
A Woman's Secret (1949)
Crossfire (1947)

MKS and the group,
Are y'all comfortable with the films on this list as noirs?

The Friends Of Eddie Coyle
The Yakuza
Le Cercle Rouge
The Conversation
The Long Goodbye
The American Friend
The Friends Of Eddie Coyle
Miller's Crossing
The Drowning Pool
The Killing Of A Chinese Bookie
The Long Good Friday
52 Pickup
To Live And Die in L.A.
Cutter’s Way
Tequila Sunrise