cigarjoe
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Posts posted by cigarjoe
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Ooooh, I wanna see this one CJ, and especially because being a native Angeleno and always fascinated with the old L.A. Red Car trolley system, I'd love to catch the ending of it, let alone all that precedes it.
(...where or how did you watch this one?...I don't see it in YouTube)
Dargo it's a MGM limited edition DVD
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Hell Bound (1957) Tail Fin Noir
A little gem of a noir from Bel-Air Productions (sounds like the name of dive hotel on Bunker Hill), watching this film was a real hoot.
Directed by William J. Hole Jr., Written by Richard H. Landau (screenplay) and Arthur E. Orloff.
The film stars John Russell, June Blair, Stuart Whitman, Margo Woode, George E. Mather, Stanley Adams, Frank Fenton, Dehl Berti and Virginia De Lee
Cinematography is by Carl E. Guthrie, and Music by Les Baxter.
Drug smuggling caper brainstormed by Jordan (John Russell) who even shoots a film depicting the plan to show to money man Harry Quantro (Frank Fenton). Quantro's gal pal Paula (Blair) takes a shine to Jordan and attaches herself to the scheme.
Of course like in all foolproof plans it all goes spiraling into Noirsville.
Again an excellent little Noir that won't disappoint. Has tali fins galore and a denouement at the Los Angeles Trolley Graveyard. Entertaining. 7/10
Full review with more screencaps here: http://noirsville.blogspot.com/2016/10/hell-bound-1957-tail-fin-noir_26.html
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Hell Bound (1957) Tail Fin Noir
A little gem of a noir from Bel-Air Productions (sounds like the name of dive hotel on Bunker Hill), watching this film was a real hoot.
Directed by William J. Hole Jr., Written by Richard H. Landau (screenplay) and Arthur E. Orloff.
The film stars John Russell, June Blair, Stuart Whitman, Margo Woode, George E. Mather, Stanley Adams, Frank Fenton, Dehl Berti and Virginia De LeeCinematography is by Carl E. Guthrie, and Music by Les Baxter.
Drug smuggling caper brainstormed by Jordan (John Russell) who even shoots a film depicting the plan to show to money man Harry Quantro (Frank Fenton). Quantro's gal pal Paula (Blair) takes a shine to Jordan and attaches herself to the scheme.
Of course like in all foolproof plans it all goes spiraling into Noirsville.
Jordan (Russell)
Paula, (June Blair)
Highlights...
The "infomercial" must have cost Jordan (Russel) quite a bit of moola it has very high production values, besides it lays out the whole crime to all his movie cast and crew, and lets don't forget his narrator who minutely details all the action on the screen, Jordan would have had to commit a mass execution of everyone involved to keep anyone from talking, it's chuckle worthy when you think about it .Paula (Blair) is very hot to trot with with almost anybody wearing pants. Her "boyfriend" Harry the money man for the job even remarks, at the heist meeting, to Jordan "Paula, like she has two heads on her shoulders, one of them for just thinking....." It's left to your imagination what she does with her "other" head. Later when the meeting is over, naughty Paula asks Jordan to help her put on her shoes, when he obliges she flips the recliner up so it suggests that he has a view up her skirt. Later when Paula has Jordan cornered in an apartment, she moves in for the kill only to find that Jordan is not responding in a normal way, she asks him "you better see a doctor Jordan you have a low blood count."There is also this whole elaborate meeting of the junkie (George E. Mather) and "Daddy" (Dehl Berti) his creepy looking pusher sitting at a ringside table at a nightclub strip show. The junkie is itchin' and twitchin', slightly freaking out, needing a fix, while the pusher ignores him sitting calmly wearing dark sunglasses, and slicked back hair and is drinking a glass of milk. While the junkie pleads, the stripper (Virginia De Lee who was a cover girl who also BTW appeared in Playboy) gyrates directly in front of the pusher. The Pusher tells the junkie "shut up I want to enjoy this" You don't notice till the end of the strippers set that the pusher is holding on to a seeing eye dog.
Junkie Stanley (George E. Mather) and "Daddy" (Dehl Berti)
Again an excellent little Noir that won't disappoint. Has tali fins galore and a denouement at the Los Angeles trolley graveyard.
The screencaps are from the MGM limited edition DVD entertaining. 7/10
Full review with more screencaps here: http://noirsville.blogspot.com/2016/10/hell-bound-1957-tail-fin-noir_26.html
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Shakedown (1950)Very entertaining noir on par with Ace In the Hole, and grafted with 2014s Nightcrawler, Duff is an obsessed news photographer who also shakes down the the local hoods. Donlevy the "Dapper Dan" mobster, Tierney the rival whose HQ is a bowling alley. The three leads are great. Needs a restoration. 7/10
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Sorry, but I still don't understand what is 'off'. That noirs made during the noir era (say 1941 - 1960), didn't feature popular artist but instead orchestra string scores OR that when a noir did feature jazz it wasn't popular jazz artist but instead more obscure jazz acts?
