*** 4th Annual HTF Noirvember Movie Challenge*** (1 Viewer)

[dana martin]

Same as last year

1. Watch as many Noir/ Western Noir/ Neo-Noir-Themed films, etc. from midnight Noirvember 1, 2024 through the month of Noirvember 2024 (the start of the Holiday Season) (use your own time zone to set the ending time).

2. Theatrically released films and short features count as 1 point each. Running times are irrelevant.

3. Two of the films, et. al. should be new discoveries, movies you've never seen before. The point of this is to see those few movies you've always meant to see, but never got around to. Please specify new discoveries in your film list by making them bold, adding asterisks, different colors, etc.

4. Come here and talk about 'em. ( this is the best part )

5. There is an uber-category, the Heavy Smoker/ Femme Fatale for those who wish to put all of the rest of us to shame. This is the heavyweight division. These people, if they choose to accept the challenge, must view 24 Noir/ Western Noir/ Neo-Noir themed movies before dawn on Dec. 1st. Ten new discoveries are recommended for this one. The rest of us will bow down in awed reverence to these HTF members. The bragging rights will be awesome and long lived. What movies qualify?



Film Critic, Roger Ebert’s A Guide to Film Noir Genre

Film noir is . . .

1. A French term meaning "black film," or film of the night, inspired by the Series Noir, a line of cheap paperbacks that translated hard-boiled American crime authors and found a popular audience in France.

2. A movie which at no time misleads you into thinking there is going to be a happy ending.

3. Locations that reek of the night, of shadows, of alleys, of the back doors of fancy places, of apartment buildings with a high turnover rate, of taxi drivers and bartenders who have seen it all.

4. Cigarettes. Everybody in film noir is always smoking, as if to say, "On top of everything else, I've been assigned to get through three packs today." The best smoking movie of all time is "Out of the Past," in which Robert Mitchum and Kirk Douglas smoke furiously at each other. At one point, Mitchum enters a room, Douglas extends a pack and says, "Cigarette?" and Mitchum, holding up his hand, says, "Smoking."

5. Women who would just as soon kill you as love you, and vice versa.

6. For women: low necklines, floppy hats, mascara, lipstick, dressing rooms, boudoirs, calling the doorman by his first name, high heels, red dresses, elbowlength gloves, mixing drinks, having gangsters as boyfriends, having soft spots for alcoholic private eyes, wanting a lot of someone else's women, sprawling dead on the floor with every limb meticulously arranged and every hair in place.

7. For men: fedoras, suits and ties, shabby residential hotels with a neon sign blinking through the window, buying yourself a drink out of the office bottle, cars with running boards, all-night diners, protecting kids who shouldn't be playing with the big guys, being on first-name terms with homicide cops, knowing a lot of people whose descriptions end in "ies," such as bookies, newsies, junkies, alkys, jockeys and cabbies.

8. Movies either shot in black and white, or feeling like they were.

9. Relationships in which love is only the final flop card in the poker game of death.

10. The most American film genre, because no society could have created a world so filled with doom, fate, fear and betrayal, unless it were essentially naive and optimistic.

Been a great year since the last, with lots of new releases all around to discuss,

And a link http://www.filmnoirfoundation.org/home.html

For more information



HTF Threads about Film Noir

 

[t1g3r5fan]

November 27: Union Station (1950; Rudolph Mate): 4 out of 5 (Olive Films Blu-ray)

After noticing two strange men with her rich employer's blind daughter (Allene Roberts), a secretary (Nancy Olson) notifies the police chief (William Holden) of the railroad station. This launches a race against time in which the kidnappers are trying to extort a ransom from the heiress' father, culminating in a tense showdown in the railroad's tunnels.

Early directorial effort from former cinematographer Rudolph Mate is a hidden gem in Paramount's noir entries. Barry Fitzgerald is a scene stealer as the policeman with a cheerfully malicious way of extracting information from a suspect: "Make it look accidental, Boys!"

November 28: Contraband AKA Blackout (1940; Michael Powell): 3.5 out of 5 (Kino DVD - Film Noir: Five Classics from the Studio Vaults; 1st time viewing)

In the early days of WWII, Danish captain Andersen (Conrad Veidt) has his ship held in Britain due to the blockade against Germany. When his shore leave pass is taken by one of the passengers (Valerie Hobson), he follows her ashore and they both find that London is teeming with Nazi spies searching for an advantage in the eventual attack on the British Isles.

