Month: November 2007

New Criterion DVD: Drunken Angel (aka Yoidore tenshi – Japan 1948)

Drunken Angel (Japan - 1948)

Drunken Angel is the first Kurosawa film starring Toshiro Mifune, and has a strong noir mood.

From the New York Times review of the new Criterion release 27 November:

The liner notes for this Criterion Collection release identify Drunken Angel as a film noir, and visually the movie often suggests the dark, dangerously askew world that Hollywood directors like Anthony Mann and Robert Siodmak were developing during the same period in their urban thrillers. But thematically “Drunken Angel” hails back to an earlier genre, the tenement dramas of the 1920s and ’30s… with their principled heroes and calls for social reform. For every virtuoso sequence – like the Mifune character’s climactic knife fight with his former gang boss, which ends with the two squirming in a pool of white paint – there is a bluntly didactic scene in which the doctor rails against feudal traditions and demands better hygiene.

Shimura and Mifune went on to play symbolic father-and-son-type pairs in several Kurosawa films, including the dazzling and more truly noir-flavored Stray Dog of 1949; their pairing seems to represent the fundamental division in Kurosawa’s work between high-minded sentiment and down-and-dirty action. (Criterion Collection, $39.95, not rated.)

Are Femme-Fatales Crazy?

Double Indemnity (1944)

Now that I have your attention.

I have just been googling with Google Scholar, and have been amazed at the wealth of film noir material this Beta service unearths. There are book extracts, complete books, and journal articles on many and varied aspects of the genre.

This brings me to the heading for this post. A very interesting article I uncovered comes from the Journal of Criminal Justice and Popular Culture: Personality Disorder And The Film Noir Femme Fatale by Scott Snyder of the University of Georgia:

Motion pictures can influence the development of both normal and disordered personality. The femme fatale of the film noir movies of the 1940s and 1950s is representative of several related personality disorders characterized by histrionics, self-absorption, psychopathy, and unpredictability. This report will examine how various societal factors occurring during World War II and its aftermath influenced the portrayal of these disordered females and how these depictions, in turn, reflected and influenced American culture at the time. Specific reference to issues of criminology, economics, gender, as well as feminist viewpoints on this phenomenon will be explored.

New Edition: Somewhere in the Night – Film Noir & the American City

Somewhere in the Night - Film Noir & the American City

Intellectually stimulating, thoroughly researched, and excellently written. Christopher writes with the mind of a scholar and the heart of a poet . – Publishers Weekly

As Christopher observes . . . film noir is more than just a style – it’s a way of looking at the world, ‘a dark mirror reflecting the dark underside of American urban life’. – Michiko Kakutani, New York Times

Author Nicholas Christopher from this new and expanded edition of Somewhere in the Night: Film Noir and the American City:

I had seen film noirs before, with only the vaguest notion of what that term really signified (something dark and sinister?), and was attracted by their unique visual style, gritty, textured rendering of urban life, sharply drawn characters, and psychological complexity.

Starting with the classic Out of the Past, Christopher explores over 300 films noir by identifying the genre’s central motif: “The city as labyrinth is key to entering the psychological and aesthetic framework of the film noir.”.

More Film Noir Essays On-Line

The Big Combo

Some more interesting articles on Film Noir:

Film Noir’s Knights of the Road by John Belton

What Is This Thing Called Noir? by Alain Silver and Linda Brookover

10 Shades of Noir – Film Noir: An Introduction

Beyond the Golden Age: Film Noir Since the ’50s by C. Jerry Kutner

Dames in the Driver’s Seat: Rereading Film Noir by Deane R Coolidge

Orson Welles’s The Trial: Film noir and the Kafkaesque by Jefftrey Adams

Naremore and Noir: More than night by Lev Peter

Film Noir by Chris Routledge

Creatures of Darkness: Raymond Chandler, Detective Fiction, and Film Noir M S Peters

The Themes of Film Noir

Out Of The Past (1947)

These thumbnail interpretations from the book Film Noir by Alain Silver and James Ursini, are compelling renditions of the two essential themes of film noir:

The Haunted Past… In the noir world both past and present are inextricably bound… One cannot escape one’s past… And only in confronting it can the noir protagonist hope for some kind of redemption, even if it is at the end of a gun.

