*** 3rd Annual HTF Noirvember Movie Challenge*** (2 Viewers)

[Robert Crawford]

See my summary for film grades with the movies in "Bold" being first time viewings:

35) 11-25-23: "Peking Express" (1951) (Blu-ray) 3/5 Stars
Some film sources and people have classified this movie as a film noir. It definitely has some noir elements, but I wouldn't exactly call it a noir. Anyhow, the movie takes place in Communist China in which a doctor working for the United Nations During his journey on a train to Peking, he comes into contact with several people including his former lover, a Catholic priest and Chinese agents and soldiers. Furthermore, there is a stolen shipment of UN medical supplies that figure prominently into the storyline. Surprisingly, the script for this 1951 film does have some political references regarding communism versus democracy. I found this film entertaining enough with a really good film ending action sequence. One day, I'm going to watch this movie for a second time in order to listen to Eddy Von Mueller's audio commentary.

36) 11-25-23: "Obsessed" (1951) (Blu-ray) 4/5 Stars
On this 2023 Classicflix Blu-ray, the opening credits has the film title as "The Late Edwina Black" which is the UK film title while the American title is Obsessed. For a brief moment that confused me until I remembered the film title's background. A woman dies of natural causes due to a long-term medical condition until the town's doctor has some misgivings about certifying the death certificate. Scotland Yard is called, and the body is exhumed where it was discovered that the woman's body had large quantities of arsenic. So, now we have a homicide investigation in which the husband, the woman's companion and housekeeper have become police suspects. Furthermore, the three suspects even start suspecting each other of murder which complicates the romantic relationship between the dead woman's husband and the dead wife's companion. Both of them have been having an illicit affair for a few years which has been witnessed by the housekeeper, who has her own agenda. The setting for this murder mystery is England during the Victorian era. Again, this is another UK produced film which I enjoyed watching for the first time, and I wish there was an audio commentary for it. David Farrar and Geraldine Fitzgerald are excellent as the illicit lovers. Jean Cadell as the vengeful and housekeeper and Roland Culver as the sly Scotland Yard Inspector are no slouches in their respective film roles. A good movie!

 

[Robert Crawford]

See my summary for film grades with the movies in "Bold" being first time viewings:

37) 11-26-23: "The Lady from Shanghai" (1947) (Blu-ray) 4.5/5 Stars
I have nothing to add about one of the most famous film noirs ever made except to say I can't believe this movie was a box office failure. Yes, much of the movie doesn't make sense like another film noir classic "The Big Sleep". However, the movie is so much fun to watch because of the great characters/actors and film sequences. I have four different Blu-ray releases of this movie, but the one I watched this morning was the 2023 Kino release which I enjoyed while listening to Imogen Sara Smith's audio commentary. As always, Smith's commentary was really good.

38) 11-26-23: "Underworld" (1927) (DVD) 5/5 Stars
With yesterday's Kino announcement that this historically renown film is coming to Blu-ray again from a recent 4K scan, I decided to finally bite the bullet and watch this movie in its entirety for the very first time. Being one of the first gangster movies filmed in which many of the gangster tropes were first developed and used in this movie. Ben Hecht won an Oscar for writing this movie. Josef Von Sternberg directed it. The gangster in this movie played by George Bancroft is not only a violent person but a criminal that is likeable with some good qualities too. A complex character indeed. Clive Brook as an alcoholic lawyer that is rescue from the gutter by a hoodlum and Evelyn Brent as the hoodlum's girlfriend are listed above Bancroft's name in the screen credits. However, IMO, Bancroft as the benevolent gangster is the real star of this classic film. I hope we don't have to wait too long in 2024 for the Blu-ray release. I never bought the 2019 Criterion Blu-ray boxset, so I watched the 2010 DVD. Now, I'm debating whether to buy that Criterion BD boxset.

 

[Michael Elliott]

I've fallen behind on the noir watches. Next year I will try to have a better plan to fit more in.

