Film Noir suggestions

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Belmondo
Joined: Thu Feb 08, 2007 9:19 am
Location: Cape Cod

#76 Post by Belmondo » Mon Jul 02, 2007 11:39 pm

Greathinker wrote:Can anyone comment on these public domain sets, like the Ultimate Film Noir Collection, Classic Film Noir 9 movie pack, and Film Noir 10 movie set. I think most have the same selection of films. But the price is right and the reviews are positive, you can get any of them for around 10 bucks.
I have the Classic Film Noir 9 movie 3 DVD package and it is certainly worth the $14.99 I paid for it.
Have not yet watched all of them, but it is clear that the quality varies greatly.
I was hoping for a decent print of one of my favorites - TOO LATE FOR TEARS (aka KILLER BAIT) - but there are so many film breaks that you will suffer a bad case of nerves waiting for the next one. However, most of what is there is less fuzzy than the other pd print available.
Others, like THE SCAR, D.O.A., and THE SRTANGE LOVE OF MARTHA IVERS have a uniform slightly hazy quality, but are acceptable.

Worth the money, in my opinion.

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Gregory
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 4:07 pm

Re: Film Noir suggestions

#77 Post by Gregory » Wed Feb 25, 2009 4:08 pm

Earlier in the thread there were some comparisons of He Walked By Night to Le Samourai. I can see that, but I also found the rhythm and feel of He Walked somewhat similar to High and Low, from the shock of the initial crime through the dragnet phase and the final pursuit. Anyway, it’s a top-tier noir. Lots of wonderfully directed and photographed “action sequences” showing Basehart, the detectives etc. moving through the cinematic space, with sparse or no dialogue.
Of course Mann and DP John Alton had a great working relationship on other films like Raw Deal, T-Men, and Border Incident. Alton also worked on The Scar. HerrSchreck has raved elsewhere about this one, so I’ll simply reaffirm the praise. It’s one of the best Alpha Video purchases I’ve made.

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HerrSchreck
Joined: Sun Sep 04, 2005 11:46 am

Re: Film Noir suggestions

#78 Post by HerrSchreck » Wed Feb 25, 2009 5:15 pm

Which one was an Alpha, Greg-- The Scar or He Walked By Night? HWBN has a lovely MGM release with a pristine transfer from excellent elements (far surpasses it's sister titles T-Men & Raw Deal from either VCI or Sony.. which seem to be from the same telecine). The Scar has a passable release from VCI, which pairs it with The Limping Man (an old UK crime drama).

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Gregory
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 4:07 pm

Re: Film Noir suggestions

#79 Post by Gregory » Wed Feb 25, 2009 5:28 pm

I have the MGM of He Walked. It was the Alpha release of The Scar I was referring to in that part of my post.
Perhaps I should have bought the VCI Scar so I could get The Limping Man, though I'm probably all right without it.
Best part of all was getting the MGM He Walked by Night for the price of an Alpha disc. DD had it priced at $4.49 a few months ago.

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knives
Joined: Sat Sep 06, 2008 6:49 pm

Re: Film Noir suggestions

#80 Post by knives » Wed Feb 25, 2009 5:51 pm

This looks like as good a place as any
Is Series Noire available anywhere? Haven't actually seen the whole thing, but from what little I have it looks wonderful.

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psufootball07
Joined: Wed Apr 02, 2008 2:52 pm

Film Noir Lists

#81 Post by psufootball07 » Sun Apr 19, 2009 9:38 am

Any suggestions on either hidden film noir lists or a really complete list of classic noir. I have seen most of the best (Double Indemnity, Sunset Blvd, Third Man, Maltest Falcon among them) and some lesser films like Scarlet Street, Kurosawa, French noir, and all of the Hitchcock's that are considered noir. So if anyone has any thorough classic noir lists online that would be helpful, or even any suggestions or personal lists.

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Cash Flagg
Joined: Thu Jan 24, 2008 11:15 pm

Re: Film Noir Lists

#82 Post by Cash Flagg » Sun Apr 19, 2009 9:48 am


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foggy eyes
Joined: Fri Sep 01, 2006 9:58 am
Location: UK

Re: Film Noir Lists

#83 Post by foggy eyes » Sun Apr 19, 2009 10:13 am

psufootball07 wrote:I have seen most of the best (Double Indemnity, Sunset Blvd, Third Man, Maltest Falcon among them) and some lesser films like Scarlet Street
What?

Anyway, this is probably what you need - think of it as an annotated list. The Movie noir compilation (long OOP, unfortunately) and Frank Krutnik's In a Lonely Street are v. useful too.

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psufootball07
Joined: Wed Apr 02, 2008 2:52 pm

Re: Film Noir Lists

#84 Post by psufootball07 » Sun Apr 19, 2009 10:32 am

Thanks for the lists, although maybe you "love" Scarlet Street, it definitely had some great shots and scenes, more towards the end of the film, the beginning was really slow paced. Plus the fact that it is a re-make or a better Noir with the same characters, "Woman in the window" which I absolutely was enthralled by.

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tojoed
Joined: Wed Jan 16, 2008 11:47 am
Location: Cambridge, England

Re: Film Noir Lists

#85 Post by tojoed » Sun Apr 19, 2009 12:08 pm

psufootball07 wrote:Thanks for the lists, although maybe you "love" Scarlet Street, it definitely had some great shots and scenes, more towards the end of the film, the beginning was really slow paced. Plus the fact that it is a re-make or a better Noir with the same characters, "Woman in the window" which I absolutely was enthralled by.
"Scarlet Street" is not a remake of "Woman in the Window", a companion piece, maybe. It's Lang's version of Renoir's "La Chienne".

