Film Noir

Film Noir - My favourite film genre Back to Start Page
Of all the glorious film genres out there it's the american Film Noir from the 1940's and the early 1950's that i love the most. When a melting pot of talents from all over the world, directors, script writers, cinematographers and actors, forced together by the WW2, created the greatest films ever made. When the art of lighting a scene was at it's highest point, when the actors looked their best due to clothing- and hair styles, when the soundtracks were most atmospheric and when great authors of the 20th century as Raymond Chandler, William Faulkner and Graham Greene helped writing the scripts to the dark tales. Crime fiction from this point in time became the foundation, created the archetypes for most of the modern crime, thriller and action films. The Notion Film Noir could emanate from early 1950's French film critics and US pulp fiction was then released in France in the Black Series, Série Noire, the crime stories that the films were based on (compare with Italy and the Gialli genre that was based on crime stories released in the Yellow/Giallo series there) - Read more about Pulp Fiction on my PF page
This page can look messed up in some browsers, and in mobile phones most definitely so, sorry about that Sorry also for my sometimes bad english, swenglish i guess, i'm struggling with the grammar but i'm trying For more about Film Noir and pictures - click on the picture links

Film Noir - The High Point of Film History
Desperation and Angst The Big City - a jungle with human predators, sexuality, the fast buck, life and death, night and shadow Some themes central for the 1940's Hollywood film and crime fiction. Femme Fatales, Bad Cops and disillusioned looser heroes often turned anti-heroes, often dead anti-heroes, at the end. Something completely else than the family-friendly syrupy fluff, endless superhero stuff and/or patriotic slush that the Factory assaults the zombiefied world with today. Among the directors geniuses as Otto Preminger, Billy Wilder, Jaques Torneur, Fritz Lang, Robert Siodmak, Edgar G. Ulmer, Howard Hawks and Joseph H. Lewis much be mentioned. The writers ... see the above Pulp Fiction section ... but Cornell Woolrich is my favourite and many of his novels/stories has been filmed, as Phantom Lady and The Black Angel - see below. Most of these classic Film Noirs have been restored and released on fine DVD's or Blurays and many, as being in the public domain, can also be seen legally on Youtube in streaming video of varying quality
My Top 10 Film Noir Favourites - Follow the link and check them out, OK or have i missed some of your favs ?
Link suggestion: Check up on Steve O's film blog Film Noir of the Week for cool tips about forgotten gems
For more info and pictures - click on the picture link at left. All DVD's in NTSC if not noted otherwise. No films are for sale, only information

	The Big Sleep 1946 direction : Howard Hawks Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall	A famously Complicated plot in this classic crime noir based on the Raymond Chandler novel and with very good chemistry between Bogart and Bacall
	The Big Steal 1949 direction: Don Siegel Robert Mitchum, Jane Greer Illegal 1955 Edward G. Robinson,	Crime comedy in the reunion of Robert Mitchum and Jane Greer after Out of the Past, with the hunt down in Mexico after a bag full of money. Entertaining! Illegal though is a quite boring story about a mob-connected lawyer, and with beautiful Jayne Mansfield in her debut film as a bar pianist
	Black Widow 1954 direction : Nunnally Johnson Van Heflin, Ginger Rodgers	More a who-dunit murder mystery than Noir. Great colors in Cinemascope and in Surround. Based on a Patrick Quentin novel with a then sick Gene Tierney Läs mer på bildlänken (in swedish)
	Blonde Ice 1948 direction : Jack Bernhard Leslie Brooks, Robert Paige	Leslie Brooks is a psychopathic femme fatale in this very obscure B film noir that was presumed Lost. Pretty entertaining in a DVD edition that could've been better quality wise, but a lot of fine extras in this US VCI edition. Läs mer på bildlänken (in swedish)
	Blue Dahlia, The 1946 direction : George Marshall Alan Ladd, Veronica Lake	Ladd is a soldier returned from WW2 who's suspected of the murder of his unfaithful wife. Based on the famous Raymond Chandler novel and supposedly inspired naming the victim in a murder case The Black Dahlia ? Something the crime writer James Ellroy has written about
	Blue Gardenia, The direction: Fritz Lang Anne Baxter, Richard Conte	Fritz Lang Crime drama criticizing the Yellow press. Late film noir and based on a story by Vera Caspary, where a woman is accused of a murder she can't remember having committed. Nat King Cole sings the title song. Read more on the picture link
