Down These Mean Streets A Man Must Go - The Film Noir Thread

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Time for another noir!

[bizarre_eye@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

Time for another noir!

I've watched three today!

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Lady in the Fog aka Scotland Yard Inspector (1953)

Best known as The Joker from the Batman tv series, Cesar Romero stars here as an American reporter who finds himself in a murder mystery whilst on a trip to London.

This early noir from Hammer starts out seemingly as bumbling as Romero's news hound but i soon got into the vibe of the film which mixed what were i hope intentional comedy moments from Romero with it's typically tangled plot. At times the film has a nice atmosphere with some lovely fog bound streets together with a few decent action or suspenseful set pieces.

The film is also notable for teaming up Geoffrey Keen, the Minister of Defence from several James Bond films with Lois Maxwell who played Miss Moneypenny in the same films.

Nowhere near the cream of film noir but entertaining never the less.

[Inspector Abberline]

Shock 1946
Janet Stewart (Anabel Shaw) has booked into a hotel room awaiting the return of her husband Frank Latimore as Lt. Paul Stewart who has been released from a prisoner of war camp.While waiting for Paul her husband,she spies another couple on the other side of the hotel having an argument. In the ensuing fight the husband bashes his wife's head in with a candlestick. Witnessing the murder Janet goes into a deep shock .Next morning Paul turns up looking for his wife, entering the room he finds her in a state of catatonia. When the doctor arrives to examine Janet he suggests that she should see eminent psychiatrist, Dr. Cross,who just happens to be staying in the hotel as well. When Dr Cross arrives not only is it the same man Janet witnessed murdering his wife but its also Vincent Price the rotten cad. Dr. Cross (Vincent Price), persuades Paul to let him look after Janet in his own sanatorium, where he and his lover Lynn Bari as Elaine Jordan can keep Janet from coming out of her shock.Before Vincent Price became the oldest goth in town, he seemed to play Casanova types miles away from his later camper roles.Shock is one of those public domain titles that pops up on Mill Creek type boxsets and to be honest is in pretty good shape compared to a lot of public domain films, The film itself is a pretty good B-movie pot boiler.Most of the cast are fairly wooden but Price maintains his usual air of dignity why wallowing in this B movie tosh.Directed by Alfred L. Werker its a fairly pedestrian melodrama based on quite a good idea, the stand out scene has a Edward an inmate stalking the corridors until he finds Janet's room,he looms out of the shadows , its well shot just a shame they weren't more like it. Watchable .

out 0f 5

[Inspector Abberline]

Double Indemnity (1944)
I don't think you need me to tell you that this is a great film,In fact at the time of release it was nominated for seven Oscars, although
it didn't win any (which is the way you tell a good film).Directed by Billy Wilder and co written by him and Raymond Chandler based and on James M>Cain novel. A film with this sort of pedigree you really can't go wrong.Fred MacMurray is an insurance salesman Walter Neff while trying to get a client Tom Powers as Mr Dietrichson to renew his car insurance he meets Barbara Stanwyck as Phyllis Dietrichson who tries to persuade Neff to sell her an insurance policy to cover her husbands death, only snag is she doesn't want her husband to know about it . Neff smelling a rat declines the offer but Phyllis visits him at his apartment and a plan is hatched.This is all told in flashback as Neff records the whole story so Barton Keyes (Edward G. Robinson ) the head claims investigator will know the truth. With three such great lead actors its Barbara Stanwyck as Phyllis Dietrichson who really steals the film from under the other two noses,her character is the ultimate femme fatale,but more in importantly she's one of the sexiest characters ive ever seen in a noir, she's basically the real life Jessica Rabbit in human form,its no surprise a mam would kill for her,blonde long legs and not to be trusted.That said MacMurray and Robinson are excellent and there's a great screen presence between the two male lead actors , I do wonder if Robinson ever made a film without a cigar the size of a zeppelin balloon .Well what can I say just when you think you've seen a classic noir along comes another one. I should imagine most noir fans have seen this film so I'm preaching to the converted, but just in case you haven't go see, unmissable.

out 5

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

It must be ages since i saw Double Indemnity. I'd totally forgotten Edward G was in it.

Naturally i now want to watch one of his films. So The Little Giant it will be.

It's a comedy about a gangster going to live among the socialites in Santa Barbara. You lot won't know it so i'll pretend it's noir and review it in this thread later on tonight.

[Nosferatu@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Inspector Abberline

Double Indemnity (1944)

One of my favourite touches in the film is Barbara Stanwyck's obviously fake blonde wig (she was as famous as a brunette as Monroe was a blonde), indicating there is something phony about the character.

I also really like the way Walter Neff always lights Keyes' cigars but, at the end, Keyes returns the favour by lighting Walter's cigarette. Although Walter almost jokingly says "I love you too" to Keyes, there is a beautiful (platonic) love story between the two men running through the story.

[Handyman Joe]

The Face Behind the Mask (1941) - If ever there was a pulp comic bought to life this movie is it. Peter Lorre is an impossibly nice optimistic immigrant who gets horribly burned. Next thing you know he's a criminal mastermind courting impossibly saintly blind girl (future vixen Evelyn Keyes). Some of the acting here is hammier than a swine farm (check out gangsters Jeff and Dinky - oh boy!) and the plot is beyond ludicrous and yet... Who can resist Lorre in a skin tight rubber mask, glowering, flitting in the shadows and, of course, going full tonto at the end. Great fun way to spend 70 mins.

Quick tip - I found this site narkoverelusivemovies.com - it's where I got this film - some holy tgrails there, I snapped up Loseys version of M, One Way Street and Allotment Wives - DVDs beautifully presented in proper cases, picture quality amazing so far. Not bad at 4 pound a pop.

[Inspector Abberline]

They Made Me a Criminal (1939)
John Garfield as Johnnie Bradfield (what's the matter couldn't he remember anything but his own name) has just become a boxing champion, while giving the impression that's he's a clean cut mothers boy who doesn't drink or go with lose women and dolts on his old mum.The truth is he's a boozier and womaniser and use's the clean cut image jut for publicity . After winning the match Johnnie has a party with his manager Robert Gleckler as Doc Ward and girlfriend Ann Sheridan as Goldie . Things get out of hand when an undercover reporter here's Johnnie tell the truth about his image and lifestyle, to drunk to stop the reporter from leaving, his manager Doc Ward smashes the reporter over the head and kills the journalist. Doc and Goldie do a runner taking Johnnies car and leaving the boxer to take the blame. Unfortunately Doc and Goldie are chased by the cops and smash there car into a tree and blows up in a ball of flames. After being double crossed by his lawyer Johnnie goes on the run as a hobo making sure not to get into a fight because of his distinctive south paw style .Hot on his trail is disgraced Claude Rains as Det. Monty Phelan, a rather strange role for Rains as he seems to be hamming it up big style. John Garfield (The Postman Always Rings Twice [1946]) is quite a cool actor and plays the goofy punch drunk boxer to a tee.Theres also The Dead End Kids, basically a bunch of juveniles who are trying to mend there ways under the leadership of May Robson as Grandma Rafferty. They Made Me a Criminal starts out as a noir then kind of sways into melodrama and occasionally even injects some comedy.Not a classic movie but interesting film worth catching if your a completest.

!/2 out of 5

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

The Dead End Kids aren't a group i'm really aware of. What's the most famous thing they've been in?

Obviously i could look them up but whats the point of a forum otherwise.