The MoFo Top 100 Film Noir Countdown

BANNED FROM VIENNA

03-17-24

I didn't care much for Dark Passage despite Bogie and Bacall. Ministry of Fear is a great film noir that just missed making my list. It was in a battle with another Fritz Lang noir but now that I look at my list somehow neither film make the cut and I don't have anything from Fritz Lang. This feels like a serious oversight on my part.

__________________
"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."

Citizen Rules

Noir Time

03-17-24

Ministry of Fear has got to be one of the coolest noir titles. I kept planning on watching it or re-watching it as I don't recall if I did ever see it?

Thursday Next

I never could get the hang of Thursdays.

03-17-24

Well I've at least heard of these two, although I haven't seen either. Putting Ministry of Fear along with Caged on my watchlist.

Iroquois

Welcome to the human race...

03-17-24

no votes. have seen dark passage but remember nothing about it beyond its pov sequence. no strong feelings about it one way or the other, i guess.

__________________

Originally Posted by Yoda

I really just want you all angry and confused the whole time.

Iro's Top 100 Movies v3.0

WHITBISSELL!

Registered User

03-17-24

1 for 2. I've seen Dark Passage but I don't think I've ever heard of Ministry of Fear. I do agree that DP is one of Bogey's best and that MoF is a way cool title.

8 of 26.

SpelingError

AKA Popcorn Reviews

03-17-24

I haven't seen either film.

__________________
IMDb
Letterboxd

Citizen Rules

Noir Time

03-17-24

We seem to be pretty evenly spit on Dark Passage. It didn't make my ballot. Here's what I wrote about in the Noirvember 2023 thread:

Dark Passage (1947)

This one was definitely a step-up from the last two Bogart noirs I watched (Conflict, Knock on Any Door). When I seen that the director also had wrote the screenplay I knew it would be a more focused story as often what a writer envisions and the director shoots are two different things. But here the director was shooting what he wrote and it paid off. The story is well fleshed out with added nuances and interesting side characters, all which brought the story alive. Oh and this was based on a novel too which helps as did the bigger film budget with the on-location shooting in San Francisco.

What makes this film very different is that for the first third of the film we never see Bogart, instead it's shot in a first person viewpoint from Bogart's perspective. That first person POV was done previously in 1947's Lady in the Lake but there it only kinda worked. In Dark Passage the first person perspective is achieved with a German ARRIFLEX 35 hand held camera, the first time that camera was used in a U.S. film. As a result the first person POV is seamless and very believable. I bought it as actually happening, it never seemed like a camera 'trick'.

Laureen Bacall is very effective here with real screen chemistry with her hubby Boggie. The standout performance has to go to one of Orson Welle's hand picked Mercury Theater performers...Agnes Moorehead. Moorehead has some juicy scenes and plays them with enough spit and polish to make the most of her onscreen time.

CosmicRunaway

Winner by Default

03-17-24

I watched Ministry of Fear while trying to figure out what I wanted to submit for the 3rd Film Noir HoF. I didn't end up nominating it, but I liked it quite a bit. It's a little uneven overall, but it starts out strong and has a very tangible paranoid atmosphere running through it, as well as some interesting visuals and a weird mix of occultism and cake. I think it's worth watching, even if just for its novelty. It was on my list at #8.

Seen: 7/26

My List: 3
03. Stranger on the Third Floor (1940) - #92
08. Ministry of Fear (1944) - #75
11. This Gun for Hire (1942) - #78

__________________

A Strange Variety of Film Reviews | The New Flesh: A David Cronenberg Club
Letterboxd

cricket

Msg

Registered User

03-17-24

I guess I liked Dark Passage as I gave it

in 2016.

Don't think I've seen Ministry of Fear.

honeykid

MoFo Whisperer

03-17-24

Originally Posted by Sedai

Still a perfect record for me!

0/22

Jesus! That's me with 2010+ levels of nothing. Although I'm guessing by the end you'd have seen more of these than I would those.

