Noirvember 2021

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I haven't read Chandler so I can't comment directly on that, but I could see him playing Marlowe in his heyday and knocking it out of the ballpark. Then again I like Mitchum, so I'd be partial to that.
I've read all the Marlowe stories except The Long Goodbye. I started it though. Just haven't gotten through it. I'm impressed by how faithful some of the adaptations are, though they sanitize them according to the codes. Heroin addictions become alcoholism, homosexuality is erased or made mere implication, nudity and sex are changed to a smooch and a fade, etc.

If you dig flicks like the Big Sleep and Murder, My Sweet (based off the book Farewell, My Lovely), you would probably enjoy his writing. Compulsively readable and entertaining while still having that wit and wordplay that makes the genre so striking.



I've read all the Marlowe stories except The Long Goodbye. I started it though. Just haven't gotten through it. I'm impressed by how faithful some of the adaptations are, though they sanitize them according to the codes. Heroin addictions become alcoholism, homosexuality is erased or made mere implication, nudity and sex are changed to a smooch and a fade, etc.

If you dig flicks like the Big Sleep and Murder, My Sweet (based off the book Farewell, My Lovely), you would probably enjoy his writing. Compulsively readable and entertaining while still having that wit and wordplay that makes the genre so striking.
I'm not much of a reader but I bet they'd be interesting to a fan of film noir, so as to contrast and compare.



Thunder Road (1958): How Robert Mitchum can a Robert Mitchum movie be? Well, it's a noir about a hot rod bootleg driver and stars Mitchum, he wrote the story, co-wrote lyrics to the two main songs, and produced the film. It also co-stars his son as the kid brother he's desperately trying to keep out of the moonshine business.

So really damn Mitchum.

Which is a fine thing. A fitting end to my Mitchum run of noir. Gonna have to shift to either neo-noir, Nikkatsu noir or random classics I can scrounge up now.
Good film, great Mitchum. But IMO it's not really a noir, more of a straight crime drama.

If you get a chance, and you can find it, I think you'd like Tomorrow is Another Day (1951). It's a classic noir on the order of Gun Crazy. It stars Ruth Roman (Strangers on a Train) --a tough femme fatale who could give Stanwyck and Windsor a run for their money-- and Steve Cochran, one of Hollywood's legendary satyrs whose looks are reminiscent of Elvis.

I've been meaning to write some commentary on it. It's a hard one to find, but has some great stuff in it.



I had some spare time last night, so I actually got in two noirs. Both very different from each other and both very good.

Inferno (1953)
This was a blast! An early 1950s technicolor film...and in 3D! To bad I couldn't have seen it in a 3d theater with those funky blue/red glasses. So of course the 3D effect doesn't work on 2D TVs but the film isn't about that anyway.

It's about wealthy Robert Ryan being left to die in the desert by his wife (Rhonda Fleming) and her boyfriend. Ryan said his performance in Inferno was one of his best. I don't know about that as he did a lot of great work in films, but he was good as a man trying to survive in the Mohave desert with the hope of getting even with his wife and her boyfriend. Loved the internal monologue both in the way it was written and in the way Ryan delivered it.

The Woman in the Window (1944)
This is the third time I've seen it and if anything I've grown to appreciate it more with each viewing. Edward G. Robinson is just perfect in this role and Joan Bennett, wow! Especially in that sparkling black outfit with the sheer top. She really looks like a million bucks...and so did her apartment, I guess she was a kept woman? Though the film never says, nor does it need to.

Fritz Lang's direction is sublime and I could tell that this was a masterpiece even if I turned the sound off...the camera work and the scene transitions and editing was so professional that the film is a thing of beauty, kind of like Joan Bennett!

I use to not like the ending of the film, but this time around I think it fit the overall tone of the movie and fit Edward G. Robinson's character and what he and his club mates were talking about at the start of his journey. One of the great films and features one of my favorite noir bad guys Dan Duryea.



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The Woman in the Window (1944)
This is the third time I've seen it and if anything I've grown to appreciate it more with each viewing. Edward G. Robinson is just perfect in this role and Joan Bennett, wow! Especially in that sparkling black outfit with the sheer top. She really looks like a million bucks...and so did her apartment, I guess she was a kept woman? Though the film never says, nor does it need to.

Fritz Lang's direction is sublime and I could tell that this was a masterpiece even if I turned the sound off...the camera work and the scene transitions and editing was so professional that the film is a thing of beauty, kind of like Joan Bennett!

I use to not like the ending of the film, but this time around I think it fit the overall tone of the movie and fit Edward G. Robinson's character and what he and his club mates were talking about at the start of his journey. One of the great films and features one of my favorite noir bad guys Dan Duryea.
I really liked this film, and I agree with your comments. Everyone in the production pulled out all the stops in this one. Robinson was letter perfect, much different from his earlier roles like Little Caesar.