One of the earliest collaborations between Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, this spy thriller has some touches of the noir genre that would soon rise later in the decade. A bit slow going, but any opportunity to see Conrad Veidt in a non-villainous role must be taken.

 

[Malcolm R]

Notorious (1946)

Alicia (Bergman), the daughter of a convicted Nazi war criminal, is recruited by an American intelligence agency to infiltrate a group of Nazis who have escaped to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and are suspected to be continuing their evil ways. Her handler, Devlin (Grant) begins to fall in love with her, but pushes her away when he learns her cover will be to insert herself romantically into the life of Alex Sebastian (Rains), with whom she once had a brief affair years before. Alicia and Devlin discover the Nazi plot, but not before they're discovered by Sebastian and his battle-axe mother, who have plans to save their own skin by getting rid of Alicia.

Seen as a classic of the Hitchcock filmography, I'll be the contrarian as I didn't really care for this film. The opening scenes of rat-a-tat banter and overlapping dialogue kind of annoyed me from the very start so I found it hard to get into the film. There didn't seem to be much story to the story, with no real exploration or examination of what the Nazis were up to or what the consequences may be, though I guess that was really the B-story to the love triangle between the leads. I also didn't think Bergman and Grant had much chemistry considering they were supposed to be falling in love. Hitchcock's direction was interesting, as always, but there were a couple of very odd, short scenes inserted that I didn't really understand why they were there. Some of the background projections in several scenes were also rather poorly done, seemingly even for the time period. Someday, I'll have to watch this again and see if I like it any better knowing the issues I have with the film ahead of time, rather than letting them become a distraction. I'm also not entirely clear this was really film noir, though most descriptions include a reference to that genre. Viewed the Criterion blu-ray.

 

[Robert Crawford]

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

90) 11-29-24: “Woman on the Run” (1950) (BD) 4/5 Stars
My only misgiving about this fine film noir is the way the climatic ending was shot. I never like how it was done. More to come when I get a chance because right now I’m rewatching some of the bonus material on the 2016 Flicker Alley Blu-ray. Edit: Finishing up my mini review, a man witnesses a murder while walking his dog, he then runs away from the police after he talks to police after the shooting. His aloof wife is then questioned by the police and decides to look for him, tagging along with her is a reporter. While talking with different people around San Francisco, the wife realizes during her search for her husband is that she didn't really know her husband that well and that perhaps, there is more depth to the man then she initially appreciated about him. Unbeknownst to her is that the reporter tagging along with her has his own deadly agenda. This is a good movie that should have stuck with its original film title "Man on the Run". The movie has a wonderful cast and is beautifully shot around San Francisco, some parts of LA to assimilate San Francisco and of course, some sound stage setups. Ann Sheridan is wonderful as the quip talking wife and so is Dennis O'Keefe as the reporter. My favorite character in this movie is Robert Keith as Inspector Ferris. As to the ending, I just didn't like it how it was filmed with a gunshot along with a still of Inspector Ferris. Anyhow, my film grade is 4/5 stars. The Flicker Alley Blu-ray is one fine release with plenty of bonus material for a film that seem lost for several years. Many thanks to Eddie Muller, Alan K. Rode and Scott MacQueen in their efforts to preserving this film and in bringing this defining film noir to Blu-ray.

 

[Robert Crawford]

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

91) 11-30-24: "You Only Live Once" (1937) (BD) 3.5/5 Stars
(First Viewing) I had this ClassicFlix Blu-ray in my collection since it was released in 2017. For some odd reason I kept bypassing watching this 1937 precursor to the film noir movement that happened starting in the 1940s. I think it's because of a bad review I read about the film. I don't remember where I read that review so last night, I decided I was going to finally watch this movie so that's the first thing I did this morning. I thought the movie was pretty good despite some of the motivations of the lead actors being questionable at best. I couldn't see Henry Fonda nor Sylvia Sidney making some of those awful decisions in the last 30 minutes of the film. Anyhow, a recently released convict tries to go straight with the support of his loving bride. Circumstances and people go against the young man, and he gets fired from his truck driving job. He's accused of pulling a deadly robbery based on some circumstantial evidence. He's convicted and given the death penalty. His wife helps him escape and during his escape he kills a friendly priest trying to convince him to give up because they found the real killer. Taking it on the lame with his pregnant wife, who gives birth in the coming months leads to tragedy for them. They say this film was influenced by Bonnie and Clyde. This was Fritz Lane's second American film he directed. It has a fine cast of supporting actors including Barton MacLane, Jean Dixon, William Gargan, Jerome Cowan and Guinn Williams. It also had Ward Bond, Jack Carson and Margaret Hamilton in bit parts. My film grade is 3.5/5 stars. Again, I had a tough time accepting some of the bad decisions that both Fonda and Sidney made in the last part of the film. No way, a woman like Sidney's character leaves her newborn baby.

