Noirvember 2022 - 30 days of film noir

[Gwanum]

He Walked By Night (1948)

[kingdoxie]

Sirocco.jpg

Sirocco ⭐⭐⭐⭐

TokyoJoe.jpg

Tokyo Joe ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Both of these were produced by Bogart's own company, Santana Pictures Corporation, and seemed to be trying to recapture the lightning in a bottle he had with Casablanca. Lots of familiar tropes in all three films: US expat with dubious past living in a foreign land; black market connections; trench coat and fedora as a uniform; military occupying force is in charge; needs a special pass or permit to move the plot along; several more I'm sure.

Tokyo Joe also has the distinction of the first US film approved for filming in Japan after WWII. Second unit footage was shot with a Bogart double in long shots and also rear projection footage for use back in the studio.

[odguitar]

Edge of Doom



An entry in the small subgenre of Catholic noir. It's not great, or even all that good, but I really liked Farley Granger in this. It's so deeply nihilistic, which is an interesting choice but not too surprising when you think about what Catholicism is kind of all about. Still prefer I Confess, though.

3/5

[Travis]

The Glass Key (1942) 1/2

Hmmm, case seems familiar.

[MassiveMovieBuff]

Wow didn't even know this thread was up. Coincidentally I've been watching noirs since the beginning of the month.

11/1

[Show spoiler]

5/5

11/2

[Show spoiler]

5/5

11/3

[Show spoiler]

5/5

[Ender14]

Escape in the Fog

So I am dedicating this Noirvember to noir films I have not seen (with the exception of Double Indemnity). I have this one in the Indicator Columbia Noir #1 set. Overall a pretty weak entry and one I'm not sure should qualify as Noir. It has a few elements that push it into Noir territory but would classify it more as an espionage picture. The acting and script are weak but there is some nice cinematography in parts. Not one I'll likely revisit but glad I watched it.

[Ender14]

Recent Case Files



#:
A:
B:
C: Cry Danger
D: Double Indemnity
E: Escape in the Fog
F: File on Thelma Jordon, The
G:
H:
I:
J:
K:
L:
M:
N:
O:
P: Pushover
R:
S: Set-Up, The
T: Touch of Evil
U:
W:

[kingdoxie]

Pickup Alley ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Film noir in CinemaScope, neat! Victor Mature plays an FBI agent hunting down a drug trafficker played by the quintessential British actor Trevor Howard. Filmed on location in such exotic locales as Lisbon, Naples, Rome, and Athens.

[odguitar]

Out of the Fog



John Garfield and Ida Lupino together is like a superhero teamup film for noir. They're both aces here, and any film with Thomas Mitchell is that much better for it. The ending is some great stuff too. I'd love to see a restoration of this, as I watched it on Criterion Channel and it looked a little rough but I can tell there's probably some good shots to look at if it was cleaner.

3.5/5

[Travis]

The Fallen Sparrow (1943) 1/2

[Gwanum]

Pickup On South Street (1953)

[lemonski]

Case B:
Blonde in a White Car (Toi...le venin) (1958)
Robert Hossein, Marina Vlady, Odile Versois
Dir: Robert Hossein

Quoted in places as one of the great French noirs, this didn't seem overly noir-like to me, but if it had continued in the vein of the opening scene it would be an all time classic. Pierre (Robert Hossein) gets picked up on the side of the road by a mysterious blonde in a white car, they...er...have an encounter...after which he's forced out at gunpoint. Obsessed with these events (and why wouldn't you be) he tracks the car down to a house where the beautiful and wealthy Hélène (Odile Versois) cares for her disabled younger sister Eva (Marina Vlady). More a Hitchock or Clouzot thriller than noir for me, but it will keep you guessing - or at least interested - up until the end.

1/2

[kingdoxie]

DarkNight.jpg

So Dark the Night ⭐⭐⭐½

Not much going for this one, surprise twist ending though.

[Ender14]

The Set-Up

Excellent, lean little noir with some of the best boxing scenes ever filmed.

[Al_The_Strange]

High Sierra (1941)
Blu-Ray

Surprised by how chipper the tone seems to be on this one, what with Bogart playing the good Samaritan in the first act while enjoying the grass and trees and such. The film maintains quite a snappy rhythm in its dialogue and scene transitions, while the photography has a slick, clean quality that exemplifies a quality Hollywood production. I was hoping for some nice photography showing off the actual Sierra mountains, and thankfully the last twenty minutes or so didn't disappoint.

It takes a while to really get going, but when it does, there are thrills to be had. What does keep my interest is the character and the contrast he represents. We're constantly reminded that this guy is a robber, and later a murderer, and yet he spends a lot of the picture smiling and helping people and it seems like he's primed to clash with the good life at some point. There's probably a lot to unpack about this movie, especially in the context of noirs and westerns, but what I appreciate is the theme of freedom, which is expressed rather nicely in the film's opening and tragic finale.

I'll say I admire Bogart's performance in this movie more than some of his other pictures. It's also cool to see Henry Travers in the cast. There's plenty to admire in this picture, and chances are I'll grow to love it.

8/10

-----------------------------------

Cases Closed: 2

[Show spoiler]11/02: Killer's Kiss 8/10

* 11/05: High Sierra 8/10

DA Challenge: 2

[Show spoiler]High Sierra
Killer's Kiss

* = First time to the crime scene
Purple = The bright neon lights of 4K

[Ender14]

Touch of Evil

First time viewing of the film so I decided to go with the reconstructed version. Now I need to go back and watch the theatrical version to compare. As usual Welles' scene construction is interesting and effective and the acting is exceptional. I think it had been built up so much as a quintessential noir I was a little disappointed, but I think I will appreciate it more on repeat viewings.

[kingdoxie]

Dead Reckoning ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Bogart and his Army buddy are on their way to Washington DC to receive heroism medals from the president. But his buddy jumps the train...why? Bogart suspects he enlisted under an assumed name to escape his past and follows his trail to 'Gulf City' somewhere in the south to investigate. Lizabeth Scott seems to have all the answers but isn't very forthcoming.

KnockAnyDoor.jpg

Knock on Any Door ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Bogart as a defense lawyer with a hoodlum from the old neighborhood as a murder suspect for a client. Told mostly in flash back from the courtroom.

[Travis]

Pitfall (1948) 1/2

This one had lots of potential. Was heading towards a 4/5, but ran out of steam.

[odguitar]

Panic in the Streets



I almost watched this last year but ended up skipping it due to the theme still feeling a little too close to home. But this is a really interesting one. Typical underworld crime, but also a potential pandemic, governmental bureaucracy, media pressure, and even commentary on immigration issues of the time lift this head and shoulders above the typical B-movie nature of the genre. Richard Widmark is fantastic as always, Kazan's direction is quietly stunning, and Palance's face that is just pure angles works perfectly for his heavy character.

4.5/5

[MassiveMovieBuff]

11/5

[Show spoiler]

4/5

[Show spoiler]

5/5