Noirvember 2022

Tubi is running Noirvember and has some good choices. I have Gilda and Ministry of Fear lined up.

That's correct. I must have had a brain freeze when I said it was proto noir, I knew what I meant to say but apparently my fingers didn't realize that.

Can't say I've seen Ministry of Fear, but I will fix that

I feel ya. It’s why I ultimately just go “it’s all game for Noirvember!”

The funny thing is that was a review I wrote for the Personal Recommendation Hall of Fame VI I wrote that a couple of months ago but didn't notice it until just now.

Fritz Lang, if you’re a fan of his.

One of his weaker noir but a weak Lang is still strong.

Yeah of course...He directed my nom for the last Noir HoF The Big Heat (1953)...Gosh he directed a lot of greats and a lot of great noirs too.

Oh, Yeah! Marie Windsor was great in The Narrow Margin, which had a very nice twist that no one sees coming. I could watch Windsor in anything, but especially noirs. She was not only "Queen of the B's", but outside of a few roles by B. Stanwyck, Windsor was the best femme fatale in classic pictures.

I feel the same way about G. Grahame and Audrey Totter. Gloria was probably the best actress of the 3, but the others had such style!

If you haven't seen Force of Evil (1948), that's a pretty hot one with Windsor supporting John Garfield and Beatrice Pearson. That was shot at the peak of the film noir movement, and it's a good example.

Thanks Doc. I'm not sure if I've seen Force of Evil, but it's readily available so why not. I just checked Marie Windsor's filmography and she has a whooping 172 film credits, wow! I've seen her recently in
Mail Order Bride (1964) a comedy western which was pretty good and in
Critic's Choice (1963) with Bob Hope and Lucille Ball, also good. I like Audrey Totter too, sadly I haven't seen her in much. Another fav Veronica Lake.

Noirvember is a good pun, but does anyone else think summer is a better time for watching film noir? They tend to take place in sunny locales and everyone is always so sweaty in them. Anyways, I'm in. I plan on watching a good mix of classic and neo stuff.

Kansas City Confidential -

I have yet to see a bad movie that uses the "team of criminals who don't know each other" trope and this one is no exception. This one's a little different in that one of the team members didn't know he signed up to commit a crime! John Payne plays wronged flower delivery man Joe, and how well he conveys frustration at being an unwitting accomplice and a desire for justice keeps things tense until the end. That Joe is an awarded war veteran adds welcome historical significance and puts it into "true film noir" territory, if you will. My favorite line, which Joe says when someone mentions his medals, is "try and buy a cup of coffee with them." The use of '50s witticisms like this one and slang keep things fun, as do the rest of the performances, and this isn't the movie's fault, but I wish I recognized some of the actors (Lee Van Cleef is in this, but in his "Italian face," he's barely recognizable). Also, as is typical of movies like this, the conclusion threw me for a loop and in a good way for how the surprise makes sense and doesn't come out of left field. It's not perfect: the fights are kind of bloodless - I spotted a few Sonny Corleone-style phantom punches - and its depiction of Mexicans make Speedy Gonzalez seem PC, but it lives up to the intrigue that its title promises. Speaking of, like Miami Connection, it barely takes place in its titular location! Oh, and best of all, since the movie is in the public domain, you don't have to feel guilty about pirating it. I watched it on Amazon Prime, for what it's worth, and it looks like it's also on YouTube.

Anytime is a good time for noir We use to have a member here and I remember that she once said she only liked watching noirs in the cold darkness of winter. But like you just said there are a number of noirs set in the sunny, hot desert. Probably because it was easy access from the studio. Desert Fury (1947) is one that comes to mind (good noir too) and it's in color to boot.

I love that film and the person I mentioned above once nominated it in a noir HoF. I thought the story was quite original and engaging and being set in Mexico for a large part of the film was fun. John Payne was real good and Colleen Gray is such a peach in this! One of my fav 50s actresses that I never really get to see enough of. Gosh, now I want to watch Kansas City Confidential again

I think noir is most closely associated with dreary, often rainy, urban landscapes that necessitate the iconic raincoats and hats of our various gumshoes and gangsters, which fits the November atmosphere.

That said, there’s enough noir (especially neo-noir) that step outside of that and place it in sunny locals, especially those that dabble in Southern Gothic tropes (I’m looking at you, Cape Fear!) that one can justify watching noir all year round.

I agree with you there. And if you haven't seen them, a couple of fine classic noirs re heists are, Criss Cross (1949), which not only features Burt Lancaster, Yvonne DeCarlo, and Dan Duryea, but has a great story directed by IMO the premiere noir director, Robert Siodmak, But it also has some wonderful video of late '40s Los Angeles.

And of course The Killing (1956) is one of the best, directed by Stanley Kubrick, starring Sterling Hayden, Vince Edwards, and two of my all time favs: Marie Windsor and Elisha Cook, Jr. It's a race track heist and is very realistic.

That's one of my favorites. Really didn't expect that to be as good as it was, as late as it was, but I think that's actually what allowed them to push things maybe even a little further.

I've never made a list of my fav noirs but if I did I'd guess a fair number would come from the 50s, especially mid to late 50s.

Huge fan of Force of Evil as a top notch example of the genre. Another that packs a real punch is Blast of Silence (1961). Absolutely stunning noir cinematography in that one, and definitely recommended to those who haven't seen it.

That and Alton’s cinematography really make this one stand out. One of my favorites from Mann.

Have you seen many of Anthony Mann's noirs? I just now looked and he seems to have made eight noirs. I've only seen Raw Deal and T-Men. T-Men having the distinction of being one of the very few noirs that I didn't care for. I have seen lots of Mann's other films especially his westerns. He's my favorite western director and one of my favorite mid century directors.