92) 11-30-24: "The Price of Fear" (1956) (BD) 2.5/5 Stars
(First Viewing) Another Blu-ray I had in my collection for a while is "The Price of Fear" which is part of Kino's "Film Noir: The Dark Side of Cinema" Vol II box set. This box was released in 2020. I'm not a big Merle Oberon fan which might have influenced my decision to not watch this movie until this morning. Anyhow, a businesswoman/Oberon with a little too much to drink hits a man while driving home from a nightclub. She panics and drives off leaving the injured man on the street. At the same time, a part owner of a dog racetrack/Lex Barker is running from some hoods after getting into a public argument with his former partner for selling out his interest to a mobster. Furthermore, in front of witnesses, Barker threatens to kill his former partner the next time he sees him. Guess what? The partner is conveniently killed but not by Barker. While Oberon is in a phone booth, her car is running with the keys in it. Barker steals her car while trying to escape the mobster's men who wanted to kill him. Sure enough, Barker gets caught in the stolen car by police and now is charge with hit and run which keeps him from being charge for murdering his former partner. However, the hit and run victim dies from his injuries and what we got now is a convoluted movie in which multiple crimes are being committed throughout the film. I enjoyed this movie about people making bad decisions and then suffering the consequences of their actions. However, I thought Oberon was a little too old for her role as she was 45 at the time of the film while her romantic interest Barker was about ten years younger. Nice cast of actors and the film was directed by Abner Biberman, a fine character actor in his own right. He even had a bit part in the film. My film grade is 2.5/5 stars. Not a bad "B" movie from Universal-International.

 

[t1g3r5fan]

November 29: Rope of Sand (1949; William Dieterle): 4 out of 5 (Olive Films Blu-ray)

Thanks to several HTF members who mentioned this film, I got the chance to revisit this little hidden gem of a noir for the first time in years. Burt Lancaster plays Mike Davis, a man returning to South Africa to retrieve a cache of diamonds he had hidden away before being exiled. Sadistic guard Paul Henreid - in a 180 degree turn from Casablanca - wants to beat the information out of Mike about the hidden diamonds while the diamond mine executive Claude Rains prefers the "honey" approach by enlisting Corinne Calvet to seduce Mike for the info; Peter Lorre turns as the aptly named Toady to Mike. Solid cast - though Calvet was just getting her bearings in Hollywood, being her American debut here - lends both weight and fun to Walter Doniger's script, especially since we get to see Henreid and Rains play the opposite of their best known screen personas from Casablanca.

November 30: Chinatown (1974; Roman Polanski): 5 out of 5 (Paramount Blu-ray)

Roman Polanski's second and final film in Hollywood - for obvious reasons - is a masterpiece of the neo noir genre. When private eye Jake Gittes (Jack Nicholson) gets involved in a case of martial turmoil, he gets swept up in a maelstrom of deception and corruption lurking beneath the sunny L.A. exterior. To reveal more of the plot would be a shame, but this is about as close to perfection as the neo noir genre can get, thanks to Robert Towne's Oscar winning script, Polanski's assured direction, terrific performances from the cast and another unforgettable Jerry Goldsmith music score.

That will do it for me for this year's challenge.