	Boomerang 1947 direction : Elia Kazan Dana Andrews, Lee J. Kobb	Courtroom drama and documentary noir about political corruption and where a prosecutor doubts the guilt of the accused. Well made by the famous Kazan BUT .... Boring. Stiff and tiresome for a Film Noir, this was not Kazan's thing. Läs mer på bildlänken (in swedish)
	Border Incident 1949 direction : Anthony Mann Ricardo Montalban	Thriller about crimes committed against mexican guest-workers. Violent for it's time with Ricardo Montalban as an undeercover agent. Fine, but maybe not a Film Noir really. Exquisite cinematography from the great John Alton
	Born To Be Bad 1950 direction : Nicholas Ray Joan Fontaine, Robert Ryan	Film Noir drama where a rotten to the bone Joan Fontaine is determined to ruin the marriage of her cousin Joan Leslie and instead plan to catch the stinking rich fiance herself. Fontaine is great as a disgusting Snake. Läs mer på bildlänken (in swedish)
	Born To Kill 1947 direction : Robert Wise Lawrence Tierney, Claire Trevor	Fortune seeker Claire Trevor is turned on sexually by psychopath Tierney's evil and dangerousness in a Feel Bad Noir. Pitch-black from director Wise about the taboo subject, female violence groupies Läs mer på bildlänken (in swedish)
	Clash By Night 1952 direction : Fritz Lang Robert Ryan, Barbara Stanwyck	Zzzzzzz ... snore ... a not that good Fritz Lang movie. Too Theatrical and overstrung after a play by the always pretentious bore Clifford Odets. But, Robert Ryan is brilliant as always, what an actor he was
	Criss Cross 1948 direction : Robert Siodmak Burt Lancaster, Yvonne De Carlo, Dan Duryea	Lancaster is an ex-prisoner that tries to live a regular guy life when Dan "The Human Weasel" Duryea makes him take part in a Heist robbery. A pretty good sequel to the classic, the 1946 The Killers
	Crossfire 1947 direction : Edward Dmytryk Robert Ryan, Gloria Grahame	Heavy-handed and boring about anti-semitism with an uninterested Mitchum Zzzzz .... BUT with an explosive scene where Gloria Grahame and Paul Kelly ignites the screen in a sidestory. They are fantastic and naturally this film should have been about them instead. Läs mer på bildlänken (in swedish)
	Dangerous Crossing 1953 direction : Joseph M. Newman w. Jeanne Crain, Michael Rennie	OK thriller more than a Film Noir with beautyful Jeanne Crain in danger onboard of an Atlantic Cruise ship and about a disappearing person Läs mer på bildlänken (in swedish)
	Dark Corner 1946 direction : Henry Hathaway Lucille Ball, Clifton Webb	Another boring Film Noir from Hathaway (i didn't like his overrated Kiss of Death from 1947 that much) where Lucille Ball is a secretary to a threatened private detective and Clifton Webb does his "After Laura" forever typecasted middle-aged Dandy role
	Dark Passage 1947 direction : Delmer Daves Humphrey Bogart,Lauren Bacall	Initially filmed very oddly with a subjective camera as the eyes of Bogie. Clearly inspired by the previous years Lady in the Lake and ripped off by film collossus Ed Wood, Jr.'s Z grade crime drama Jailbait
	Dillinger 1945 direction : Max Nosseck Lawrence Tierney	Tierney is great as Public Enemy No.1 in a crime action and maybe this film is not really a Film Noir. Young Tierney looks a bit like the swedish Table Tennis champion J.O.Waldner
	Framed 1947 direction: Richard Wallace Glenn Ford, Janice Carter	An alcoholic drifter is picked up by a lush blonde to play the part of a corpse in an elaborate bank-heist planned by her and her boyfriend. Will Glenn Ford survive this scheme? Läs mer på bildlänken (in swedish)
	His Kind of Woman 1951 direction : John Farrow Robert Mitchum, Jane Russell, Raymond Burr	Film Noir combined with Comedy is usually a bad mix and so here also. Small time hustler Mitchum meets voluptuous singer Russell and the gangster Burr down in Mexico. Very forgettable entry to the genre
	House of Bamboo 1955 direction : Samuel Fuller Robert Ryan, Dennis O'Keefe	Not sure if this is a Film Noir or not, but it's about american gangsters in post-war Tokyo, and with a really cool shoot-out at an amusement park at the end of the film. Looks very good in color and Cinemascope. Read more on the picture link
	Kiss Me Deadly direction: Robert Aldrich Ralph Meeker, Jack Elam	Classic late Film Noir and visually groundbreaking from Aldrich. based on a Mickey Spillane novel about a PI's hunt for a "burning" secret Läs mer på bildlänken (in swedish)
	Kiss of Death 1947 director: Henry Hathaway Victor Mature, Richard Widmark	Crime drama where Richard Widmark does his famous performance as Tommy Udo, the psychopathic giggling killer Read more on the picture link
	Lady in the Lake 1946 direction : Robert Montgomery Robert Montgomery, Audrey Totter	Very unusual Noir, almost experimental with a subjective camera and with some delightfully offbeat acting. Based on a Raymond Chandler novel and with the always HOT Audrey Totter. Never, that a woman like that would fall wooden loser as Montgomery, OK, maybe if he was stinking rich