Like Mitchum said in His Kind of Women; I'm not knocking you, I'm just trying to understand you.
If you watch a film set in the 50s today they use the real artists for the diegetic music coming out of the, radios, jukebox, phonograph records but the actors have a hard time convincing me that they are actually from the 50s.
Watching noirs from the early 50s, you almost never hear the real popular artists music of the era, because the studios usually had their house orchestras do the music, I'm not saying they were bad or incompetent or anything just saying that you rarely ever hear the popular music of that era performed by the popular recording artists over radios, jukeboxes or records. I know that every club had competent musicians etc., etc, but it just seems off nowadays not to have used popular recording artists, when you hear them in these recent period pieces. I know the studios didn't want to pay for the rights back then.
As an example think of what the car chase in The Lineup would have been like if Chuck Berry's "Maybellene" was playing over the radio. ;-)
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Your mention of the brand name, Coca Cola got me to thinking about its use in Dr. Strangelove, but of course that's not noir. My wife mentioned the film Fire Down Below saying she thinks they mention the soft drink in it and even with Mitchum and Hayworth it might not technically be noir, but it was written by Max Catto who also wrote a very noirish tale called Bad Blonde that in the film starred Barbara Payton, a noirish dame if there ever was one, Cigar Joe.
I actually do consider Dr. Strangelove a Satirical Noir a black comedy if you will. There have been a few through the years
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The studio musicians in So Cal where some of the top west coast jazz musicians. So I'm confused what would be 'off' by use of studio musicians in the 50s playing a jazz score \ jazz music.
Contentious aren't you? This is what I wrote:
Diegetic Popular Music, Popular music whose source is visible on the screen especially in Noirs after say 1952, you never saw a character, turn on a car radio, punch in a jukebox, or put a record on a turntable and heard Dean Martin, Tony Bennett, Frank Sinatra, Patti Page, Ames Brothers, Hank Williams, Dinah Shore, Bill Haley and His Comets, Platters, Elvis Presley, Fats Domino, Harry Belafonte, Chuck Berry, Ricky Nelson, Jerry Lee Lewis,The Kingston Trio, Little Anthony and the Imperials, etc., etc. All popular artists who would have been live in a band, on the air, or on records.
I have seen Louis Armstrong in The Beat Generation, and Nat King Cole in The Blue Gardenia and some Jazz bands, notably the one in D.O.A., and others that I can't recall at the moment but, contrary to popular belief, most Film Noir had studio orchestra "string" scores.
I was talking about popular musicians/recording artists who were Billboard top 100, not just top musicians playing a jazz score
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The studio's used their studio musicians, which gives the films a slightly off - un real quality, compared with today when they make a film set in the 50s they use the real music but the actors usually don't come off very well at all as 50s characters, and you get a different off quality. lol.
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Payback (1999) Point Blank ReduxPayback is the third interpretation of Donald E. Westlake's novel The Hunter (1962), written under the pseudonym Richard Stark. A crime thriller novel, the first of the Parker novels. The other films are John Boorman's Point Blank (1967), starring Lee Marvin and Ringo Lam's Full Contact (1992), starring Chow Yun-fat.Payback was directed by Brian Helgeland and written Brian Helgeland (screenplay) and Terry Hayes (screenplay), (theatrical cut). Cinematography was by Ericson Core, and music was byChris Boardman.The film stars Mel Gibson as Porter, Gregg Henry as Val Resnick, Maria Bello as Rosie, Lucy Liu as Pearl, Deborah Kara Unger as Lynn Porter, David Paymer as Arthur Stegman, Bill Duke as Detective Hicks, Jack Conley as Detective Leary, John Glover as Phil, William Devane as Carter, James Coburn as Fairfax, Kris Kristofferson as Bronson (Theatrical Cut), Sally Kellerman as Bronson (Director's Cut), Trevor St. John as Johnny Bronson (Theatrical Cut), Freddy Rodriguez as Valet, Manu Tupou as Pawnbroker.Give it a fair shake your personal noir tuning fork may accept it more than mine does. Watch also the Film Soleil adaptation of the novel, Point Blank (1967), for a comparison, same story set in California. I haven't seen Chow Yun-fat's Full Contact (1992). Screencaps are from the Paramount DVD. 6.5-7/10. Fuller review with more screencaps in Film Noir/Gangster thread and also here:
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Payback (1999) Point Blank Redux
Payback is the third interpretation of Donald E. Westlake's novel The Hunter (1962), written under the pseudonym Richard Stark. A crime thriller novel, the first of the Parker novels. The other films are John Boorman'sPoint Blank (1967), starring Lee Marvin and Ringo Lam'sFull Contact (1992), starring Chow Yun-fat.
