The Criterion Collection

[ShellOilJunior]

RE: Odd Man Out

Ray,

WWJMD?



The decision should be easy now.

[Edward J Grug III]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

I never liked Grug.

There was always some fishy about him.

...now I know he's pure evil.

[KillaCam]

Originally Posted by Knaldskalle

B&N does drive-thru?

or rather I should have said the parking lot

[AaronJ]

Originally Posted by Edward J Grug III

Of those three, I only liked The Fighter. And even then, I'm not sure if I would need to own it.

To be honest, even though I have enjoyed some of his films a lot, I prefer Criterion releases older titles that have a harder time making it to Blu Ray.

I think that while The Fighter was tremendous -- great performances -- I also love those other films. Hell, Bale was NUTS in American Hustle. What a freak!

If you think about it, Bale was down to 120 lbs. in The Machinist. He was buffed like crazy -- WWE-level -- in the Nolan Batman movies. He was a fat, pudgy guy in American Hustler.

Now, I doubt that this is good for him. It's probably, to be frank, TERRIBLE for him. But the guy can be anyone. It's why I love Bale.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

You might be the authoritative voice here on film noir.

You told me you thought Odd Man Out is a great British film noir.

Does that mean you love it?

Would you put it in your film noir top ten?

...top 20?

So many Ray Jackson questions.... Haha.

Odd Man Out is not in my Top 10 Films Noir list, but I hold it in high regard.

Here's my User Review that I wrote for Odd Man Out...


In Carol Reed's 1947 film, Odd Man Out, Johnny McQueen, played by James Mason in what is perhaps his most vulnerable and sympathetic role, is introduced to us in the opening scenes as the "odd man out" who, despite his position as the local leader of an Irish nationalist organization, expresses a disdain for violence and is viewed as ineffective by fellow gang members who fear that his prison sentence and his subsequent stretch in a safe house have left him ill-equipped to conduct a dangerous payroll robbery. After the robbery goes wrong, a wounded McQueen wanders bleeding through dark city streets on his way to salvation. The next few hours of McQueen's life are marked by a series of encounters with various people who each provide different glimpses of life in a politically-fractured setting.

Odd Man Out, like Reed's 1949 noir masterpiece, The Third Man, serves almost as an overseas "darker evil twin" of Michael Curtiz's Casablanca. In Casablanca, characters are compelled to set aside their personal passions for the greater good in a rousing call-to-arms for World War II. By contrast, Reed's films acquaint us with characters who are all too willing to exploit wartime situations for personal profit. During McQueen's struggled trek through a traumatized Irish city, presumably Belfast, he stumbles across a number of characters who either view his plight as an opportunity for their own gain or are fearfully unwilling to stick out their neck one way or another to aid or hinder his progress. Reed's adaptation of F.L. Green's source novel downplays the politics of the Irish conflict at hand in favor of more intimate examinations of human nature in times of crisis. These bleak character interactions are my own justification for considering Odd Man Out to be a true film noir, as opposed to a mere politically-driven action drama. In the midst of all of these mixed agendas, one character's self-sacrifice provides the movie's most warm-hearted and emotionally cathartic moment.

Odd Man Out employs many of the same visual palettes that would be utilized in The Third Man. In both films, Reed and cinematographer Robert Krasker present a city in strife as a sinister and alienating environment where emotionally and physically wounded characters negotiate their way through unyielding cobblestone streets that lead into pitch-black shadows. In Odd Man Out, a series of early sequences, which feature McQueen outlining plans for the robbery, are visually depicted in a straightforward fashion reflective of the neorealist cinema of the time, but the character's downfall is represented by unsettlingly shaky point-of-view camera shots, shadowy noir cityscapes, and even surreal hallucinations. Many contemporary viewers may see visual narrative remnants of Reed's film in Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas, where Henry Hill's introduction into mob life plays out in luxuriously extended single takes while his subsequent nosedive into drug-fueled paranoia is shown with jerky and abrupt camera movements.

While I prefer Reed's The Third Man by a slight margin, I believe that Odd Man Out is a fascinating cinematic milestone that easily earns a five-star rating for movie content. I have always theorized that one can learn more about history by reading or watching fictional stories set in certain eras than one can learn from reading dry nonfiction textbooks or watching documentaries. Odd Man Out is a case in point, because the depictions of supporting characters in this film, with their varying motivations, provide me with a tangible understanding of what life must have been like for the bystanders in the conflict-torn Irish cities of the mid-20th century.

This Criterion Blu-ray of Odd Man Out looks impressive, and I think that the occasional softness of the restored images simply accentuates the hazy point-of-view of the lead character. Criterion's reputation for bringing older black-and-white classics to life is true to form with this title. The audio comes across well with audible dialogue and a great presentation of William Alwyn's interesting music score. A series of informative and fast-paced supplementary extras outline the history of Odd Man Out in terms of its inspirations and its place in British cinema. My favorite supplement, Postwar Poetry: Carol Reed and Odd Man Out, includes input from iconic directors Guy Hamilton and John Boorman.

[CriterionBlues]

In case anyone is interested, I explored the political context and the motifs of spirituality and death in Odd Man Out earlier this year. Don't read if you haven't seen the film, but you are welcome to skim.

http://criterionblues.com/2015/05/10...47-carol-reed/

[AaronJ]

Originally Posted by CriterionBlues

In case anyone is interested, I explored the political context and the motifs of spirituality and death in Odd Man Out earlier this year. Don't read if you haven't seen the film, but you are welcome to skim.

http://criterionblues.com/2015/05/10...47-carol-reed/

God, what a tease!

[Ray Jackson]

Originally Posted by ShellOilJunior

RE: Odd Man Out

Ray,

WWJMD?



The decision should be easy now.

JMD?

...I feel so stupid.

[CriterionBlues]

Originally Posted by AaronJ

God, what a tease!

Well if you don't care about spoilers, then go right to it.

[CriterionBlues]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

JMD?

...I feel so stupid.

Who answers the Criterion email?

[Ray Jackson]

Originally Posted by CriterionBlues

In case anyone is interested, I explored the political context and the motifs of spirituality and death in Odd Man Out earlier this year. Don't read if you haven't seen the film, but you are welcome to skim.

http://criterionblues.com/2015/05/10...47-carol-reed/

I don't want to read that until after I've watched the movie.

But would you mind telling me what you think of it as far as liking, disliking or loving it?

What makes it a great film noir?

...or a not great film noir.

[Ray Jackson]

Originally Posted by CriterionBlues

Who answers the Criterion email?

[AaronJ]

Originally Posted by CriterionBlues

Well if you don't care about spoilers, then go right to it.

Fair enough!

[Ray Jackson]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

So many Ray Jackson questions.... Haha.

Odd Man Out is not in my Top 10 Films Noir list, but I hold it in high regard.

Here's my User Review that I wrote for Odd Man Out...


In Carol Reed's 1947 film, Odd Man Out, Johnny McQueen, played by James Mason in what is perhaps his most vulnerable and sympathetic role, is introduced to us in the opening scenes as the "odd man out" who, despite his position as the local leader of an Irish nationalist organization, expresses a disdain for violence and is viewed as ineffective by fellow gang members who fear that his prison sentence and his subsequent stretch in a safe house have left him ill-equipped to conduct a dangerous payroll robbery. After the robbery goes wrong, a wounded McQueen wanders bleeding through dark city streets on his way to salvation. The next few hours of McQueen's life are marked by a series of encounters with various people who each provide different glimpses of life in a politically-fractured setting.

Odd Man Out, like Reed's 1949 noir masterpiece, The Third Man, serves almost as an overseas "darker evil twin" of Michael Curtiz's Casablanca. In Casablanca, characters are compelled to set aside their personal passions for the greater good in a rousing call-to-arms for World War II. By contrast, Reed's films acquaint us with characters who are all too willing to exploit wartime situations for personal profit. During McQueen's struggled trek through a traumatized Irish city, presumably Belfast, he stumbles across a number of characters who either view his plight as an opportunity for their own gain or are fearfully unwilling to stick out their neck one way or another to aid or hinder his progress. Reed's adaptation of F.L. Green's source novel downplays the politics of the Irish conflict at hand in favor of more intimate examinations of human nature in times of crisis. These bleak character interactions are my own justification for considering Odd Man Out to be a true film noir, as opposed to a mere politically-driven action drama. In the midst of all of these mixed agendas, one character's self-sacrifice provides the movie's most warm-hearted and emotionally cathartic moment.

