ChiO

Today, replacing my "5 Minutes to Live" copy, I received the new Criterion release of BLAST OF SILENCE. It is now in _crisp_ black & white (mostly black), but luckily none of the sleaze and grime of the story was eliminated. It was filmed in 1959-60 and released in 1961. Written, produced, starring and directed by Allen Baron, it is the tale of Frankie Bono, out-of-town hitman in NYC to bump off a mid-level mobster, but this movie is about tone and atmosphere. To call it "bleak" is only to scratch the surface. It is nihilistic -- we come from nothing and end as nothing. If anything resembling happiness occurs in between, it will be snuffed out quickly. Redemption is not in any part of the universe that Bono inhabits. We experience the birth of the movie and Bono right at the start with dramatic shots of New York and a voice-over -- in the second-person. Given the story, the narration by blacklisted *Lionel Stander* (written by blacklisted Waldo Salt) is likely the voice of Satan rather than a Morgan Freeman-like voice of God. Remembering, out of the black silence...you were born in pain...you were born with hate and anger built in...took a slap on the backside to blast out the scream and then you knew you were alive. Eight pounds, five ounces. Baby boy Frankie Bono. Father doing well. Later you learned to hold back the scream and let out the hate and anger another way. You come into Manhattan by dark, whatever time of day it is. Through tunnels, like sewers, hidden under the city. But you don't mind that. It's always that way, whatever city it is. You're alone. But you don't mind that. You're a loner. That's the way it should be. The film was made for about $22,000 cash, some raw stock and equipment that *Baron* "liberated" after acting in CUBAN REBEL GIRLS. Baron, as Bono, looks and sounds like George C. Scott...without Scott's good humor. Peter Falk, a friend of Baron's, was going to do the role, but was offered a paying role in *MURDER, INC.* as filming was to begin. *Baron* decided to play the role because "I was the best actor available...and the only one I could afford." *Larry Tucker* (actor: ADVISE & CONSENT, SHOCK CORRIDOR; writer/producer: I LOVE YOU, ALICE B. TOKLAS, BOB & CAROL & TED & ALICE; writer: episodes of The Monkees) is fabulous as Big Ralphie, a slimy gun dealer. The DVD has no commentary, but it includes a 60 minute documentary on the making of BLAST OF SILENCE. Originally filmed by a German team in 1990 (Baron won raves as a undiscovered Welles shortly before at a Munich film festival), an American in 2006 added footage that had been edited out and a new interview with Baron. At 77 minutes, *BLAST OF SILENCE* is a near flawless film noir gem.

_FilmicFrank_ asks: *So have you ever seen This Gun for Hire?* I don't believe I have. Have you seen The Passion of Joan of Arc, you vulgarian, you?

My first thought when this thread started was that, based on the title ("Orson Welles matchup"), this was going to be a thread comparing Welles' performances in the two pictures. I thought that the more apt comparison of two Welles characters might be between *The Third Man* and Touch of Evil, so I didn't post. Now I see that it is more of a comparison of the films, so... Definitely Citizen Kane. I enjoy *The Third Man* and Gus has certainly given an excellent explanation for his preference for it. *The Third Man* may well be the most Wellesian looking film that Welles didn't direct, but, as Dobie Gray sang in "The In Crowd," The original is still the greatest. Few characters in movies take me for as joyous a rollercoaster ride as Charles Foster Kane. The opening shot -- what is he about? The projection room -- he may be good or bad, or both, but he's certainly "big", so let's find out. Youth -- sympathy for being ripped from one parent by the other. Early adulthood -- love his defiance of the powers-that-be, but his brashness can cause him to be unsympathetic as well. Eventually the arrogance consumes him...but yet, how can we forget the circumstances that caused it. No other film that I have seen collects all of the conflicting emotions that I've felt through the movie and then, in one single scene, forces me to relive every one in a matter of seconds, culminating with a simple common plaything being consumed by fire. As I have posted before, few films touch on as many genres or styles of film, as well as subjects, and integrate them to create such a wonderous unified vision. Musical comedy -- the newsroom scene. Western/Americana -- his youth. Drama -- throughout. Melodrama -- his tryst. War. Politics. Domestic issues. Class warfare. Bio-pic. Film noir. Not much in the way of crime or gangster, but don't count Mr. Thatcher out. Visually, both films can be stunning, but *Citizen Kane* is stunning _and_ incredible. And each time I see the underground chase in The Third Man, I am reminded that (BLASPHEMY ALERT!) Anthony Mann did it just as well a year earlier in He Walked by Night. And *Citizen Kane* is just downright entertaining. After over 40 years of watching Citizen Kane, it is still my favorite movie and I find something new with each viewing. P.S. Switzerland did not invent the cuckoo clock.