 

[Robert Crawford]

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

93) 11-30-24: “The Unguarded Moment” (1956) (BD) 3/5 Stars
(First Viewing) I was pleasantly surprised by this movie. More to come. Edit: Esther Williams plays a high school teacher that is being harassed by a student/John Saxon. At the same time, there has been an uptick in women being assaulted in this city including a woman that was murdered near the high school. Williams has been sent anonymous letters then is assaulted and her home burglarized by this student. She's finally able to identify the student and personally confronts him at the high school which was a major mistake. Anyhow, her spineless principal, fellow teachers and the student body don't believe her story. Only the cops believe her story, particularly a certain police lieutenant/George Nader that takes a romantic interest in this mid-thirty single and very attractive woman. Such a woman must have been looked at sideways by people during the time this movie was filmed. Another major role in this film is Saxon's creepy father played by Edward Andrews. He was outstanding in this film. Anyhow, watching this 1956 movie with my 2024 eyes caused me to repeatedly to note the many mistakes Williams's character made in confronting the situation in this movie. In short, just plain stupid! Even with those errors in judgement, I really enjoyed this movie. William's performance was okay in this movie; however, Saxon and Andrews were excellent in it. This movie flopped at the box office, probably because people weren't ready to see Williams in a crime/film noir movie. I think somebody like Doris Day might have been better suited for this film. My film grade is 3/5 stars. This 2022 Kino Blu-ray has two different audio commentaries that I will listen to during my future viewings of this mid-fifties snapshot of America.

94) 11-30-24: “Fallen Angel” (1945) (BD) 4/5 Stars
More to come later after football. Edit: The last movie I watched in this year's "Noirvember Challenge" was "Fallen Angel" (1945) directed by Otto Preminger for 20th Century-Fox. This classic film noir has one of the best opening credit sequences of any noir movie. Drifter/Andrews gets off the bus in this small coastal California town midway between LA and San Francisco. He's out of money and doesn't have enough to complete the trip to San Francisco. Almost immediately he starts grifting with a phony seance act/John Carridine that he hooked up with on a temporary basis for some cash influx. Much of the movie revolves around a small diner owned by Percy Kilbride, who employs a sexy and beautiful waitress named Vera played by 21-year-old Linda Darnell. Hubba, hubba! Vera is the type of woman that simply puts a spell on men with her beauty, sexiness/sultry and just plain sass. Darnell's verbal exchanges with Andrews are so great in this film. Andrews is seriously taken with her and sets his sights on grifting a pair of sisters played by Alice Faye and Anne Revere. He's particularly interested in the younger sister played by Faye; he marries her in order to steal a large sum of money so he can run away with Darnell. Complicating that plan is a murder and now he's under suspicion of committing that murder by a strange, retired NYC cop played by Charles Bickford that hired by the local police chief to help them in their murder investigation. This Fox movie might not be on the same level of another Preminger/Andrews "film noir" released a year earlier in 1944, but "Fallen Angel" is no slouch in its comparison to "Laura". All the actors in this movie give outstanding performances in this fine film. My film score is 4/5 stars with an ending that might have been a little too abrupt. For some reason this film hasn't been released on Blu-ray in the States. Nor has it been readily available digitally on any of the digital platforms. It's one of the few Amazon HD digitals that I purchased back in 2018. It's not available on iTunes nor Vudu/Fandango Home. Hell, it's no longer available for purchase on Amazon. However, the HD digital is still in my Amazon digital library as I just sampled it to make sure it was still there. Very strange about this movie not being available on home video in the States. Rights issue??? Anyhow, I watched the movie twice on Saturday because it's been a while since my last viewing. I pulled out my 2015 BFI "The Otto Preminger" Blu-ray boxset for my first viewing. I then watched the movie again by playing the 2006 DVD which has the Eddie Muller and Susan Andrews audio commentary. A good listen with Eddie and Dana Andrews's daughter talking about the movie and her father's career.

 

[bujaki]

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

View attachment 239253
93) 11-30-24: “The Unguarded Moment” (1956) (BD) 3/5 Stars
(First Viewing) I was pleasantly surprised by this movie. More to come.

Williams made many stupid mistakes during the course of the story. As ex-teachers in a very distant past, my wife and I kept commenting on all the faux pas she kept making.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Williams made many stupid mistakes during the course of the story. As ex-teachers in a very distant past, my wife and I kept commenting on all the faux pas she kept making.

Too many to count but I was thoroughly entertained.

 

[bujaki]

Too many to count but I was thoroughly entertained.

So was I.