The Fatalistic Nightmare. The noir world revolves around causality. Events are linked… and lead inevitably to a heavily foreshadowed conclusion. It is a deterministic universe in which psychology… and even the structures of society… can ultimately override whatever good intentions and high hopes the main characters may have.

(p. 15)

The Crimson Kimono (1959): Little Tokyo Rift

The Crimson Kimono (1959)

An unusual film from pulp noir director, Samuel Fuller, set in LA’s Little Tokyo. The search for the killer of a stripper brutally gunned down in late-night traffic on the streets of LA is the pretext for a deft study of race, love, jealousy, and friendship. Fuller’s signature expressionist lighting, jumpy takes, and jarring jazz score keep the viewer off-balance.

Fuller’s screenplay takes us from inner-city sleaze to a Shinto temple and back. There are intriguing conversations on art and painting, love and music, race and prejudice, loyalty and friendship, that not only propel the narrative but also give the major characters amazing depth and complexity for such a short film (82 mins). The thriller aspect is not neglected with an exciting surprise ending.

The Crimson Kimono (1959)

I am struck by Fuller’s humanity. Little Tokyo is not a just an exotic locale, it is place of genuine interest that is explored with intelligence and respect. There is a quiet hiatus in a Shinto temple where a peripheral character, a Japanese-American man, attends a memorial service for his son, a US soldier killed in action.

The Crimson Kimono (1959)

A strong performance by then new-comer, James Shigeta, as an LA cop, is complemented by solid support from Glenn Corbett as his police partner and ex-Army buddy. Victoria Shaw and Anna Lee shine as the female leads Chris and Mac, intelligent women of contrasting ying and yang persuasions: Chris the demure innocent abroad and love interest, and Mac as the hard-drinking painter and proto-feminist with a heart of gold. Fuller truly loved and respected women, taking the noir genre beyond the narrow misogyny of the femme-fatale stereotype.

Enjoy it on a wide-screen.

The Crimson Kimono (1959)

Film Noir Essays On-Line

Brute Force The Maltese Falcon

These on-line essays are well-written and serious studies of the film noir genre:

No Place for a Woman: The Family in Film Noir by John Blaser

Film Noir’s Progressive Portrayal of Women by John Blaser

Film Noir & the Hard-Boiled Detective Hero by John Blaser

The Outer Limits of Film Noir by John Blaser

Nietzsche and the Meaning of Noir by Mark Conard

Dark Art by Chris Fujiwara

An Introduction to Neo-Noir by Lee Horsley

The Urban Landscape of Marxist Noir by Alan Wald

European Film Noir by K H Brown

Film Noir: Fear In The City by Bruce Hodsdon

Film Noir and the German-Hollywood Connection by Hyde Flippo

Film Noir as Deferred Action by Steffen Hantke

Rerunning Film Noir by Richard Schickel

Shades Among Shadows: The Murder Mystery, Film Noir, and Poetry by David Lehman

Lost in the Dark: The Elusive Film Noir by Patrick Ellis

The Cinematic Flaneur:
Manifestations of modernity in the female protagonist of 1940s film noir
by Dr Petra Désirée Nolan

Film Noir: You sure you don’t see what you hear? by Raffaele Caputo

Film Noir: Another Recommended Reading List

Another list of recommended books on Film Noir History & Theory from an Amazon.com customer with comments:

Film Noir: An Encyclopedic Reference to the American Style, Third Edition

by Alain Silver
Buy new: $25.55 / Used from: $14.35
The essential reference book for film noir of the classic period. Includes some discussion of neo-noir. Plot summaries, names, dates, and critical analysis for nearly 300 films.

