Film-Noir Discussion/DVD Review Thread

[Dust Devil]

Laura (1944)

Better and more tense story if compared to TMF, with even better acting and way more interesting characters. And with Gene Tierney. If you have an actress like her you can shoot wherever you like.


8.3/10

[dave jenkins]

Laura (1944)

Better and more tense story if compared to TMF, with even better acting and way more interesting characters. And with Gene Tierney. If you have an actress like her you can shoot wherever you like.

8.3/10

We're in close agreement here. A lot of the air goes out of this one when Tierney returns from the dead. This could have been a first-draft for Vertigo, but they muffed it. Also, the solution to the murder is rather disappointing. I agree about the acting and the characters. Clifton Webb is a real hoot.


continued discussion here...........: http://www.fistful-of-leone.com/forums/index.php?topic=1822.msg148931#msg148931

[dave jenkins]

Noir City 8 (those lucky San Franciscans): http://noircity.com/noircity.html

[cigar joe]

dj since you have your finger on the pulse of noir happenings let me know of anything you hear coming up in NYC. 

[dave jenkins]

Sure.

[cigar joe]

Leave Her to Heaven (1945) dir. John Stahl with Gene Tierney, Cornel Wilde, Jeanne Crain, Vincent Price, Mary Philips, Ray Collins, Darryl Hickman. Creepy film overall about a nightmare of a woman who stops at nothing to get what she wants, saw it today on FMC.

[cigar joe]

Touch Of Evil Just love these bordertown/south of the border films, this one is always a fun watch, from Dennis Weaver's over the top Don Knotts type motel manager, to the absurd looking Heston, anyway Janet Leigh, the loactions, and cinematography are just candy to my eyes 10/10

[dave jenkins]

Someone who calls himself Mike Kuhns has posted this over at The Blackboard. I have no idea if he knows what he's talking about, but he certainly acts like he does. Anyway...

It looks like 2010 will bring another Film Noir DVD set from Warner Brothers (regular DVDs, not Archive DVD-R):
Titles will include ARMORED CAR ROBBERY, PHENIX CITY STORY, DESPERATE, DIAL 1119, CORNERED, DEADLINE AT DAWN, CRIME IN THE STREETS and BACKFIRE.

I sure hope this is true.

[cigar joe]

The Strange Loves of Martha Ivers (1946) Director, Lewis Milestone with Barbara Stanwyck, Van Heflin, Lizabeth Scott, Kirk Douglas, A great noir with Lizabeth Scott as HOT as ever, on TCM just got finished. This is a great Van Heflin flick check it out.

Continued reviews of The Strange Loves of Martha Ivers here: http://www.fistful-of-leone.com/forums/index.php?topic=1822.msg144832#msg144832

The Big Combo (1955) dir Joseph H. Lewis, with Cornel Wilde, a great slightly over wound and the top Richard Conte in this one, Brian Donlevy, Jean Wallace, Susan Lowell, Robert Middleton, Lee Van Cleef, and Earl Holliman. "First is first and second is nobody" Its good to see Van Cleef in this.

Continued discussion here: http://www.fistful-of-leone.com/forums/index.php?topic=1822.msg141101#msg141101

[Novecento]

The Big Combo (1955) dir Joseph H. Lewis, with Cornel Wilde, a great slightly over wound and the top Richard Conte in this one, Brian Donlevy, Jean Wallace, Susan Lowell, Robert Middleton, Lee Van Cleef, and Earl Holliman. "First is first and second is nobody" Its good to see Van Cleef in this.

A film I have been meaning to see for ages due to this one image always being presented as the quintessential noir shot:



Continued discussion here: http://www.fistful-of-leone.com/forums/index.php?topic=1822.msg141101#msg141101

[dave jenkins]

As reported (and confirmed) over at HTF, the Bad Girls of Film Noir will be split into two sets:

Videoeta has 2 listings (with UPC numbers and February 2 release date) for Bad Girls of Film Noir Volume 1 and Bad Girls of Film Noir Volume 2.  Each set contains 2 discs and list price is 24.95.  Actual titles are not listed although I suspect they decided to break a recently rumored set into 2 volumes.  That set was going to include:
Over-Exposed (1956)
Glass Wall, The (1953)
One Girl's Confession (1953)
Two of a Kind (1951)
Bad for Each Other (1953)
Killer That Stalked New York, The (1950)

If the decide to follow Screwball Comedies formula, each set should contain 4 titles.

There would be 2 additional titles, then.  Lang's Human Desire seems a real possibility.

[cigar joe]

Caught 14 Hours today on FMC directed by Hathaway with quite the cast Paul Douglas, Richard Basehart, Barbara Bel Geddes, Debra Paget, Agnes Moorehead, Robert Keith, Howard Da Silva, Jeffrey Hunter, Martin Gabel, and Grace Kelly. Pretty good film enjoyed it, about a a guy on the ledge of a hotel wanting to commit suicide, score ok. 7/10.

[T.H.]

Yeah, I pretty much have the same feelings about 14 HOURS. I think it would have been better if they eliminated the side plots of superfluous bystanders, though they weren't too overbearing. That way, things would run much smoother, there's no reason why it needs to be 90 mins. 75-80 sounds about right. I agree with the score, decent but not something I'd ever want to revisit.

[titoli]

Mitchum is a complete idiot in that one. Granted, his character gets hit on the head, but this is one of those cases where, for the plot to work, the main character has to do one stupid thing after another. Too infuriating to enjoy.

Yeah, I have to agree with you on Where Danger Lives. I'll also add that plotwise whatever has to go wrong for the main characters it does. And Faith Domergue is the most dime-a-dozen femme fatale in movie history. And Mitchum doesn't convince me for a minute as a doctor. Still the movie it's entertaining due to its fast pace for a only once visit. 6\10



Continued discussion here.......: http://www.fistful-of-leone.com/forums/index.php?topic=1822.msg148608#msg148608

[dave jenkins]

Just saw another couple-on-the-run flick, Tomorrow Is Another Day (1951). The beginning is very similar, with Ruth Roman bumping off her meal ticket and getting Steve Cochran, who blacked out when it was going down, to believe he's responsible. But guess what? This one is actually worse than Where Danger Lives. RR is neither psychotic nor evil, and feels guilty about the deception. So when the cops close in she 'fesses up. But Steve, who is rather dim but nonetheless noble, has to insist on taking the rap (and since he has a record, he looks pretty good for it). Into this orgy of self-sacrifice comes Mo Ankrum, one of the regular justices on Perry Mason, who finds that RR acted in self defense, so all the charges are dropped! Steve and Ruth walk happily into the sunset. Pathetic.