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

[JoeS]

Offbeat Christmas movies - how about a Noir Holiday film?

BLAST OF SILENCE (1961) - Allen Baron's BLAST OF SILENCE is a fascinating if quite flawed outlier in the history of film noir. One could argue that it was one of the very last gasps of the classic noir period, while also making a case that it is an early example of what later became known as neo-noir. What isn't mentioned as often is that BLAST has some indirect but distinct connections with the French noir movement, particularly the films of Jean Pierre Melville (BOB LE FLAMBEUR, LE DOULOS) along with examples from Jean Luc Godard (BREATHLESS) and Francois Truffaut (SHOOT THE PIANIST). Indeed, the film that BLAST most closely resembles may be Melville's later LE SAMOURAI.

As to the film itself, BLAST is truly a one man show by Baron, who raised the $20,000, borrowed the equipment and played the lead himself (performing his own stunts to boot!). Baron's screenplay is minimal. Hitman Frank Bono goes through the basic paces of getting the murder contract, acquiring the weapon and tailing his target, Troiano (Peter Clune). Much of the picture is shot without synch sound as Frank wanders through New York City killing time until the hit is to take place. Along the way, he deals with a scuzzy gun dealer, Big Ralph (Larry Tucker), and runs into an old female friend, Lori (Molly McCarthy) who he kills time with.

The script is so limited that it required a full narration track in post-production to tie it all together. That narration is what has made the film a cult item over the years. Ghost written by blacklisted writer Waldo Salt (as Mel Davenport) and voiced by another blacklistee in Lionel Stander (uncredited), the narration track gives the film an existential layer that the main movie only hints at. It's a double-edged sword because it is so flowery, and Stander's voice is so gruff that it rarely matches up with what Director, writer and actor Baron is doing on screen - or, what Baron could possibly have achieved on his own. If Baron's initial idea of casting Peter Falk in the role had come to fruition, he may have been able to pull off both the acting and the narration. There are times it plays almost like a parody of film noir narrator cliches: “ You're alone. But you don't mind that. You're a loner. That's the way it should be. You've always been alone. By now it's your trademark. You like it that way.” Still, there is no question that Salt's writing elevates BLAST.

What also works is the silent location footage around NYC. Baron's figure walking alone in the streets gives the film a stark sense of time and place (somewhat reminiscent of Stanley Kubrick's early low budget noir KILLER'S KISS). Setting the film around Christmas adds to the verisimilitude (the touch where even a rat cage has Christimas ornaments is a good one). One can really feel Frank's solitary existence in the big city, being alone during the holidays in a strange city with only his 'mission' keeping him going.


BLAST OF SILENCE is a curio, but one worth visiting for noir devotees and those interested in ultra-low budget period cinema.
BLAST OF SILENCE airs on TCM Wednesday Dec. 23 at 4:15pm Eastern/1:15pm Western. It is available on Criterion DVD. It also pops up on Youtube, Internet Archive etc.

[Ian Jane]

This is getting a UHD release via ClassicFlix on 3/21/23.

[Ian Jane]

Coming in August from Imprint.



LIMITED 4 DISC HARDBOX EDITION WITH UNIQUE ARTWORK ON THE FIRST 1000 COPIES!

Essential Film Noir Collection 3 includes four more acclaimed and much sought after classics including The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946), No Man Of Her Own (1950), The Turning Point (1952) & The Desperate Hours (1955).

Limited 4 Disc Hardbox edition with unique artwork on the first 1000 copies.

The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946) – Imprint Collection #148
In 1928, young heiress Martha Ivers fails to run off with friend Sam Masterson, and is involved in fatal events. Years later, Sam returns to find Martha the power behind Iverstown and married to “good boy” Walter O’Neil, now district attorney. At first, Sam is more interested in displaced blonde Toni Marachek than in his boyhood friends; but they draw him into a convoluted web of plotting and cross-purposes.

This Film Noir classic is superbly directed by Lewis Milestone with an outstanding performance by Kirk Douglas in his film debut.