 

[Malcolm R]

Night Has a Thousand Eyes (1948) 1/2

Late at night in a busy railyard, Elliot (John Lund) saves his heiress girlfriend, Jean (Gail Russell), from suicide as she attempts to jump in front of a train. Her death has been foretold by an old family acquaintance, John Triton (Edward G. Robinson), and she's in a panic from the anxiety of waiting for her death to occur under the stars, which are always "watching". Elliot thinks John is a phony and is trying to drive Jean to suicide so he can obtain her oil fortune. On the contrary, John abhors his "gift" and launches into an explanation of his past with Jean's parents and how he came to realize he was truly clairvoyant. John later engages with Elliot and the police to try and protect Jean from her destiny, even though Elliot and the authorities remain highly skeptical of John's gift once other scientific evidence seems to be revealed to refute some of his claims.

Sort of a supernatural noir, I guess, with the introduction of Robinson's psychic. The opening scene was beautifully shot with trains and shadows. I'm not an expert in this genre, but Robinson's role seemed a bit against type, where I usually perceive him in high energy, blustering character roles, this was very low key and subdued. He seemed to portray well the dread and hopelessness in everything, with a character that already knows the inevitable outcome of events.

 

[compson]

TOTAL: 76. I watched 60 for the first time.

I saw many movies I greatly enjoyed. It was a good month. I concluded with four Blu-rays from Warner Archive.

Warner Archive

73. They Drive by Night, 1940*
74. Conflict, 1945*
75. The Man I Love, 1946*
76. Act of Violence, 1948*

The first three were Warner Bros. pictures. The last was from MGM. My comments:

Spoiler: Comments (minor spoilers)

They Drive by Night (1940), directed by Raoul Walsh, is often cited as early noir, but it’s not a tough movie about truckers fighting off mobsters or hauling contraband. Instead, it’s about brothers (George Raft and Humphrey Bogart) with their own small trucking operation, and their lives and loves (Ann Sheridan and Ida Lupino). The movie does finally take a criminal turn in its third act and then rushes through it to conclusion. The movie was a breakthrough for Lupino, whose final scene made quite an impression.

In love with his wife’s younger sister (Alexis Smith), engineering contractor Humphrey Bogart arranges his wife’s death when she’s traveling alone on a mountain road, in Conflict (1945). But is he sure she’s dead? Psychology professor Sydney Greenstreet is on hand to explain the workings of the mind. It’s great fun with a fitting resolution. The story is credited in part to Robert Siodmak.

In The Man I Love (1946), torch singer Ida Lupino travels to California to be with her siblings at Christmas and finds their lives complicated, not least by club owner Robert Alda, a shameless womanizer and sexual harasser. In time, she begins a relationship with Bruce Bennett, formerly a prominent pianist. The movie’s a mix of soap opera and noir but more of the former. Lupino’s singing voice was dubbed, but Bennett really could play the piano.

Fred Zinnemann directed the powerful Act of Violence (1948) for MGM. Robert Surtees was DP. Robert Ryan, menacing as always, packs a gun and goes hunting for Van Heflin. Heflin was Ryan’s CO in the war and did something neither Ryan, nor Heflin himself, has forgiven Heflin for. Ryan and the war haunt Heflin’s life with his wife (20-year-old Janet Leigh) and young child. Mary Astor plays a luckless barfly, past whatever her prime was, out for a buck but not incapable of sympathy and conscience. This movie is not well remembered but should be.

 

[Malcolm R]

The Stranger (1946)

Wilson (Edward G. Robinson) is an agent of the UN's War Crimes Commission, hunting for Nazis thought to be living in America under new identities. They've arrested one Nazi underling, Meinike, but hope if they release him he'll lead them to his superior, known as Franz Kindler (Orson Welles). Kindler has set up a new identity as Charles Rankin, a prep school teacher in New England, and is preparing to marry Mary (Loretta Young), daughter of a prominent judge. As his house of lies begins to collapse, Rankin/Kindler becomes more and more desperate to avoid capture and face trials for his crimes.

Beautifully shot film, though the video itself wasn't in great condition despite reportedly having been restored from best known surviving elements. Lots of damage to the print on this Kino blu-ray. Another fine star turn by Robinson though I didn't particularly care for the acting of Welles or Young. And another Nazi-themed noir after watching Notorious. Must have been a big theme of the day after the end of WWII.

