
Film Noir Board
32 FOLLOWERS
A blog by Eric Somer devoted to the classic American film noirs of the 1940s and 1950s.
Film Noir Board
1M ago
Warner Bros., 101m 20s
By the year 1947, the film noir was in full stride. Some of the most important and technically accomplished expressions of the genre were released that year, including BODY AND SOUL, BRUTE FORCE, CROSSFIRE, KISS OF DEATH, THE LADY FROM SHANGHAI, NIGHTMARE ALLEY, OUT OF THE PAST, RIDE THE PINK HORSE and T-MEN. The genre certainly includes enough quality films to continue the list further. So entrenched was the noir film by the late 1940s, the genre's well-defined elements began to merge with another popular genre: the Western. Such cross-genre examples of the perio ..read more
Film Noir Board
4M ago
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 95m 33s
"THE SHAME OF TWO NATIONS!"
Border security between the United States and Mexico has been a topic of concern for over 100 years. Over that period of time, there has been interminable political discourse on the subject. At best the border crisis remains an ongoing challenge, at worst perhaps there is no solution. Given the historical duration of the border control issue, the story of undocumented migrants possesses timeless weight. A docudrama intended to shake up the American consciousness of its time, BORDER INCIDENT is a gritty noir Western brought to life ..read more
Film Noir Board
5M ago
Paramount Pictures, 112m 32s
A home invasion thriller set in the heart of Midwestern suburbia, THE DESPERATE HOURS employs the idyllic middle-class American family as organizing principle of the film noir. Intelligently sustained by producer/director William Wyler, hostile intruders take up residence in an otherwise stable household, where routine family matters suddenly become anything but routine. The family is tested to the max by the destabilizing force of the trespassers, but ultimately proves its resolve, bravery and long-term viability.
After family patriarch Daniel Hilliard (Fredric M ..read more
Film Noir Board
8M ago
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 74m 45s
Behind the white picket fence of suburban tranquility lies a fractured marriage in CAUSE FOR ALARM!, a longtime favorite programmer-length film noir of mine. Led by director Tay Garnett, the creative team synthesizes the woman's picture with film noir mechanics, in particular the "downward spiral" theme so prevalent in noir formulas. Our lead protagonist falls deeper and deeper into trouble through no apparent fault of her own, other than perhaps having fallen in love too quickly. But other than her disastrous selection of a husband, there is no evidence offered t ..read more
Film Noir Board
1y ago
Paramount Pictures, 92m 24s
One of the more obscure Hollywood productions to cover the topic of immortality, THE MAN IN HALF MOON STREET made its official worldwide home video debut late in 2023. As marketed by boutique label Imprint, this cross-genre specimen incorporates both science fiction and film noir genre tropes. Frankenstein noir might sound like a winning combination, though to be honest I do not admire this title as much as I wish I did. Suspense comes in oddly small doses based upon the sensational subject matter; the plot summary on hand at Turner Classic Movies [SYNOPSIS] sugges ..read more
Film Noir Board
1y ago
Paramount Pictures, 88m 44s
An extension of the 1943 radio play written by Lucille Fletcher, producer/director Anatole Litvak’s socially uncompromising SORRY, WRONG NUMBER encompasses many of the themes and motifs central to the American film noir cycle: women who are something other than what they seem, men who are tempted by the allure of money to commit crimes, a decadent urban setting, flashbacks meant to explicate the present, and above everything else, an irrevocable sense of doom as fate closes in on the major characters. An exercise in sustained tension, from the opening moments ..read more
Film Noir Board
1y ago
Warner Bros., 94m 43s
The Warner Bros. success MILDRED PIERCE (1945) marked a triumphant comeback for actress Joan Crawford and deservedly is remembered as one of the finest film noirs of its time. Four years later, studio boss Jack Warner looked to recreate that production's magic. The reteaming of Crawford, Zachary Scott and Michael Curtiz along with a familiar array of Warner talent resulted in the rags to riches story FLAMINGO ROAD. Once again Crawford's indefatigable character is determined to defy all odds and elevate her social status while retaining her moral foundation. Compared alon ..read more
Film Noir Board
1y ago
RKO Radio Pictures, 91m 53s
A film noir experience sure to carve out its place in your memory, ANGEL FACE was directed and produced by Otto Preminger, one of the deans of noir directors with LAURA (1944), FALLEN ANGEL (1945), WHIRLPOOL (1950) and WHERE THE SIDEWALK ENDS (1950) to his credit prior to the release of the title under review. Though I do not consider ANGEL FACE to be on quite the same level as that fab four, his 1952 effort is a significant title in terms of its allegiance to film noir genre conventions and assumptions. As the opening theme music by Dimitri Tiomkin makes perfectly ..read more
Film Noir Board
1y ago
United Artists, 92m 25s
"My soul is humble when I see the way little ones accept their lot. Lord save little children. The wind blows, and the rain's a-cold. Yet they abide. They abide and they endure."
—Rachel Cooper
To be a fan of the cinema sometimes causes one, like it or not, to ponder what might have been. Often such thinking revolves around careers cut tragically short; for me that list includes screen legends such as James Dean, Sharon Tate, Bruce Lee and Heath Ledger. Then there are those filmmakers who likely had significant contributions to make had they survived longer, i.e. F.W ..read more
Film Noir Board
2y ago
Paramount Pictures, 85m 37s
In 1949 the federal government was petitioned to crack down on the long-term social infection of interstate crime. The reaction to that pressure was the formation of the five-member Kefauver Committee, chaired by first-term senator Estes Kefauver of Tennessee. The special committee's hearings captured the interest of American television audiences. In fact some 30 million Americans tuned in to watch the live proceedings in March of 1951. Schools even dismissed students so they could view the hearings. Naturally the movie studios did not let the opportunity to profit ..read more