Neo-noir: All the colors of noir post 1970 on Blu-ray (1 Viewer)

[Winston T. Boogie]

I know this thread is mainly on post-1970 film noir, but if it's allowed I'd be interested to hear from filmnoirguy and anyone else what their top ten or so favorite film noirs are from the classic era from the early 40s to the late 50s.

I think I have another thread that speaks to classic noir that could be done in. If we start talking classic noir here we'll probably end up talking a lot of it because it is popular around here.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

So, I bumped the Film Noir on Blu-ray thread, this thread was meant to be in addition to that thread addressing neo-npir on Blu-ray from 1970 on. I think most people agree that classic noir was over by 1960.

So, the hole in the whole noir discussion really is 1960-1969, which is a decade where, for some reason, not many noirs come to mind.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

Probably my favorite noir from the 1960s is John Boorman's Point Blank. This is just a fantastic picture and was an influence, I think, on all noirs that came after it.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

Oh, and don't forget The Limey with Terence Stamp and Peter Fonda. Our Melissa George as The Limey's daughter

The Limey is a great noir that I would say owes a big debt to Boorman's Point Blank. Love the picture and I have to get that on Blu-ray!

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

My definition of film noir is broader than most. With that said, I don't consider The Godfather a noir film, but a crime saga. However, I do consider Heat a neo noir film.

I am probably in Robert's camp having a broader definition of noir.

 

[benbess]

Haven't seen it since it came out, but I consider Wolfgang Petersen's 1991 movie Shattered a good neo-noir. Here's the original trailer....

 

[bujaki]

Haven't seen it since it came out, but I consider Wolfgang Petersen's 1991 movie Shattered a good neo-noir. Here's the original trailer....

The late W. Peterson, alas!

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

How about some sunny neo noirs from the UK: The Hit & Sexy Beast?

There are both fantastic pictures. I have them both on Blu. I will revisit them soon. The Brits like their noir as well.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

A new noir picture that is coming soon to look forward to is Marlowe directed by Neil Jordan and starring Liam Neeson as Philip Marlowe. It has top notch talent associated with the film and looks like a fun project. Plus it will get Neeson out of the B action pictures he seems to be stuck in where he has a certain set of skills. Here he is in costume:

 

[Robert Crawford]

A new noir picture that is coming soon to look forward to is Marlowe directed by Neil Jordan and starring Liam Neeson as Philip Marlowe. It has top notch talent associated with the film and looks like a fun project. Plus it will get Neeson out of the B action pictures he seems to be stuck in where he has a certain set of skills. Here he is in costume:

View attachment 149119

Just like Robert Mitchum, he should have played him 15 years earlier than now.

 

[Capt D McMars]

one of my favorites -

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

Haven't seen it since it came out, but I consider Wolfgang Petersen's 1991 movie Shattered a good neo-noir. Here's the original trailer....

one of my favorites -

Shattered and Against All Odds are both on my soon to watch list. I've seen them both before but look forward to revisiting them. I have them both on Blu. Saw both in theaters when they were released. Really, and I had not thought about it before I picked up the set I mention in the first post here, the 1980s and 1990s were quite a fertile period for neo-noir. Honestly, I don't think I appreciated at the time how great those two decades were for the genre.

 

[Walter Kittel]

Against All Odds is a very stylish and attractively shot neo-noir. I saw this when it first premiered and I recall how pleasant the tropical settings seemed in contrast to the very wet, late winter weather I was experiencing at the time. A rainy, night viewing with temperatures in the '40s, I believe.

Of course, I am sure that folks know this is a loose remake of 1947's iconic noir film Out of the Past. Jane Greer appears in both titles and noir icon Richard Widmark helps bolster Against All Odds' credentials. Aside from the lush visuals, the film benefits from a strong, appealing cast including Jeff Bridges, Rachel Ward, and James Woods.

I have not seen it nor Shattered in quite some time, and I also viewed (and enjoyed) both films theatrically. Casting was also strong in Shattered with Tom Berenger, Bob Hoskins and Greta Scacchi all turning in good performances. Of the two films I think that Against All Odds holds up a bit better since Shattered relies upon a 'surprise' which tends to mute the impact of the film on repeat viewings. Or at least I think so.