I watched THE FAMILY SECRET from the Columbia Noir box but there's no way to even pretend it's a noir so I won't include it here. I did like the film though.

The Harder They Fall (1956) ****

Broke sportswriter Eddie Willis (Humphrey Bogart) is paid by boxing promoter Nick Benko (Rod Steiger) to do promotional work for an unknown boxer. The plan is to turn the boxer into a star but the only problem is that he isn't good at what he does. It's up to Eddie to try and sell him and make the money.

It's rather amazing how many great actors or directors end their careers in horrible movies. That certainly wasn't the case for Bogart who managed to go out with a great film and one of his greatest performances. I think there are elements that were borrowed from ON THE WATERFRONT but what's so great about this film is how it gets you right in the action as far as what was happening behind-the-scenes of the boxing game. It's also rather shocking how many crime pictures came out of the sport.

Bogart is simply wonderful here and one can't help but wonder what he would have done had he not died so young. I really loved his "old style" approach when mixed with Rod Steiger's more "method" approach. The two of them together were wonderful and it leads to a very good ending. The film is rather dark, gritty and it contains a documentary like feel that really works.

Born to Kill (1947) ***

Sam Wilde (Lawrence Tierney) brutally murders two people in a fit of rage and soon after the bodies are discovered by the recently divorced Helen (Claire Trevor). The two end up meeting one another and heading out West without them knowing the other's secret.

Such a mean-spirited little gem that you wouldn't expect from Robert Wise. Sure, parts of it are rather predictable but the cast is just so good that you can't help but sit back and enjoy the wickedness on the screen. Tierney and Trevor are both wonderful in their roles and I love the scene where the two of them basically melt over the dead bodies they're discussing. The supporting cast is terrific and it leads to a very satisfying ending.

Kill or Be Killed (1950) **

Robert Warren (Lawrence Tierney) is an American working in South America who is accused of killing a man. Robert takes off and sets up in the jungle working with a crew where soon he's going to find the real killer.

Tierney left RKO and made this low-budget picture that re-teamed him with his DILLINGER director. Sadly, the end result is rather bland as you can tell they didn't have too much money to work with and this leads to the majority of the scenes taking place indoors and just featuring a bunch of dialogue. What scenes do take place in the jungle were fun and one wishes that more of the film had been set there. Tierney is as good as usual but Marissa O'Brien and the supporting cast are rather bland.

 

[Pete York]

17) Cruel Gun Story (1964) D: Takumi Furukawa
A gangster (Jo Shishido) is sprung from prison by a mob boss and then pressured into attempting a risky armored car heist. Familiar stuff to anybody who's seen The Killing, but differentiated by an even bleaker nihilist streak--accentuated by the looming American military presence--and the angsty cool guy act of Shishido.

18) Elevator to the Gallows (1958) D: Louis Malle
A woman (Jeanne Moreau) and her lover kill her husband and then embark on a historic run of bad luck. As Malle said, it's somewhere between Bresson (the elevator part) and Hitchcock (with a twist, Ronet is an 'innocent' man on the run for the wrong murder). Famous for a scene of Moreau's nocturnal forlorn stroll down the Paris streets while Miles Davis plays some shit off the top of his head on the soundtrack. The filmmakers put some extraneous stuff in--the husband is an arms dealer, discussions of Indochina--to try to elevate it from a genre exercise, but it's the depiction of a modernized Paris that didn't yet really exist, as Malle put it, that helps make it a marker between classical and new wave.

19) Brighton Rock (1948) D: John Boulting
A sociopathic small-time hood (Richard Attenborough) finds his world closing in around him and his gang. Brutal for its time, with razor blade attacks, cold-blooded murders and talk of suicide. Great location photography of Brighton by Harry Waxman. Big breakout for Attenborough who makes Pinkie a fairly complex character with a paradoxical bent toward clean living (no drinking or smoking) and a steadfast Catholic faith. Carol Marsh is also great as Rose, an almost hapless innocent and, unfortunately for her, a potential witness against Pinkie. She's so achingly vulnerable that the fact she is shown some mercy at the end (the book's ending was changed) comes as a relief.