Naremore's take (or was it his explanation of Chandler's intent?) regarding The Blue Dahlia's extrapolation from *The Best Years of Our Lives* was that Chandler was showing three men who had faced and dealt with what they thought was the greatest violence imaginable, only to return home and face violence that was more personal and, therefore, arguably worse. I see that in The Blue Dahlia, but I wish the film had been in the hands of a director with more visual flair and a darker disposition. Did I hear Fritz Lang?

Naremore's take (or was it his explanation of Chandler's intent?) regarding The Blue Dahlia's extrapolation from *The Best Years of Our Lives* was that Chandler was showing three men who had faced and dealt with what they thought was the greatest violence imaginable, only to return home and face violence that was more personal and, therefore, arguably worse. I see that in The Blue Dahlia, but I wish the film had been in the hands of a director with more visual flair and a darker disposition. Did I hear Fritz Lang?

Naremore's take (or was it his explanation of Chandler's intent?) regarding The Blue Dahlia's extrapolation from *The Best Years of Our Lives* was that Chandler was showing three men who had faced and dealt with what they thought was the greatest violence imaginable, only to return home and face violence that was more personal and, therefore, arguably worse. I see that in The Blue Dahlia, but I wish the film had been in the hands of a director with more visual flair and a darker disposition. Did I hear Fritz Lang?

Naremore's take (or was it his explanation of Chandler's intent?) regarding The Blue Dahlia's extrapolation from *The Best Years of Our Lives* was that Chandler was showing three men who had faced and dealt with what they thought was the greatest violence imaginable, only to return home and face violence that was more personal and, therefore, arguably worse. I see that in The Blue Dahlia, but I wish the film had been in the hands of a director with more visual flair and a darker disposition. Did I hear Fritz Lang?

Naremore's take (or was it his explanation of Chandler's intent?) regarding The Blue Dahlia's extrapolation from *The Best Years of Our Lives* was that Chandler was showing three men who had faced and dealt with what they thought was the greatest violence imaginable, only to return home and face violence that was more personal and, therefore, arguably worse. I see that in The Blue Dahlia, but I wish the film had been in the hands of a director with more visual flair and a darker disposition. Did I hear Fritz Lang?

Naremore's take (or was it his explanation of Chandler's intent?) regarding The Blue Dahlia's extrapolation from *The Best Years of Our Lives* was that Chandler was showing three men who had faced and dealt with what they thought was the greatest violence imaginable, only to return home and face violence that was more personal and, therefore, arguably worse. I see that in The Blue Dahlia, but I wish the film had been in the hands of a director with more visual flair and a darker disposition. Did I hear Fritz Lang?

Yesterday, I finally saw *The Blue Dahlia* for the first time ("And you call yourself a film noir fan?")...on a big screen...with James Naremore introducing it. I agree with _MissG_ that it could at times be too talky (the scene about 2/3's through with Lake and da Silva in their apartment seemed interminable), but I was able to tolerate it because Chandler's words are so good. Howard da Silva is wonderful and Will Wright (was he ever a young man?) is a joy to watch. Da Silva is another one of those actors who I tend to forget and then am amazed when I see a performance. Overall, quite enjoyable except for the blah ending. A couple of Naremore's comments: 1. Chandler intended *The Blue Dahlia* to be the truly dark side of *The Best Years of Our Lives* and the original ending reflected that. 2. The ending was changed when the U.S. Navy complained that it would show the Navy in a bad light. The original script also didn't have what Naremore said Chandler wanted to avoid -- a confrontation of all the suspects with a detective wringing it out of one. I prefer to think of Ward Cleaver as a killer rather than Chester A. Riley (or Ben Weaver for that matter).