***

Another not-so-great showing in this challenge this year, but I did view 5, which is one better than last year. All were first-time viewings, and all were pretty decent. My favorite was The Big Heat. My lowest rated was Notorious, which surprised me given all the praise I've seen of this film. Not sure if my expectations were too high or if I just wasn't in the right mood, but I still don't consider it a waste of time. Will give it another spin in the future.

 

[Robert Crawford]

My final tally for this 2024 "Noirvember Challenge" is 94 total with 51 of them being first time watches.


2024 Noirvember Film Noir Movie Listing with titles in "Bold" designating first time viewings:

1. 11-01-24: "The Seventh Victim" (1943) (4K/UHD) 4/5 Stars
2. 11-01-24: "The Mystery of Marie Roget" (1942) (BD) 2.5/5 Stars
3. 11-01-24: "Journey into Fear" (1943) (BD) 3/5 Stars
4. 11-02-24: “99 River Street” (1953) (BD) 4/5 Stars
5. 11-02-24: “The Unknown” (1946) (iTunes) 3/5 Stars
6. 11-03-24: “Nobody Lives Forever” (1946) (DVD) 4/5 Stars
7. 11-03-24: "Bluebeard" (1944) (BD) 2.5/5 Stars
8. 11-04-24: “Black Tuesday” (1954) (BD) 4/5 Stars
9. 11-04-24: “Cause for Alarm” (1951) (BD) 3.5/5 Stars
10. 11-05-24: “Nightmare” (1956) (BD) 3/5 Stars
11. 11-05-24: “Vice Squad” (1953) (BD) 3.5/5 Stars
12. 11-05-24: "Iron Man" (1951) (BD) 2.5/5 Stars
13. 11-06-24: "Breakdown" (1997) (4K/UHD) 4/5 Stars
14. 11-06-24: "The Third Man" (1949) (4K/UHD) 4.5/5 Stars
15. 11-07-24: "The Flame" (1947) (iTunes) 3/5 Stars
16. 11-07-24: "Island of Doomed Men" (1940) (BD) 2/5 Stars
17. 11-08-24: “Finger Man” (1955) (BD) 3/5 Stars
18. 11-08-24: “City of Shadows” (1955) (BD) 2.5/5 Stars
19. 11-08-24: “Short Cut to Hell” (1957) (BD) 2.5/5 Stars
20. 11-08-24: “Shack Out on 101” (1955) (BD) 4/5 Stars
21. 11-09-24: “Cloak and Dagger” (1946) (BD) 3.5/5 Stars
22. 11-09-24: “Le deuxieme souffle” (Criterion Channel) 4/5 Stars
23. 11-10-24: “The Looters” (1955) (BD) 3/5 Stars
24. 11-10-24: “The Face Behind the Mask” (1941) (Criterion Channel) 3/5 Stars
25. 11-11-24: “And Then There Were None” (1945) (iTunes) 4/5 Stars
26. 11-11-24: “Bullets or Ballots” (1936) (iTunes) 4/5 Stars
27. 11-12-24: "Crashout" (1955) (Blu-ray) 4/5 Stars
28. 11-12-24: “Lone Star” (1996) (4K/UHD) 4.5/5 Stars
29. 11-12-24: "Captain Carey, U.S.A. (1950) (BD) 3/5 Stars
30. 11-13-24: “The Man I Love” (1947) (BD) 4/5 Stars
31. 11-13-24: “The Good Die Young” (1954) (BD) 4/5 Stars
32. 11-14-24: “Plunder Road” (1957) (BD) 3.5/5 Stars
33. 11-14-24: “North by Northwest” (1959) (4K/UHD) 4.5/5 Stars
34. 11-14-24: "Scarface" (1932) (4K/UHD) 4.5/5 Stars
35. 11-15-24: "Seven Keys to Baldpate" (1935) (TCM) 2.5/5 Stars
36. 11-16-24: "The Big Combo" (1955) (BD) 4/5 Stars
37. 11-16-24: "This Gun for Hire" (1942) (BD) 5/5 Stars
38. 11-16-24: "The Whistler" (1944) (BD) 3/5 Stars
39. 11-16-24: "Jennifer" (1953) (BD) 2.5/5 Stars
40. 11-16-24: "The Mark of the Whistler" (1944) (BD) 3/5 Stars
41. 11-16-24: "I Was a Shoplifter" (1950) (BD) 3/5 Stars
42. 11-16-24: "Behind the High Wall" (1956) (BD) 2.5/5 Stars