 

[Robert Crawford]

See my summary for film grades with the movies in "Bold" being first time viewings:

39) 11-27-23: "Betrayed/When Strangers Marry" (1944) (DVD) 3/5 Stars
Overall, this "B" movie from Monogram that was produced by the King Brothers and directed by a young William Castle is a pretty good early noir movie. However, I've always had a few issues with this movie which prevented me from giving it a higher film grade. The basic storyline is fine about a young woman that marries a man, she hardly knows and who she later suspects might be a murderer. However, after watching this movie several times over the decades, there are some obvious plot holes that never made sense to me. Some people might overlook these plot holes because this is still a very entertaining movie. Many of Hitchcock's movies lack sense to when it comes to certain plot points and character motivations. Hitchcock was more interested in making entertaining movies than movies that made sense. With that said, the acting is superb with Dean Jagger, Kim Hunter, Robert Mitchum and Neil Hamilton playing their respective roles. One thing, towards the end of the film, some of Mitchum's facial expressions reminded me of

Spoiler

his later portrayal of Harry Powell in The Night of the Hunter.

There is also a nice cameo of the lovely Rhonda Fleming at the film's conclusion. In closing, William Castle is known for his horror movies, but he actually cut his teeth as a director making some good noir movies too along with The Whistler films. Castle was part of the production team for The Lady from Shanghai.

 

[HawksFord]

17.
Undercover Girl (1950) NEW — We’re going to try to get through Kino Lorber’s Dark Side of Cinema XIV before the end of Noirvember. This one stars Alexis Smith as a young, female police officer trying to bust the gang responsible for her father’s death and Scott Brady as the seasoned officer she is working with along with some familiar faces in supporting roles. It’s nice to see a woman in that kind of a role for change, but I didn’t feel that Smith really pulled it off, and there’s a coda that undercuts the impact.
* * 1/2

 

[Robert Crawford]

17.
Undercover Girl (1950) NEW — We’re going to try to get through Kino Lorber’s Dark Side of Cinema XIV before the end of Noirvember. This one stars Alexis Smith as a young, female police officer trying to bust the gang responsible for her father’s death and Scott Brady as the seasoned officer she is working with along with some familiar faces in supporting roles. It’s nice to see a woman in that kind of a role for change, but I didn’t feel that Smith really pulled it off, and there’s a coda that undercuts the impact.
* * 1/2

Great minds think alike as I watch that same movie just before going on bed. I’ll post my comments later on.

 

[JasonRoer]

Well, life has just been far too busy these days with family around Thanksgiving, shifts at the hospital with an overwhelming amount of paperwork (their tends to be a general decompensation of mental health symptomatology for many patients during the holiday season), and designing the new home theater. I have watched some more films since my last post, however, not too many. And I definitely haven't had time to write reviews. So I'm just going to post my list and bow out in these final few days.

I had a wonderful time with the challenge and look forward to next year already. Here's hoping life things won't be as overwhelming. You all had some great recommendations. I think Detour, Laura, and The Letter are my 3 favorite discoveries this year.

