Tag: Charles McGraw
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Skepticism takes a holiday: When noir became public relations
Noir traditionally thrives on moral instability. Criminals, police, politicians and ordinary citizens occupy the same compromised terrain, where motives blur and institutions rarely deserve trust.But a parallel strain of postwar crime films moved in the opposite direction. Documentary-style procedurals borrowed noir’s visual tension while stripping away its skepticism, replacing ambiguity with institutional certainty and turning…
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Alton and Mann Threw a New Light on Film Noir
Silhouettes, fog, great pools of inky blackness — that’s a king-sized portion of the visual drama in store when viewing films made by both the ace of noir lighting, John Alton, and the master of dramatic action, Anthony Mann. With his supremely choreographed action scenes, Mann could be directing silent pictures, and that’s not a…
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Express Train to Hell: When Noir Goes Off the Rails
It’s safe to say that if you’re watching a black and white film with a handcuffed criminal being shuffled aboard a Pullman car, you just might be watching noir. Trains are not only the popular mode of transportation in noir, they’re often a stage where dramatic scenes play out. They’re a location where solo travelers…