Payback was directed by Brian Helgeland and written Brian Helgeland (screenplay) and Terry Hayes (screenplay), (theatrical cut). Cinematography was by Ericson Core, and music was by
Chris Boardman.
The film stars Mel Gibson as Porter, Gregg Henry as Val Resnick, Maria Bello as Rosie, Lucy Liu as Pearl, Deborah Kara Unger as Lynn Porter, David Paymer as Arthur Stegman, Bill Duke as Detective Hicks, Jack Conley as Detective Leary, John Glover as Phil, William Devane as Carter, James Coburn as Fairfax, Kris Kristofferson as Bronson (Theatrical Cut), Sally Kellerman as Bronson (Director's Cut), Trevor St. John as Johnny Bronson (Theatrical Cut), Freddy Rodriguez as Valet, Manu Tupou as Pawnbroker.
scrape doctor
Porter (Gibson)The film was shot during September/November 1997, in Chicago and Los Angeles and it inexplicably has a short sequence of the Queensboro Bridge and Long Island City. Though no city is ever mentioned in the film we might as well call it Noirsville.
The film is not without controversy "although credited as director, Brian Helgeland's cut of the film was not the theatrical version released to audiences. After the end of principal photography, Helgeland's version was deemed too dark for the mainstream public. Following a script rewrite by Terry Hayes, director Helgeland was replaced by the production designer John Myhre, who reshot 30% of the film. The intent was to make the Porter character accessible. The film's tagline became: "Get Ready to Root for the Bad Guy." A potentially controversial scene which arguably involves spousal abuse was excised and more plot elements were added to the third act. After 10 days of re-shoots, a new opening scene and voiceover track also were added, and Kris Kristofferson walked on as a new villain." (Wikipedia)
I've seen both versions. The best film version in my opinion would be roughly, the theatrical release with the narration and blue tint up to the killing of Carter (exorcising most of the Lucy Liu/Tong revenge angle) then go with the director's cut (but keeping the blue tint) to the ambiguous end. I'd keep the beating also.
Val Resnick (Henry) The story, Porter (Gibson) major bad ****. "Don't **** With Me" might as well have been tattooed on his forehead. Double crossed. Mal Resnick (Henry) and Lynn (Unger) the culprits. Cowboy-ed. Gunned down. Two slugs in the back. Left for dead.
Crawls to back alley scrape doctor to get patched. Doc is a serious boozer. He gets the job done. Porter recoups. Five months. Porter is ****. Wants revenge. Wants his $70,000. His cut from a $140,000 heist of a Chinatown tong.
Lynn Porter (Unger) Porter bloodhounds. First Lynn. His junkie/prostitute wife. Trigger girl. Then the punk kid who delivers the bindle of horse to Lynn. Then Stegmann (Paymer) the pusher who tells him that Resnick is back in the Outfit.
Carter (Devane) To get his $70,000, Porter has to squeeze Stegman, kill Resnick, deal with Outfit bosses, dodge Chinese Tongs, and outwit two corrupt police detectives Hicks and Leary (Bill Duke and Jack Conley).
The film looks great in a Noir-ish way. It homages beautifully classic noir with it voice over narration, the heavy use of stylistics and locations that evoke cinematic memory. Gregg Henry is impressive he evokes the spirit of Dan Duryea.Unfortunately the film goes somewhat slowly off the rails with various scenarios, i.e. Porter cutting a gas line under a an 80s Lincoln which would be physically impossible to do, you can't squeeze under that type of car, no way, and the unneeded extraneous additions of dominatrix Pearl (Liu ) and the Chinese Tong machine gun battle where it veers off into Action film and touches on Tarantino land, when it didn't have to, a shame. The majority of Films Noir were simple stories when you overload then with action sequences you tip the film past the noir tipping point it becomes more of the Action Genre, for me anyway.
Give it a fair shake your personal noir tuning fork may accept it more than mine does. Watch also the Film Soleil adaptation of the novel, Point Blank (1967), for a comparison, same story set in California. I haven't seen Chow Yun-fat's Full Contact (1992). Screencaps are from the Paramount DVD. 6.5-7/10. Fuller review with more screencaps here:
http://noirsville.blogspot.com/2016/10/payback-1999-point-blank-redux.html
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Watch some movies with working class characters, factory workers or farmers,. I'm sure jeans show up all the time.