It still surprises me that Lang used the same crew the very next year for a very similar story in Scarlet Street, which is actually more pure noir, but too melodramatic and over the top. Duryea always played a worm better than anyone.

In "Window", as you know Lang changed the ending from the book, which suits me fine! After that long drawn out slide from Robinson's character, it would have been too depressing to have a more typical noir ending. I think the ending they settled on was brilliant.



I really liked this film, and I agree with your comments. Everyone in the production pulled out all the stops in this one. Robinson was letter perfect, much different from his earlier roles like Little Caesar.

It still surprises me that Lang used the same crew the very next year for a very similar story in Scarlet Street, which is actually more pure noir, but too melodramatic and over the top. Duryea always played a worm better than anyone.

In "Window", as you know Lang changed the ending from the book, which suits me fine! After that long drawn out slide from Robinson's character, it would have been too depressing to have a more typical noir ending. I think the ending they settled on was brilliant.
Thanks Doc. I'm of course a fan of The Woman in the Window, and agree with your earlier comments that Scarlet Street was more like a caricature (I think you said something to that effect?) at any rate I'd agree, only for myself I like that over the top trope caricaturization that Scarlet Street does. I don't think Dan Duryea has been more slimy good than in that movie, I just get a kick out if, while The Woman in the Window is more polished.

Did you know that Fritz Lang directed Gloria Grahame in Human Desire. It's a good one, more melodrama than hard boiled noir but it wraps up noir like.




Desert Fury (1947)

I watched this noir last night. It looked awesome and is available on blu-ray...I swear I was watching a new movie as the print was so sharp and crisp.

The story idea is a 19 year old woman (Lizabeth Scott) coming back to live with her wealthy but controlling mom (Mary Astor) who runs a gambling joint and takes no crap from anyone. Problem is, the daughter falls for a no good, gambler (John Hodiak) who's left Vegas in a hurry and is hiding out in this small town in the desert. So that sounds good and to make this really interesting there's a partner of Hodiak's (Wendell Corey) who apparently is fixated on him in what must be an early film, gay couple representation. Though as it's 1947 it's only hinted at in the most passive way.

That relationship and the Town and Country Chrysler convertible that Lizabeth drives are the two reasons to watch the film. The dialogue is a poor copy of To Have and Have Not...mostly people just answer by repeating the question. Good have been better.




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Blow Out: This film has been on my watchlist for a while, so I'm glad I finally got around to it. Like the other films I've seen from De Palma, the craft is really good. The standout sequences for me were when Jack pieced together the murder with the sound recording and the photographs of the crime. Like their equivalent sequence in Blow-Up, those scenes pack a ton of suspense and, even though I didn't understand all the logistics of what Jack was doing in those scenes, they were directed in a way which made them easy to follow. Other great sequences include the 360 pan shot inside Jack's apartment, the use of split screen in a few scenes, and the Liberty Day Parade in the final act. The film also avoids giving Jack and Sally a simple black and white morality and casts some grey into the mix. As a result, there's a subtle feeling of inevitability in the film that culminates with a powerful ending. I was initially bothered with a few medium to minor details such as Burke relying on trial and error to track down Sally, Jack eluding the police and the paramedics as easily as he did in the final act, and the final scene. Upon reflection though, I warmed up to most of those details. I'll have to rewatch Blow-Up to decide which film I prefer, but I imagine they'll be pretty close to each other.
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Thanks Doc. I'm of course a fan of The Woman in the Window, and agree with your earlier comments that Scarlet Street was more like a caricature (I think you said something to that effect?) at any rate I'd agree, only for myself I like that over the top trope caricaturization that Scarlet Street does. I don't think Dan Duryea has been more slimy good than in that movie, I just get a kick out if, while The Woman in the Window is more polished.

Did you know that Fritz Lang directed Gloria Grahame in Human Desire. It's a good one, more melodrama than hard boiled noir but it wraps up noir like.
Yeah, Duryea was arguably the most consistent slimeball in the golden era, even though in real life he was a mild mannered, community oriented husband.

I've seen Human Desire, but it's been too long. Probably time for a re-visit. Glenn Ford and Broderick Crawford were always tops. IMO the most remarkable role for Crawford was playing in actuality Huey P. Long, the Governor of Louisiana in All the King's Men (1949). Long was pure southern Louisiana, so Crawford's Philly/NYC accent always cracked me up in that part...