1. Midnight Manhunt - 3 out of 5, new
2. Strangers in the Night out of 5 , new
3. Blade Runner - 5 out of 5
4. Dark City Director's Cut - 4.5 out of 5
5. Fear (1946) - 2.5 out of 5 , new
6. The Brasher Doubloon (1947) - 3.5 out of 5, new
7. Night of the Hunter 4 out of 5
8. Sunset Blvd - 5 out of 5
9. Blade Runner 2049 - 4.5 out of 5
10. The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934) - 4 out of 5
11. Step Down to Terror (1958) - 3 out of 5, new
12.Tomorrow at Seven (1933) -4 out of 5, new
13. 39 Steps - 4 out of 5
14. The Terminator - 4 out of 5
15. Violated (1953) - 3.5 out of 5, new
16. The Lady Vanishes 4 out of 5
17. The Turning Point, 3.75 out of 5, new
18. Chinatown At Midnight - 3.5 out of 5, new
19. Detour (1945) - 4 out of 5, new
20. Murder by the Clock (1931) - 3 out of 5, new
21. The Big Sleep - 4 out of 5
22. Lost Highway - 4 out of 5
23. Blue Velvet - 4 out of 5
24. Out of the Past - 4 out of 5, new
25. Laura - 4 out of 5, new
26. The Letter - 4 out of 5, new

 

[JasonRoer]

You should get better responses moving your post to the appropriate hardware area. Let me know if you want me to move it for you?

Thanks for the offer. Very kind. I just ended up posting in the proper place. I received some wonderful advice to balance budget and product. Thanks again!

 

[benbess]

Watched this morning The Two Mrs. Carrolls. Good noir with dashes of Hitchcock's Suspicion and Rebecca, plus maybe a sprinkle of Dorian Gray, and a dash of the mental health noirs. Even with the rough print on max—which has scratches, speckles, etc—I thought the cinematography was very good. Turns out it was lensed by Peverell Marley, who did almost all of DeMille's movies, plus some other notable titles including Suez (1938), Alexander's Ragtime Band (1938), House of Wax (1953), etc. Hope this one can be restored by Warner Archive. For me there was a good amount of suspense in The Two Mrs. Carrolls, with strong performances as usual by Stanwyck and Bogart. My rating: B+

 

[JasonRoer]

Watched this morning The Two Mrs. Carrolls. Good noir with dashes of Hitchcock's Suspicion and Rebecca, plus maybe a sprinkle of Dorian Gray, and a dash of the mental health noirs. Even with the rough print on max—which has scratches, speckles, etc—I thought the cinematography was very good. Turns out it was lensed by Peverell Marley, who did almost all of DeMille's movies, plus some other notable titles including Suez (1938), Alexander's Ragtime Band (1938), House of Wax (1953), etc. Hope this one can be restored by Warner Archive. For me there was a good amount of suspense in The Two Mrs. Carrolls, with strong performances as usual by Stanwyck and Bogart. My rating: B+


View attachment 204905

Ha! I was watching this last night for a bit. I'm about halfway through, I think.

 

[benbess]

The first prison noir I ever watched was I Want to Live! from 1958, when I was about twelve. At the time I was staying with my grandmother who lived in Berkeley, which is not far from San Quentin. I just happened to randomly find the movie on her black and white tv while channel flipping one day. Susan Hayward was awarded an Oscar for her performance. A memorable movie.

Over the years I've watched some other prison noirs, but today with my new blu-ray I watched for the first time Caged from 1950, which features a powerful performance by Eleanor Parker. Like many people, I grew up watching The Sound of Music, and mostly know her as the Baroness in that movie. But wow, can she act in this one. And the nuances of the performances are wonderfully revealed because the picture is taken from the original camera negative, which amazingly survived. Details like freckles on faces appear. I don't know if Eleanor Parker would have called herself a method actor, but it seems to me like she was. Agnes Moorehead is good in this too, as well as Betty Garde. Garde is not a well known actress, I suppose, but she co-starred eleven years later in one of the most devastating Twilight Zone episodes ever made—"The Midnight Sun." I was impressed by how relatively hard-hitting and realistic this movie was, and looking up the director, John Cromwell, I found that he directed some other impressive movies, including Of Human Bondage (1934), The Prisoner of Zenda (1937), Since You Went Away (1944), and most especially for me Anna and the King of Siam (1946). Anyway, my rating for Caged is an "A." Dramatic score by Max Steiner.

