Film Noir HoF IV

Lone Wolf

11-05-23

Gilda

Gilda is a movie I really wanted to rewatch for the list, but honestly don't know if I would have gotten to it if it wasn't nominated here. That was a big reason I wanted to be in the Hall because I knew it would push me to rewatch a few that I need to.

This is a really great Noir, driven by Hayworth who, I think, gives one of the better femme performances I have seen in a Noir. She is a force and extremely sexy, but she also brings a vulnerability that I don't think we see in these movies enough, and is appropriate considering the man she finds herself hitched too.

I don't remember how I first watched Gilda, but I would bet is wasn't under optimal viewing conditions, because the biggest up tick on this viewing for me was how it looked. The cinematography is beautiful full stop, but there are also a handful of shots that really make you take notice. The setting is very simple but the director and cinematographer mined every bit of texture out of it.

Gilda was going to do very well on our list regardless of me, but I will be surprised if it doesn't get some extra help from me.

Oh yeah. Yes Red, I "love it when she does that ***** with her hair".

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Thief

Master of None

11-05-23

Originally Posted by KeyserCorleone

Detour

Detour bears a healthy dose of all the bare essentials needed for a great, twisty noir movie. Some of these events are extremely shocking and unpredictable. I really have to handle it to the writers for not only keeping this full of events, but really relying on the personality and intelligence of the main character. On the BOTTOM side, they're also a little hokey, which tells me the movie needed a little more length to flesh out the story. But in the end it's an excellent tale of bad luck and how life really bites us in the ass. This on top of the excellent first-person narration make this a very easy movie to get behind, as well as making our protagonist easier to sympathize with than many other protagonists in the genre.

This is probably the main reason why I chose this. As we are in the wake of our own Film Noir countdown, where the questions of "what is a film noir" has come up often, I think this one gives us a glimpse of all those little things that make a noir. Watch out for beaten-down protagonists betrayed by femme fatales and fate itself, dark twists and a bleak ending, black and white cinematography, foggy lighting, flashbacks, canted angles, oversized props... it's all in here, wrapped in a short package.

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Citizen Rules

Noir Time

11-05-23

Gilda (1946)

Third time watching and my reaction was the same as last time. Rita Hayworth is wrong for the role. She was a light drama actress who was better suited for rom-coms and musicals. It bugged me that through out the film she had that same 'posed' expression on her face. I never bought her as a scorned woman who would do anything to get back at the man she loved & hated, Glen Ford. Mostly she played her role as a lark, so I never bought that she was Gilda. Which is funny as I once read a quote from her about her marriages including Orson Welles and she said, 'they wanted to marry Gilda but got Rita.' I seen Rita in that role, not Gilda. That brought an otherwise good movie with a good script down a couple notches. Don't get me wrong I actually do like Rita but not in this role. I'm sure she was cast as she was box office gold at the time and could dance and sing. But I wish the role had went to Marie Windsor or Lizabeth Scott. Both of those noir actresses could've brought needed dimension to the role.

Citizen Rules

Noir Time

11-05-23

Detour (1945)

Gosh I really like Ann Savage, I thought she was cute. Especially in the beginning in that little white sweater, when she doesn't have so much make-up on and her hair isn't curled. I love that look in her eyes in that photo, it says so much about her.

I got this feeling that her character Vera had been through a lot of pain in her life. As she was dying of tuberculous she had this pragmatic negative outlook on life, yet I don't think she was evil, just troubled. I believe she could've been helped and Tom Neal 'Al' was an idiot for not taking her up on her offer to spend the night...I mean what does he have to lose at that point?

His character is well written...he's the world's biggest loser with this sour, down trodden and beaten by life look on his face. His blonde girlfriend leaves him for California and he makes the world's stupidest decision when he steals the dead guys car, money and ID. In true noir fashion he's doomed himself! So why not sleep with Vera, just don't kiss her. She clearly likes him and I found that touching in a doomed sorta way.

Detour was the first 'B' movie chose by the Library of Congress to include it it's National Film Registry...that says a lot!

edarsenal

Women will be your undoing, P�p�

11-05-23

Originally Posted by rauldc14

It's feckin. Get it right. Fecken!

Feckin it is! lol

rauldc14

2022 Mofo Fantasy Football Champ

11-05-23

Detour

This was my second watch of this film but I really didn't remember all too much about it. That's why I figured it would be good to join this Hall to refresh my memory on a lot of these. I enjoy the hitch hiking aspect of the film and it works really well with the swift pacing of the movie. From start to finish there really isn't a dull moment in the 69 minutes of film. The film really heats up when Vera shows up. I thought Ann Savage gave the best performance in this film and her chemistry with Tom Neals character was really great. In particular, I really thought the last 20 minutes or so were the epitome of what a noir should strive for in terms of tension and atmosphere. This is a really good one and I increased my rating to support it.

KeyserCorleone

Registered User

11-05-23

Act of Violence

It seems that the focal point of this movie is building tension. Because of this, there's a bit of a slow run for the first act. Also, our villain has so little screentime that it disappoints, but this also makes his scenes more memorable as we get some great dialogue and development from those few scenes. To add to the characterization commentary, some of the development for the wife suffers, and she's just another noir woman in the end. But once we get the scoop on our lead character's reasoning for caution, things get extremely interesting. There's chaos in the lead's mind as he aimlessly goes from person to person wondering what to do about the ghost from his war days. Unfortunately, this also makes the movie a little aimless at times. Thankfully, the air of tension stays thick enough to bounce a ball off throughout most of the movie. And I have to say, I like where the ending went. It seems perfectly fitting for all the chaos that the lead went through during the film. I can't say I'll put this at the top of my list or anything, but I liked what I saw.