43. 11-16-24: "The Power of the Whistler" (1945) (BD) 2.5/5 Stars
44. 11-16-24: "World in My Corner" (1956) (BD) 2.5/5 Stars
45. 11-17-24: "Undertow" (1949) (BD) 3/5 Stars
46. 11-17-24: "Outside the Wall" (1950) (BD) 3.5/5 Stars
47. 11-17-24: “Voice of the Whistler” (1945) (BD) 3/5 Stars
48. 11-17-24: “The Ladykillers” (1955) (4K/UHD) 4/5 Stars
49. 11-18-24: “Body and Soul” (1947) (BD) 5/5 Stars
50. 11-18-24: “Blast of Silence” (1961) (BD) 3.5/5 Stars
51. 11-19-24: "13 West Street" (1962) (BD) 3/5 Stars
52. 11-19-24: "The Burglar" (1957) (BD) 3.5/5 Stars
53. 11-19-24: "Killer's Kiss" (1955) (4K/UHD) 3/5 Stars
54. 11-19-24: "Sorry, Wrong Number" (1948) (BD) 4.5/5 Stars
55. 11-20-24: "Maigret: Season 1, Episode 1" (1960) (BD) 3.5/5 Stars
56. 11-20-24: "Maigret: Season 1, Episode 2" (1960) (BD) 3/5 Stars
57. 11-20-24: "Witness in the City" (1959) (BD) 3/5 Stars
58. 11-20-24: "Back to the Wall" (1958) (BD) 3.5/5 Stars
59. 11-20-24: "The Girl in the Kremlin" (1957) (BD) 2/5 Stars
60. 11-20-24: "Man Afraid" (1957) (BD) 3/5 Stars
61. 11-21-24: “The Bride Wore Black” (1968) (BD) 4/5 Stars
62. 11-21-24: “Johnny Allegro” (1949) (BD) 3/5 Stars
63. 11-21-24: “The Miami Story” (1954) (BD) 3/5 Stars
64. 11-21-24: “Mysterious Intruder” (1946) (BD) 3.5/5 Stars
65. 11-22-24: “Secret of the Whistler” (1946) (BD) 2.5/5 Stars
66. 11-22-24: “Secret Beyond the Door…” (1948) (BD) 2.5/5 Stars
67. 11-23-24: “The Conversation” (1974) (4K/UHD) 5/5 Stars
68. 11-23-24: “Trapped” (1949) (BD) 4/5 Stars
69. 11-23-24: "The Driver" (1978) (4K/UHD) 3.5/5 Stars
70. 11-23-24: “Conflict” (1945) (BD) 3/5 Stars
71. 11-24-24: “They Drive by Night” (1940) (BD) 4/5 Stars
72. 11-24-24: “Ladies in Retirement” (1941) (Criterion Channel) 4/5 Stars
73. 11-24-24: “Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye” (1950) (BD) 3.5/5 Stars
74. 11-25-24: “The Devil Thumbs a Ride” (1947) (DVD-R) 2.5/5 Stars
75. 11-25-24: “Railroaded!” (1947) (DVD-R) 3/5 Stars
76. 11-26-24: “The Chase” (1946) (BD) 3/5 Stars
77. 11-26-24: “The Iron Curtain” (1948) (BD) 3/5 Stars
78. 11-26-24: “Hell’s Half Acre” (1954) (BD) 2.5/5 Stars
79. 11-27-24: "Play Misty for Me" (1971) (4K/UHD) 4/5 Stars
80. 11-27-24: "The Sniper" (1952) (BD) 4/5 Stars
81. 11-27-24: "Odds Against Tomorrow" (1959) (BD) 4.5/5 Stars
82. 11-28-24: "The Night Runner" (1957) (BD) 3/5 Stars
83. 11-28-24: "Spy Hunt" (1950) (BD) 2.5/5 Stars
84. 11-28-24: "Step Down to Terror" (1958) (BD) 2/5 Stars
85. 11-28-24: "The Thirteenth Hour" (1947) (BD) 2.5/5 Stars
86. 11-28-24: "The Return of the Whistler" (1948) (BD) 2.5/5 Stars
87. 11-29-24: "Counter-Espionage" (1942) (iTunes) 2.5/5 Stars
88. 11-29-24: "Naked Alibi" (1954) (BD) 3/5 Stars
89. 11-29-24: "A Simple Plan" (1998) (4K/UHD) 4.5/5 Stars
90. 11-29-24: “Woman on the Run” (1950) (BD) 4/5 Stars
91. 11-30-24: "You Only Live Once" (1937) (BD) 3.5/5 Stars
92. 11-30-24: "The Price of Fear" (1956) (BD) 2.5/5 Stars
93. 11-30-24: “The Unguarded Moment” (1956) (BD) 3/5 Stars
94. 11-30-24: “Fallen Angel” (1945) (BD) 4/5 Stars