I realise that, you could also add Westerns that's why I mentioned Noirs
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I haven't by any means seen every film produced during what is usually considered Hollywood's Classic Noir Era but I've probably seen out of Shelby's "Dark City The Film Noir" list about 330-5 noirs. But here is stuff you practically never saw or heard in Classic Hollywood film noir (usually defined as the period from 1941-1958).Diegetic Popular Music, Popular music whose source is visible on the screen especially in Noirs after say 1952, you never saw a character, turn on a car radio, punch in a jukebox, or put a record on a turntable and heard Dean Martin, Tony Bennett, Frank Sinatra, Patti Page, Ames Brothers, Hank Williams, Dinah Shore, Bill Haley and His Comets, Platters, Elvis Presley, Fats Domino, Harry Belafonte, Chuck Berry, Ricky Nelson, Jerry Lee Lewis,The Kingston Trio, Little Anthony and the Imperials, etc., etc. All popular artists who would have been live in a band, on the air, or on records.I have seen Louis Armstrong in The Beat Generation and The Strip (1951), Nat King Cole in The Blue Gardenia and some Jazz bands, notably the one in D.O.A., and others that I can't recall at the moment but, contrary to popular belief, most Film Noir had studio orchestra "string" scores.Pizza Parlors/Joints Never seen a Noir with a Pizza Parlor, have you? I've seen Italian restaurants sure. Pizza places were there because the first printed reference to "pizza" served in the US is a 1904 article in The Boston Journal, and Gennaro Lombardi opened a grocery store in 1897 which was later established as the "said" first pizzeria in America in 1905 with New York's issuance of the mercantile license. So ****? It was around and a relatively cheap food. Any body see a character eat a slice, or pick up a pie for the gang? The same goes for...Chinese Restaurants the only one I can think of is in Pickup on South Street, and someone mentioned Experiment in Terror (though it's out of the time period) there's always a diner or a burger joint in noirs, but on a side note you ever notice the character always orders a burger and a coffee, and never a Coke, and what about fries they too are usually MIA in Noirs. What about Hot Dogs, Tacos or a bowl of Chili?Levis jeans or just jeans in general, the only noir that I've seen where a character noticeably wears jeans is Steve Cochran in Tomorrow Is Another Day (1951)got anything to add?
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The Manchurian Candidate (1962) Cold War Noir
It's amusing to imagine the audience reactions to the film when it first premiered during the Cuban Missile Crisis. A film about an embedded communist assassin effecting a presidential election campaign with the world on the brink of a nuclear holocaust must have additionally upped the anxiety levels of many. I never saw the film when it was first released. I was too busy doing air raid drills, hiding under my school desk with my head between my legs getting ready to kiss my **** goodbye.The film is both a thriller and a somewhat of a political satire. The communist brainwashers are juxtaposed against right wing buffoons.Laurence Harvey is outstanding as the mama's boy/assassin, he's always struck me as phony, unreal, nobody really talks like that normally, but it all feeds into and builds the story. Sinatra is good as Marco the haunted Major who breaks the case. Angela Lansbury steals the show as Mrs. Iselin a duplicitous woman. James Gregory is entertaining as he sanctimoniously spouts baloney. Henry Silva and Khigh Dhiegh play the villains well. The only disappointment was Janet Leigh's Eugenie Rose Chaney a character that seems to be just a tacked on love interest for Marco.Full review with screencaps in Film Noir/Gangster thread and with even more here: http://noirsville.blogspot.com/2016/10/the-manchurian-candidate-1962-cold-war.html
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The Manchurian Candidate (1962) Cold War Noir
It's amusing to imagine the audience reactions to the film when it first premiered during the Cuban Missile Crisis. A film about an embedded communist assassin effecting a presidential election campaign with the world on the brink of a nuclear holocaust must have additionally upped the anxiety levels of many. I never saw the film when it was first released. I was too busy doing air raid drills, hiding under my school desk with my head between my legs getting ready to kiss my **** goodbye.
Directed by John Frankenheimer. The screenplay was written by George Axelrod and is based on the 1959 novel The Manchurian Candidate by Richard Condon. Cinematography was by Lionel Lindon. Music was by David Amram, film editing was by Ferris Webster and production design by Richard Sylbert.
The film stars Frank Sinatra (Suddenly (1954), The Man with the Golden Arm (1955), ), Laurence Harvey (BUtterfield 8 (1960), Walk on the Wild Side (1962)), and Janet Leigh (Act of Violence (1948), Rogue Cop (1954),Touch of Evil (1958), Psycho (1960), Harper (1966), ); co-starring are Angela Lansbury (Gaslight (1944), ), Henry Silva, James Gregory (Nightfall (1956),The Big Caper (1957)), John McGiver, James Edwards and Khigh Dhiegh.
Shaw (Harvey), Marco (Sinatra), Chunjin (Silva) Korean War. US Platoon. Bennett Marco (Sinatra), Captain, Italian. Raymond Shaw (Harvey), Sergeant, goes by the book. Loner. Mama's boy. ****. Has a stick up his ****. Seven other G.I.'s . Out on recon. Led into trap. Captured by Chinese/Soviets. Drugged, Brainwashed. Several days later they cross back to US Lines, all have same story. Shaw saved their lives. A Bad ****. Single handedly wiped out a Chinese company. Big hero. All platoon survivors have same praise "Raymond Shaw is the kindest, bravest, warmest, most wonderful human being I've ever known in my life."
