Best Ever (Classic) Film Noir [POLL]

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PurpleHazel




United States

  • #61
  • Posted: 12/09/2018 01:38
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StreetSpirit's list's another really good one. Nobody can complain about the quality of the lists that have been submitted.

StreetSpirit wrote:
* These films may not be eligible, but I think they should be:

Hot Cars (1956) Rare film, but pretty enjoyable. Not listed on criterionforum page, but I think it should be eligible based on its plot. Has anyone else seen it, or even heard of it?

Down Three Dark Streets (1954) Also a rare film not listed on the criterionforum page, but I think it should be eligible.

The Assassin / Venetian Bird (1952) Also a rare film not listed on the criterionforum page, but I think it should be eligible.

Haven't heard of these, except maybe Down Three Dark Streets. If a U.S. film from 1940-1959 isn't under either "Films Generally Considered Noir" or "Sometimes Considered Noir" and you genuinely feel it should've been included in the former, that means it's probably way under the radar -- doesn't appear on any semi-official noir lists and probably wasn't released on DVD. So the honor system applies.

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The Big Caper (1957) Not listed on the criterionforum page, but how is this not a noir?

Any 1940-1959 heist film with a serious tone in which there are bad consequences for most of the robbers should automatically be noir.

Quote:
Death of a Cyclist / Muerte de un ciclista (1955) Spanish film, certainly feels noir. Listed on the criterionforum page where it says "Consensus International Noir 1940-65", but not under "generally considered noir."

Story of a Love Affair / Cronaca di un amore (1950) Italian film. Listed on the criterionforum page where it says "Consensus International Noir 1940-65", but not under "generally considered noir."

Lastly, there are a few other titles on my list that are not listed under "generally considered noir" but are instead listed under "foreign noirs." The Third Man, Rififi, and Yield to the Night for example. I don't have these asterisked because I don't think there's really any debate about them.

Those foreign lists aren't official -- they weren't compiled by the list maker, but crowdsourced by CriterionForum members, so most of the films on them are probably eligible and if a movie's not on them, it doesn't mean anything. Sorry if I gave an impression those lists were ineligible, or that films not on them were ineligible. When it comes to pre-1960 foreign films, the honor system also applies.

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Fury (1936) and You Only Live Once (1937) Outside the timeframe, but precursors to noir. And if PurpleHazel says they're eligible, these should be fine. But if these two precursors to Film Noir are eligible, is M eligible too? (never mind, let's not go there)

The only difference is Fury and You Only Live Once are U.S. films and noir's primarily but not exclusively an American STYLE. Yeah, I'm really hoping I don't have to go there haha.

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Keeper of the Flame (1943) definitely felt like a noir for 85% of its run time. The ending threw it off however, which is probably why the criterionforum page lists it under "sometimes considered noir." I think it should be allowed though.

Ultimately, my criteria's more of a suggestion than a rule. Haven't seen it so don't have a personal opinion.

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Man Hunt (1941) I used to separate espionage films from Film Noir. But if the criterionforum page lists so many espionage films under "generally considered noir" then why is Man Hunt listed under "sometimes considered noir"?

The CriterionForum list's a very inclusive list. There are quite a few films on it I don't personally consider noir, but what makes it the best one to me is there's not a single film I consider noir that's not on the list -- though you seem to have found a few! Obviously, there were a lot of espionage films in the 40s and most of them aren't noir. I would need to know and to have seen which ones you're talking about to answer your question. Manhunt's not noir to me, but ultimately it's your list. Sometimes movies are considered noir for less-than-logical reasons: Because of the director, the stars, the studio; because a DVD company slapped "film noir" on the cover of the DVD to sell more copies and it took hold etc.

Again, top-notch list.
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BeA Sunflower



Location: Forest Park
United States

  • #62
  • Posted: 12/12/2018 14:23
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Just watched In A Lonely Place which is likely Bogart's best performance, but his co-star Gloria Grahame delivers as well.