	Madigan 1968 direction: Don Siegel Richard Widmark, Henry Fonda	An OK only Police buddy crime drama that Siegel remade a couple of years later as Dirty Harry. A NY cop duo (Richard Widmark and Harry Guardino) chases a brutal and desperate killer. Not sure if this a film noir, but the ending was dark and gritty and depressing
	Man in the Vault 1956 direction : Andrew McLaglen William Campbell, Anita Ekberg	A B-ish crime movie produced by John Wayne and with bad direction and a bad script. Maybe not a Film Noir but still an entertaining film when an honest locksmith gets involved with gangsters. Anita Ekberg looks sensational
	Missing Women 1951 direction: Philip Ford Penny Edwards, James Millican	A Snappy Powerty Row studio low budget B Noir that clocks in at only 60 minutes. With adequate acting and with James Millican as a rough bad guy mishandling the missing Penny Edwards. A sort of Female Revenge story Read more on the picture link
	Narrow Margin, The 1952 direction : Richard Fleischer Charles McGraw, Marie Windsor	A very fine crime thriller on a Train movie in a mix of Hitchcock and Film Noir, when a cop has to escort a witness against-the-mob by train over the continent. Marie Windsor as a gangster bitch is fine as always Läs mer på bildlänken (in swedish)
	New York Confidential 1955 direction: Russell Rouse Anne Bancroft, Richard Conte	Great actors in a great mafia crime Noir that could be the blueprint to all modern mob movies, including Johnnie To's HK Triad one's. Richard Conte is an ice-kold stone killer. Commentary audio track with Alan K. Rode och Kim Morgan. Läs mer på bildlänken (in swedish)
	Nora Prentiss director: Vincent Sherman Ann Sheridan, Kent Smith	Fine crime-drama with ditto actors Ann Sheridan and Kent Smith. A beautiful nightclub singer hits the respected doctor like a bomb, The Sucker's Blues, and soon his life is in shambles. Läs mer på bildlänken (in swedish)
	On Dangerous Ground 1952 direction : Nicholas Ray Robert Ryan, Ida Lupino	Noir-melodrama where a burnt-out cop played by Robert Ryan is transfered to a countryside village where he meets Ida Lupino and has to hunt down a young killer
	Portrait in Black 1960 direction: Michael Gordon Lana Turner, Anthony Quinn Madame X 1966 Lana Turner	Two Times Lana in a crime noir melodrama with murder and passion and it was an entertaining watch for sure, plus a crazy melodrama Läs mer på bildlänken (in swedish)
	Racket, The 1951 direction : John Cromwell Robert Mitchum, Lizabeth Scott Robert Ryan	Boring propaganda crime noir about the heroic battle of a few against the organized crime. McCarthy-ism was raging and the films became lduller. A pity, with a genre icon like Lizabeth Scott - those eyebrows! and with favourite actors as Robert Ryan and Robert Mitchum
	Raw Deal 1948 direction : Anthony Mann Dennis O'Keefe	Rock-hard film noir when a gangster is about to take revenge on his ex- fellow gangsters with the help of the innocent Ann, who are drawn into the world of crime. From the master of hardboiled Film Noir
	Roadhouse 1948 direction : Jean Negulesco Richard Widmark, Ida Lupino	Noir drama where 2 business companions running a joint clashing over a hot femme fatale Film Noir woman. Widmark, who was typecasted a lot after the Hit "Kiss of Death" giggles hysterically a lot and seeks revenge. Sorry, but i didn't like this very much
	Sellout, The 1952 direction: Gerald Mayer Walter Pidgeon, Audrey Totter	Anti-Corruption thriller with a newspaper man and a prosecutor up against a corrupted Sheriff. Read more on the picture link
	Shed No Tears 1948 direction : Jean Yarbrough June Vincent, Wallace Ford	Hardboiled B noir bordering to the C when an old man with a too young wife commits an insurance fraud and with infidelity leading to misery and murder. Läs mer på bildlänken (in swedish)
	Slightly Scarlet 1956 direction: Allan Dwan Rhonda Fleming, John Payne	Good Crime-Noir drama based on James M. Cains Love's Lovely Counterfeit with a smart gangster and his two sisters. Commentary track with author Max Allan Collins. Läs mer på bildlänken (in swedish)
	T-Men 1947 direction : Anthony Mann Dennis O'Keefe, Mary Meade	Hardboiled legendary Film Noir crime entry to genre with lots of police procedure and lots of hardboiled cops from hardboiled genre master Mann
	Where the Sidewalk Ends direction: Otto Preminger Dana Andrews, Gene Tierney	Dana is good as a Bad Cop when he kills a suspect and then tries to erase the tracks, and then he falls in love with the dead man's widow, Crime drama directed by Otto Preminger. Read more on the picture link
	Whirlpool direction: Otto Preminger Gene Tierney, Richard Conte	Psychological crime drama where a society woman (Gene Tierney) who's a shoplifter is also suspected of having committed a murder. Otto made it! Read more on the picture link

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