Blow Out: This film has been on my watchlist for a while, so I'm glad I finally got around to it. Like the other films I've seen from De Palma, the craft is really good. The standout sequences for me were when Jack pieced together the murder with the sound recording and the photographs of the crime. Like their equivalent sequence in Blow-Up, those scenes pack a ton of suspense and, even though I didn't understand all the logistics of what Jack was doing in those scenes, they were directed in a way which made them easy to follow. Other great sequences include the 360 pan shot inside Jack's apartment, the use of split screen in a few scenes, and the Liberty Day Parade in the final act. The film also avoids giving Jack and Sally a simple black and white morality and casts some grey into the mix. As a result, there's a subtle feeling of inevitability in the film that culminates with a powerful ending. I was initially bothered with a few medium to minor details such as Burke relying on trial and error to track down Sally, Jack eluding the police and the paramedics as easily as he did in the final act, and the final scene. Upon reflection though, I warmed up to most of those details. I'll have to rewatch Blow-Up to decide which film I prefer, but I imagine they'll be pretty close to each other.
Nice review. It's one of my favorite films. Here's a little commentary of mine about it:


Blowup (1966)

Blowup shows its influence in dozens of films, and you can be sure it is still deeply studied in film schools.

The park scenes in particular, with no dialogue, and continuous wind driven rustling of the trees, invoke such an atmospheric feel that the experience stayed with me for months after first viewing the film in 1966.

Antonioni's film is a masterpiece. He was able to create a consuming mood that few others besides Coppola's
The Conversation have been able to do.

The picture came out at the perfect point in time, which reflected both the youthful "Turn on, tune in, drop out" sentiment along with a nod to the Brit swinging '60s mentality.

It portrayed a slice of time in the life of a bored existential hip photographer whose routine was briefly interrupted and heightened by his accidental discovery of an unsolved murder that resulted the theft of his equipment and library, only to return him back to his unrewarding life.

It was not a murder mystery, but a very absorbing reflection on the age old questions of who are we, and why are we here.



I watched two more noirs last night. One hit me right in the gut!...the other was formulaic, but did have an exotic filming location and an exciting climax. Actually both had interesting filming locations and exciting endings.


Second Chance (1953)

Robert Mitchum paired with Linda Darnell with Jack Palance as the hired gun come to make sure Linda Darnell won't return from Mexico to testify against a mob boss. Pros: filmed on location in Mexico and we're treated to a lot of street scenes and exotic locales, that's probably why they went with Technicolor. Well cast and exciting ending, really exciting! Cons: As far as I know this has not been restored and the color is all but gone from the print. See for yourself:

Mitchum or Darnell don't really seem committed to their roles and their romance seems tacked on. A formulaic movie but it's short and has a great ending.



The Burglar (1957)

Just forget that cheesecake poster of Jayne Mansfield, her character is nothing like that, nor is the film. The movie was made in 1955 but not released until 1957 to cash in on Miss Mansfield's rising fame. As a result the poster and what it's saying couldn't be further from the truth...thank goodness as Jayne Mansfield really got to show just how capable of an actress she was. Her performance really struck a cord with me.



Right at the start I got this European art-noir feel from the film. It's really filmed neat and yet not not obvious. It felt very modern for a 1957 movie in the way it was filmed and in the story too. Dan Duryea is the Burglar, he doesn't play a slimy, violent man here and ee's not the usually Duryea that we love to hate. He plays the role with a lot of restraint and a good deal of world weariness and in the way earns our sympathy. The Burglar is not an action film or about a crime caper but about the lives of the people who commit crimes. I won't say anymore...except
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Victim of The Night
Blow Out: This film has been on my watchlist for a while, so I'm glad I finally got around to it. Like the other films I've seen from De Palma, the craft is really good. The standout sequences for me were when Jack pieced together the murder with the sound recording and the photographs of the crime. Like their equivalent sequence in Blow-Up, those scenes pack a ton of suspense and, even though I didn't understand all the logistics of what Jack was doing in those scenes, they were directed in a way which made them easy to follow. Other great sequences include the 360 pan shot inside Jack's apartment, the use of split screen in a few scenes, and the Liberty Day Parade in the final act. The film also avoids giving Jack and Sally a simple black and white morality and casts some grey into the mix. As a result, there's a subtle feeling of inevitability in the film that culminates with a powerful ending. I was initially bothered with a few medium to minor details such as Burke relying on trial and error to track down Sally, Jack eluding the police and the paramedics as easily as he did in the final act, and the final scene. Upon reflection though, I warmed up to most of those details. I'll have to rewatch Blow-Up to decide which film I prefer, but I imagine they'll be pretty close to each other.
I think it's DePalma's best film (though I haven't seen Sisters).



I rewatched Gun Crazy and it's simply one of my absolute favorite noirs. While the Bonnie and Clyde style narrative won't carry many surprises, the film is so flashy and accomplished stylistically, adopting some extraordinarily modern techniques to capture robberies and chases (virtually anything in a car CRUSHES it's contemporaries. You have to wait till the 70s to find comparable craft). It's an interesting mix of on location photography and rear projection that denotes the meager budget but keeps it lively and fresh.

