Noirvember 2023 - Rate the last noir you watched

Trouble with a capital "T"

12-07-23

The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946)

A pity more people don't know about this one, at least I don't hear it mentioned. I suspect it's the title that turns them off as it sounds like a romance drama, it's not! It's one of the best written, best constructed film scripts I've seen. It's two parallel stories with Van Heflin being the connecting element. The characters are given plenty of backstory and pathos to bring them and their actions to life. And the acting is top notch. If you've only seen Van Heflin in Act of Violence where he plays a meek man on the run then you need to watch this as here Heflin is playing the rogue outsider who drifts into town and causes events to happen and happen they do. He's good, real good so is Stanwyck who is controlling and rich. But it was Lizabeth Scott who utterly impressed me. This was her second movie and her first major role. It's clear to me she was taping into real emotions as she comes across very compellingly real as a troubled woman with no place to go. Likewise I'm impressed with Kirk Douglas' first movie role. He's not the tough guy here. He's a weak willed DA who's married to Martha Ivers and utterly controlled by her. They both have a secret that binds them together and sets events in motion that in true noir fashion ends in tragedy for some. This is the first noir in this thread that I've given this rating to.

Last edited by Citizen Rules; 03-20-24 at 11:22 PM.

Citizen Rules

Trouble with a capital "T"

12-08-23

Originally Posted by GulfportDoc

...Here's a little commentary from a few years ago:

The File on Thelma Jordon (copyright 8/01/1949)

This is a must-see noir, if for no other reason than for it was directed by one of the very greatest noir directors, Robert Siodmak (The Killers, Criss Cross, Phantom Lady).

An unusual title (hard to remember), it stars Barbara Stanwyck and Wendell Corey. The story bears more than a passing resemblance to Double Indemnity, done 5 years earlier. Story writer Marty Holland (Fallen Angel) and screenwriter Ketti Frings (Come Back Little Sheba) had to have patterned their writing on Messrs. Caine, Wilder and Chandler's superb earlier film.

Stanwyck plays another rotten femme fatale, who in this story manipulates an assistant D.A. (Corey) into defending her against the murder of her aunt, thought to be murdered by her secret husband.

This, along with Rear Window, is Corey's finest work. He always seemed limited in scope, but in the right role, such as this one, no one could have done it better.

George Barnes' (Jane Eyre, Spellbound) moody photography demonstrates how a noir ought to be lit. If you haven't seen this premier noir, it's available for free on the Internet Archive or YouTube.

Doc's rating: 7/10

Yes! the title is hard to remember. That's why I watched it as I was trying to find a favorite noir with Barbara Stanwyck and a confrontation in an mansion in the last scene. But I guessed wrong The File On Thelma Jordan wasn't the movie I remembered, good film though!

Originally Posted by James D. Gardiner

Last night I re-watched Kid Monk Baroni (1952). An okay mild boxing drama, tagged as noir at Wikipedia, most notable for an early starring role of Leonard Nimoy. He plays a street gang member who gets reformed by the church, but through unexpected circumstances is plunged into the fight game. His relationships are tested as he battles his moral conscience and ever present obsessive anxiety over his looks. The film feels like one of those B pictures about the younger generation you might expect from the late '50s, crossed with 'Dead End Kids' style themes. Also stars Jack Larson of Jimmy Olsen/Superman fame and the lovely Allene Roberts.

6/10

Never heard of that one, but as I'm a fan of the original Star Trek, I might just have to watch it for Leonard Nimoy. Just the other night I saw a young DeForest Kelley in House of Bamboo.

Citizen Rules

Trouble with a capital "T"

12-08-23

The Big Sleep (Howard Hawks 1946)

I just noticed the last time I seen and reviewed this I gave it a perfect rating of 5/5. I watched it again last time and this time around I was not really all that impressed. I read that Howard Hawks cut the end scene where Bogart explains what was going on and how it all happened...and that Hawk's cut a bunch of Martha Vickers scenes because according to IMDB trivia:

Raymond Chandler claimed that Martha Vickers gave such an intense performance as Carmen Sternwood that she completely overshadowed Lauren Bacall, and that much of Vickers' performance ended up on the cutting room floor as a result.

All I know is Bogart and Bacall didn't have the same level of chemistry they had in To Have and Have Not and yet the film seems to be trying to pair them together to showcase the couple. I find their scenes together to be only average. But it was Martha Vicker's story and character who I was interested in, only she doesn't have all that much screen time. At almost 2 hours The Big Sleep was at the limit in runtime for a movie, as the length of the movie determined how many times a day a theater could show it. Yet the film with it's numerous side characters and numerous scenes needed to be longer do flesh out the film. I'd rather the film focused on Martha Vicker's character.