Raymond Shaw (Harvey) Shaw is awarded Medal Of Honor. Marco is promoted to Major. Marco and rest of platoon all have a crazy recurring nightmare, they are attending a Ladies function at a hotel listening to a lecture about hydrangeas, but the nightmare/flashback keeps switching between the lecture and a small amphitheater full with Chinese, Soviet, and communist brass and medical personnel. What frightens them the most is that they see a conditioned Shaw brutally murder, machine like, without any emotion, the two platoon members who didn't make it back.
Brainwashed
flashback
Marco is hipped. The brainwashing not quite complete. He goes to Army Intel. He describes the nightmare/flashback. Allen Melvin another platoon member has same recall. Intel investigates.
Marco and Melvin identify some of the men in the dream as leading figures in communist circles.
Raymond (Shaw), Mrs. Iselin (Lansbury), Senator John Yerkes Iselin (Gregory)
Raymond Shaw's mother, Mrs. Eleanor Iselin (Angela Lansbury), has big plans. She's a cold hearted schemer. In a nod to McCarthyism, her plan is to make her chowderhead, red baiting, husband Senator John Yerkes Iselin (James Gregory), who sees communists embedded in all branches of government, President of the United States.
Mrs. Iselin is in reality a card carrying commie. Her plan involves using Raymond who is now a communist trained assassin, to murder the presidential candidate during his acceptance speech at the convention, thereby having her husband (the vice presidential candidate) lead the ticket.
Raymond is triggered into various actions by a Queen Of Diamonds playing card. When displayed he obeys instructions, and has no memory afterwards. Shaw is overseen by Chunjin (Henry Silva), a North Korean agent who is employed as his houseboy.
As Marco gets closer to the truth and Mrs. Iselin eliminates, using Raymond, all obstacles to her plans the the film escalates to an exciting conclusion
Noirsville
The film is both a thriller and a somewhat of a political satire. The communist brainwashers are juxtaposed against right wing buffoons.Laurence Harvey is outstanding as the mama's boy/assassin, he's always struck me as phony, unreal, a ****, nobody really talks like that normally, but it all feeds into and builds the story. Sinatra is good as Marco the haunted Major who breaks the case. Angela Lansbury steals the show as Mrs. Iselin a duplicitous ****. James Gregory is entertaining as he sanctimoniously spouts baloney. Henry Silva and Khigh Dhiegh play the villains well. The only disappointment was Janet Leigh's Eugenie Rose Chaney a character that seems to be just a tacked on love interest for Marco.
Full review with more screencaps here http://noirsville.blogspot.com/2016/10/the-manchurian-candidate-1962-cold-war.html
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When Strangers Marry (1944) Low budget quickie with Robert Mitchum, Dean Jagger, and Kim Hunter. Directed by William Castle, interesting. 6/10
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Hombre is one of the best American Westerns, hard to believe that some think it was shot on a set. That abandoned mine location was the real deal. Anyway for anyone interested in a comparison between the Film and the Elmore Leonard novel here goes:
The story is told sort of in flash back style by Menedez's helper the blonde kid Peter Lee Blake, who is the newly wed in the film but in the book he's not married to the blonde girl who in the book is an indian captive that's just been released. He meets her just before the stage takes offRussel inherits a ranch not a boarding house in the book, so there is no Jesse (Diane Cilantro) boarding house manager part nor is there a Cameron Mitchell sherrif backstory though his character name Frank Braden is used in the book instead of Cicero Grimes.The incident at Delgado's is the first time the narrator sees Hombre, its also explained that Newman's character has three names John Russel, Ish-kay-nay, and Tres Hombre, he got the name in a fight with renegades and the muleskinners he was with said he fought like Tres Hombres.Cicero Grimes (Richard Boone) is called Frank Braden in the book (the name of Cameron Mitchell's lawman gone bad character in the film) and his dialogue in the film is right out of the book. So with the coach are Menedez, Blake, McLaren, Dr. & Audra Favor, Russel and Braden. In the story there is no Jesse, Kathleen McLaren the girl (17 yrs old) who was taken captive ( by Apaches for about a month) and is being returned to her parents was split into two people in the screenplay.In the story she is an attraction to Carl Allen, Menendez's helper who becomes Peter Lee Blake in the screenplay and McLaren character splits into both his young unsatified wife Doris Blake, and tough as nails Jesse.In the novel its Kathleen who eventually becomes the outspoken one, speaking for the "human" race rather than taking sides, always goading Russel to do whats right she says "people help other people."In the novel its Kathleen who yells out to Dr. Favor at the San Pedro Mine and gives them away.Russell "I want to know why you helped."Kathleen "Because