Film Noir by Andrew Spicer

Buy new: $10.17 / Used from: $5.72
Concise and readable introduction to film noir theory. Covers classic, modern, and post-modern noir. Includes essays on 3 directors and lists of films.

The Dark Side of the Screen: Film Noir by Foster Hirsch

Buy new: $19.77 / Used from: $10.32
Another introductory text. Published in 1981, this was one of the first books on film noir written in English. Older and less comprehensive than the Spicer book, but still a solid introduction.

Dark City: The Lost World of Film Noir by Eddie Muller

Buy new: $16.47 / Used from: $11.94
Engaging survey of classic film noir written for a popular audience. Not intended to be comprehensive, but an winning introduction to great films for casual fans and noir buffs.

A Panorama of American Film Noir, 1941-1953 by Raymond Borde

Buy new: $11.53 / Used from: $6.95
Noir film theory’s seminal work, first published in France in 1955, on which all subsequent theory was built. Amazingly insightful, considering it lacked the benefit of hindsight.

Film Noir Reader by Alain Silver

Buy new: $22.95 / Used from: $5.60
Collection of essays written 1950s-1990s. Important seminal works, including Schrader’s “Notes on Film Noir”, plus modern studies of specific films and directors. Classic and neo-noir.

Film Noir Reader 2 by Alain Silver

Buy new: $15.60 / Used from: $6.85
More seminal essays, including Nino Frank’s, and an eclectic assortment of more recent essays that explore films, directors, themes, influences, and music. Classic and neo-noir.

Film Noir Reader 3: Interviews with Filmmakers of the Classic Noir Period by Alain Silver

Buy new: $22.50 / Used from: $14.06
Interviews with 18 directors, cinematographers, actresses, composers, writers, producers of the classic noir period, conducted by Robert Porfirio, Alain Silver, and James Ursini.

Film Noir Reader 4: The Crucial Films and Themes by Alain Silver

Buy new: $17.21 / Used from: $9.32
Mostly modern essays discussing key films and themes. Mixed bag. Some excellent historical studies, but too many essays rooted in socio-political agendas.

More than Night: Film Noir in Its Contexts by James Naremore

Buy new: $17.95 / Used from: $11.01
A scholarly analysis of “film noir” as an idea formed ex post facto that continues to resonate through contemporary media. Classic noir, neo-noir, and related crime films.

Detours and Lost Highways: A Map of Neo-Noir by Foster Hirsch

Buy new: $20.00 / Used from: $5.94
Follows neo-noir 1960-1999, as the style became a Hollywood mainstay. Analysis of old ideas and new trends, from the surprisingly retro to audaciously original films. Best book on neo-noir.

Shades of Noir: A Reader (Haymarket)

Buy new: $20.00 / Used from: $6.20
Ten highly academic essays focus on the origins of film noir motifs and their relationships to American culture. Classic & neo-noir. Dense, hard-core film theory. Not for casual fans.

New York Noir: Crime Photos from the Daily News Archive by William Hannigan

Buy new: $19.77 / Used from: $18.98
Not film theory, but it should be. These tabloid photographs from 1920s-1950s will disabuse you of the widely held belief that film noir’s vice, violence, and realism were products of the WWII era.

Somewhere in the Night by Nicholas Christopher

Buy used from: $2.31
Personal treatise focusing on elements of post-WWII urban environment which the author believes shaped film noir style. Interesting, thoughtful, but a stretch in terms of theory.

Out of the Past: Adventures in Film Noir by Barry Gifford

Buy new: $20.00 / Used from: $8.20
Barry Gifford’s personal take on 118 crime films released 1933-1988. If you find most film noir books too dry or academic, these energetic, entertaining essays might suit you.

L. A. Noir: Nine Dark Visions of the City of Angels by William Hare

Buy new: $39.95 / Used from: $25.00
Analysis of 7 classic noir films and 2 neo-noir films that take place in Los Angeles. Includes discussion of related films and the directors, actors, and writers involved in their creation.