 

[Michael Elliott]

Storm Fear (1955) ** 1/2

Cornel Wilde plays a bank robber who shows up at his brother's cabin in the mountains. He's wounded but him and his two helpers take the family hostage and soon drama from the past comes out full force.

Wilde not only plays the lead but he also served as director and that there is where STORM FEAR falls apart. There are some interesting ideas scattered throughout the film but they're all wasted by some rather poor direction. Believe it or not, the screenplay comes from Horton Foote, the Oscar-winner from TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD and you also have cinematography by Joseph LaShelle who would also shoot THE APARTMENT and MARTY among many others.

I liked the first thirty-minutes of the film because I loved the snow-covered mountain setting and I really liked all of the characters trapped inside a small cabin. However, the biggest problem is that Wilde is a horrible director. Well, at least here he is. He really doesn't create much of an atmosphere for the actors but the most damning thing is a big secret that is revealed at the end. The problem is that most people over the age of 2 will see this twist very early on so it just gets dragged out for no reason. I won't ruin the ending but it's downright horrible on all levels. It's really embarrassing on many levels and especially since you will already know the twist.

 

[Robert Crawford]

See my summary for film grades with the movies in "Bold" being first time viewings:

40) 11-27-23: "Undercover Girl" (1950) (Blu-ray) 3/5 Stars
TBH, I never heard of this movie before buying this Blu-ray earlier this year as part of Kino's "Film Noir: The Dark Side of Cinema Volume XIV". It has never been released on any previous home video format nor am I sure it ever played on TV. Anyhow, in many ways this is ground-breaking film in which the protagonist is an undercover female cop trying to bust a gang of drug dealers that killed her police detective father in NYC. However, most of the film takes place in LA, particularly, a downtown LA that no longer exists today as it was in 1950. Like some people in this thread, my main issue with this movie is the lead actor, Alexis Smith. Though, she gives a good performance in this movie, Smith is just a little too sophisticated and classy looking to be posing as some kind of low life drug dealer. Perhaps, that's my own personal bias based on seeing her in other movie roles. Anyhow, Scott Brady as her lieutenant/boss on this undercover operation gives a credible performance along with Royal Dano, the great character actor making his film debut. Interesting, both Brady and Dano will be reunited four years later in the western noir "Johnny Guitar". The casting of this movie besides Smith is excellent with Gladys George, Edmon Ryan and Gerald Mohr. A special shout out to Harry Landers, playing a psycho killer that loves inflicting pain onto others while having a big wide grin. Ironically, I grew up watching him play a doctor in the TV series "Ben Casey". This was the second film directed by Joseph Pevney. He not only directed his share of noirs, but also appeared as an actor in several of such movies before transitioning behind the camera. In closing, I liked this movie more after watching this fine-looking Kino Blu-ray a second time with Julie Kirgo's audio commentary. Her commentary increased my appreciation for this movie that was filmed almost 75 years ago.

 

[Robert Crawford]

I was impressed by how relatively hard-hitting and realistic this movie was, and looking up the director, John Cromwell, I found that he directed some other movies impressive movies, including Of Human Bondage (1934), The Prisoner of Zenda (1937), Since You Went Away (1944), and most especially for me Anna and the King of Siam (1946). Anyway, my rating for Caged is an "A." Dramatic score by Max Steiner.

View attachment 204920

This morning, I'd watched the Warner Archive Blu-ray. Wow! It's a beautiful video presentation as the movie never looked better in all of my previous viewings of it. Did you know that John Cromwell was James Cromwell's father?

John Cromwell was a fine director until he got blacklisted during that horrible time in Hollywood. One of my favorite noirs was directed by Cromwell "The Racket" (1951). Due to Howard Hughes interference which he did all of the time he owned RKO, Cromwell walked out, and Nicholas Ray directed some additional scenes. That was Cromwell's last movie for a long time due to being blacklisted.

 

[benbess]

....Did you know that John Cromwell was James Cromwell's father?