he needed help! I didn't ask if he deserved it.....Like that woman (Audra Favor) needs to live, its not up to us to decide if she deserves it."Russell "We only help her, huh?"Kathleen "Do we have another choice?"Russell "Not Help her."Kathleen "Just let her die."Russell "Thats up to Braden (Grimes). We have another thing to look at, if we don't give him the money he has to come get it."Kathleen "You'd sacrifice a human life for that money, that's what you're saying."Russell "Go ask that woman what she thinks of human life. Ask her what human life is worth at San Carlos when they run out of meat."Kathleen "That isn't any fault of hers."Russell "She said those dirty Indians eat dogs. You remember that? She couldn't eat a dog no matter how hungry she was..... Go ask her if she'd eat a dog now."Kathleen "That's why she insulted the poor hungry miserable Indians and you'd let her die for that!"Russell "We were talking about human life."Kathleen "Even if there was no money, nothing to be gained, you'd let her die! ....Because she thinks Indians are dirty and no better than animals."Russell "It makes you angry why talk about it."Kathleen "I want to talk about it, .... I would like you to ask me what I think a human life is worth... a dirty human Apache life. Go on ask me. Ask me about the ones who took me from my home and keep me past a month. Ask me about the dirty things they did, what the women did when the men weren'y around and what the men did when we weren't running but were hiding somewhere and there was time to waste. I dare you to ask me!" ..... "I haven't seen my folks in two months....or my little brother. Just he and I were home and he ran and I don't know what happend to him, whether they caught him or what." .... "What do they think of an eight year old human life?... Do they just kill little boys who can't defend themselves?"Russell "If they don't want them."Kathleen silently dared Russell to say something else.A few pages later as Audra is screaming for help and Russell asks each of those in the cabin if they want to go and help Mrs. Favor, they all decline even Kathleen. Russell then takes off his Apache moccasins and throws them at Kathleen, "Wear those, You run faster when the shooting starts " He then takes out his boots and puts them on."At end of book.John Russell was buried in Sweetmary. It was strange that neither the McLaren girl nor Henry Mendez nor I said much about him until after the funeral, and when we did talk found there wasn't much to be said.You can look at something for a long time and not see it until it runs off. That was how we had looked at John Russell. Now, nobody questioned why he walked down that slope. What we ask ourselves was why we ever thought he wouldn't.Maybe he was showing off a little bit when he asked each of us if we wanted to walk down to the Favor woman, nowing nobody would but himself.Maybe he let us think a lot of things about him that weren't true. But as Russell would say that was up to us...... Russell never changed the whole time, though I think everyone else did in some way. He did what he felt had to be done. Even if it meant dying. So maybe you don't have to understand him. You just know him."Take a good look at John Russell. You will never see another one like him as long as you live" That first day, at Delgado's, Henry Mendez said it all.end-
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Lost Highway (1997) Bizarre Noir from the Twilight Zone
We are all just sparks of consciousness traveling at light speed through the void.
R rated for BIZARRE, VIOLENT and SEXUAL CONTENT and for Strong Language, a blue screen MPAA film rating at the beginning of David Lynch's Lost Highway, pretty much enticingly sums up one of the best of the 1990s Neo Noirs.
Directed by David Lynch (Blue Velvet (1986), Twin Peaks (1990–1991 TV series), Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992), Wild at Heart (1990), The Straight Story (1999), Mulholland Drive (2001), written by David Lynch and novelist Barry Gifford (Wild at Heart (1990)). The captivating cinematography is from Peter Deming (My Cousin Vinny (1992), Mulholland Drive (2001), Twin Peaks (TV Series, (2017)) and the unsettling mood Music is from the great Angelo Badalamenti (who has collaborated with David Lynch on many projects since Blue Velvet).
The film stars Bill Pullman (The Last Seduction (1994), Zero Effect (1998), The Killer Inside Me (2010)) as Fred Madison, Patricia Arquette (True Romance (1993)) as Renee Madison/Alice Wakefield, Balthazar Getty (Natural Born Killers (1994)) as Pete Dayton, Robert Loggia (Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956), Naked City TV Series (1958–1963), Scarface (1983)) as Mr. Eddy/Dick Laurent, Robert Blake (Black Hand (1950), In Cold Blood (1967), Electra Glide in Blue (1973)) as The Mystery Man, Gary Busey as Bill Dayton, Pete's father, Lucy Butler as Candace Dayton, Pete's mother, Michael Massee as Andy, Richard Pryor as Arnie, Natasha Gregson Wagner as Sheila, John Roselius as Al, Louis Eppolito as Ed, and Jack Nance (Hammett (1982), Blue Velvet (1986), Wild at Heart (1990), The Hot Spot (1990)) as Phil.
