underrated or personal fave film noirs

[ghost of miles]

I've been reading James Naremore's MORE THAN NIGHT:

FILM NOIR IN ITS CONTEXTS, and I began to think about

a movie I saw on AMC years ago that doesn't seem to

get too much attention: THE BIG STEAL (1949), with

Robert Mitchum, Jane Greer, and William Bendix.

Mitchum plays a soldier wrongly accused of stealing a

payroll; he goes on the lam to Mexico, taking the

always-alluring (to me, anyway) Jane Greer. Remember

her in OUT OF THE PAST? She's not so much a femme

fatale here, just has a quiet, sexy smartness about

her. William Bendix (what's a noir flick without

William Bendix, that omnipresent big lug of the 40's)

is the man pursuing Mitchum. A lot of great dialogue

and a chase-driven plot.

[ralphie_boy]

KISS ME DEADLY with Ralph Meeker as Mike Hammer

[jmjk]

Has anyone ever seen the film version of Charles Willeford's The Woman Chaser?

My personal fave noir(ish) film is He Walked By Night. Not the best noir out there, but well shot and very stylish for a relatively low-budget film---AND Jack Webb is in it, who is still a personal hero of mine.

[BERIGAN]

Ghost, I haven't seen The Big Steal, but you mentioned OUT OF THE PAST, and that is very good, IMO. Perfect for folks who think old films always have happy endings. And Damn, Jane Greer was no plain Jane! Just caught a part of the film again a few weeks back, and was just struck by how beautiful she was, wonder why she didn't go on to be a bigger star?

Photos don't really do her justice but here is one anyway

Anyway, another Noir that is very good is Crossfire, with Robert Young, Mitchum(Is there a trend here?) and the very underrated Robert Ryan....Edward Dmytryk directed, and it was one of the few films to deal with anti-semitism...and Gloria Grahame is in it...how can you go wrong???

Edited May 7, 2003 by BERIGAN

[BruceH]

Another vote for Out of the Past, AND Jane Greer. Actually saw it on AMC about 10 years ago, back when AMC was halfway decent. It really knocked me out. A couple of other favorites are Force of Evil (one of John Garfield's best performances) and The Sweet Smell of Success.

[kinuta]

Kiss Me Deadly

Mildred Pearce

Leave Her To Heaven

Where The Sidewalk Ends

The Killers

and the best colour noir - Chinatown

honourary mention to The Limey.

[kinuta]

Another honourary mention

The Two Jakes. A great, misunderstood and neglected film.

[Jad]

The Blue Dahlia with Alan Ladd. Screenplay by Raymond Chandler.

The Killing-an early Kubrick film, screenplay by Jim Thompson.

And in keeping with the Mitchum films, the original Cape Fear. Man, he made a great psycho.

[Chuck Nessa]

How 'bout the entire Amos 'n' Andy series.

[Guest Chaney]

Dick Powell as the best Philip Marlowe:

[JohnJ]

Not underrated, but 'The Big Sleep' remains for me one of the most entertaining movies ever made in any genre. Also, it goes without saying, Bogie was the definitive Philip Marlowe. He captured Marlowe's combination of integrity, bravery and world weary cynicism in a way that no other actor has ever come close to. No wonder Chandler himself was so impressed.

[ralphie_boy]

A few more:

THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE

DETOUR

[J Larsen]

I know this isn't the most original response, but Touch of Evil has always been one of my favorite movies. Getting even less original, The Third Man is another long-time favorite of mine.

Edited May 10, 2003 by J Larsen

[J Larsen]

There have been several restored versions of Touch of Evil. The original theatrical release was only about 90 minutes. Welles wasn't allowed to have any say in the final editing, and was reportedly very unhappy with the end product. There have been at least two versions over 100 minutes; these are both supposed to be closer to what Welles had in mind. The most recent came out four or five years ago, and I saw it in the theatre. The picture and sound quality are improved, but I didn't notice a huge amount of difference in the editing between it and the earlier restored version (although, at the time, it had been a while since I had seen the film). Still, if it comes to a revival theatre in your area, it is definately worth seeing.

[Chas]

Not surprised to come upon this old thread , since jazz and film noir go together like coffee and cigarettes .

Someone above mentioned Dick Powell's turn as Marlowe in Murder , My Sweet but his follow-up noir, Johnny O'Clock , is somewhat unheralded I think , and is easily recommended to those who enjoyed the earlier film . The film was the directorial debut of Robert Rossen who later went on to write and direct The Hustler , but since it's not available on DVD/VHS , you'll need to catch it on cable.

Edited June 14, 2007 by Chas

[gslade]

I remember seeing an interview with Robert Mitchum in which he is asked about the film noir

movement, and if he was aware of the movement when such films as Out Of The Past

were being made,

He replied (not word for word), "there was no film noir movement, Cary Grant was the big star

and got all the lighting for his films, we just had to make due with what was leftover"

Not obscure but a favorite

The Asphalt Jungle

Edited June 14, 2007 by gslade

[Larry Kart]

Just saw Joseph H. Lewis's "The Big Combo" (1954) tonight, for the first time. Now that's one bat---- noir! A must-see in part for the stunning, haunted Jean Wallace, who was sort of a cross between Grace Kelly and Kim Novak. Wallace twice attempted suicide in real life and was married to the film's male lead, Cornel Wilde. Also, and quite startlingly explicit, there are a pair gay gangsters played by Lee Van Cleef and Earl Holliman!

