Film Noir

DLaurent

DLaurent

Well-known member
I go into a semi comatose state on winter evenings, usually sticking a film on at about 8 o'clock. The short running times of film noir mean I'm comfortably asleep by the end of them. There's loads in public domain on youtube and I'm addicted to them. It's getting to be that time of year again and despite watching one every night last year for a few of the coldest months I'm still finding ones to watch. I have my well known favourites, Scarlet Street, Detour, Criss Cross and come across some lesser known ones like The Hitch-Hiker, Dial 1119, Dangerous Crossing as well as neo noirs like Farewell My Lovely, The Long Goodbye, The Friends of Eddie Coyle.

Basically it's that time I've year again and I'll be watching as many as I can, got any favourites or don't like the genre?
 
V

version

Well-known member
I think the last one I saw was Kiss Me Deadly, which was great and which the film your namesake features in pays homage to.
 
DLaurent

DLaurent

Well-known member
version said:
I think the last one I saw was Kiss Me Deadly, which was great and which the film your namesake features in pays homage to.
Click to expand...

I haven't seen it, probably should have. Goes to show how many there are to watch although I felt as though I'd seen most of the ones worth watching at the end of a spree last year. It's my favourite film genre.

I haven't seen many British Noirs as an aside, tend to avoid British films for the most part, but saw Hell Drivers the other night, that was ok, a bit more rugged than I expect British films to be.
 
V

version

Well-known member
DLaurent said:
I haven't seen it, probably should have. Goes to show how many there are to watch although I felt as though I'd seen most of the ones worth watching at the end of a spree last year. It's my favourite film genre.
Click to expand...
You should. It's good. The full thing's on YouTube.

 
S

Simon silverdollarcircle

Well-known member
I like pretty much nothing better than getting a bit pissed on my own and watching film noir.

Watched the Late Show the other day. Weird neo noir pastiche thing but absolutely amazing

Laura is probably my favourite though, of the proper noirs
 
Last edited:
DLaurent

DLaurent

Well-known member
I stick them on youtube on my big TV and crawl into bed. I'll add that to my next to watch.

On 'foreign' noirs, seen a few. Pale Flower, Elevator to the Gallows.... a few more. Seem over stylised and not as gritty as a true US noir.
 
V

version

Well-known member
Night and the City was one I'd always heard good things about, but which I wasn't particularly into. I didn't like Le Cercle Rouge as much as I'd expected either.
 
DLaurent

DLaurent

Well-known member
Simon silverdollarcircle said:
What I like about noir is that everyone is a cunt. I don't like a lot of new films cos they feel too sugary. Quirky middle class people muddling through
Click to expand...

There's a documentary on youtube with James Ellroy talking and he sums it up as saying "you're f%c$d". I like the fact I can have them on in the background not really following the story and each line seems to have its own gloomy quality. I like the music to them too but couldn't pick out one score I'd particularly listen to.

You're comment also reminds me of what Sam Fuller said about 40 Guns, that they were 40 Pr!cks! But I've got to be honest I'm not so into Westerns. I post on another forum that's very right wing, BLM was trashed, military heavily praised and War Films, British Films, and Westerns come out most popular.

Simon silverdollarcircle said:
The Killing (Kubrick) is ace. It's so sharp and lean. Kind of unlike any other Kubrick film
Click to expand...

I think I prefer Killers Kiss. The one with the boxing and tense ending!
 
DLaurent

DLaurent

Well-known member
New films keep me awake with action and swearing, in film noir it's all low key and you can listen to them without even watching. Perfect for bedtime.
 
V

version

Well-known member
I still don't know what actually happened in The Big Sleep. It's great, but the plot's utterly perplexing.
 
V

version

Well-known member
I like the psychedelic neo-noirs a lot: The Long Goodbye, The Big Lebowski, Inherent Vice. I still need to see Under the Silver Lake. Also got a list of stuff like Night Moves, Harper and The Drowning Pool still to watch. Do the Kurosawa police procedurals count as noir?
 
DLaurent

DLaurent

Well-known member
Watch the 1978 version of The Big Sleep with James Stewart. It's a cracking film and a bit easier to follow.

Night Moves is like a cross between that and Castaway by Nic Roeg. Not a bad film.

Speaking of Sam Fuller I must have seen Pickup on South Street 5 or more times. It's always the next recommended on youtube after a film I watch. I like the one set piece in it with the beer on a winch but never really rated it as a first rate noir.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top