Fred (Pullman) Psychological Noirs have always been part of Classic Film Noir, the best know one is 1950s In A Lonely Place. Lost Highway is vaguely similar to one of its predecessors 1966's Mister Buddwing, Lost Highway is a powerful psychological anxiety filled noir, though where Mister Buddwing dealt all externally with the story, in Lost Highway it is all internal. In this case we get a clue straight up front, from the credit sequence. A powerfully graphic image of headlights speeding frantically down a dark highway, each dashed centerline flashing like fragments of thoughts. This sequence is accompanied by David Bowie's haunting "I'm Deranged" with a tinkling discordant piano, we are not dwelling with a "normal" world. We are observing a surreality through the eyes of an insane man, it's frightening, the ultimate noir, life as a lost highway in a void, with no map, and no way back.“I like to remember things my own way. How I remember them; not necessarily the way they happened.”
Fred Madison (Pullman) jazz saxophonist. Club Luna. Married to a red haired Bettie Page channeling ex-porn star Renee (Arquette). Hollywood Hills minimalist homestead. Fred jealous. Fred stressed. Fred bummed out. Fred can't get it up. Renee restless. Renee straying off the reservation.
Arquette in Bettie Page Mode
Renee (Arquette) in Bettie Page bangs Lost Highway is filled with Neo Noir stylistics, flashbacks, Dutch angles, low key lighting, extreme closeups, shadows, and monochrome, muted, and contrasting colors.
Noirsville
Arnie's 
Bill Pullman has a deer in the headlights, fatigued, Dan Duryea/Zachary Scott vibe in this. Michael Massee does a great, pencil thin mustache sporting, greasy looking sleazeball, his demise is unforgettably Lynchesque. Robert Loggia's Dick Laurent/Mr Eddy as a slightly odd ball gangster with a hair trigger personality is entertaining. Robert Blake as the Mystery Man is very creepy. Patricia Arquette is wonderfully decadent as Renee/Alice the films duplicitous, psychotic, sweet and sour Femme Fatale.
Lost Highway is Lynch at his most audacious. It's lovingly been referred to as a “psychogenic fugue," an elaborate ellipse, or a ride on a Moebius Strip rollercoaster. The score by Badalamenti, the various soundtracks, and the sound design all complement and greatly enhance the films eerie, nightmarish, disturbing atmosphere. A prime time Twilight Zone for adults. 10/10
Fuller review with NSFW screencaps here http://noirsville.blogspot.com/2016/10/lost-highway-1997-bizarre-noir-from.html
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Lost Highway (1997) Bizarre Noir from the Twilight ZoneR rated for BIZARRE, VIOLENT and SEXUAL CONTENT and for Strong Language, a blue screen MPAA film rating at the beginning of David Lynch's Lost Highway, pretty much enticingly sums up one of the best of the 1990s Neo Noirs.Psychological Noirs have always been part of Classic Film Noir, the best know one is 1950s In A Lonely Place. Lost Highway is vaguely similar to one of its predecessors 1966's Mister Buddwing, Lost Highway is a powerful psychological, anxiety, filled noir, though where Mister Buddwing dealt all externally with the story, in Lost Highway it is all internal. In this case we get a clue straight up front, from the credit sequence. A powerfully graphic image of headlights speeding frantically down a dark highway, each dashed centerline flashing like fragments of thoughts. This sequence is accompanied by David Bowie's haunting "I'm Deranged" with a tinkling discordant piano, we are not dwelling with a "normal" world. We are observing a surreality through the eyes of an insane man, it's frightening, the ultimate noir, life as a lost highway in a void, with no map, and no way back.Lost Highway is filled with Neo Noir stylistics, flashbacks, Dutch angles, low key lighting, extreme closeups, shadows, and monochrome, muted, and contrasting colors.Lost Highway is Lynch at his most audacious. It's lovingly been referred to as a “psychogenic fugue," an elaborate ellipse, or a ride on a Moebius Strip rollercoaster. The score by Badalamenti, the various soundtracks, and the sound design all complement and greatly enhance the films eerie, nightmarish, disturbing atmosphere. A prime time Twilight Zone for adults. 10/10Fuller review with NSFW screencaps here:http://http://noirsville.blogspot.com/2016/10/lost-highway-1997-bizarre-noir-from.html
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Great read, good stuff !
There's two more films that we can add to the list, some one mentioned Shock Corridor (1963) and The Crimson Kimono (1959).
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I've been trying to remember the name of an old movie about an older man who owns a shoe company, who hires or allows a young guy to work for him. The young guy does a great job and ends up taking on more and more responsibility, I think eventually becoming the next owner of the company. At least I'm pretty sure it's a shoe company.
Any ideas?
sounds like Hobson's Choice too
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Re: Lenny, I've been advised that Hell Bound (1957) also has a burlesque dancer in the cast of characters.