I had no idea! Thanks for pointing that out.

I actually recently started a re-watch on max of Six Feet Under, which is now currently on Netflix too. James Cromwell has a role in this show, although since I'm on season 2 his character hasn't shown up yet. From my pov Six Feet Under has some noir elements in it. I haven't watched it since it first came out more than twenty years ago. How time flies. I remember a lot of it, but I've forgotten a lot of it too. It's still an emotional roller coaster.

 

[HawksFord]

18,
One Way Street (1950) NEW —James Mason stars as a dissolute doctor who steals from a gang led by Dan Duryea and runs off with Duryea’s girlfriend played by Marta Toren. The gang includes William Conrad, King Donovan, and Jack Elam. It’s a bit odd for a noir in that the noir elements largely bookend the film with the middle mostly having a different, and more hopeful, tone. But it’s noir, so you know things can’t stay that way. This is from the Kino Lorber’s Dark Side of Cinema XIV collection.
* * * 1/2

 

[benbess]

I missed the neo-noir Training Day back in 2001, but the 4k has been on sale for ten dollars recently and so I picked it up, and pq seems very good. I was on the edge of my seat for pretty much the whole movie. Denzel Washington earned one of his Academy Awards for his performance in this film. I feel like Washington also should have gotten an Oscar for Malcolm X, but this movie has one of his deeply impressive roles as well. Ethan Hawke is just as good from my pov, and right in there with Washington. My rating: A. Denzel Washington said of his role Training Day:

Spoiler

"I think in some ways he's done his job too well. He's learned how to manipulate, how to push the line further and further, and, in the process, he's become more hard-core than some of the guys he's chasing."

Director Antoine Fuqua has a strong visual sense, and tells a gripping story. From my pov Fuqua did just as well with this year's Equalizer 3. Within the surrealism of Training Day there's realism. From wikipedia:

"Fuqua wanted Training Day to look as authentic as possible, and he shot on location in some of the most infamous neighborhoods of Los Angeles. He even obtained permission to shoot in the Imperial Courts housing project, the first time L.A. street gangs had allowed a film crew to be brought into that neighborhood. The crew also filmed in Hoover Block and Baldwin Village.[7] Parts of the film were shot on a dead end street called Palmwood Drive, where the Black P. Stones Blood gang members were seen on the rooftops. Cle Shaheed Sloan, the gang technical advisor of Training Day, managed to get on screen real-life gang members from Rollin' 60 Crips, PJ Watts Crips, and B. P. Stones (a Bloods set). According to Fuqua, the actors and crew ended up receiving a warm welcome from local residents.....There were also two police officers on hand as technical advisors, Michael Patterson and Paul Lozada (the latter from the San Francisco Police Department). Washington, Hawke and other cast members also met with undercover police officers, local drug dealers, and gang members to help them understand their roles better."

Training Day - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Robert Crawford]

I'm behind my writeups so I need to catch up between now and December 1st. See my summary for film grades with the movies in "Bold" being first time viewings:

41) 11-28-23: "Caged" (1950) (Blu-ray) 4/5 Stars
This isn't the first movie about women in prison as there have been others like "Ladies They Talk About" (1933), but it's probably the first one with some realistic storylines. I first watched this movie back in the 1960's and it disturbed me quite a bit back then, especially due to a couple of scenes. Eleanor Parker has been a favorite actress of mine since I first laid eyes on her in "The Naked Jungle" (1953). I thought she was so beautiful in that movie. Anyhow, shortly afterwards I watched her in this movie and saw a different side of her as an actress. I refuse to watch The Sound of Music when it came out back in the day. At that time, it wasn't my type of movie. Anyway, Parker was a tremendous actress, and she showed her acting range in this film as an innocent and naive 19-year-old sentence to prison for arm robbery, whose transformation into a hardened convict because of prison's hard conditions and systematic abuse and corruption. Parker earned an Oscar nomination for Best Actress in this film along with Hope Emerson getting nominated for Best Supporting Actress as the sadistic prison matron. Betty Garde was great too as Kitty and she gave a good performance in "Call Northside 777", another fine noir. Agnes Moorehead cast against type is very good as the sympathetic warden that believes in rehabilitation for prisoners but is fighting uphill battle against a corrupt political system. This 2023 Blu-ray has an excellent video presentation.

