Film Noir HoF IV

Noir Time

11-17-23

Originally Posted by Diehl40

Gilda

Gilda was an interesting watch. From what I read this film did not check all of the Film Noir boxes, such as there is no true Femme Fatalle in this film. Gilda does want to make Glen Ford's character jealous, but she does not ask him to murder, rob, or do other harmful things because of her. She is an adventurer, who does not let her marriage get in the way of her having her fun. Otherwise Gilda is a good example of Film Noir.

I'd say Gilda worked for me as a femme fatale, as she put Glen Ford into harm's way by manipulating him to pick her up and drive her home from her 'dates'...Which caused her powerful husband to be jealous of Ford and ending with him wanting to murder him at one point.

Diehl40

Registered User

11-17-23

Ok, I can see that

Originally Posted by Citizen Rules

Diehl40

Registered User

11-17-23

The Maltese Falcon

One of the earliest films to make use of several Film Noir themes: disillusionment, lurking danger, and moral and official corruption. It was also a very early example of the Femme-Fatale character. it was John Huston's first attempt to direct, and he was nominated for best screenplay for this film.

Citizen Rules

Noir Time

11-17-23

Act of Violence (1948)
*Spoilers*

There's a saying on Broadway, 'If it isn't on the page, it's not on the stage.' Same is true for movies and luckily Act of Violence has one well crafted screenplay. Another noir could've just simply focused on the war vet with the dark secret and built tension from the mystery man with the limp who stalks him.

That would've worked too, but what I really appreciated was just how fleshed out the characters' back stories were. Van Heflin isn't just a man being chased by some psycho, who believes he's guilty...He is guilty and by degrees we learn just how guilty he really is and in that way we understand his reluctance to fight back. Those background details added much depth to the story.

Van Heflin is great here, he's a favorite actor and this is one of his best performances. But for my money Mary Astor steals every scene she is in. She was totally believable as a b-girl who looked as cheap as her character was, she made this movie much more than just a chase movie. Janet Leigh was also very good in a role that might have been handled by another director as two dimensional. But Janet Leigh gets a lot of mileage out of her screen time, thanks to her and the director.

Gotta say I loved the score and normally I don't notice that. What blew me away was the way the last scene was filmed...With the sound of wind howling in the night and two men approaching each other down a wide empty street...all filmed from above, on a crane. It reminded me of a shootout in a western. Very satisfying film.

Citizen Rules

Noir Time

11-17-23

We're at the two week mark and only have four more weeks to go until the deadline. Some of you are kicking ass and some of you must be sitting in a dingy bar drinking rotgut gin

Let me know if the numbers below are right?

John W Constantine finished! 12 of 12
@Diehl40 7 of 12
@rauldc14 5 of 12
@KeyserCorleone 9 of 12
@Thief 6 of 12
@edarsenal 3 of 12
Citizen 8 of 12

Are you guys still in?
@GulfportDoc 0 of 12
@beelzebubble 0 of 12
@Siddon 0 of 12
@PHOENIX74 0 of 12

PHOENIX74

I forgot the opening line.

11-17-23

Originally Posted by Citizen Rules

Are you guys still in?
@GulfportDoc 0 of 12
@beelzebubble 0 of 12
@Siddon 0 of 12
@PHOENIX74 0 of 12

Yep! I'll be starting soon. Even if I have to write shorter reviews (a blessing to some) I'll be getting through this Hall of Fame.

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Thief

Master of None

11-17-23

Originally Posted by Citizen Rules

We're at the two week mark and only have four more weeks to go until the deadline. Some of you are kicking ass and some of you must be sitting in a dingy bar drinking rotgut gin

Let me know if the numbers below are right?

@Thief 6 of 12

Yep. I will probably take it a bit slow now cause I need to watch a bunch of films for podcast stuff before November ends, but I will still try to sneak one. Then once December starts, I'll probably roll over the remaining ones.

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Citizen Rules

Noir Time

11-18-23

Originally Posted by PHOENIX74

Yep! I'll be starting soon. Even if I have to write shorter reviews (a blessing to some) I'll be getting through this Hall of Fame.

Cool. How long does it usually take to write one of your reviews? Just curious.

Originally Posted by Thief

Idea: You could do your podcast about, noir vs neo noir

Or are your podcast not movie related?

Thief

Master of None

11-18-23

Originally Posted by Citizen Rules

Idea: You could do your podcast about, noir vs neo noir

Or are your podcast not movie related?

Ehh, well. I already did an episode on classic noir, so I don't want to jump into a neo-noir episode right away. Maybe next year.

KeyserCorleone

Registered User

11-18-23

Out of the Past

I didn't think much of it when I checked it out. In fact, I don't even remember why I first watched it in the first place. But it ended up being one of the finest movies I had ever seen. The movie focuses on character dynamics, even through minor characters, and each twist and turn feels much more natural as a result. This movie has a lot to say about people and their past lives, as well as what happens when the past and the present collide and what it can do to people. Out of the past takes the tropes of the time and uses them in the best ways.