Special Features and Technical Specs:

1080p High-definition presentation on Blu-Ray
NEW Audio commentary by noir expert and Film Noir Foundation board member Alan K. Rode
Barbara Stanwyck: Straight Down the Line – 50min documentary
Introduction with Kirk Douglas & Alan Rode
NEW Video Essay on Barbara Stanwyck by Kat Ellinger
NEW Video Interview on Barbara Stanwyck by Alan Rode
Theatrical Trailer
Original Aspect Ratio 1.37:1
Audio English LPCM 2.0 Mono
Optional English subtitles
No Man Of Her Own (1950) – Imprint Collection #149
A woman is torn between a comfortable lie and the painful truth in this classic Film Noir. Screen legend Barbara Stanwyck assumes another woman’s identity after surviving a train accident in this haunting drama based on a Cornell Woolrich (under the pseudonym, William Irish) novel, I Married a Dead Man. Eventually her past catches up to her when her crooked ex-lover (Lyle Bettger) arrives in town, demanding money to keep her true identity a secret.

Beautifully photographed by legendary cinematography by Daniel L. Fapp (The Big Clock). Directed by Mitchell Leisen (Midnight).

Premiere Blu-ray release worldwide.

Special Features and Technical Specs:

1080p High-definition presentation on Blu-Ray
NEW Audio Commentary with Film Historian Drew Casper
No Man of Her Own – The Screen Directors Playhouse Radio Drama Starring Barbara Stanwyck and Lyle Bettgar
NEW Interview with writer, broadcaster and journalist Barry Forshaw
NEW Video Essay on Mitchell Leisen by Kat Ellinger
Theatrical Trailer
Original Aspect Ratio 1.33:1
Audio English LPCM 2.0 Mono
Optional English HOH subtitles
The Turning Point (1952) – Imprint Collection #150
Prosecutor John Conroy (Edmond O’Brien) is determined to bring down organized crime in his Midwestern town. He looks to his father, Matt (Tom Tully), a police officer, for help, but Matt refuses. John’s childhood friend Jerry McKibbon (William Holden), an investigative reporter, senses something fishy.

Premier Blu-ray release worldwide.

Special Features and Technical Specs:

1080p High-definition presentation on Blu-Ray
NEW Audio commentary by noir expert and Film Noir Foundation board member Alan K. Rode
NEW Interview with writer, broadcaster and journalist Barry Forshaw
Original Aspect Ratio 1.37:1
Audio English LPCM 2.0 Mono
Optional English HOH subtitles
The Desperate Hours (1955) – Imprint Collection #151
Director William Wyler’s suspense classic marks the only time cinema giants Humphrey Bogart and Fredric March worked together. And the result is everything you’d expect: taut, terrifying and terrific. Bogart plays an escaped con who has nothing to lose. March is a suburban Everyman who has everything to lose, as his family is held hostage by Bogart. As the desperate hours tick by, the two men square off in a battle of wills and cunning that tightens into an unforgettable, fear-drenched finale.

Premiere Blu-ray release worldwide.

Special Features and Technical Specs:

1080p High-definition presentation on Blu-Ray
NEW Audio commentary with Film Historian Kevin Lyons
NEW Interview with writer, broadcaster and journalist Barry Forshaw
Theatrical Trailer
Original Aspect Ratio 1.78:1
Audio English LPCM 2.0 Mono
Optional English HOH subtitles

[Ian Jane]

Artwork for the upcoming Kino UHD release of Killer's Kiss.