Citizen Rules

Noir Time

11-05-23

It's getting lopsided.

Citizen Rules

Noir Time

11-05-23

Originally Posted by Thief

Detour: This is probably the main reason why I chose this. As we are in the wake of our own Film Noir countdown, where the questions of "what is a film noir" has come up often, I think this one gives us a glimpse of all those little things that make a noir. Watch out for beaten-down protagonists betrayed by femme fatales and fate itself, dark twists and a bleak ending, black and white cinematography, foggy lighting, flashbacks, canted angles, oversized props... it's all in here, wrapped in a short package.

Detour has what I consider to be the key noir element, "someone who through an event or outside influences was doomed in one way or another, often by their own behavior, life choices or even by randomness." That's from the Noir countdown thread and Detour has that. The movie even mentions how a twist of fate has led Al (Tom Neal) down a dark road that he himself didn't chose.

rauldc14

2022 Mofo Fantasy Football Champ

11-05-23

Originally Posted by Citizen Rules

Never thought of this being a key element. But I really like that.

rauldc14

2022 Mofo Fantasy Football Champ

11-05-23

Originally Posted by Citizen Rules

It's getting lopsided.

I'm on the wrong side, I bet get moving!

Thief

Master of None

11-05-23

Originally Posted by rauldc14

Never thought of this being a key element. But I really like that.

If you look at it closely, most noir films feature that. Characters that think they have control of the situation, and yet they are doomed by fate. Out of the Past? Sunset Boulevard? Double Indemnity? etc.

Citizen Rules

Noir Time

11-05-23

Originally Posted by rauldc14

Never thought of this being a key element. But I really like that.

Seems to be mostly true. Nothing is 100% of course but it's often present in noir films to some degree or another.

Citizen Rules

Noir Time

11-05-23

Originally Posted by Thief

I'd say in films like Detour the character is doomed by random circumstance, he even talks about that during the inner monologues. In other noirs they are doomed by character flaws, like weakness for the dames! or outside influences.

ScarletLion

Wales, Europe

11-06-23

This looks like a quality HoF. Sorry I couldn't join but I have a watchlist as long as my arm that needs to get done before the end of the year. I'll dip into the thread to see how it's going.

I have seen these ones and they are all fabulous films with perhaps Touch of Evil being my favourite

The Asphalt Jungle (1950)
Detour (1945)
The Maltese Falcon (1941)
Mildred Pierce (1945)
Out of the Past (1947)
Touch of Evil (1958)

rauldc14

2022 Mofo Fantasy Football Champ

11-06-23

Thieves Highway

This was a very well directed film and overall I thought the story was told very well. I like the set up where we are introduced to Nick and it's a nice buildup to where he meets Figlia. The part I dislike the most is Nick's character in general, as I often thought he made stupid boneheaded decisions. The fact that he seems to end up on the road to getting married with Rica is honestly quite mindbaffling to me. Kind of strange how he wouldn't want to be with Polly but maybe that's just me. The highlight of the film for me is Lee Cobbs performance. I've always enjoyed Cobb in the villain role much like On the Waterfront he is quite on point here

It's a mixed bag film but one that I'm happy to have nominated blind.

Citizen Rules

Noir Time

11-06-23

Originally Posted by ScarletLion

There's not a bad apple in the whole bunch with this HoF. Maybe I should've nominated Ed Wood Jr's Jail Bait (1954) just so that people had at least one nom that wasn't up to snuff. Still I kind like that movie, it's probably one of Ed's better flicks.

John W Constantine

Alias: John Utah

11-06-23

Gun Crazy (1950 Joseph H. Lewis)

Bart Tare has a fascination. It just happens to be with guns. When his fascination leads to a sentence in reform school and the military he returns home hoping to make a way of life. When he makes a trip to the local traveling carnival he meets the sharpshooter Annie. It seems to be attraction at first sight that leads Bart on a much more adventurous life than the one he was expecting at home.

Nice to see this one again, I never quite forgot this one as it was one of the first ones I watched years ago. Love the two leads, looks wonderful, and has a sizzle underneath all of the events but still has some of the cheesy dialogue and wit that makes these movies worth watching. Excellent choice.

John W Constantine

Alias: John Utah

11-06-23

Out of the Past (1947 Jacques Tourneur)

Jeff Bailey lives a seemingly mundane life running a gas station in small remote town. He spends his time fishing and dating his girlfriend Ann Miller. When a stranger stops in town at the gas station it leads to a revelation that Jeff has a secret past with some shady characters.

This doesn't reach that creative qualities are some of these entries for this countdown, you could almost say the story gets a tab bit confusing. It feels more of a character study for Robert Mitchum's Jeff Bailey (Marcum?) wrapped in a noir setting. Jane Greer's character is interesting enough on the other side of the story. Kirk Douglas does Kirk Douglas but his "Kirk Douglas" moment is strangely missing. Another excellent choice here.

John W Constantine