I found myself checking the clock far too often, that's never a good sign.

Citizen Rules

Trouble with a capital "T"

12-09-23

Bewitched (1945)

Has nothing to do with witches or the TV show of the same name.

The worst movie I've seen for this thread so far. I'll wager if you guys are brave enough to risk 65 minutes you'll agree! I'd like to say this was so bad it was good but it was mainly plodding and I'm not sure why I even finished watching it. Though I did get a few unintentional giggles out of it. The idea of the movie sounds good on paper, 'A young woman has two distinct personalities, one of whom is evil and constantly gets her in trouble.' But writer and director Arch Oboler fails to deliver anything of interest...That's why you've never heard of him.

Thursday Next

I never could get the hang of Thursdays.

12-10-23

Lady From Shanghai (1947)

She's not from Shanghai and he certainly isn't from Ireland! A preposterous plot that makes very little sense, logically, legally or emotionally and Orson Welles does a lot of monologuing in profile. Rita Hayworth is a fabulous femme Fatale and there are some really interesting images: the aquarium and the hall of mirrors being stand outs.

Citizen Rules

Trouble with a capital "T"

12-10-23

Originally Posted by Thursday Next

Despite the fact that the mirror scene is my profile image, I'm not a real fan of Lady From Shanghai....mostly for the reasons you just mentioned.

animalbobb

Msg

Registered User

12-11-23

I got Dark Passage ready to go, so hopefully in the next few days.

Citizen Rules

Trouble with a capital "T"

12-11-23

Tokyo Joe (1949)

One of Bogart's own, Santana Pictures productions and one of the first U.S. movies allowed to film in occupied Japan. Too bad Bogart didn't actually go to Japan himself. His scenes are all studio shots with rear projections from a second tier camera crew that did film in Tokyo. I hate to say this but Tokyo Joe was boring. I found myself checking the time remaining far too often. The premise itself sounds good:

An American returns to Tokyo try to pick up threads of his pre-WW2 life there, but finds himself squeezed between criminals and the authorities.

But the script is lazy as a painting by the numbers and made little sense. The characters seemed not to care what happened and either did I.

Citizen Rules

Trouble with a capital "T"

12-11-23

Dangerous Crossing (1953)

A wealthy bride boards an ocean liner with her new husband on their honeymoon...But before the champagne can be uncorked, the groom disappears. As she frantically searches the ship for him, the crew begins to suspect she's delusional, as no one has seen the man she claimed boarded the ship with her...CR

Ohh, this one was so fun! Clocking in at only 75 minutes, this taunt mystery-noir kept me on my toes...I was glued to the TV set and not only because Jeanne Crain is so lovely but because the script was so well thought out and the mystery played out quite logically with several different outcomes seemingly possible. Michael Rennie as the handsome ship's doctor who tries to comfort Crane, was well suited to his role. Rennie and Crane had great on screen chemistry, that's not to suggest they had a love affair just that they played well off of each other.

John-Connor

Registered User

12-12-23

THE BIG CLOCK 1948 John Farrow

Fast paced, exciting Noir meets Manhunt. Very good!

+

ILLEGAL 1955 Lewis Allen

Great Film-Noir meets courtroom drama, loved it!
Mansfield > Monroe..

+

UNDERWORLD U.S.A. 1961 Samuel Fuller

Tough gritty Noir very original approach, not sure it counts as 'classic noir'.

+

THE BIG COMBO 1955 Joseph H. Lewis

Exemplary classic Film-Noir, loved it!

Thursday Next

I never could get the hang of Thursdays.

12-12-23

Originally Posted by Citizen Rules

The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946)

This one is a lock for my noir countdown ballot. A pity more people don't know about this one, at least I don't hear it mentioned. I suspect it's the title that turns them off as it sounds like a romance drama, it's not! It's one of the best written, best constructed film scripts I've seen. It's two parallel stories with Van Heflin being the connecting element. The characters are given plenty of backstory and pathos to bring them and their actions to life. And the acting is top notch. If you've only seen Van Heflin in Act of Violence where he plays a meek man on the run then you need to watch this as here Heflin is playing the type of roll he's known for. Heflin is the rogue outsider who drifts into town and causes events to happen. He's good, real good so is Stanwyck who is controlling and rich. But it was Lizabeth Scott who utterly impressed me. This was her second movie and her first major role. It's clear to me she was taping into real emotions as she comes across very compelling, very real as a troubled woman with no place to go. Likewise I'm impressed with Kirk Douglas' first movie role. He's not the tough guy here. He's a weak willed DA who's married to Martha Ivers and controlled by her. They both have a secret that binds them together and sets events in motion that in true noir fashion ends in tragedy for some. This is the first noir in this thread that I've given this rating to.