An excellent essay on an excellent film ...

https://www.criterion.com/current/posts...h-for-love

A must watch & read for film noir buffs.
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PurpleHazel




United States

  • #63
  • Posted: 12/13/2018 00:30
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It's #1 on my list -- so I couldn't agree with you more! Agree that it's likely Bogie's best performance, though most would probably go with Treasure of Sierra Madre.
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PurpleHazel




United States

  • #64
  • Posted: 12/14/2018 10:05
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Someone posted this list of noir films available on YouTube and other sites (perhaps Amazon Prime is one of them?) on another forum. Can't vouch for all of these still being available. A lot of the films aren't noir either (Dick Tracy, Sherlock Holmes -- most of the films on the second half of the list are foreign), but it's a long list:

https://letterboxd.com/robot2xl/list/fi...n-youtube/

I checked the quality of a handful from the first page on YouTube and these were the best-looking ones I found:

The File on Thelma Jordan - Good quality; film has a very good rep, though I don't remember it well; Barbara Stanwyck stars and prolific noir director Robert Siodmak helms.
Plunder Road - Good quality; very solid noirish heist film
The Dark Corner - Pretty good quality; good noir with some iconic dialogue and cinematography, co-stars Lucille Ball and Clifton Webb.
Framed (1947) - Good quality; very authentic noir starring Glenn Ford, but a bad movie IMO.

Quicksand - Public domain, so of course a lot of dodgy versions floating around. Version on YouTube titled "Quicksand - Full Movie - GREAT QUALITY (1950)" is pretty watchable. Average joe Mickey Rooney steals $20 from his job for a date with a fatale-ish blonde and things spiral downward from there. Classic.

Impact - Public domain; version titled "Impact - Full movie - Good quality (1949)" looks pretty good. Never saw this one, maybe I'll watch it in the next few days!
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bobbyb5



Gender: Male
Location: New York
United States

  • #65
  • Posted: 12/14/2018 13:22
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PurpleHazel wrote:
Someone posted this list of noir films available on YouTube and other sites (perhaps Amazon Prime is one of them?) on another forum. Can't vouch for all of these still being available. A lot of the films aren't noir either (Dick Tracy, Sherlock Holmes -- most of the films on the second half of the list are foreign), but it's a long list:

https://letterboxd.com/robot2xl/list/fi...n-youtube/

I checked the quality of a handful from the first page on YouTube and these were the best-looking ones I found:

The File on Thelma Jordan - Good quality; film has a very good rep, though I don't remember it well; Barbara Stanwyck stars and prolific noir director Robert Siodmak helms.
Plunder Road - Good quality; very solid noirish heist film
The Dark Corner - Pretty good quality; good noir with some iconic dialogue and cinematography, co-stars Lucille Ball and Clifton Webb.
Framed (1947) - Good quality; very authentic noir starring Glenn Ford, but a bad movie IMO.

Quicksand - Public domain, so of course a lot of dodgy versions floating around. Version on YouTube titled "Quicksand - Full Movie - GREAT QUALITY (1950)" is pretty watchable. Average joe Mickey Rooney steals $20 from his job for a date with a fatale-ish blonde and things spiral downward from there. Classic.

Impact - Public domain; version titled "Impact - Full movie - Good quality (1949)" looks pretty good. Never saw this one, maybe I'll watch it in the next few days!


This is cool. So many. I could find a lot that I'd like to see.
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PurpleHazel




United States

  • #66
  • Posted: 12/18/2018 01:00
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Amazon Prime Instant Video doesn't have as many noirs up as a few years ago, but here's a handful that should be better than public-domain quality:

Woman on the Run - PD film, but this should be the restored version funded by the Film Noir Foundation; very good noir.
The Strange Love of Martha Ivers - PD film, but this should be the Paramount DVD version
Fallen Angel
Dead Reckoning
He Walked by Night - PD, but should be the MGM version
Fear in the Night - Watched this on Amazon a while ago -- PQ's not great. Very low-budget noir starring DeForest Kelly!
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HokeMoseley




United States

  • #67
  • Posted: 12/18/2018 01:53
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My friend Mattsby wanted to submit a list but was too lazy to join this site.

He only wants his top 25 here counted: https://letterboxd.com/mattsby/list/noir-means-noir/

I assure you this isn't my shady alter ego... I think three of the films in his top ten are duds.
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Hayden




Location: CDMX
Canada

  • #68
  • Posted: 12/18/2018 01:55
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Suppose I should whip something up. 1 sec.
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PurpleHazel




United States

  • #69
  • Posted: 12/18/2018 02:28
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HokeMoseley wrote:
I assure you this isn't my shady alter ego...

Actually, a shady alter-ego would be appropriate for this thread! I know it's not you, because even pretending to be somebody else you wouldn't be able to keep from posting a longer list.
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PurpleHazel




United States

  • #70
  • Posted: 12/18/2018 02:29
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Hayden wrote:
Suppose I should whip something up. 1 sec.

Kewl.
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