Your favourite films noire. - Page 2

brausch · May 22nd, 2009, 08:30 AM

No doubt about it, The Maltese Falcon and Double Indemnity would be at the top of any list but as they've been mentioned I'll pick The Woman In The Window and The Big Combo

**tabler** · May 22nd, 2009, 09:21 AM

What I would class as a modern 'film noire' it bears all the hallmarks of the genre,'In the Heat of the Night' 1967:- Sidney Poitier, Rod Steiger & Warren Oates.

The atmosphere and tension in this film is almost palpable, the initial loathing to the growing (grudgingly) respect of Virgil Tibbs (Poitier) and Gillespie (Steiger), the seedines of the town and the impression of the heat plus a very daring (for its time) plot make this one of my favourite films ever.

A deserved winner of 5 oscars.

**blondifan** · May 22nd, 2009, 10:45 AM

On the subject of 'modern' film noir I would heartily recommend 'Femme Fatale (according to a friend it's a good remake of an old film), starring Antonio Banderas (whom I normally personally loathe) and a stunning Rebecca Romijn-Stamos

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0280665/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Femme_Fatale_(2002_film)

http://femmefatalemovie.warnerbros.com/index2.html

Estreeter · May 22nd, 2009, 07:59 PM

I love most political drama's, films with espionage or most film that involve a good factual story line. Not really big on action or horror.
A good comedy is never far from my mind either

**scoundrel** · May 22nd, 2009, 08:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mvasilj

I love most political drama's, films with espionage or most film that involve a good factual story line. Not really big on action or horror.
A good comedy is never far from my mind either

Espionage film noire: Notorious. The Third Man (possibly).
Film noire with a good factual story line: Citizen X. But film noire is a naturally subversive genre.
Film noire comedy: Dr Strangelove perhaps. MASH possibly. The film noire frequently has exquisitely funny moments: the poisoning of the abusive husband by his wife and his mistress in Les Diaboliques is deliciously, wickedly funny, because he slaps them for refusing to pour him a drink, so they pour him a drink...
Film noire political drama: I'm struggling on that one. Help from other members welcome.

Estreeter · May 22nd, 2009, 08:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scoundrel

Film noire comedy: MASH possibly.

Brilliant,
Watched the entire TV series many times but never saw the film until about 2 years ago (strange) there are not many films i've watched twice in one day, but MASH was one of them

**imtrying** · May 23rd, 2009, 12:11 AM

I love "Kiss Me Deadly"(1955) with Ralph Meeker as Mike Hammer. Another fave is a Sam Fuller film called "Shock Corridor"(1963). Peter Breck plays a reporter who goes undercover in a mental institution to find a murderer and goes crazy himself. Great stuff.

**scoundrel** · May 24th, 2009, 04:22 PM

A stylish and bleak view of Vienna under Allied occupation just after WW2. Joseph Cotton stars as Holly Martins, a writer looking for a job, who finds that his old friend Harry Lime (Orson Welles) has turned up dead, run over by a lorry in very suspicious circumstances. Cotton is soon embroiled in some very funny goings on, finding that he himself is decidedly interesting to the British military police (Trevor Howard) and that he is ineffectually trying to protect the late Lime's mistress (Alida Valli as Anna is excellent) from being handed over to the Russians as a citizen of Czechoslovakia: British official callousness in applying the letter of the Yalta Treaty is only too authentic, and adds to the film noir ambience in which the watcher is invited to take a very jaundiced view of the supposed good guys.

Corruption, treachery, back stabbing and espionage are underlying currents throughout the film, flaring up at key moments. The film has all the visual signatures of film noir: subtle use of light and shadow; sharp evocation of atmosphere; a world view which is witty, cynical and hardboiled.

Orson Welles is perfect as the cold and ruthless Harry Lime, ultimately loyal to no-one and nothing. The confrontation with his disillusioned ex-friend Cotton on the Ferris wheel is a great set piece of cinema. Lime's famous cuckoo clock speech, in which he cynically mocks peace and democracy (a perfect epigram of the fascist world view) was not in the script. Welles invented it off the cuff to fill 30 seconds between the end of the Ferris wheel scene and the start of the final action: the word ''genius'' is over-used but a man who could produce that on the spur of the moment was no ordinary man.

Technically The Third Man is a British, not a Hollywood production: Welles was already being victimised by the Hollywood establishment and to some extent by politicians in Washington and I understand British Lion Productions (Sir Alexander Korda) were pressurised not to employ him, but (politely) told the messengers where to go and how to travel. They were no fools: The Third Man without Welles would have none of its edge and wouldn't really be a film noir, nor would it be half the thriller it actually is.

Great example of the genre and one of the minority produced outside of Hollywood.

doyle · May 25th, 2009, 02:48 AM

I always thought Third Man was a little over rated. Yes, it's a good movie, and has all the things a good movie needs.
But many consider one of the best movies ever made, and I just don't think it's up there at the tip of the pyramid.

**scoundrel** · May 25th, 2009, 07:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by doyle

I always thought Third Man was a little over rated. Yes, it's a good movie, and has all the things a good movie needs.
But many consider one of the best movies ever made, and I just don't think it's up there at the tip of the pyramid.

As far as one of the best hundred movies ever made is concerned, The Third Man is up against some serious competition: IMO both Casablanca and Sunset Boulevard are better, as are several of Hitchcock's best films, not to mention Powell and Pressburger, John Ford and so forth. It would definitely be in my top one hundred movies, but probably not in my top ten.