 

[Robert Crawford]

View attachment 239265


Beautifully shot film, though the video itself wasn't in great condition despite reportedly having been restored from best known surviving elements. Lots of damage to the print on this Kino blu-ray. Another fine star turn by Robinson though I didn't particularly care for the acting of Welles or Young. And another Nazi-themed noir after watching Notorious. Must have been a big theme of the day after the end of WWII.

The problem is this fine movie fell into public domain, and I don't think there is a surviving OCN. Matter of fact, the film elements they used in the 2013 Kino were probably generations removed from the OCN. The 2017 Olive Blu-ray has a slightly better-looking video presentation but in no way or form is it anywhere near the PQ of a Warner Archive Blu-ray. It is, what it is. I've watched this movie so many times that I naturally overlook the video anomalies because I'm totally engrossed in the film. A fine movie that probably would've been better known and appreciated if they allowed Welles's suggestion to have Agnes Moorehead play the Edward G. Robinson role. I'm not say it would've been better with such a ground-breaking casting, but it surely would've been more interesting.

 

[Robert Crawford]

I wish we had a greater number of participants. Perhaps, taking place right after the "October Challenge" is working against it because people become burnt out? If so, should we move this challenge to a different month?

 

[cda1143]

The problem is this fine movie fell into public domain, and I don't think there is a surviving OCN. Matter of fact, the film elements they used in the 2013 Kino were probably generations removed from the OCN. The 2017 Olive Blu-ray has a slightly better-looking video presentation but in no way or form is it anywhere near the PQ of a Warner Archive Blu-ray. It is, what it is. I've watched this movie so many times that I naturally overlook the video anomalies because I'm totally engrossed in the film. A fine movie that probably would've been better known and appreciated if they allowed Welles's suggestion to have Agnes Moorehead play the Edward G. Robinson role. I'm not say it would've been better with such a ground-breaking casting, but it surely would've been more interesting.

Yes. So far no one has found any decent elements, with both of the best current versions (Kino and Olive) being sub par. IMHO the Olive has a much better grayscale, but far less detail than the Kino, which is grossly overexposed. I’ve taken to watching the Kino with my display white and black levels reduced.

Due to the far greater detail, it seems that the Kino Library of Congress elements are superior. Even if this is the case, that scan desperately needs a new and better grading.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Yes. So far no one has found any decent elements, with both of the best current versions (Kino and Olive) being sub par. IMHO the Olive has a much better grayscale, but far less detail than the Kino, which is grossly overexposed. I’ve taken to watching the Kino with my display white and black levels reduced.

Due to the far greater detail, it seems that the Kino Library of Congress elements are superior. Even if this is the case, that scan desperately needs a new and better grading.

I prefer the Olive Blu-ray but not by much. With that said, I think this is it for this title.

 

[cda1143]

… With that said, I think this is it for this title.

Agreed

 

[Malcolm R]

I wish we had a greater number of participants. Perhaps, taking place right after the "October Challenge" is working against it because people become burnt out? If so, should we move this challenge to a different month?

I know for me, football, Thanksgiving, and pre-Christmas prep tend to take up a lot of time in November. I'd likely have more time to participate in a challenge from January to April.

 

[compson]

I wish we had a greater number of participants. Perhaps, taking place right after the "October Challenge" is working against it because people become burnt out? If so, should we move this challenge to a different month?

But Noirvember is a whole thing—in November

The best noir movies to watch this Noirvember

All-time-great noirs, under-the-radar gems, and everything in between

www.polygon.com