Am I getting Day of the Outlaw? You betcha. I think there's another Western coming out the same day that I really want to get -- Man of the West. That's a great Anthony Mann film where, with no cast to work with at all, he creates a work of art.

*Paths of Glory* is my favorite Timothy Carey performance (The Killing being a close second), thereby making it difficult for me to judge it even semi-objectively. It is also my favorite Kirk Douglas performance; I'm not a fan of his, but sometimes his elocution and natural arrogance & nastiness are perfect for a role. There are 3 or 4 Kubrick films (and, if one gives him partial credit for AI: Artificial Intelligence, then make that 4 or 5) that I like better than Paths of Glory. But, yeah, I like it alot.

I saw *Day of the Outlaw* for the first time this morning. It has now replaced *Pursued* as my favorite Western film noir. What Andre De Toth had to say about Robert Ryan in the movie: Bob Ryan was already on the picture. He was a gentleman, a sincere human being -- and what a good actor. He was with me all the way. Without him, I would've been laid out in the snow and counted out quickly. (De Toth on De Toth: Putting the Drama in Front of the Camera)

_MissG_ said: *I like Ralph Meeker now but there was a time I couldn't stand him.* Here's my query(ies): Were you unable to stand him because Timothy Carey surpassed him by light years on the screen in Paths of Glory? Or, do you now like him because he was able to still find work even though Timothy Carey surpassed him by light years on the screen in Paths of Glory? It's all about Timothy Carey.

_MissG_ said: *Did anyone catch BERLIN EXPRESS last night? I watched most of it. I was a bit disappointed. I expected more. More RR, more Merle and more from director Tourneur.* I missed it this time, but I have seen it...and I agree with you. My expectations were sky high with the Tourneur-Ryan combo, but it never grabbed me. Worth seeing, but not up to their usual standards.

*Where "elsewhere" did you write about it, Chio?* SSO, about a week ago, as a head's up. (Now we know you ignore me there, too. )

*"suicide vicitim is rescued by simple minded mechanic who gives her love".* Not exactly how I would have put it (see elsewhere for how I described it about a week ago), but I can understand the description...if "love" were within quotation marks, underlined, and italicized. The ending isn't what one might expect (for goodness sake, most of the movie is not what one might expect, especially in 1962) and I will not give it away. After all, the one-sheet for it -- yes, I recently purchased it in my ever increasing obsession -- clearly states: For your fullest enjoyment of the mounting excitement of "Something Wild"...please see it in its entirety from the beginning. Who am I to argue with United Artists' 1962 advertising department? But I will tell you this... "Rosebud" is a sled.

_Favorite Type of Movies_ I'll watch anything that resembles film noir. After that, anything directed by... Orson Welles Jacques Tourneur Carl Th. Dreyer Samuel Fuller John Cassavetes Fritz Lang Erich von Stroheim Sergei Eisenstein Robert Bresson F.W. Murnau ...or with Timothy Carey (a genre unto himself). _Favorite Type of Music_ I like just about everything other than art song (lieder), Metal, MOR/Adult Contemporary, New Age, & schlocky jazz. *No. 1*: Southern Soul from early '60s to early '70s. Anything on Stax, Hi, Goldwax or recorded at Fame Studios or Muscle Shoals. Favorite performers (or composers): W.A. Mozart Charles Ives Edgar Varese Aarvo Part Thelonius Monk Miles Davis John Coltrane Charles Mingus Albert Ayler Tony Bennett Louis Jordan & the Tympany Five Hank Williams Howlin' