Official Film Noir on Blu-ray Thread

[CBHampson]

Originally Posted by eidas

Ok, I'll take a stab at launching some fodder for a little weekend poll. Which film noir has the best writing/dialogue of them all. My candidate is Sunset Boulevard. Can you really top Billy Wilder?

My vote is a split between Double Indemnity and Murder, My Sweet. Powell's Marlowe is my favorite iteration of the character.

[tallguy58]

Double Indemnity and Out Of The Past equally

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by eidas

Ok, I'll take a stab at launching some fodder for a little weekend poll. Which film noir has the best writing/dialogue of them all.

I'm biased, because it's my all-time favorite movie, but Out of the Past excels with regard to snappy dialogue and screenwriting.

Double Indemnity and The Maltese Falcon are right up there as well.

[donald.brown]

Originally Posted by jetthead

Regardless of its "Noir creds", I will be purchasing The Spiral Staircase (and Another Man's Poison too!)

Absolutely will be buying Spiral Staircase!

[hoytereden]

Originally Posted by eidas

Ok, I'll take a stab at launching some fodder for a little weekend poll. Which film noir has the best writing/dialogue of them all.

I love the dialogue in The Narrow Margin. Charles McGraw barks, as opposed to saying, his lines and Marie Windsor gives it right back to him in their scenes together. Some great dialogue in the opening scenes between McGraw and his partner too.

[JoeBuck]

Originally Posted by hoytereden

I love the dialogue in The Narrow Margin. Charles McGraw barks, as opposed to saying, his lines and Marie Windsor gives it right back to him in their scenes together. Some great dialogue in the opening scenes between McGraw and his partner too.

Dear god we need this movie on blu ray.
Warner Archive, Criterion, whatever just GIVE IT TO ME!

[noirjunkie]

Originally Posted by JoeBuck

Dear god we need this movie on blu ray.
Warner Archive, Criterion, whatever just GIVE IT TO ME!

I would argue that it's one of the best, if not the best, B noir ever made. I'm hoping WAC puts it out sooner rather than later.

[joie]

I have a copy of Martin Amis's "Night Train." It hasn't been read yet, but it looks easy at less than 200 pages and plenty of white space.

The book's back cover reads, "With this haunting and fiendishly deceptive new book, England's foremost literary stylist takes on the American detective novel and makes it do things Dashiell Hammet never dreamed of."

When I read Amis's "Money," I saved this stylish bit:

"At sickening speed I have roared and clattered, I have rocketed through my time, breaking all the limits, time limits, speed limits, city limits, jumping lights and cutting corners, guzzling gas and burning rubber, staring through the foul screen with my fist on the horn. I am that fleeing train that goes screaming past you in the night. Though travelling nowhere I have hurtled with blind purpose to the very end of my time. I have lived headlong at a desperate rhythm. I want to slow down now, and check out the scenery, and put in a stop or two. I want some semi-colons. Maybe Martina will be my big brake ... "


"Money" is about an ad man getting to direct his first feature film

[lemonski]

Originally Posted by eidas

Ok, I'll take a stab at launching some fodder for a little weekend poll. Which film noir has the best writing/dialogue of them all. My candidate is Sunset Boulevard. Can you really top Billy Wilder?

Probably not, but I always liked Clifford Odets writing - see The Sweet Smell of Success and Deadline at Dawn

[hoytereden]

Originally Posted by lemonski

Probably not, but I always liked Clifford Odets writing - see The Sweet Smell of Success and Deadline at Dawn

I really like Deadline at Dawn-the philosophical musings of Paul Lukas' cabdriver "Between you, me, and the lamppost....." or sailor Bill Williams' surprising "non compos mentis" and other bits of unorthodox dialogue for a noir film. I know some dislike the film for this very reason but I enjoy it. I'm not a big Susan Hayward fan but she's very appealing here as a tough exterior/soft heart dancehall girl.

[Edward J Grug III]

Originally Posted by silverlakephil

Today is Jack Palance Birthday, and I just finished watching Sudden Fear also starring the great Joan Crawford. A really excellent Noir. It should be in everyone's collection.

I've never seen it, but I just ordered a copy last week. Along with two other Crawford noirs, Daisy Kenyan and Possessed. Going to have a Crawford-athon and listen to the Crawford series on You Must Remember This.

[Edward J Grug III]

Originally Posted by lemonski

Probably not, but I always liked Clifford Odets writing - see The Sweet Smell of Success and Deadline at Dawn

Yeah, I was gonna say The Sweet Smell of Success myself.

[CRSearle]

What about "It Always Rains On Sunday"? https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/It-Al...Blu-ray/53938/

I didn't see it listed in the 40's noirs (admittedly its British) and it seems to fit the qualifications.

http://archive.boston.com/ae/movies/...end/?page=full

http://www.noiroftheweek.com/2010/04...nday-1947.html

[CBHampson]

Originally Posted by silverlakephil

Today is Jack Palance Birthday, and I just finished watching Sudden Fear also starring the great Joan Crawford. A really excellent Noir. It should be in everyone's collection.

I watched this this morning too. It really is great. And some surprisingly dynamic cinematography.

[MifuneFan]

Great news fellow noir fans! As reported by Akijama, ClassicFlix have announced plans to release two Film Noir titles, Raw Deal (1948), and T-Man (1947), as well as Fritz Lang's proto-noir You Only Live Once (1937). They also stated plans for another Anthony Mann / John Alton collab down the line, and a likely set with all the films following that.

Press Release:

[jetthead]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

Great news fellow noir fans! As reported by Akijama, ClassicFlix have announced plans to release two Film Noir titles, Raw Deal (1948), and T-Man (1947), as well as Fritz Lang's proto-noir You Only Live Once (1937). They also stated plans for another Anthony Mann / John Alton collab down the line, and a likely set with all the films following that.

I wonder if we'll get more info on that box set before the release of Raw Deal & T-Men. I think I can wait for the set if it's not too far off.

[CBHampson]

What an announcement!

[AuteurTheory]

Fantastic announcement. Any speculation on what the third Mann/Alton title will be? My guess would be either He Walked By Night (1948) or Reign Of Terror (1949). Either one would be most welcome.

[tallrichard]

Raw Deal and T-Men are DAY ONE! Some of the others like You Only Live Once is close...I can't wait to hear how the quality is....

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

Great news fellow noir fans! As reported by Akijama, ClassicFlix have announced plans to release two Film Noir titles, Raw Deal (1948), and T-Man (1947), as well as Fritz Lang's proto-noir You Only Live Once (1937). They also stated plans for another Anthony Mann / John Alton collab down the line, and a likely set with all the films following that.

I don't suppose we can hope that the third Mann/Alton title is He Walked by Night. I know that Alfred Werker is the credited director, but Mann directed some of it without credit, and it was included in Roan's The Film Noir of Anthony Mann DVD set (along with T-Men and Raw Deal).

The only other Mann/Alton title it could be would be the historical Reign of Terror. They also collaborated on the crime/noir Border Incident and western Devil's Doorway, but both of those would be with Warner.

On edit: Oops. AuteurTheory beat me to it.