I just watched this and it really is a greatly underrated noir,it's honestly one of the darkest noirs out there (and thats saying something for this genre) with some really really dark characters.
Its a shame Tierney didn't become a bigger star cuz he really is great in this,what do yall think of it?
A movie by Robert Siodmak who was a protagonist in film noir. He later made the more famous movie "The Crimson Pirate" (1952) also with Lancaster.
The plot is based on the short story "The Killers" by Ernest Hemingway (1927). Since the story is not that long Siodmak had to stretch it with flashbacks. Not the best solution but if you want to go with the original source there is not much choice..
Burt Lancaster is one of my favorite actors. Maybe this is the reason I do not rank this movie that high (he is cast as "the swede" here because of his physical characterists). His best performances might be "Birdman of Alcatraz" (John Frankenheimer, 1962), "The Leopard" (Visconti, 1963), "Atlantic City" (Louis Malle, 1980). Interesting also "Vera Cruz" (1954) with Gary Cooper, a movie in which he was actor and producer - a movie that had a strong influence on later European "Italien westerns".
If you could briefly live in any film noir as the main character, a support character, or as an observer, which film would you choose, and why?
The Maltese Falcon (31)
The Maltese Falcon(41)
Satan Met a Lady
Just wanted to show some appreciation for Robert Mitchum. I don’t know what it is, but he has one of those faces you never forget, and his screen presence is so distinctive and effortless. Out of the Past and The Night of the Hunter are probably my favorites.
What’s everyone else’s favorite Mitchum film?
Leading character, played by Van Heflin, is very sympathetic. But: he made some serious moral errors.
A. In his past, his informing on his fellow POW'S plans to escape was perhaps justifiable, since they were sure to be discovered before the attempt. But- shouldn't he have told them that he had already informed on them? That would have stopped the escape, and saved their lives- in the short term.
B. When Van Hef learns that R. Ryan is on his trail, he leaves town for the convention in ( San Fran?) Thus, leaving his wife and child to the mercies of Ryan. In the event, Ryan does visit their home but leaves wife and kid alone. But how would Ryan have known he would do that?
This is a collection of thousands of movies in the public domain from around the world, containing works of famous directors like Fritz Lang, Tartovsky and Kurosawa. And it's not just ancient movies, either, as there are recent movies that were shot for the public domain, like a series of short prequels for Blade Runner 2049. If you scroll through this, you'll truly be surprised at some of the legendary directors it contains.
Anyways, they have an entire section dedicated to film noir and it contains several movies that get referenced here all the time (like Detour and Scarlet Street). Finding this website has provided me with a ton of content that I probably would never have gotten around to watching if it wasn't compiled for me.
(I tried to stick within the rules -- I'm not connected to this website, so it's not self-promotion, and it's all legal -- but please delete this post, mods, if I fell on the wrong side of caution.)
Thoughts?
It’s a good Stanley Kubrick film tbh with some great cinematography too
New book on Orson Welles -- MAVERICK IN THE MACHINE: ORSON WELLES AND THE BATTLE OVER JOURNEY INTO FEAR
Dive into the untold story of the making — and unmaking — of Welles' third RKO film, and uncover the mystery of who really directed it. 👀
I absolutely love Marilyn Monroe in Don’t Bother to Knock (1952). It’s quite a departure from the roles she’s usually remembered for. But I really wish she’d been cast in more psychological thrillers because her performance here was so unnerving and magnetic all at once.
Easily one of the most disturbing movies I've ever seen. It starts slow but the screws are working.
I saw this on a movie channel in the middle of the night years ago and it always stayed in my mind. I've never heard of the director Kastle before.
The film is based on a real case. Creepy..
I just watched Berlin Express and I had forgotten how much I enjoy watching Robert Ryan. Letterboxd tells me I've seen him in The Set-Up and House of Bamboo previously.
I thought I had seen more of his films... Which ones should I watch next?
Which actors would you put on your Film Noir Mount Rushmore? I would immortalize in stone Richard Widmark, Humphrey Bogart, Robert Mitchum, and Lauren Bacall.
Out of the Past (1947). Gif by me. Although the cinematography immediately stood out, it took a few watches to appreciate the dialogue and plot, and now it just seems to get better and better each time, because it's so layered, well made, and hypnotic.
July 4 Angel Face (1953)
July 11 Blues in the Night (1941)
July 18 Dark Passage (1947)
July 25 They Won't Believe Me (1947)
NOTE: Noir Alley will be suspended in August for Summer Under The Stars
Rita Hayworth in Gilda (1946)
Source https://bsky.app/profile/vanstanwyck.bsky.social/post/3mphhney4lc2i
The umbrella of "film noir" seems to cover a variety of different kinds stories. I see police procedurals mixed in with the life histories of gangsters, mixed with multi-character heists and gumshoes solving mysteries, and bad women and dangerous obsession, and plain old criminally insane crime sprees thrown together in "best of lists". Is there any occasion where these, to me, distinct genres are separated from each other?
I say all of this because I finally sat down to watch He Walks By Night and a huge chunk of it is hanging out with various officers and investigators in the police department with a voice over dictating the action like a case file, as opposed to following the killer and probbing his inner motivation or personal associations. This is a police drama to me, with the only noir element being the criminal topic and chiraroscuro. I find I'm much more interested in the lives of criminals than the police department, but noir lists rarely separate them out. Is my desire to see that distinction made antithetical to a love of film noir?
(Sorry for the clunky writing! Hope my inquiry is clear enough for discussion. )