Category: film noir
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Could You Repeat That? — 36 Noirs That Unfold In Flashbacks
Barbara Stanwyck, Fred MacMurray, “Double Indemnity” (1944). They pop up in all kinds of movies and TV shows, but flashbacks are the stuff that films noir are made of By Paul Parcellin Is that film you’re watching a noir? Here’s one semi-reliable way to tell: Look for flashbacks. In noir, flashbacks show us the stuff…
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D.O.A.: Small Town Man Visits Big City, Murder Follows
Frank Gerstle, Edmond O’Brien, “D.O.A.” (1949). The doctor delivers some astonishingly bad news. Frank Bigelow needs to find the truth,but he’s driven by a deeper motivation By Paul Parcellin When you think of noir, it’s probably not 18th century British author Samuel Johnson who first springs to mind. But his most famous quote really nails the…
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Whiteout Noir: 6 Films With Cold Blooded Crimes In Wintery Places
Ward Bond, Robert Ryan, “On Dangerous Ground” (1951). Murder has a different look atop a crisp blanket of snow By Paul Parcellin Winter is upon us, and in many places snow has either fallen or soon will. So it’s time to consider noirs that feature arctic blasts of frigid air and piles of the white…
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New Year’s Noir: 8 Crime Films Bring You Dark Tidings
Allen Baron, “Blast of Silence” (1961). Noir for the year’s last day. Was that a popping cork or the report of a firearm? By Paul Parcellin Why is it that a lot of noirs take place around Christmas, but not so many focus on New Year’s Eve? Granted, New Year’s doesn’t carry the same weight…
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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…
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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.…
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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…
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‘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…
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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…
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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…