Since I last posted I think the only one I've seen is Dark Passage, which I saw about 30 years ago and don't remember enjoying very much.

__________________
5-time MoFo Award winner.

GulfportDoc

Registered User

03-17-24

Originally Posted by Citizen Rules

#76 Dark Passage (1947)
Director: Delmer Daves
Production: Warner Bros.
Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Bruce Bennett
38 Points, 3 List

'A man convicted of murdering his wife escapes from prison and works with a woman to try to prove his innocence.'

Pretty decent mystery/thriller. Here's a few comments from 7 years ago:

Dark Passage(1947)

An enjoyable film, although not the best Bogart/Bacall. Bacall did shine, however. Agnes Moorehead was a stand out in a delightful --albeit overacted-- outing, showing her range. She was actually a dish. There was also a brief but effective part as Bacall's wannabee boyfriend from Bruce Bennett, the actor who was to play the prospecting intruder in the following year's Treasure of the Sierra Madre.

Bogart did not appear on screen for the first third or so of the film, instead telling the story via narrative, and through his eyes. The device was similar in technique to the prior year's The Lady in the Lake, starring Robert Montgomery.

Doc's rating: 7/10

Citizen Rules

Noir Time

03-17-24

Agnes Moorehead is always a treat for me to see on the screen. I see her from time to time usually in small roles. She was the warden in the movie Caged which also made the noir countdown.

stillmellow

Msg

Basic Non-B

03-17-24

I almost watched Dark Passage, but didn't get around to it. I'm still in the zero club.

dadgumblah

Registered User

03-17-24

I'm with @honeykid in that I don't think I've seen Dark Passage in several decades, although I intended to re-watch it for the Countdown but didn't make it. I remember liking it quite a bit and look forward to seeing it again.

Ministry of Fear is one that, again, is on my Watch List but didn't get watched in time. @CosmicRunaway, I like that gif of Milland you posted. I don't know if it's from Ministry of Fear or The Uninvited or something else? But for some reason I immediately thought of Hot Fuzz and the people chanting "The greater good!" placed on the gif with Milland's eyes darting around. You have to have seen the movie to get it. But it gave me a laugh, so thanks!

No show for me today.

#15 He Walked By Night List Proper #88
#22 This Gun For Hire List Proper #78

__________________
"Miss Jean Louise, Mr. Arthur Radley."

John W Constantine

Msg

Alias: John Utah

03-17-24

Chalk Ministry of Fear as a thought I put it on my ballot but somehow didn't. It's a favorite in the Fritz Lang cannon.

PHOENIX74

I forgot the opening line.

03-18-24

I think I've heard of Dark Passage.

__________________

Remember - everything has an ending except hope, and sausages - they have two.
We miss you Takoma

Latest Review : Le Circle Rouge (1970)

CosmicRunaway

Winner by Default

03-18-24

Originally Posted by dadgumblah

I like that gif of Milland you posted. I don't know if it's from Ministry of Fear or The Uninvited or something else? But for some reason I immediately thought of Hot Fuzz and the people chanting "The greater good!" placed on the gif with Milland's eyes darting around. You have to have seen the movie to get it. But it gave me a laugh, so thanks!

It is from Ministry of Fear. I can definitely see why you thought of Hot Fuzz, especially with the semi-comedic subtitle. Glad it gave you a laugh!

Little Ash

he/him

03-18-24

This Gun for Hire was in consideration for my ballot, but was more liked than loved. I remember the overall story not really grabbing me and you're mostly there for Ladd and Lake (minus her song and dance number, which I remember feeling like it lacked energy or something). Would have been weird to have a top 100 and not have at least one of their movies together not show up.

So that's the second movie to appear that I've actually seen.

ETA: on the upside, the ratio of movies I feel like I've actually heard of higher is going up, which for other countdowns is usually much higher.

ScarletLion

Wales, Europe

03-18-24

0/24

Holden Pike