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

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

Coming in April from Imprint!

[Dom D Spoon! Find all posts View Profile Close Dom D]

I had a first viewing of Shock Proof yesterday. It's a Sam Fuller script and one that took me by surprise. A hot dame gets out of jail and is assigned a ball busting parole officer who prohibits her from seeing her old beau. The parole officer comes off pretty sleazy but he's our leading man so that's probably not intentional. Probably its just that what's acceptable from a man in his position now differs from what was okay in 1949 I expect. Although I suspect even in '49 moving her into his home would have raised a few eyebrows...

It's one of those noirs where a guys life gets turned upside. A couple bad choices and before you know it a stand up guy is pushed into stealing cars and sandwiches. Then trying to flee into Mexico as this unexpectedly turns into a lover's on the run film.

I dug it. It fits a bunch of noir cliches but it still charts an unexpected path.

[Dom D Spoon! Find all posts View Profile Close Dom D]

Fallen Angel: some SPOILERS here cause I feel like I can't talk about this film without 'em. This film is a curious little beastie. I think Dana Andrews character is the biggest cad and scumbag to ever be gifted a happy ending in a Hays code era film. He starts out as a dodgy bastard helping charlatans sell shows to rube's. Then he decides that the Saucy Bit Of All Right at the local diner is his kind of girl when he sees her with her fingers in the till. She doesn't want a pauper though so he's going to need to get some money.

He fixes on a local, unworldly, bookworm spinster as his way to make some money. He marries her within a week and on his wedding night leaves her waiting in bed to go see the Saucy Bit Of All Right to tell her that now he's set. They can rob his new brides safety deposit box in the morning.

no dice though. In the morning the Saucy Bit Of All Right is dead and Andrews is the prime suspect. But who really dunnit?

I'm waiting for the ending where I figure Andrews has to go to the chair for a crime he didn't committ but knowing he deserved it after all. Nope. Not where this one's headed.

Dark, depressing stuff to be sure and I think features what must be the most downer happy ending of all time.