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domino harvey
Dot Com Dom
Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2006 2:42 pm

Re: Film Noir Lists

#86 Post by domino harvey » Sun Apr 19, 2009 1:34 pm

foggy eyes wrote:
psufootball07 wrote:I have seen most of the best (Double Indemnity, Sunset Blvd, Third Man, Maltest Falcon among them) and some lesser films like Scarlet Street
What?
I'm still trying to figure out how he knows he's seen "most of the best" if he needs a list of noir films

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psufootball07
Joined: Wed Apr 02, 2008 2:52 pm

Re: Film Noir Lists

#87 Post by psufootball07 » Sun Apr 19, 2009 2:39 pm

Well basically I'm looking to fill the gaps in, as my Philosophy of Film course is focusing on essential film noir for the past 2 months. So I think I have seen the best, but still am missing many great films. After looking on DVDBeaver link it is clear I have to see The Postman Always Rings Twice and Key Largo ASAP, but I was curious that Death of a Cyclist and Ace in the Hole are noirs.

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HerrSchreck
Joined: Sun Sep 04, 2005 11:46 am

Re: Film Noir Lists

#88 Post by HerrSchreck » Mon Apr 20, 2009 3:36 pm

Imagine thinking you've seen "the best" of film noir without mentioning the name Anthony Mann, or Jules Dassin, without mentioning Henry Hathaway, or Robert Siodmak, without mentioning Ulmer, or Otto Preminger... without mentioning Jacques Tourneur or Raoul Walsh, or Edward Dmytryk or Robert Rossen, Abraham Polonsky or Sam Fuller, Charles Laughton or Henri-Georges Clouzot, without mentioning Julien Duvivier or Robert Wise, Nick Ray or Lupino... no Cavalcanti no Melville no Aldrich no Carne?

..and I think Scarlet Street is a masterpiece (like You Only Live Once, or Fury)-- Lang himself thought it was his finest American film. If you want to talk about his 'minor' (if there really are any) noirs you step down to fabulous films like House By The River, While The City Sleeps, Woman In The Window, Secret Beyond The Door, The Big Heat, The Blue Gardenia, etc.. but they're all great films and essentially companion pieces... pretty much individual installments-- chapters-- in Lang's ongoing fuming against The Basic Problem of the Phenomenon of the Human Scumbag (and his ongoing contention with the ever ill-prepared Decent Fellow).

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Napier
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 9:48 am
Location: The Shire

Re: Film Noir Lists

#89 Post by Napier » Tue Apr 21, 2009 12:29 pm

I have a credo when it comes to Noir. Because I'm a total junkie for the genre. There's no such thing as bad Film Noir. But if I had to pick favorites, Thieves Highway and Pickup on South Street are two of the best.

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goodfelladh
Joined: Sun Apr 12, 2009 12:23 pm

Re: Film Noir Lists

#90 Post by goodfelladh » Fri Apr 24, 2009 9:10 am

I'm a noir addict as well, along with being a sucker for making lists, so here is how I've ranked my favorite 25 noirs in my collection. The first six on this list I rate 10/10 and are absolute must-sees for anyone interested in film in general, let alone noir. Also, HerrSchreck already mentioned Robert Siodmak and I could agree more... make sure you check out his work, he's a great director. On this list, I didn't include some outstanding French films that are often considered noir, so be sure to check out stuff like Rififi as well. Obviously, this is purely subjective.

1. Out of the Past (Tourneur, 1947)
2. Criss Cross (Siodmak, 1949)
3. The Killers (Siodmak, 1946)
4. Touch of Evil (Welles, 1958)
5. The Killing (Kubrick, 1956)
6. Sunset Boulevard (Wilder, 1950)
7. The Postman Always Rings Twice (Garnett, 1946)
8. Sweet Smell of Success (Mackendrick, 1957)
9. Double Indemnity (Wilder, 1944)
10. Strangers on a Train (Hitchcock, 1951)
11. Gilda (Vidor, 1946)
12. The Asphalt Jungle (Huston, 1950)
13. In a Lonely Place (Ray, 1950)
14. The Big Heat (Lang, 1953)
15. Detour (1945)
16. The Big Sleep (Hawks, 1946)
17. House of Strangers (Mankiewicz, 1949)
18. The Third Man (Reed, 1949)
19. The Big Combo (Lewis, 1955)
20. Nobody Lives Forever (Negulesco, 1946)
21. The Maltese Falcon (Huston, 1941)
22. Scarlet Street (Lang, 1945)
23. Mildred Pierce (Curtiz, 1945)
24. Born to Kill (Wise, 1947)
25. Brute Force (Dassin, 1947)

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Murdoch
Joined: Sun Apr 20, 2008 11:59 pm
Location: Upstate NY

Re: Film Noir Lists

#91 Post by Murdoch » Fri Apr 24, 2009 11:49 am

My suggestion is to pick up a couple of the Warner, Fox, or Kino noir sets. You can find them for cheap and they offer a great variety of films, even if I wouldn't consider all of them noir (Gun Crazy for instance). For noir you can't assume you've seen most of the best, there's far too many films out there.

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