42) 11-28-23: "Appointment with a Shadow" (1957) (Blu-ray) 3.5/5 Stars
I was not familiar with this movie before it was released on Blu-ray by Kino in its "Film Noir: The Darkside of Cinema Volume XIV". Not a bad movie with George Nader playing an alcoholic reporter trying to be salvaged by his newspaper reporter girlfriend/Joanna Moore and her protective brother, who happens to be a police lieutenant/Brian Keith. Nader gives one of his best acting performances in this movie. However, Virginia Field steals the movie as the gangster girlfriend to killer Frank de Kova. As to the basic film plot, it's hard to swallow an alcoholic drying out in 24 hours and then being a witness to the police capturing a notorious criminal in order for him to scoop a big story. Of course, such an easy setup doesn't work as plan because the reporter is then hunted by this killer. This studio programmer is a good movie with its black and white cinematography. By the way, this movie was directed by actor Richard Carlson, who starred in a number of films like Creature from the Black Lagoon and It Came from Outer Space. The Blu-ray offers a nice video presentation along with an audio commentary that I have to listen to during my next viewing of this movie.

 

[Robert Crawford]

See my summary for film grades with the movies in "Bold" being first time viewings:

43) 11-29-23: "Rio" (1939) (Blu-ray) 2.5/5 Stars
A master swindler is sentenced to ten years of hard labor at a French penal colony located off the coast of South America. He escapes from the colony thinking his wife has been unfaithful to him because a prison guard is destroying his wife's letters to him. He gets outside help with his escape from a faithful servant/friend, but as he executes his escape through the jungle, he commits a murder before finally seeing his wife again. Of course, due to the production code, things don't go as plan for the swindler. I must say I was a little disappointed with this film. I just thought it would be a better movie. Still, it has a great cast with Basil Rathbone, Victor McLaglen, Sigrid Gurie, Robert Cummings and Leo Carrillo. The movie was directed by John Brahm and is derived from a story written by Jean Negulesco. One day, I'll try to watch this Kino Blu-ray again in order to listen to the Samm Deighan audio commentary. Perhaps the commentary will give me a better perspective on the movie.

44) 11-29-23: "Make Haste to Live" (1954) (Vudu Streaming) 3/5 Stars
Edit: This 1954 film noir was derived from a novel written by Mildred and her husband Gordon better known around crime fiction and film noir circles as The Gordons. Anyhow, this was their first novel they sold to Hollywood, but learned a valuable lesson going forward to write their own screenplays derived from their literary work. I never heard of this movie until some years ago, when Eddie Muller talked about The Gordons. This movie could've used their touch as I found it a bit lacking except for the beginning and ending film sequences. The basic plot is about a woman that is stalked by her husband, 18 years after leaving him in which he was wrongly convicted of killing her. After his release from prison, he finally tracks her down to a small town in New Mexico where she runs a newspaper. Further complicating the situation is their daughter, who is about to graduate from high school. A daughter, the vengeful filled husband didn't even know about while serving his prison sentence. After 24 hours of reflection, I decided to knock down my film grade for this movie because of some obvious plot holes and a little too much melodrama for my taste. However, I do like the cast as I always enjoy Dorothy McGuire, Stephen McNally and Edgar Buchannan. Originally, this was a Republic picture that now belongs to Paramount. I think Martin Scorsese's "Film Foundation" restored this film along with several other old Republic movies now available on Vudu, iTunes and other streaming services. Last year, I purchased this HD digital for $4.99 on Vudu so this was my first viewing of it.