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Author: pparcellin@gmail.com

  • Pulp Into Pictures: 21 Cornell Woolrich Stories That Made It To the Big Screen; Plus “Never Open That Door”

    Pulp Into Pictures: 21 Cornell Woolrich Stories That Made It To the Big Screen; Plus “Never Open That Door”

    Ángel Magana in “Never Open That Door” (1952). Bedarkened, beshadowed Argentinian film noir treated to a stunning restoration, disc release   By Paul Parcellin “Never Open That Door” (1952) Blu-ray and DVD, Flicker Alley (158 minutes)  A lot of movies never quite get author Cornell Woolrich’s tone right, especially the films made in Hollywood. Their forced…

  • Dark Candy in Your Stocking: 25 Christmas Noirs

    Dark Candy in Your Stocking: 25 Christmas Noirs

    Robert Montgomery, “Lady in the Lake” (1946), an odd seasonal thriller. By Paul Parcellin Sometimes you need relief from the hectic days that close out the year. From Thanksgiving ’til New Year’s Day we live with a sense of renewed optimism and anticipation as the new year approaches — well, some of us do, anyway.…

  • Amnesia Noir: 30 Films Worth Remembering

    Amnesia Noir: 30 Films Worth Remembering

    Alan Ladd, William Bendix, “The Blue Dahlia” (1946). When Returning War VetsSuffer Memory Blackouts,Murder is Often Afoot By Paul Parcellin Total amnesia, the kind that wipes out memories like a damp sponge on a chalkboard, probably happens more often in movies and television than in real life. Rare as it may be, it’s a frequent…

  • ‘The Killers’: Nagging Questions In a Haze of Gunsmoke

    ‘The Killers’: Nagging Questions In a Haze of Gunsmoke

    Left, Burt Lancaster, “The Killers” (1946). Right, Lee Marvin, “The Killers” (1964). In both versions, sports heroes have tragic downfalls and alluring women enter the picture to offer a helping hand — it doesn’t turn out well for the wounded competitors By Paul Parcellin “The Killers” (1946) Robert Siodmak (director) — “The Killers” (1964) Don…

  • Busted But Not Broken: Greylisted Actor Made Indy Noirs

    Busted But Not Broken: Greylisted Actor Made Indy Noirs

    Virginia Christine, Edward G. Robinson, “Nightmare” (1956). Edward G. Robinson’s testimony before the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) resulted in his being shunned by the major studios. Instead, he appeared in independently produced Poverty Row films Film Noir: The Dark Side of Cinema XVII [Vice Squad / Black Tuesday / Nightmare] [Blu-ray] By Paul Parcellin…

  • ‘Moguls’: How the Schenck Brothers Helped Invent Hollywood While Building an Empire of Their Own

    ‘Moguls’: How the Schenck Brothers Helped Invent Hollywood While Building an Empire of Their Own

    Brothers Nicholas and Joseph Schenck. They went from owners of an amusement park to giants of the Hollywood film industry. Book Review: ‘Moguls’ (2024), by Michael Benson and Craig Singer,  Citadel Press By Paul Parcellin The Schenck brothers, Joseph and Nicholas, stood among the most powerful executives of the 20th Century’s movie industry and played…

  • What does a Dancer, an Actor, a Magician and a Disenchanted Cop Have in Common? They All Meet in a “City that Never Sleeps”

    What does a Dancer, an Actor, a Magician and a Disenchanted Cop Have in Common? They All Meet in a “City that Never Sleeps”

    Marie Windsor, Gig Young, Chill Wills, “City That Never Sleeps” (1953). A cloud of failure hangs over a handful of Chicagoans whose dreary lives are about to become a lot more dramatic. In “City That Never Sleeps” a would-be ballerina, reduced to dancing in a burlesque house; an out of work actor, his face painted…

  • When Noir Got Into the True Crime Game — Docudramas: How True Were They?

    When Noir Got Into the True Crime Game — Docudramas: How True Were They?

    Ted de Corsia, “The Naked City” (1948) — just one of the 8 million stories. By Paul Parcellin Maybe it was the rigors of World War II that whet the public’s appetite for true crime stories in the 1940s. Returning soldiers, who saw real blood and guts on the battlefield, were less than inspired by…

  • Noir Must Be Shot in Black and White, Right? Guess Again

    Noir Must Be Shot in Black and White, Right? Guess Again

    Marilyn Monroe, “Niagara” (1953). Raw Emotions Sizzle When Noir is in Color By Paul Parcellin I can already hear the howls of protest over the idea that film noir can be in color, so those who insist that color is verboten in noir will probably want to sit this one out. We all know that…

  • Feverish dreams, persecution fantasies: there’s something about Cornell Woolrich’s stories that pulls us in like a magnet

    Feverish dreams, persecution fantasies: there’s something about Cornell Woolrich’s stories that pulls us in like a magnet

    Kevin McCarthy, Gage Clarke, “Nightmare” (1956). Contains spoilers By Paul Parcellin When it comes to crafting stories of dread and entrapment, Cornell Woolrich stands out among his peers. His darkest work seethes with feverish, paranoid fantasies. Wrongly accused men, caged on death row or free and living under a stifling cloud of suspicion, are driven…