[Spaghetti Monkey]

Diabolik just put up a pre-order for Indicator's Columbia Noir 5/Bogart. Five Bogart flicks, DEAD RECKONING/KNOCK ON ANY DOOR/TOKYO JOE/SIROCCO/THE HARDER THEY FALL, plus THE FAMILY SECRET. I may need to get this just for DEAD RECKONING.My second fave Bogart after IN A LONELY PLACE.

https://www.diabolikdvd.com/product/...eid=33c81572d3

[Dom D]

I watched Night Moves the other day. A box office failure in its day, I believe, which is not hard to understand. It lacks glamorous people and car chases and is decidedly low key. Not without its charms however. Most of those charms are provided by Hackman. It's a super relaxed performance. Usually when you get a star playing a detective they play a Detective. Hackman plays a regular middle aged dude who likes his football, loves his philandering wife and happens to be a detective. Its a fine distinction but a key one and is one of the things that makes the film noteworthy.

[Ian Jane]

Kino just announced The Killing and Kiler's Kiss for UHD release in 2022.

[Andrew Monroe]

NIGHTMARE ALLEY (1947) - With G. Del Toro's remake about to be released, it's a fine time to look back upon the 1947 adaptation of the William L. Gresham's novel. Made during the height of the film noir movement, William Goulding's film is a great example of the darkness of that genre. Jules Furthman's screenplay cleans up some of book's passages to meet the production code (Kim Morgan's script for the new version is said to be more faithful). Still, the rise and fall of Tyrone Power's Stanton Carlisle is plenty harrowing.

Set against the worlds of carnival barkers and phony spiritualism, Stanton's path is full of shadowy turns and double-crosses. Along the way he meets up with not one, not two, but ultimately three femme fatale types (Joan Blondell, Coleen Gray and Helen Walker). The cast, Goulding's direction and the moody Lee Garmes cinematography all work here in unison. Only major quibble is that it somewhat strains credulity that rude crude carny Stanton could instantly become a suave society man.

The 1947 version holds up well. Let's await the remake.

Love this film, and the Criterion BD is wonderful. Helen Walker is a stand-out as the true femme fatale of the film. Revisiting this via that Criterion blu, I was struck again by how good she is. Her calculating psychologist runs circles around Power. She played another, equally memorable fatale in IMPACT. She obviously had a lot of talent and charisma in the right role, but unfortunately, she didn't get many chances to show it. Died way too young at 47.

I'm intrigued enough by the trailer for the remake that I'll be there to see it. No doubt the ending will follow the novel's dark path closer.

[JoeS]

NIGHTMARE ALLEY (1947) - With G. Del Toro's remake about to be released, it's a fine time to look back upon the 1947 adaptation of the William L. Gresham's novel. Made during the height of the film noir movement, William Goulding's film is a great example of the darkness of that genre. Jules Furthman's screenplay cleans up some of book's passages to meet the production code (Kim Morgan's script for the new version is said to be more faithful). Still, the rise and fall of Tyrone Power's Stanton Carlisle is plenty harrowing.

Set against the worlds of carnival barkers and phony spiritualism, Stanton's path is full of shadowy turns and double-crosses. Along the way he meets up with not one, not two, but ultimately three femme fatale types (Joan Blondell, Coleen Gray and Helen Walker). The cast, Goulding's direction and the moody Lee Garmes cinematography all work here in unison. Only major quibble is that it somewhat strains credulity that rude crude carny Stanton could instantly become a suave society man.

The 1947 version holds up well. Let's await the remake.

[Paul L]

BODY AND SOUL (1947) - This strong and powerful noirish film set the standard for all boxing productions which followed. The broad outline of the story about a boxer near the end of the line being ordered to take a fall has been used countless times since, so it's impact may feel a tad less powerful (to be fair, other similar stories preceded it including it's acknowledged predecessor 1939's GOLDEN BOY; It's also loosely based on boxer Barney Ross). Two years later, Robert Wise's terrific THE SET-UP essentially uses the same, uh, set-up to tell a more compact version.

It is John Garfield's defining performance as Charley Davis, one which, unfortunately, pre-saged his own battle for his 'soul' with the House Un-American Activities Committee. Lilli Palmer is extremely good in an underwritten role as his girlfriend Peg who stands by him no matter what. Lloyd Gough is the evil laid-back boxing boss who decides who will become champion - and, for how long. William Conrad hasn't much to do, but, his Noir credentials go a long away in establishing his presence. The femme fatale gold digger is Hazel Brooks lustily devouring the screen. A pity her career was so brief.

