The MoFo Top 100 Film Noir Countdown
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I watched Body and Soul when it was nominated in the 2nd 1940s HoF, but it wasn't something I considered for my ballot because in the few years that have passed since I saw it, the only thing I really remembered about it was that it had to do with boxing. According to what I wrote at the time though, I was pleasantly surprised by it and liked the cinematography.
Body and Soul (1947)
Dir. Robert Rossen
Starring: John Garfield, Lilli Palmer, Joseph Pevney
Seen: 3/8
Body and Soul (1947)
Dir. Robert Rossen
Starring: John Garfield, Lilli Palmer, Joseph Pevney
I'm not a fan of boxing, and might even go as far as saying that I find almost everything about it repulsive. Fortunately, none of that bias had any impact on my enjoyment of Body of Soul, which is as much a film about corruption, hubris, and the seductive powers of success and money as it is the story about a poor Jewish kid who becomes a World-class boxer. The plot is nothing new, but it's told in a very engaging manner which captivated me from beginning to end.
There's a lot of great cinematography in this film, particularly with how some of the shots are aligned. The height disparity between certain characters stood out to me, such as Roberts asserting his power by standing over Charlie on the stairs before the last match, and I also enjoyed the framing of Charlie in the interior window when he visits his mother early in the film. While the revolving wall in Charlie's apartment was a little gimmicky, I did like the visual symbolism and how it reflected Charlie himself throughout the film.
Body and Soul is something I likely never would have watched if it hadn't been nominated, so I'm very glad that it was. I was a little apprehensive going in, due to its association with a sport I don't like, but the only thing I walked away dissatisfied with the fact that Garfield looked far too old to be called a kid so often, but since that's a common problem with films from this era (and sometimes today still, really), I'm not going to hold that against it.
There's a lot of great cinematography in this film, particularly with how some of the shots are aligned. The height disparity between certain characters stood out to me, such as Roberts asserting his power by standing over Charlie on the stairs before the last match, and I also enjoyed the framing of Charlie in the interior window when he visits his mother early in the film. While the revolving wall in Charlie's apartment was a little gimmicky, I did like the visual symbolism and how it reflected Charlie himself throughout the film.
Body and Soul is something I likely never would have watched if it hadn't been nominated, so I'm very glad that it was. I was a little apprehensive going in, due to its association with a sport I don't like, but the only thing I walked away dissatisfied with the fact that Garfield looked far too old to be called a kid so often, but since that's a common problem with films from this era (and sometimes today still, really), I'm not going to hold that against it.
It's too bad it didn't really leave a lasting impression.
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I just now checked out Robert Rosssen's directorial films on IMDB...he didn't make many but looks like he made some fun ones. I'll have to check out more of his work. I did see he made three film noirs:
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These pictures were photographed by two of the best in the business:
John Alton (Mystery Street)
James Wong Howe (Body and Soul)
John Alton (Mystery Street)
James Wong Howe (Body and Soul)
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Forgot I wanted to post this during the first day or two, but well...
What are the characteristics of film noir?
These are some of the most notable narrative and visual traits of film noir. However, not all of them have to be present in a film for it to be classified as "noir".
Again, not all traits have to be present. There are film noirs in color (Leave Her to Heaven) and there are film noirs with no femme fatale (Shadow of a Doubt). Also, although many films noir fall in the crime thriller genre, the label can be applied to numerous films from other genres.
One interesting exercise, as the list goes on, is to try to identify these elements on each film noir you've seen ("there's the femme fatale!", "see? they used a dutch angle here") to see that "connective tissue" across all these films.
What are the characteristics of film noir?
These are some of the most notable narrative and visual traits of film noir. However, not all of them have to be present in a film for it to be classified as "noir".
- Anti-hero protagonist, someone who usually sets out to investigate a mystery or perhaps is running away from a mystery.
- Femme fatale, typically presented as the protagonist's love interest but who often ends up being a source of deceit.
- Tight, concise dialogue, sometimes presented in narration and non-linear narratives, flashbacks, etc.
- High-contrast lighting, emphasizing light and dark, and the use of unconventional angles to symbolize a skewed point of view.
- Post-war disillusionment and a pessimistic perspective of the world and life, sometimes transmitted through bleak twists and endings.
Again, not all traits have to be present. There are film noirs in color (Leave Her to Heaven) and there are film noirs with no femme fatale (Shadow of a Doubt). Also, although many films noir fall in the crime thriller genre, the label can be applied to numerous films from other genres.