L.A. Noir: The City as Character by Alain Silver

Buy new: $14.96 / Used from: $12.75
Classic and neo-noir in Los Angeles, with emphasis on how the city and its landmarks help create the noir mood. More than 150 b&w photos including many location photos indexed with addresses.

Film Noir by Alain Silver

Buy new: $13.59 / Used from: $6.20
Sleek, attractive showcase of over 180 photographs from classic noir films. Somewhat cursory analysis of 10 noir motifs and 10 representative films. Heavy on visuals, light on information.

Art of Noir: The Posters And Graphics From The Classic Era Of Film Noir

by Eddie Muller
Buy new: $34.65 / Used from: $25.00
A wonderful showcase of the brash, lurid poster art of classic film noir. 338 posters and lobby cards are reproduced in eye-popping color. Captions and essays expound on the bold styles.

Painting With Light by John Alton

Buy new: $19.77 / Used from: $11.99
Not film theory, but lighting theory. A handbook to cinematography written in 1949 by John Alton, low key lighting specialist and one of film noir’s most recognizable and revered cinematographers.

Its A Bitter Little World: The Smartest Toughest Nastiest Quotes From Film Noir

Buy new: $10.39 / Used from: $1.78
A nice little volume of hard-boiled quotes from film noir 1940-2005. Organized by date, theme, and indexed by film.

Hard Boiled: Great Lines from Classic Noir Films by Peggy Thompson

Buy used from: $1.88
Book of quotes from film noir and crime films 1932-1964. Organized by film, indexed by artist and first line. Includes reproductions of more than 60 movie stills and lobby cards.

Film Noir: Recommended Reading

BuddBottiecher's Behind Locked Doors (1948)

I came across this interesting Film Noir Recommended Reading List by an Amazon.Com customer and his comments:

Dark City: The Lost World of Film Noir by Eddie Muller

Buy new: $16.47 / Used from: $11.94
Eddie Muller’s Dark City is one of the best books on noir out there.

Dark City: The Film Noir by Spencer Selby

Buy new: $30.00 / Used from: $29.98
A great “list” book. Noirheads use this one to keep track of what they’ve seen and what they want to see.

Film Noir: An Encyclopedic Reference to the American Style, Third Edition

by Alain Silver
Buy new: $25.55 / Used from: $14.35
Another excellent “List” book. Not much in the way of photos, but this is probably the most comprehensive list of film noir out there.

A Panorama of American Film Noir, 1941-1953 by Raymond Borde

Buy new: $11.53 / Used from: $6.95
This is the book that started it all. A must for film fans.

Death on the Cheap: The Lost B Movies of Film Noir by Arthur Lyons

Buy new: $17.50 / Used from: $9.00
The ultimate reference of all B-film noir. The book is entertaining and really digs deep trying to find some forgotten gems (and more than a few stinkers).

Early Film Noir: Greed, Lust and Murder Hollywood Style by William Hare

Buy new: $37.95 / Used from: $35.00
A collection of essays on great film noir.

The Noir Style by Alain Silver

Buy new: $48.00 / Used from: $17.99
A enjoyable coffee-table sized book with images from film noir.

Art of Noir: The Posters And Graphics From The Classic Era Of Film Noir

by Eddie Muller
Buy new: $34.65 / Used from: $25.00
This one goes great with Noir Style. A collection of colorful film noir movie posters in coffee-table-book size.

Painting With Light by John Alton

Buy new: $19.77 / Used from: $11.99
The famed movie-maker’s book on lighting. A must for noir fans and film makers. The book references The Amazing Mr. X.