What really makes the film are the combined talents of writer Abraham Polonsky, director Robert Rossen and James Wong Howe's cinematography. Polonsky's script delves in the psyche of the boxer and sets up the moral questions with wit and insight. Rossen (who also directed the best Pool sport film of all time in THE HUSTLER) keeps the drama flowing while letting it all out in the boxing sequences. Howe's work is simply brilliant in the lighting, framing and active camera movements. Michael Chapman's work on RAGING BULL (1980) is greatly indebted to what Howe pioneered here (DeNiro even looks like Garfield in some of the shots).

BODY AND SOUL is a very fine film that stands the test of time.

Big fan of this film.

'Fight for something, not for money!'

[JoeS]

BODY AND SOUL (1947) - This strong and powerful noirish film set the standard for all boxing productions which followed. The broad outline of the story about a boxer near the end of the line being ordered to take a fall has been used countless times since, so it's impact may feel a tad less powerful (to be fair, other similar stories preceded it including it's acknowledged predecessor 1939's GOLDEN BOY; It's also loosely based on boxer Barney Ross). Two years later, Robert Wise's terrific THE SET-UP essentially uses the same, uh, set-up to tell a more compact version.

It is John Garfield's defining performance as Charley Davis, one which, unfortunately, pre-saged his own battle for his 'soul' with the House Un-American Activities Committee. Lilli Palmer is extremely good in an underwritten role as his girlfriend Peg who stands by him no matter what. Lloyd Gough is the evil laid-back boxing boss who decides who will become champion - and, for how long. William Conrad hasn't much to do, but, his Noir credentials go a long away in establishing his presence. The femme fatale gold digger is Hazel Brooks lustily devouring the screen. A pity her career was so brief.

What really makes the film are the combined talents of writer Abraham Polonsky, director Robert Rossen and James Wong Howe's cinematography. Polonsky's script delves in the psyche of the boxer and sets up the moral questions with wit and insight. Rossen (who also directed the best Pool sport film of all time in THE HUSTLER) keeps the drama flowing while letting it all out in the boxing sequences. Howe's work is simply brilliant in the lighting, framing and active camera movements. Michael Chapman's work on RAGING BULL (1980) is greatly indebted to what Howe pioneered here (DeNiro even looks like Garfield in some of the shots).

BODY AND SOUL is a very fine film that stands the test of time.

[Andrew Monroe]

The other im surprised not to see getting mentioned is Force Of Evil. Maybe my view of its standing is skewed. When I was a young film buff i had a couple books that had lists of the key films to track down. Both picked out Force Of Evil for special mention so it's always been ingrained in my brain that it's high up in the pantheon.

I like FORCE OF EVIL, but it's not one I consider top-tier. Love John Garfield though, and he's terrific in the film. He's the predecessor to Montgomery Clift and Brando, an absolutely amazing actor. My favorite noirs of his would include THE BREAKING POINT, THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE and HE RAN ALL THE WAY. I think his best film is the non-noir PRIDE OF THE MARINES. Just riveting in this fact-based film.

[Dom D]

It did make the Top 20! It's #16. A bit high for me, but, it was on a good number of survey ballots

So it did. My eyes scanned over it.

[JoeS]

The other im surprised not to see getting mentioned is Force Of Evil. Maybe my view of its standing is skewed. When I was a young film buff i had a couple books that had lists of the key films to track down. Both picked out Force Of Evil for special mention so it's always been ingrained in my brain that it's high up in the pantheon.

It did make the Top 20! It's #16. A bit high for me, but, it was on a good number of survey ballots

[Dom D]

The other im surprised not to see getting mentioned is Force Of Evil. Maybe my view of its standing is skewed. When I was a young film buff i had a couple books that had lists of the key films to track down. Both picked out Force Of Evil for special mention so it's always been ingrained in my brain that it's high up in the pantheon.