But The Third Man is an excellent film noir notwithstanding and well worth anyone's viewing time.

Incidentally, I called film noir a ''genre'' when reviewing The Third Man, but on reflection, film noir isn't a genre/type of film (as one would say ''western'', ''gangster movie'', ''war movie'', ''horror movie'' etc): it is more like a cinematic way of seeing, characterised by the director's vision, the camera technique, the script and acting, the atmosphere of the film's own world. Film noir cuts across various genres.

May 22nd, 2009, 09:21 AM	#12
tabler Comfortably Numb Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: St James Park Posts: 7,028 Thanks: 112,501 Thanked 146,054 Times in 8,009 Posts	What I would class as a modern 'film noire' it bears all the hallmarks of the genre,'In the Heat of the Night' 1967:- Sidney Poitier, Rod Steiger & Warren Oates. The atmosphere and tension in this film is almost palpable, the initial loathing to the growing (grudgingly) respect of Virgil Tibbs (Poitier) and Gillespie (Steiger), the seedines of the town and the impression of the heat plus a very daring (for its time) plot make this one of my favourite films ever. A deserved winner of 5 oscars. __________________ To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. *Velcome to zee Forum. You must obey zee rules!*

May 22nd, 2009, 10:45 AM	#13
blondifan Vintage Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 4,406 Thanks: 54,999 Thanked 60,209 Times in 4,401 Posts	Femme Fatale On the subject of 'modern' film noir I would heartily recommend 'Femme Fatale (according to a friend it's a good remake of an old film), starring Antonio Banderas (whom I normally personally loathe) and a stunning Rebecca Romijn-Stamos http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0280665/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Femme_Fatale_(2002_film) http://femmefatalemovie.warnerbros.com/index2.html

May 22nd, 2009, 07:59 PM	#14
Estreeter *Administrator* Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: The 19th hole Posts: 58,106 Thanks: 449,599 Thanked 896,736 Times in 60,308 Posts	I love most political drama's, films with espionage or most film that involve a good factual story line. Not really big on action or horror. A good comedy is never far from my mind either __________________ To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

May 24th, 2009, 04:22 PM	#18
scoundrel Super Moderator Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: England Posts: 26,237 Thanks: 162,388 Thanked 278,408 Times in 26,182 Posts	The Third Man A stylish and bleak view of Vienna under Allied occupation just after WW2. Joseph Cotton stars as Holly Martins, a writer looking for a job, who finds that his old friend Harry Lime (Orson Welles) has turned up dead, run over by a lorry in very suspicious circumstances. Cotton is soon embroiled in some very funny goings on, finding that he himself is decidedly interesting to the British military police (Trevor Howard) and that he is ineffectually trying to protect the late Lime's mistress (Alida Valli as Anna is excellent) from being handed over to the Russians as a citizen of Czechoslovakia: British official callousness in applying the letter of the Yalta Treaty is only too authentic, and adds to the film noir ambience in which the watcher is invited to take a very jaundiced view of the supposed good guys. Corruption, treachery, back stabbing and espionage are underlying currents throughout the film, flaring up at key moments. The film has all the visual signatures of film noir: subtle use of light and shadow; sharp evocation of atmosphere; a world view which is witty, cynical and hardboiled. Orson Welles is perfect as the cold and ruthless Harry Lime, ultimately loyal to no-one and nothing. The confrontation with his disillusioned ex-friend Cotton on the Ferris wheel is a great set piece of cinema. Lime's famous cuckoo clock speech, in which he cynically mocks peace and democracy (a perfect epigram of the fascist world view) was not in the script. Welles invented it off the cuff to fill 30 seconds between the end of the Ferris wheel scene and the start of the final action: the word ''genius'' is over-used but a man who could produce that on the spur of the moment was no ordinary man. Technically The Third Man is a British, not a Hollywood production: Welles was already being victimised by the Hollywood establishment and to some extent by politicians in Washington and I understand British Lion Productions (Sir Alexander Korda) were pressurised not to employ him, but (politely) told the messengers where to go and how to travel. They were no fools: The Third Man without Welles would have none of its edge and wouldn't really be a film noir, nor would it be half the thriller it actually is. Great example of the genre and one of the minority produced outside of Hollywood.

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May 22nd, 2009, 08:30 AM	#11
brausch Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 30 Thanks: 70 Thanked 207 Times in 29 Posts	No doubt about it, The Maltese Falcon and Double Indemnity would be at the top of any list but as they've been mentioned I'll pick The Woman In The Window and The Big Combo

May 23rd, 2009, 12:11 AM	#17
imtrying Vintage Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 1,068 Thanks: 14,832 Thanked 17,239 Times in 1,043 Posts	I love "Kiss Me Deadly"(1955) with Ralph Meeker as Mike Hammer. Another fave is a Sam Fuller film called "Shock Corridor"(1963). Peter Breck plays a reporter who goes undercover in a mental institution to find a murderer and goes crazy himself. Great stuff.

May 25th, 2009, 02:48 AM	#19
doyle Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: East Coast of US Posts: 435 Thanks: 5,820 Thanked 2,754 Times in 383 Posts	I always thought Third Man was a little over rated. Yes, it's a good movie, and has all the things a good movie needs. But many consider one of the best movies ever made, and I just don't think it's up there at the tip of the pyramid.