One interesting exercise, as the list goes on, is to try to identify these elements on each film noir you've seen ("there's the femme fatale!", "see? they used a dutch angle here") to see that "connective tissue" across all these films.
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No, haven't seen and nor have I heard of these two. I've seen Robert Rossen's All the King's Men and like it a lot, but that's neither here nor there.
Seen 1/8
Heard of 1/8
Never heard of 6/8
Seen 1/8
Heard of 1/8
Never heard of 6/8
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First round I haven't seen either but I'm expecting that to happen quite a few times. Heard of Body and Soul but not Mystery Street.
Count me as a big fan of Mystery Street. I didn't have room on my ballot for it but was glad to see it made the countdown. It's a quite, investigative noir. My old review:
"A small town policeman is assisted by a Harvard professor when the skeletal remains of a pregnant prostitute turn up on a Massachusetts beach."
Don't you hate it when pregnant prostitutes get killed...I sure do. But you know it's a film noir so someone has to get knocked off. And so Jan Sterling who's a B-girl, takes a powder...which is too bad as she was aces in the first 15 minutes of the film.
...and that's why I'm talking about her, because even with the little screen time she had, she made an impact. If you recognize the name Jan Sterling..then let me say that she was in Ace in the Hole, the noir she's most famous for.
But once she's dead and buried, there are more actors that get a chance to stand out...and one of them is the detective, Ricardo Montalban. Mystery Street is ahead of it's time as it gave the lead role to a Hispanic actor...and most importantly Ricardo gets to play a regular person and not some caricature. He's really good too as the gentile and even courteous detective on the trial of the killer.
Mystery Street is a different kind of noir as for the first time it introduces to audiences forensic procedural detective work. In a way this reminds me of the TV show Quincy. The forensic work is given a lot of time and the film gets into specifics of modern crime solving.
This didn't really even feel like a noir, there's no femme fatales, it's more of an investigative film with an innocent man who was last seen with the B-girl. The man is believed to be guilty...and only forensics can determine the real killers identity. This all worked very well and it made for an interesting, one of a kind film.
Mystery Street (John Sturges 1950)
Don't you hate it when pregnant prostitutes get killed...I sure do. But you know it's a film noir so someone has to get knocked off. And so Jan Sterling who's a B-girl, takes a powder...which is too bad as she was aces in the first 15 minutes of the film.
...and that's why I'm talking about her, because even with the little screen time she had, she made an impact. If you recognize the name Jan Sterling..then let me say that she was in Ace in the Hole, the noir she's most famous for.
But once she's dead and buried, there are more actors that get a chance to stand out...and one of them is the detective, Ricardo Montalban. Mystery Street is ahead of it's time as it gave the lead role to a Hispanic actor...and most importantly Ricardo gets to play a regular person and not some caricature. He's really good too as the gentile and even courteous detective on the trial of the killer.
Mystery Street is a different kind of noir as for the first time it introduces to audiences forensic procedural detective work. In a way this reminds me of the TV show Quincy. The forensic work is given a lot of time and the film gets into specifics of modern crime solving.
This didn't really even feel like a noir, there's no femme fatales, it's more of an investigative film with an innocent man who was last seen with the B-girl. The man is believed to be guilty...and only forensics can determine the real killers identity. This all worked very well and it made for an interesting, one of a kind film.
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And I also like but didn't vote for Body and Souls...also glad to see it make the countdown. John Garfield was in a number of noirs and was a fine actor. My old review:
Boxing rags to riches....this is the kind of story I love. We hunker down and really get to know the characters and their neighborhood. We're transported back in time to the depression era in a poor New York neighborhood full of gambling, speakeasies and hoods trying to make a quick buck. This all looked pretty real to me too.
The Boxing scenes....Geez those looked real to me. I don't follow boxing but Garfield looked like he knew his way around the ring. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that he was a boxer at some point in his life. The other wickedly cool thing about the boxing scenes was the way they were filmed. To me it looked like a different camera was used, as it looked more grainy than the reaction shots of the crowd watching the match. I'd wouldn't be surprised to learn that they used a super 8mm or something along those lines. I can't put my finger on it, I just know the format looks different and so does the frame rate, it seemed reduced.
Body and Soul(Robert Rossen1947)
Right off the start....I noticed this had some impressive people working on it. The Assistant Director is Robert Aldrich and the Cinematographer is the legendary, James Wong Howe. The story unfolds seamlessly with just the right touch of artistic cinematography but not too much for a boxing movie. Every element fits together nicely, a very smooth movie.Boxing rags to riches....this is the kind of story I love. We hunker down and really get to know the characters and their neighborhood. We're transported back in time to the depression era in a poor New York neighborhood full of gambling, speakeasies and hoods trying to make a quick buck. This all looked pretty real to me too.