Odd Man Out employs many of the same visual palettes that would be utilized in The Third Man. In both films, Reed and cinematographer Robert Krasker present a city in strife as a sinister and alienating environment where emotionally and physically wounded characters negotiate their way through unyielding cobblestone streets that lead into pitch-black shadows. In Odd Man Out, a series of early sequences, which feature McQueen outlining plans for the robbery, are visually depicted in a straightforward fashion reflective of the neorealist cinema of the time, but the character's downfall is represented by unsettlingly shaky point-of-view camera shots, shadowy noir cityscapes, and even surreal hallucinations. Many contemporary viewers may see visual narrative remnants of Reed's film in Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas, where Henry Hill's introduction into mob life plays out in luxuriously extended single takes while his subsequent nosedive into drug-fueled paranoia is shown with jerky and abrupt camera movements.

While I prefer Reed's The Third Man by a slight margin, I believe that Odd Man Out is a fascinating cinematic milestone that easily earns a five-star rating for movie content. I have always theorized that one can learn more about history by reading or watching fictional stories set in certain eras than one can learn from reading dry nonfiction textbooks or watching documentaries. Odd Man Out is a case in point, because the depictions of supporting characters in this film, with their varying motivations, provide me with a tangible understanding of what life must have been like for the bystanders in the conflict-torn Irish cities of the mid-20th century.

This Criterion Blu-ray of Odd Man Out looks impressive, and I think that the occasional softness of the restored images simply accentuates the hazy point-of-view of the lead character. Criterion's reputation for bringing older black-and-white classics to life is true to form with this title. The audio comes across well with audible dialogue and a great presentation of William Alwyn's interesting music score. A series of informative and fast-paced supplementary extras outline the history of Odd Man Out in terms of its inspirations and its place in British cinema. My favorite supplement, Postwar Poetry: Carol Reed and Odd Man Out, includes input from iconic directors Guy Hamilton and John Boorman.

Thank you answering my questions...as annoying as they might become at times.

...you're a good writer.

[CriterionBlues]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

I don't want to read that until after I've watched the movie.

But would you mind telling me what you think of it as far as liking, disliking or loving it?

What makes it a great film noir?

...or a not great film noir.

I rated it an 8.5/10 and basically talk about how it handles death, spirituality and politics ... How's that for a non-answer? It is a far deeper film than even The Third Man in my opinion and is unlike most noirs I've seen.

[AaronJ]

A Wall of Text!

But I should still read it.

[Ray Jackson]

I consider Vertigo to be much more film noir than some of the movies I see on film noir lists.

In many ways, it's the quintessential film noir in almost every way.

...aside from the fact that it's shot in color.

[Ray Jackson]

Originally Posted by CriterionBlues

I rated it an 8.5/10 and basically talk about how it handles death, spirituality and politics ... How's that for a non-answer? It is a far deeper film than even The Third Man in my opinion and is unlike most noirs I've seen.

Deeper than The Third Man?

That's a bold statement.

...does deeper mean better?

[AaronJ]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

I consider Vertigo to be much more film noir than some of the movies I see on film noir lists.

In many ways, it's the quintessential film noir in almost every way.

...aside from the fact that it's shot in color.

Well, it's arguably the best film ever made, in any language, in any country, ever.

[jmclick]

Originally Posted by tallrichard

I put it in my holiday film section....

Film Noir???

Absolutely! Jimmy Stewart's entire experience in "The Bedford Falls That Might Have Been" is a perfect example of a man whose entire reality is turned upside down by forces beyond his control (in this case, the fact that he never existed). In that sequence, Bedford Falls has fallen into total corruption, a nightmarish mix of vice, prostitution, avarice and hate. No one is left untouched by the darkness that has consumed the town, not Ma, not Violet, not even Mary.