I watched this and liked it a lot. The title is bizarre, but the film was well written. I liked all four of the main actors, they played their characters well.

Citizen Rules

Trouble with a capital "T"

12-13-23

Kiss of Death (1947)

Solid noir best remembered today for Richard Widmark's drug hopped-up giggle and the infamous wheelchair scene. But for my money Victor Mature was the real standout. He's able to give a rich performance based on a family man who loves his two young children but finds himself unable to land a job so pulls a jewelry store heist to help support his family. He ends up in prison and faced with a hard decision, does he squeal on his crime partners to get out of jail and get his kids out of an orphanage or not?

This was Richard Widmark's first film appearance and it was a good one! He was cast in a colorful role as Tommy Udo. With his psychopathic violent behavior, his malevolent laugh and his stylish all black suit with a stark white tie he struck a cord in audiences. All around America Tommy Udo fan clubs sprang up, hard to believe for 1947 but Udo was a star!

Citizen Rules

Trouble with a capital "T"

12-13-23

Brute Force (1947)

Surprisingly violent prison film with Burt Lancaster as a prisoner stuck in an overcrowded and abusive prison. Hume Cromyn is the captain of the prison guards and behaves like a Nazi (a message the film draws comparisons to). Exciting and fast paced.

Thunderbolt

Msg

Masterpiece

12-14-23

The Naked City(1948)
It may take a couple of watches to understand every character situation but the plot isn�t too over complex. After not watching a noir in a long time this has reminded me just how good, gritty and classy the genre was.

Shot entirely on location in New York the city and with a cracking finale, this is up there with the best. It has to be top marks for this one. I could happily watch it again immediately.

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Last edited by Thunderbolt; 12-14-23 at 11:15 AM.

Citizen Rules

Trouble with a capital "T"

12-14-23

Where the Sidewalk Ends
(Otto Preminger 1950)

I guess I expected more from this noir classic. Probably because the director, Otto Preminger and stars: Dana Andrews & Gene Tierney had hit pay dirt in 1944s Laura.

Don't get me wrong I liked this but the direction at times felt lazy or maybe it was the script that seemed par boiled. The film didn't bring home the one all important scene: where Dana Andrews who's a tough cop that gets results with his fist and is one step from being demoted by his police chief, accidental kills a suspect when he slugs him. I'm not spoiling the film as that happens in the very beginning.

The problem with that scene is how nonchalantly Dana Andrews decides to lie about the dead suspect...The scene carries no emotional weight and plays like a deus ex machina moment thrown in to get the rest of the film moving. As a result I was 'out of the story' and didn't take any of it seriously. Well, up until the end that is...as the film does nicely wrap things up in what I felt was a satisfying and intelligent manner.

Citizen Rules

Trouble with a capital "T"

12-14-23

Women's Prison (1955)

If you can name the actress looking through those prison bars, you're good! If you can name the actress with the platinum blonde hair you're either psychic or have seen this film!

Women's Prison (1955)...a b-noir with a runtime of only 75 minutes. It ain't good but it's sure a lot of fun! A huge cast of female stars all locked up in stir, with a mean woman warden doing bad things to them!

seanc

It�s A Classic Rope-A-Dope

12-16-23

The Big Clock

Another banger Noir for me. If this keeps up that back half of my list will be super crowded. Laughton is almost automatic for me at this point. I just love the way he inhabits characters. He always seems to be a pleasure to watch on screen. Milland is very good here as well. The story cracks. Very fun to get pulled along through. Full of cool side characters as well. Just a minor side complaint: If I never see another person ion an old movie faint from just seeing another human, it will be too soon. Who on earth ever thought that was an effective story telling device? Drives me nuts every time, it's worse than the slap to snap people out of it.

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#JusticeForHamilton

GulfportDoc

Registered User

12-16-23

Originally Posted by Citizen Rules

Kiss of Death (1947)

I agree with you about V. Mature. He was sneaky good in this film; sneaky because Widmark's crushingly over the top portrayal of Udo cinematically snuffed the air out of the room. Still, it's Udo who most remember. Nice break-out role for Coleen Gray too (Nightmare Alley, The Killing).

GulfportDoc

Registered User

12-16-23

Originally Posted by Citizen Rules

Brute Force (1947)

That was a totally shocking film for its day, and it's still kind of shocking now. What a great cast. But Hume Cronyn's portrayal of the sadistic prison warden was hauntingly creepy. What a great actor he was.

Citizen Rules