A very deserving noir is Andre de Toth's "Crime Wave" (also 1954), with Gene Nelson as an ex-con trying to go straight while other crooks are determined to force him back into the game, and Sterling Hayden as the tough, angry, borderline demented cop (a touch of Robert Ryan here) who is on Nelson's tail. IIRC, there's West Coast jazz aura to this one -- in part because it's based in Los Angeles, in part because there's a somewhat boyish, "cool," almost Chet Baker feel to Nelson's character. In fact, again IIRC, that's a big part of the film -- Hayden's innately "hot" character hates Nelson's because they're half-a-generation apart in age and attitude.

[ghost of miles]

Enjoyed this one, which floats around as a budget-line DVD:

Storyline is one somewhat prevalent in postwar noir: a down-and-out WWII vet getting the shaft (framed for a robbery he didn't commit). John Payne, who plays the vet, will be more familiar to most of you as the lawyer who got Santa off the hook in MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET.

Here's a good book for those interested in this thread:

[freeform83]

My favorite film noirs:

Fritz Lang's SCARLET STREET (45) -- I love seeing Edward G. Robinson in a mild-mannered, almost introverted role getting sucked into a moral black hole

Anthony Mann's T-MEN (47) -- amazing cinematography, IMO, with some of the shots truly approaching the level of art

BODY AND SOUL (47) -- John Garfield is brilliant and the anti-capitalist subtext is fascinating

FORCE OF EVIL (48) -- the dialogue has a rhythm all its own, a kind of poetry -- plus more Garfield

THE SET-UP (49) -- this is a gem -- Robert Ryan as a washed-up boxer, and the story takes place in real time

KISS ME DEADLY (55) -- hard-boiled crime story, avant-garde photography, and climactic genre-hopping!

SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS (57) -- unforgettable time capsule of New York in the 50s with brilliant dialogue (almost every line is a gem), Burt Lancester in his best role, and Tony Curtis in a rare display of good acting. One of the best movies ever made

TOUCH OF EVIL (58) -- this one goes without saying

ODDS AGAINST TOMORROW (59) -- also features some great shots but even more fascinating as a character study/social commentary -- a very intelligent look at racism (Robert Ryan and Harry Belafonte). I consider it the last true film noir. Score by John Lewis of MJQ

[medjuck]

BTW I believe the late Jane Greer is the mother of Steven Lasker an Ellington scholar who amongst other things remastered and wrote the notes for the recent Mosaic Ellington small groups box set.

[medjuck]

My favorite film noirs:

...........

ODDS AGAINST TOMORROW (59) -- also features some great shots but even more fascinating as a character study/social commentary -- a very intelligent look at racism (Robert Ryan and Harry Belafonte). I consider it the last true film noir. Score by John Lewis of MJQ

Odds Against Tomorrow was a big influence on Jean-Pierre Melville.

[brownie]

John Huston's 'The Asphalt Jungle' and Stanley Kubrick's 'The Killing' are a couple of favorites.

They both star Sterling Hayden, the film noir acteur par excellence!

[Shawn]

Road House - This is one seriously scummy little film (that's a compliment). Ida is at her radiant-trashy best and Widmark is a full-blown LOON (not a big stretch, but worthwhile anyway).

Beware, My Lovely. This is a crackerjack thriller with Ryan as a mentally disturbed serial killer who holds Lupino hostage in her own boarding house.

[robviti]

so many to choose from, and a lot of great ones have already been mentioned.

this is one of my all-time favs.

i really like the writing, and frankly, lauren bacall was one smoking hot 19-year-old!

At the beginning of one of the screen's most famous seductions, Slim sits on his lap. Before kissing the seated man for the first time, she acts the aggressor role as they engage in flirtatious sexual repartee:

Slim: You know, Steve, you're not very hard to figure. Only at times. Sometimes I know exactly what you're going to say - most of the time. The other times (She sits in his lap), the other times you're just a stinker. (She plants a kiss on his lips.)

Steve: What'd you do that for?

Slim: Been wondering whether I'd like it.

Steve: What's the decision?

Slim: I don't know yet.

Her verdict of his kissing talent requires a second kiss. Then, after kissing him again, he appears baffled. She suggests to her passive partner as she stands:

It's even better when you help.

When this remark doesn't work and produce a satisfactory reaction, she propositions him midway from leaving his room with other famous lines, delivered with a purring, warm voice:

Slim: (She holds up the bills again.) Uh, sure you won't change your mind about this?

Steve: (affirmatively) Uh-huh.

Slim: This belongs to me and so do my lips. I don't see any difference.

Steve: Well, I do.

Slim: Okay. You know you don't have to act with me, Steve. You don't have to say anything and you don't have to do anything. Not a thing. Oh, maybe just whistle. (She opens his door and pauses.) You know how to whistle, don't you, Steve? You just put your lips together - and blow.

He continues to remain seated in his chair, smoking a cigarette. After she has left, he makes the sound of a cat-call whistle - and then chuckles to himself.

[Larry Kart]

"To Have and Have Not" might be the best movie ever. The last time I saw it, it seemed as though every shot, every moment, was more filled with meaning -- and gracefully, almost invisibly so -- than was the case in any other movie I could think of.