Given the state of home video in the early 1980s my experience with classic film noir was virtually nonexistent; so while I read reviews and was aware of the genre a general lack of first hand experience probably contributed significantly to a stunted sense of the genre while it was undergoing a rebirth of sorts in the '80s and '90s. (I began expanding my classic noir experience via Laserdisc in the mid '90s.)

- Walter.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

Against All Odds is a very stylish and attractively shot neo-noir. I saw this when it first premiered and I recall how pleasant the tropical settings seemed in contrast to the very wet, late winter weather I was experiencing at the time. A rainy, night viewing with temperatures in the '40s, I believe.

Of course, I am sure that folks know this is a loose remake of 1947's iconic noir film Out of the Past. Jane Greer appears in both titles and noir icon Richard Widmark helps bolster Against All Odds' credentials. Aside from the lush visuals, the film benefits from a strong, appealing cast including Jeff Bridges, Rachel Ward, and James Woods.

I have not seen it nor Shattered in quite some time, and I also viewed (and enjoyed) both films theatrically. Casting was also strong in Shattered with Tom Berenger, Bob Hoskins and Greta Scacchi all turning in good performances. Of the two films I think that Against All Odds holds up a bit better since Shattered relies upon a 'surprise' which tends to mute the impact of the film on repeat viewings. Or at least I think so.

Given the state of home video in the early 1980s my experience with classic film noir was virtually nonexistent; so while I read reviews and was aware of the genre a general lack of first hand experience probably contributed significantly to a stunted sense of the genre while it was undergoing a rebirth of sorts in the '80s and '90s. (I began expanding my classic noir experience via Laserdisc in the mid '90s.)

- Walter.

Going off of memory, I think Against All Odds was pretty well received by critics but I think I recall Shattered being slaughtered by them. I enjoyed it when I saw it in a cinema and I think I read a few newspaper reviews after and they were bad. Here's a funny memory that takes place before the internet, I would go to the library where they had several newspapers from around the country and read the reviews in the Friday papers. Ha, that was basically the primary way to get different reviews from the critics.

In the 1970s and 1980s, I don't think there was a big audience for Noir because really, it was not a simple thing to have seen the pictures then. You'd have to rely on a TV viewing or if an art house cinema decided to show one. With filmmakers Noir was popular because they loved the stylized filmmaking and so they revived the genre with their neo-noirs. Really, though I think the general audience for Noir expanded with cable TV and home video and probably really grew in the period you mention, the 1990s, because that is when audiences really caught up with it. You've got to give credit to guys like Scorsese, whose constant expressions of his love for the genre really put it in front of audiences. Taxi Driver is a noir and he brings all the hallmarks of Noir into it. He uses Noir flourishes in Raging Bull. I think these are much more obvious to today's audiences because they have had the chance to be much more steeped in the genre.

Have to admit we live in the best of times for film buffs because if there is any genre you want to explore you can very easily take a deep dive into those pictures. Plus with all the special features created for home video versions it is like being able to take a class in whatever genre you choose.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

Ron has posted in the Imprint thread that they have announced the second After Dark Neo-Noir Collection. If you want to check out what that entails check out his post in that thread.

International - Via Vision Entertainment Announces Premium Blu-ray Label "IMPRINT"

This might only interest those outside the US. Imprint replied to an enquiry about the master being used for The Strange Love of Martha Ivers in their upcoming Noir 3 volume, and whether it is the same 4K restoration announced by Kino. Yes we can confirm our edition is using the same...

www.hometheaterforum.com

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

Another neo noir has come to Blu in the US through the Cinematographe label sold through Vinegar Syndrome, John Dahl's Red Rock West. I have the new Blu and it is on my agenda to get to watching it soon.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

 

[bujaki]

Another neo noir has come to Blu in the US through the Cinematographe label sold through Vinegar Syndrome, John Dahl's Red Rock West. I have the new Blu and it is on my agenda to get to watching it soon.

Excellent release. A neo-noir that plays like a Kafka nightmare.

 

[benbess]

I recommend this neo-noir, the second season of which I just finished.



And here's a story about the last episode, where the showrunners say, somewhat to my surprise, that a third season is possible.

‘Tokyo Vice’ Creator Talks Shocking Death of [SPOILER] in Season 2 Finale: ‘I Always Knew That [SPOILER] Would Be His Downfall’

"Tokyo Vice" series creator J.T. Rogers and executive producer Alan Poul sit down with Variety to discuss the series' explosive Season 2 finale.

variety.com