It also has one of the cleanest and most fantastic character arcs in the genre, in particular for a refusal to kill.

I paired it with True Romance for a double feature screening. Both went over very well.



Just for fun, I decided to write a general overview of the evolution of the "Femme Fatale" characterization in Film Noir, both during the Classical period of the genre and afterward, so here's the first part; enjoy!

The Femme Fatale In Classical Noir: Constructing An Archetype



When it comes to the genre of Film Noir, there is perhaps no more defining an archetype than that of the Femme Fatale (literally French for "fatal woman"), the treacherous, manipulative, husky-voiced woman who's full of secrets, fully aware of (and extremely willing to weaponize) her own irresistible sexiness, and who either murders men herself, or seduces some poor, unsuspecting schmo into doing it for her, either in pursuit of physical lust, monetary greed, or some combination of both. And, while Noir didn't invent this particular character type, the Fatale has still defined Noir so much that she's arguably become just as iconic as her male counterpart in the genre, the "hardboiled private eye", perhaps even moreso come to think of it.

And so, it's no surprise that the Fatale (and Film Noir as a whole) got as en vogue as she did when she did, which was shortly after the start of World War II, a conflict that saw women stepping up to have a greater presence in the domestic workforce, filling the temporary void left by the men leaving to fight the good fight overseas. So, knowing this, the increased popularity of the Femme Fatale in film felt like a reflection of the greater independence that women gained in real life at the time, which provided a welcome opportunity for Hollywood to present stronger, sexier, more assertive women onscreen, giving audiences a thrill at the way these women so brazenly defied the gender norms of their time, while also providing lead actresses a chance to challenge their male co-stars with greater, darker screen presences, which helped prevent every female character from being just another damsel in distress, or a total pushover (looking at you, Lina in Suspicion...).



I did genre marathons in September and October, so I sat this one out, but I did catch The Big Steal from 1949, which I highly recommend. Here's a short review:

This is not a classic like Out of the Past - I bring it up because this one also stars Robert Mitchum and Jane Greer - but it is guaranteed to satisfy if you didn't get enough of them in that movie. Just as much of an action movie as it is noir, it spends nearly as much time in cars in a movie I've seen since Mad Max: Fury Road in that it features a chase across rural Mexico. This is hardly a complaint, though: despite some of the most comically chaotic rear projection I've seen since Airplane! here and there, Mitchum's army lieutenant and Greer's jilted lover's attempt to evade a persistent and imposing William Bendix is never dull. Speaking of Mexico, the location qualifies as a top-billed star if you ask me. I like that they actually shot it there and that they cast natives - Ramon Navorro gives a standout supporting performance as a dutiful cop - and their frequent, dismissive exclamation of "Americans" never failed to make me laugh. If twists and surprises are what you also love about noir, you'll find them here, and do Mitchum and Greer have on-screen chemistry or what? Like I said, while it's no Out of the Past, it's a worthy addition to any Noirvember watchlist.



I did genre marathons in September and October, so I sat this one out, but I did catch The Big Steal from 1949, which I highly recommend. Here's a short review:

This is not a classic like Out of the Past - I bring it up because this one also stars Robert Mitchum and Jane Greer - but it is guaranteed to satisfy if you didn't get enough of them in that movie. Just as much of an action movie as it is noir, it spends nearly as much time in cars in a movie I've seen since Mad Max: Fury Road in that it features a chase across rural Mexico. This is hardly a complaint, though: despite some of the most comically chaotic rear projection I've seen since Airplane! here and there, Mitchum's army lieutenant and Greer's jilted lover's attempt to evade a persistent and imposing William Bendix is never dull. Speaking of Mexico, the location qualifies as a top-billed star if you ask me. I like that they actually shot it there and that they cast natives - Ramon Navorro gives a standout supporting performance as a dutiful cop - and their frequent, dismissive exclamation of "Americans" never failed to make me laugh. If twists and surprises are what you also love about noir, you'll find them here, and do Mitchum and Greer have on-screen chemistry or what? Like I said, while it's no Out of the Past, it's a worthy addition to any Noirvember watchlist.
Don Siegel is simply one of the best that ever did it. The Big Steal isn't my favorite noir from him, but it was a cool flick that blazes by in a timely fashion. I have a long OOP DVD of it paired with Edward G. Robinson's "Illegal", which is basically a precursor to Better Call Saul in very many ways.

Riot in Cell Block 11, Private Hell 36 and his Western noir Duel at Silver Creek are all well worth checking out. Not to mention his incredibly important neo-noir flicks like Dirty Harry and Madigan.



A bored Sunday triple noirtastic feature:


Call Northside 777 - 1948
Road House - 1948
Pitfall - 1948

Would recommend all three.