Noirvember 2022
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Ha! That's Quicksand 
But I'm glad you told me the name of that noir so I can watch it again. It's stuck with me since I seen years ago.HAWT!
Seriously though I'm gonna recommend what I always do when noir is being discussed, Ride the Pink Horse.
Seriously though I'm gonna recommend what I always do when noir is being discussed, Ride the Pink Horse.
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I watched this last night *normally I only would write a couple of short paragraphs but I guess I had more to say
:
Fallen Angel (Otto Preminger 1945)
:Fallen Angel (Otto Preminger 1945)
I knew the title 'Fallen Angel' sounded real familiar when Allaby mentioned it. But it wasn't until I was half way through the film that I realized why it's a landmark film in the history of cinema. That's when I remembered watching a biography on Alice Faye. Faye had done something unique at the time, she walked away from a successfully film career by breaking her studio contract. She did that over this film Fallen Angel. Alice Faye was set to be the costar of the film but the studio cut her role down to allow newcomer Linda Darnell to have a big build up. That pissed off Alice Faye enough that she literally told the studio where they could stick their film and left the movie making business, not returning for another 17 years.
My thoughts on the film: as I was watching it, it seemed in the first half to be disjointed and didn't flow really well. Dana Andrews didn't seem really suited to his pitch/con man role. Linda Darnell didn't evoke a femme fatale quality that would make men do anything to get her. My thoughts about Darnell's character was that she was a loser who slung hash and had a poor attitude. When I first seen Alice Faye she seemed to be a background character and Dana Andrews showing interesting in her seemed at first to come out of the blue. I attribute that to the film's editing with important scenes with Alice Faye being cut out.
But all of that changes in the third act and the film tightens up to a good mystery that kept me guessing as to the film's outcome. Loved Charles Bickford as a violent cop putting on gloves to beat a suspect, ouch! I also liked Dana Andrews final outcome which was surprising given the Hays Code.
Good film, enjoyed it.
My thoughts on the film: as I was watching it, it seemed in the first half to be disjointed and didn't flow really well. Dana Andrews didn't seem really suited to his pitch/con man role. Linda Darnell didn't evoke a femme fatale quality that would make men do anything to get her. My thoughts about Darnell's character was that she was a loser who slung hash and had a poor attitude. When I first seen Alice Faye she seemed to be a background character and Dana Andrews showing interesting in her seemed at first to come out of the blue. I attribute that to the film's editing with important scenes with Alice Faye being cut out.
But all of that changes in the third act and the film tightens up to a good mystery that kept me guessing as to the film's outcome. Loved Charles Bickford as a violent cop putting on gloves to beat a suspect, ouch! I also liked Dana Andrews final outcome which was surprising given the Hays Code.
Good film, enjoyed it.
Last edited by Citizen Rules; 11-02-23 at 01:53 PM.
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Are we being strict about our definitions of Noir or are contemporary and genre-hyphenated noirs also acceptable?
Are we being strict about our definitions of Noir or are contemporary and genre-hyphenated noirs also acceptable?
That said, I do put classic noir at the forefront.
Kicked off my own noirvember with a watch of I Walk Alone. A fairly standard classic noir notable primarily for the presence of both Lancaster and Douglas. Some cool hard boiled lines here and there but nothing too spectacular.
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Are we being strict about our definitions of Noir or are contemporary and genre-hyphenated noirs also acceptable?
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It's Noirvember...That time of the year when shadows get long and cast ominous shapes on the walls of smoke filled rooms...and rain pours down like a leaky faucet on back alley streets where gun toting dicks and shady perps slink. And hot dames? Always hot dames.
Like last year, this is just a fun thread to hang out and talk about noirs, no commitments, very chilled. If you watch some noirs or know of some good ones pop in and let us know about them. I'm up for watching a ton of noirs this month and if someone mentions one especially one that they're about to watch I'll try to watch it too.
Like last year, this is just a fun thread to hang out and talk about noirs, no commitments, very chilled. If you watch some noirs or know of some good ones pop in and let us know about them. I'm up for watching a ton of noirs this month and if someone mentions one especially one that they're about to watch I'll try to watch it too.
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I’m here only on Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays. That’s why I’m here now.
I’m here only on Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays. That’s why I’m here now.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a noir movie.
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I watched Fallen Angel yesterday. I liked the performances and thought the story was alright. It was solid and worth watching, but didn’t blow me away.
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DOA was my favorite as a kid. The remake with Dennis Quaid was good too.
Mildred Pierce is kind of the grande dame of noir. It's definitely not on a shoestring budget put the mood and the lighting and cinematography have noirish feel to it.
Mildred Pierce is kind of the grande dame of noir. It's definitely not on a shoestring budget put the mood and the lighting and cinematography have noirish feel to it.
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I watched Fallen Angel yesterday. I liked the performances and thought the story was alright. It was solid and worth watching, but didn’t blow me away.
DOA was my favorite as a kid. The remake with Dennis Quaid was good too.
Mildred Pierce is kind of the grande dame of noir. It's definitely not on a shoestring budget put the mood and the lighting and cinematography have noirish feel to it.
Mildred Pierce is kind of the grande dame of noir. It's definitely not on a shoestring budget put the mood and the lighting and cinematography have noirish feel to it.
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Love Mildred Pierce, it's in my Top 10 on my profile. Have you seen the mini series with Kate Winslet? That was real good too.
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No I haven't seen the HBO series. I will check it out. It didn't appeal to me initially because it is filmed in such a soft focus way and part of my love of the old film is the crispness of the photography.
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Just a fun hang out thread for noir fans. You can define it anyway you want, I don't think any two people completely agree on what is and isn't noir...so it's all good. Myself I'm partial to the classic period of noirs in the 40s and 50s but I've seen proto and neo noirs that I dug.
But how do you feel about Blade Runner?
Love Mildred Pierce, it's in my Top 10 on my profile. Have you seen the mini series with Kate Winslet? That was real good too.....Oh and DOA
I love Classic Noir. Absolutely love it. To be clear.
But how do you feel about Blade Runner?
But how do you feel about Blade Runner?
. But I'm guessing you're asking, if I think it's noir? I personally wouldn't call it noir but I'd call it 'noirish'. I'd be OK if someone wants to call it neo noir, but personally I wouldn't consider it that.
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LOVE it! Is that noir?
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Noir is more a style than a genre so it's open to interpretation. Definitely the original Joan Crawford Mildred Pierce is Noir.
Is Body Heat with Hurt & what’s-her name noir? Is noir a look rather than the movie’s content?
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Is Body Heat with Hurt & what’s-her name noir? Is noir a look rather than the movie’s content?
Classic Noir refers to cynical American crime films made post-Great Depression through the ‘40s and ‘50s (bookended by Maltese Falcon and Touch of Evil). It’s more of an era than a genre, though it’s influence spans countries and numerous subgenres.
That said, there are some accepted tropes: private detectives, mysteries, anti-heroes, femme fatales, greed as a motivator, shadows and smoke. But mainly, it’s the cynicism about modern society and how it causes these characters to make amoral choices to get ahead.
Neo-noir are films made in the same vein as noir but exist outside of that classic era (Chinatown, LA Confidential, Sin City).
Proto-noir are films that align with these sensibilities but predate the accepted start of the era, such as Fritz Lang’s films.
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