Diehl40

Registered User

11-18-23

Mildred Pierce
I did not anticipate caring for this film when I sat down to watch it (not a big Joan Crawford fan), but by the end I really liked it. The point at which I changed my mind was in the last thirty minutes of the film (after the twist). The femme-Fatalle was not who I expected her to be. One of the things I like the best about films is character development, and I have to say that this film did not have enough of that in my opinion. Why was the daughter so spoiled, There were too many men around Crawford's character to develop any one of them.

KeyserCorleone

Registered User

11-18-23

Thieves' Highway

I've been extremely satisfied with the countdown so far. many of these movies have been quite a bit of fun, and I'm glad I watched a few of these before this started. That tells me I have an inkling of what I'm doing when exploring noir. But I gotta say... I'm not really impressed with this one. The plot feels very simple to me, like the kind of thing that could largely be told in a twenty-minute episode on TV. I feel like most of the meat of the movie, while well detailed, is mostly there to fill up the little bits. Since the plot feels kinda thin, this "noir" movie doesn't really feel that dark, and the crime itself has minimal stakes so it feels kind of empty in comparison to so many other dramas of the time. Although, I was quite stricken with the "Aren't women wonderful" moment.

PHOENIX74

I forgot the opening line.

11-18-23

Originally Posted by Citizen Rules

Cool. How long does it usually take to write one of your reviews? Just curious.

They're usually done pretty quickly once started - an hour or two maybe - but it takes me ages to start after watching a movie. Basically a day or two or three trying to think from time to time how I'll start. Whenever I decide to write one, and I sit there with nothing, I usually search around for info on the movie to try and figure out what I want to say about it. Once I get that start I'm fine.

rauldc14

2022 Mofo Fantasy Football Champ

11-18-23

Damn an hour or two for a review. Crazy. My one paragraph takes about 3 minutes.

I wish I had reviewing skills, but I just don't.

Citizen Rules

Noir Time

11-18-23

Originally Posted by PHOENIX74

Wow, that's fast. With the amount of work you do, I would've thought that it might have taken you longer. When I use to do reviews for my review thread, it would take me start to finish, including photos, about an hour.

Basically a day or two or three trying to think from time to time how I'll start.

That's interesting as I'm the opposite. I need to write the review within a day or less, or it becomes hard for me to say anything. And this will sound weird, but I swear my reviews write themselves...I often end up with a review that was nothing about what I was going to say. It's funny but it happens that way now and then.

PHOENIX74

I forgot the opening line.

11-18-23

Originally Posted by Citizen Rules

Yeah - once I've really got going I also get that very same sense of the review writing itself, and yeah, I've got a grin on my face because just like with you, it can have nothing I was originally going to say in it. But boy - I don't know what it is exactly, but it doesn't start coming for at least a day, usually more. If I had to write one the same day I watched the film, I think I'd be in a bit of trouble! My mind would be completely blank - even if I knew roundabouts what I wanted to say, I'd sit there trying to think of how to start, and it wouldn't come.

Diehl40

Registered User

11-18-23

Murder My Sweet
Raymond Chandler's favorite actor to play Marlowe is not Humphrey Bogart, but rather Dick Powell. After missing out on the lead role in Double Indemnity he landed the role of Marlowe in murder my Sweet. Casting Powell was a promotional nightmare because he was known at the time for musical productions. Dmytryk, the director, was responsible for re-enforcing the film Noir love of dark, disoriented, surreal drug-induced effects, which come in abundance in this film. Good film.

Citizen Rules

Noir Time

11-19-23

Out of the Past (1947)
*spoilers*

It's all about Jane Greer!...I swear once I started looking for an image for this review I got fixated on finding the perfect screenshot of Miss Greer. She was indeed lovely, angelic like...so no wonder Robert Mitchum's character fell like a sack of potatoes for her.

I know some noir fans don't like female leads in their noirs. But me, I prefer a noir that has a strong female lead that causes the events to unfold. Relationships good and bad, that's life...and I'm not sure why so many movie fans don't like romance in a movie. Now I could see why Mitchum's character might've wised he'd never meet the devil in a white dress.

Robert Mitchum is the coolest and you've to pair him up with somebody that can stand up to his strong screen presence and I think Jane Greer did just that. Her character is written well, I actually cheered when she was shot and killed in a car crash. Now usually I've a soft spot for the femme fatale no matter what they might've done. But Kathie (Jane Greer) turned so manipulative that she deserved her fate...I'm voting Jane Greer prettiest and nastiest femme fatale in this HoF!

seanc

Lone Wolf

11-20-23

Originally Posted by Citizen Rules

I'm voting Jane Greer prettiest and nastiest femme fatale in this HoF!

I will go with you for nastiest. She was ruthless. She�s gorgeous, but I still go with Rita for the top prize there.

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Thief