The Film Noir Thread! Gats, dames, and cheap hooch welcome.

[Ian Jane Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close Ian Jane]

This Warner Archive release flew completely under the radar - guess it's been out since April?

Tough detectives, pretty women, ace reporters. All staples of the film-noir genre and exemplified by these two films.

In Homicide, what seems like a routine suicide sparks the interest of LAPD Detective Michael Landers (Robert Douglas) when he sees something suspicious at the scene. Delving further into the case leads him to the heart of SoCal's farm country. Posing as an insurance investigator, Landers meets several unsavory types and an attractive hotel cigarette girl, Jo Ann (Helen Westcott) as he slowly unravels the case.

The reporter-turned-sleuth takes the lead in The House Across the Street. When managing editor Dave Joslin (Wayne Morris) writes several articles blasting the police with incompetence after a witness in a fraud trial is killed, the paper's owner, who is worried about a libel suit, reassigns the editor to an advice-to-the-lovelorn columnist. This causes Joslin to become inadvertently involved in the fraud case against racketeer Keever (Bruce Bennett). With fellow reporter Kit Williams (Janis Paige) as his accomplice, Joslin starts putting together the puzzle pieces to get the criminal indicted.

[Andrew Monroe Pallid Hands Find all posts View Profile Close Andrew Monroe]

Hmm, I missed seeing this was out too. I get the WAC emails but it sure flew right by me. Never seen either one, they are both B movies - short runtimes. I'll probably add this to an order at some point. Thanks for the heads-up!

[Ian Jane Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close Ian Jane]

Universal is releasing Double Indemnity on 9/4/12 as part of their 100th Anniversay celebration. Not sure on extra, or any other details.

I know this is out on BD in the UK, but there's no word of a domestic Blu release that I'm aware of.

[Andrew Monroe Pallid Hands Find all posts View Profile Close Andrew Monroe]

It really doesn't make much sense to release it only on dvd again, that last one was just fine. I sure hope it's a BD, I would snatch that up damn quick.

[Ian Jane Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close Ian Jane]

The Masters Of Cinema Blu-ray release looks awesome but it's Region B coded.

[Andrew Monroe Pallid Hands Find all posts View Profile Close Andrew Monroe]

I have an all region BD player but I think I'll wait a bit. I think DOUBLE INDEMNITY is one noir that will certainly get the BD treatment here at some point.

[Randy G Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Randy G]

Saw Wise's Odd Against Tomorrow recently, very highly recommended with great performances from all three leads, including Robert Ryan and Harry Belafonte (!). Preminger's Fallen Angel is also an underrated masterpiece I think, very beautifully shot and ambiguous.

[Andrew Monroe Pallid Hands Find all posts View Profile Close Andrew Monroe]

Saw Wise's Odd Against Tomorrow recently, very highly recommended with great performances from all three leads, including Robert Ryan and Harry Belafonte (!). Preminger's Fallen Angel is also an underrated masterpiece I think, very beautifully shot and ambiguous.

I agree with both those statements, Randy. Particularly FALLEN ANGEL, Dana Andrews and Linda Darnell are so great in this film. In fact, you've reminded me that I haven't watched it in a long time, thanks. I always get the heebee jeebees when I think about the beautiful Linda Darnell dying in a house fire - she fell asleep smoking. Awful.

As for DOUBLE INDEMNITY, I'd forgotten that I read in a couple places that while Universal is releasing some BDs to celebrate their anniversary, they are also simply repackaging some of the same transfers they've already released - this could be the case here unfortunately. They are also charging Criterion prices for their BDs. I still think (hope?) that an important film noir like this will eventually get a nice blu disc here, from someone.

[Ian Jane Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close Ian Jane]

I'm almost certain that this is the case with Double Indemnity, that it is a repackaging of the last DVD release and not a new transfer. Guess we'll find out for sure when it streets.

As for Fallen Angel, Andrew I bought that years ago based on your recommendation on AVM at one point and it's fantastic. I should probably dig that out and give it a rewatch soon. Linda Darnell is pretty captivating in that one.

I guess Fox discontinued their noir line? There haven't been any new releases under that banner in some time.

[Andrew Monroe Pallid Hands Find all posts View Profile Close Andrew Monroe]

Glad you liked FALLEN ANGEL, Ian. I do think the Fox Noir line is dead, haven't been any new ones in a long time and with the way the biz is today, probably not much hope for a restart anytime soon. They stretched the noir classification quite a bit with some of the last ones, but they were still worth a watch - just more drama than noir. They released most of their noirs but there were still a few I had hopes for like THE THIRTEENTH LETTER (another Linda Darnell film) and THE BRASHER DOUBLOON.

[Andrew Monroe Pallid Hands Find all posts View Profile Close Andrew Monroe]

We were talking about the possibilities of the Fox MOD line, but one film I'm glad they farmed out is THE NICKEL RIDE. It's available on a Shout double with 99 AND 44/100% DEAD. THE NICKEL RIDE is an absolute killer of a neo-noir, right up there with THE FRIENDS OF EDDIE COYLE in my book. Been meaning to bring this up here for a while, the film has a great cast - Jason Miller, Bo Hopkins, one of the most underrated actresses of her time, Linda Haynes, John Hillerman, Victor French...Miller is a "key man" - keeps the keys to mob-owned storage warehouses, when a deal for a new and bigger set of warehouses starts slipping through his fingers Miller gradually finds himself out of favor with his bosses and new guy Hopkins shows up to learn the ropes. But is that his real purpose or something more sinister? A killer performance from Miller is the center of this, but everyone else is great too and it builds to a inevitable yet very sad ending. One of the best films about small time crooks and some great LA locations.

99...was directed by John Frankenheimer and is worth a watch too, very offbeat. But it's worth the disc price for THE NICKEL RIDE.

[Ian Jane Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close Ian Jane]

Speculation so far but there's a thread here at the Criterion Forum suggesting Double Indemnity will get a Blu-ray release in Sept. as well as the DVD reissue.

It also notes at the end of the post:

"Dec.
M.O.D.: film noir"

But lists no specific titles.

[Andrew Monroe Pallid Hands Find all posts View Profile Close Andrew Monroe]

Ah, that's good speculation...I feel vindicated! Thanks Ian.

Watched FALLEN ANGEL again last night. While Dana Andrews and Linda Darnell rightfully get the kudos for their performances, I gotta stick up a little for Alice Faye, the studio's top musical star here in her first straight dramatic role. She often seems to get mentioned for miscasting here but I think she was just right as the "good" angel on Andrews' other side, the opposite of Darnell. The one weak spot in the film is the ending, it's too upbeat after the way Andrews was manipulating Faye throughout the film. Minor complaint though, this is a special film. Love the way the diner is lit and shot, a spider web of shadows from the blinds. And the brutal cop played by Charles Bickford...damn, he beats the shit out of the jukebox salesman. Great film noir.

[Ian Jane Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close Ian Jane]

Does They Made Me A Fugitive count as film noir? I think it does.

Didn't realize Kino had this slated for Blu-ray.

The DVD Beaver review makes it look very, very tempting.

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film4/blu-r...ve_blu-ray.htm

[Andrew Monroe Pallid Hands Find all posts View Profile Close Andrew Monroe]

THEY MADE ME A FUGITIVE is most definitely a Brit-noir. A terrific film. I would probably get a BD too, only have a TCM recording.