The Boxing scenes....Geez those looked real to me. I don't follow boxing but Garfield looked like he knew his way around the ring. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that he was a boxer at some point in his life. The other wickedly cool thing about the boxing scenes was the way they were filmed. To me it looked like a different camera was used, as it looked more grainy than the reaction shots of the crowd watching the match. I'd wouldn't be surprised to learn that they used a super 8mm or something along those lines. I can't put my finger on it, I just know the format looks different and so does the frame rate, it seemed reduced.
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Haven't seen Mystery Street but it's on my Watch List. Body and Soul is a great film in my book. I've known about it since I was a kid. My Dad was a huge boxing fan and told me about this one when I was young. So the first time it came on television (way back in the days of 3 or 4 TV channels) I watched it, and have remained a fan ever since. Still, even though it's got a lot of the Noir elements, I think of it as a John Garfield boxing movie because of my Dad. John Garfield was popular in our household but I've only got him on one entry on my ballot. Still, great to see Body and Soul make the list!
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no votes. haven't seen either. think i should quit posting unless i've seen at least one of the movies, if not voted for it.
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Director: Boris Ingster
Production: RKO
Cast: Peter Lorre, John McGuire, Margaret Tallichet, Elisha Cook Jr.
26 Points, 2 Lists
'A small-town policeman is assisted by a Harvard professor after the discovery of a human skeleton on a Massachusetts beach.'
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Last edited by Citizen Rules; 3 weeks ago at 02:29 PM.
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Director: Norman Foster
Production: Fidelity Pictures Corporation
Cast: Ann Sheridan, Dennis O'Keefe, Robert Keith
26 Points, 3 Lists
'Frank Johnson becomes an eyewitness to a murder. He's pursued around San Francisco by his wife, the police, and the killer.'
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Last edited by Citizen Rules; 3 weeks ago at 02:30 PM.
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I had Body and Soul all the way up as my #7
Mystery Street rings no bells
Mystery Street rings no bells
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I haven't seen either...again.
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"Don't be so gloomy. After all it's not that awful. Like the fella says, in Italy for 30 years under the Borgias they had warfare, terror, murder, and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and the Renaissance. In Switzerland they had brotherly love - they had 500 years of democracy and peace, and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock."
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I've seen both of today's reveals and both are certainly worth watching.
As usual
my past review:
Stranger on the Third Floor
It's interesting that a film critic back in 1940 said this:
And I thought only us surly MoFos called films we didn't like 'pretentious'. I do agree that the male and female leads were quiet natural in their performances. It felt like they were real people which maybe wasn't the way to go with such a heavy visual film. Peter Lorre was Peter Lorre and that's a good thing to me. I enjoyed this 64 minute noir.
As usual
my past review:Stranger on the Third Floor
(Boris Ingster, 1940)
The Noirvember 2023 - Rate the last noir you watched thread really paid off for me as I discovered many different and ususual noirs being reviewed there by the MoFos, that's were I found out about Stranger on the Third Floor from a post by Culliford.
The visual look of the film which culminated with this really wild and stunning looking dream sequence brought the art direction and lighting to the forefront of the movie. The film's look is thanks to the Latvia director Boris Ingster who had worked with the famous Russian director Sergei Eisenstein. It's interesting that a film critic back in 1940 said this:
Bosley Crowther of The New York Times called the film pretentious and derivative of French and Russian films, and wrote "John McGuire and Margaret Tallichet, as the reporter and his girl, are permitted to act half-way normal, it is true. But in every other respect, including Peter Lorre's brief role as the whack, it is utterly wild. The notion seems to have been that the way to put a psychological melodrama across is to pile on the sound effects and trick up the photography.
. I do agree that the male and female leads were quiet natural in their performances. It felt like they were real people which maybe wasn't the way to go with such a heavy visual film. Peter Lorre was Peter Lorre and that's a good thing to me. I enjoyed this 64 minute noir.
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I guess I didn't write much about Woman on the Run, but I did almost include it on my ballot. It was a last minute cut.
I watched Woman on the Run (1950) I loved Ann Sheridan's character especially her dialogue when being questioned by the police inspector. She was quite surly, which reminded me of Bogart in Maltese Falcon when he's being questioned about a murder. I read that Ann Sheridan and Dennis O'Keefe wrote much of their own dialogue. It was quite snappy. Great film with a unique story telling, thanks for recommending it.
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