New DVD Set: Film Noir: Five Classics from the Studio Vaults

They Made Me a FugitiveScarlet Street

A new DVD set has just been released by KINO with some interesting and obscure titles, including a pristine HD transfer of the Fritz Lang classic, Scarlet Street:
Film Noir: Five Classics from the Studio Vaults – Scarlet Street/Contraband/Strange Impersonation/They Made Me A Fugitive/The Hitch-Hiker

The Hitch-Hiker

Each movie in the Set was reviewed today by Grady Hendrix in the The New York Sun: Ladies Of the Dark

Details courtesy of Amazon.com:

SCARLET STREET (1945) – A FILM BY FRITZ LANG – WITH EDWARD G. ROBINSON, JOAN BENNETT & DAN DURYEA – A box-office hit in its day (despite being banned in three US states), Scarlet Street is perhaps legendary director Fritz Lang’s finest American film. But for decades, Scarlet Street has languished on poor quality VHS tape and in colorized versions. Kino’s immaculate new HD transfer, from a 35mm Library of Congress vault negative, restores Lang’s extravagantly fatalistic vision to its original B&W glory. When middle-aged milquetoast Chris Cross (Edward G. Robinson) rescues street-walking bad girl Kitty (Joan Bennett) from the rain slicked gutters of an eerily artificial backlot Greenwich Village, he plunges headlong into a whirlpool of lust, larceny and revenge.

CONTRABAND (AKA Blackout) (1940) – A FILM BY MICHAEL POWELL – WRITTEN BY EMERIC PRESSBURGER – WITH CONRAD VEIDT & VALERIE HOBSON – Contraband is a comedy thriller in the vein of Hitchcock’s The Thirty-Nine Steps and The Lady Vanishes. The film is an early treasure from the writer-director team of Emeric Pressburger and Michael Powell (The Red Shoes), who have been hailed by critics as jewels in the crown of British cinema. Set in England during the early days of WW II, Contraband stars Conrad Veidt and Valerie Hobson as a Danish sea captain and his enigmatic passenger who are kidnapped by a cell of Nazi spies operating from a basement in London’s Soho. In evocatively Hitchcockian fashion, the plot progresses as a chase that puts the characters in one peculiar set of surroundings after another.

STRANGE IMPERSONATION (1947) – A FILM BY ANTHONY MANN – WITH BRENDA MARSHALL & LYLE TALBOT – Hard-boiled film noir masquerading as a women’s melodrama, Strange Impersonation is a twisted tale of jealousy, murder, revenge and facial disfigurement from director Anthony Mann (T-Men, Raw Deal).

THEY MADE ME A FUGITIVE (AKA I Became A Criminal) (1947) – A FILM BY CAVALCANTI – STARRING TREVOR HOWARD & SALLY GRAY – Alberto Cavalcanti (Dead of Night), one of the key figures in French and British cinema for several decades, turns his sights on the London underworld in the engrossing Brit Noir gangland drama They Made Me a Fugitive. Set in unsettled postwar England where crime is on the upsurge, Fugitive is a suspenseful genre film which uses the picturesque Soho district as background to brilliant effect. The brooding and atmospheric cinematography of cameraman Otto Heller (Funeral in Berlin) is in the noir visual tradition, while the film’s authenticity is due to the director’s command of documentary technique. The London pubs, alleys, and back bedrooms turn into the poetry of urban realism.

THE HITCH-HIKER (1953) – A FILM BY IDA LUPINO – STARRING EDMOND O BRIEN, FRANK LOVEJOY & WILLIAM TALMAN – The only true film noir ever directed by a woman, this tour-de-force thriller (considered by many, including Lupino herself, to be her best film) is a classic, tension-packed, three-way dance of death about two middle-class American homebodies (Edmond O’Brien and Frank Lovejoy) on vacation in Mexico on a long-awaited fishing trip. Suddenly their car and their very lives are commandeered by psychopathic serial killer Emmett Myers (William Talman). The striking light/dark contrasts, the stunning compositions (such as the two kidnap victims separated by a narrow stream from a gun-cradling madman with a lazy eye) and the spatial integrity of a determining sense of locale (the pitiless topography of a rockbound, horizonless Mexico over which hovers an ever-present doom) all contribute mightily to this fascinating character study.