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Lenny (1974) Bio Noir
There is a very small sub genre of Classic Film Noirs and also Biographies or "true story" based films that have a quasi noir vibe, I call them Bio Noir's such as Dillinger (1945), Young Man with a Horn (1950), I'll Cry Tomorrow (1955), The Wrong Man (1956), Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956), The Bonnie Parker Story (1958), I Want To live (1958), Baby Face Nelson (1957), In Cold Blood (1967), The Honeymoon Killers (1970), and Raging Bull (1980). Lenny easily slips into this lineup, and takes top honors. 9/10More review in Film Noir/Gangster thread and NSFW Screencaps with full review here: http://noirsville.bl...-bio-noir.html
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Lenny (1974) Bio NoirThere is a very small sub genre of Classic Film Noirs and also Biographies or "true story" based films that have a quasi noir vibe, I call them Bio Noir's such as Dillinger (1945), Young Man with a Horn (1950), I'll Cry Tomorrow (1955), The Wrong Man (1956), Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956), The Bonnie Parker Story (1958), I Want To live (1958), Baby Face Nelson (1957), In Cold Blood (1967), The Honeymoon Killers (1970), and Raging Bull (1980). Lenny easily slips into this lineup, and takes top honors.
The film is non linear, events are portrayed out of chronological order combined with the use of Classic Noir style flashbacks and new wave jump cuts. The film bounces about between recorded interview footage of Honey Bruce (Perrine) and agent Artie Silver (Beck), depictions of their various biographical milestones, live performances of Lenny Bruce's comedy shtick (during his dive bar days, his prime when he was riding a wave of popularity, and when he was burned out and on the skids, obsessing on stage over his court transcripts), the sexy stripper routines of Hot Honey Harlow, the heroin junkie shooting galleries and the various court appearances of Bruce for flouting obscenity laws. He was a social commentary comic way before his time, talking about and poking fun at the extremely taboo subjects of religion, race, and sex. He was doing his shtick against "The Man", and got squeezed out of mainstream show business by insider pressure and silenced by outside threats put upon the operators of small venues that held the liquor licenses.Lenny is not only a Bio Noir but you can equally call it a Show Biz Noir. It's an insightful, informed depiction by Fosse of the show biz of small clubs, bars and lounges, with house jazz bands, and traveling comics and strippers that replaced traditional Burlesque and flourished in the late 40s through the early 60s. Lenny contains up front one of the most Noir-ish and beautifully choreographed stripping routine performed by Valerie Perrine.
There's only a small string of films that I can rattle off, Gilda (1946), Armored Car Robbery (1950), The Glass Wall (1953), Girl On The Run (1953), The City That Never Sleeps (1953), The Man With Golden Arm (1955), The Big Combo (1955), Beyond A Reasonable Doubt (1956), Hell Bound (1957), Screaming Mimi (1958), Two Men in Manhattan (1959), Satan In High Heels (1962), Angels Flight (1964) and Marlowe (1969). All Noir/Neo Noirs that either under the Hayes Code, hinted at stripping Rita Hayworth's routine in Gilda, had supporting characters in the biz, Adele Jergens in Armored Car Robbery, Robin Raymond in The Glass Wall, Mala Powers in The City That Never Sleeps, Helene Stanton in The Big Combo, Kim Novak in The Man With The Golden Arm, Barbara Nichols in Beyond A Reasonable Doubt, Michèle Bailly in Two Men In Manhattan, and Rita Moreno in Marlowe) or were actually about strippers/burlesque, Rosemary Pettit and Rene De Milo (an actual stripper) in Girl On The Run, Anita Ekberg in Screaming Mimi, Meg Myles in Satan In High Heels, and Indus Arthur in Angels Flight. These last three mentioned actually doing routines at small clubs very similar to those that Lenny Bruce and Honey Harlow actually performed in.The best of them actually featured complete or large parts of routines, and as we got further away from the 1940's and with the crumbling of the Hayes Code the more realistic they got. The top three are Rene De Milo's suggestive performance during the production code in Girl On The Run, and I'll give a tie to Rita Moreno glamour strip performance in Marlowe with Valerie Perrine's noir strip in Lenny. Perrine's routine being probably the best benchmark for what a Classic Film Noir striptease might have looked like if we had never had the Hayes Code.Bob Fosse and Bruce Surtees do for a striptease what Robert Wise and Milton R. Krasner did for the boxing prizefight in The Setup (1949). The juxtapose the action with the crowd reactions.
NSFW Screencaps with full review here: http://noirsville.blogspot.com/2016/10/lenny-1974-bio-noir.html
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Stuff you practically never saw/heard in Classic Film Noir
in General Discussions
Posted
Another thing you hardly ever saw in Classic Noir that a responder on another board mentioned was TV sets.
There is a brief scene in On Dangerous Ground (1951) where the kids of one of the characters are watching TV, but that's about it.
Yea TV sets, there are not a whole lot of Noir's with TV's, another that comes to mind is Slightly Scarlet (1956) where a gang of hoods led by Ted De Corsia watch the tube in a darkened room along with John Payne.