3 FOX FILM NOIR titles on March 11th (1 Viewer)

[RafaelPires]

I think there are, at least a dozen remaining films that Fox can release under the "Film Noir" banner, even if some of them are not pure noir, but only contain some of its qualifications:

Cry of the City
Road House
Man Hunt
The Iron Curtain
5 Fingers
The 13th Letter
Moontide
Inferno
Violent Saturday
Lure of the Wilderness
Moss Rose
Dragonwyck
The Secret of Convict Lake (the last 3 if you desconsider the time period of the story)

 

[Peter M Fitzgerald]

Don't forget the Fox film, SWAMP WATER (1941), which LURE OF THE WILDERNESS was a color remake of.

If nothing else, I'd want to see the following released on R1 DVD before Fox ends its "Film Noir" line:

ROAD HOUSE
CRY OF THE CITY
MOONTIDE
VIOLENT SATURDAY
INFERNO
MAN HUNT
SWAMP WATER
LURE OF THE WILDERNESS

 

[Dave B Ferris]

To the otherwise comprehensive lists posted by Rafael and Peter, I'll add:

Slattery's Hurricane

which I think definitely has a noir-ish atmosphere.

 

[RafaelPires]

Dave.
I totally agree with you. In fact, I am a bit surprised cause I'd swear Slaterry's Hurricane was on my list.
And I forgot to mention Swamp Water just because I have it on dvd, since it was released here in Brazil under the Fox Classic banner.
Don't know why it is not available in US, but the transfer for my dvd looks excellent.

 

[Simon Howson]

Cover art:

 

[Ruz-El]

classy!

 

[KellyVO]

I like the cover art!

Anybody know the extras?

 

[Douglas Monce]

You left out Slightly Scarlet (1956), directed by Allan Dwan and photography by the dean of noir photography John Alton. In spite of the fact that it's in color and SuperScope, its defiantly a film noir.

 

[Douglas Monce]

Eddie Muller also recorded commentary for The Brasher Doubloon (1947). I wrote and asked him about it and if he knew when it was coming out. He didn't know but he did add that he recorded the voice over with Conrad Janis and that it should be quite entertaining. I'm still waiting.

Doug

 

[Douglas Monce]

While I agree that The Maltese Falcon is almost but not quite film noir, would disagree a little here about I Wake Up Screaming. I would tend to put I Wake Up Screaming on the list as nearly, if not the first true film noir.

It has all the staples. The trapped hero, the crooked cop, sexual obsession, psychological abnormalities. Add to that the moody photography. The police interrogation scenes are pure film noir, photographically, psychologically and acting wise.

It was even remade in in 1953 as Vicki. A film that most defiantly would qualify as film noir.

I tend to think of Touch of Evil as the last of the original film noir cycle. Though I do enjoy the noirish elements in Perry Mason.

Doug

 

[Richard M S]

Next month the Film Forum in New York is presenting a restored scope print of Richard Fleischer's film noir VIOLENT SATURDAY.

It is being billed as "A CRITERION PICTURES RELEASE OF A TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX FILM." according to the Film Forum website.

I have no other information, but quite often these types of runs at the Film Forum precede a DVD release. Has it been announced as a Criterion release ?

 

[John Hodson]

No, it's not, but I look forward to it. I only hope that if it should come from them, Criterion pushes the boat out to justify a premium price.

 

[rich_d]

Agreed, at this point, whatever it takes to get some films out.

On another subject, I don't see the rationale on this classic noir labels. To me it seems intellectual restricting to say a film can only be noir depending on when and where it was made. Why? Or to what great purpose should we ever restrict art?

Jazz music was also an American invention (based on African roots). And yes, its heyday was also in the 40's - 50's. Yet if jazz is played in Europe or created now we don't call it neo-jazz do we?

Seems like some film school professors with too much time on their hands come with these terms. Yet all they do is cause arguments and pigeon-hole things. I have yet to hear any director call something neo-noir ... yet film fans do it all the time. Why? Some 'expert' wrote a book. And so it goes.

 

[Simon Howson]

Yes I agree, categorisation into genres is allied with film interpretation, which most people think is what counts as film criticism.

For example, if you say that film noir is exclusively films made in the 1940s and 1950s, then it makes it easier to jump to broader interpretation of how film noir as a genre that reflects aspects of 1940s or 1950s society. Or, if you say that all film noir have femme fatale as an essential character, then you can start to talk about how the genre deals with the relationship between men and women, and how this reflects gender roles in society.

The genre classification seems to be designed explicitly to promote the interpretive act, when really a single film is usually best described as a blend of different genres (most war films or westerns will have a romance sub-plot for example).

 

[Douglas Monce]

The documentary American Film did a segment about Film Noir. In it Paul Schrader, the writer of Taxi Driver and director of American Gigolo, says that Film Noir is a historical cycle thats gone. But Lawrence Kasdan, the director of Body Heat, says thats all just semantics. Who gets to decide what is film noir, and how did they get appointed to that position?

I guess we all decide for ourselves what film noir is, but I tend to agree with Kasdan.

Doug

 

[Robert Crawford]

I wasn't trying to name every film noir filmed in color or scope in my post, but instead make a point that film noirs with those features are still considered film noirs in my opinion.





Crawdaddy

 

[Simon Howson]

Shouldn't that be "films noir"? :-P

Or maybe there are different shades of black :-P

 

[Douglas Monce]

Oh I know you were. I was just trying to put a plug in for what I consider to be an over looked little gem of a movie. The DVD release isn't the best transfer in the world, but its worth a look anyway.

Doug

 

[Simon Howson]

So is the DVD 2.00:1 widescreen, or is it full frame?

I never know with SuperScope films if the director and / or cinematographer intended to shoot in a widescreen ratio, or if the studio matted the film after the fact.

For example, it seems that Robert Aldrich never intended Vera Cruz to be a widescreen film, and there is still debate about Invasion of the Body Snatchers.

 

[Douglas Monce]

It appears to be close to 2.00:1 if not right on the money. Being a Superscope film it's pretty grainy, and the source doesn't look first generation, but it's watchable. I would be nice to have a better copy but you can still get an idea of the amazing things that John Alton could do with color as well as B&W. Plus Rhonda Fleming and Arlene Dahl are very easy on the eyes.

Having watched Invasion 5 or 6 times now it would be my guess that it was not shot with Superscope in mind. Invasion was independently produced. It seems likely that Allied Artist converted it after the fact. Sometimes the framing seems pretty tight. Slightly Scarlet SEEMS as though it were shot with Superscope in mind, but who knows.

Doug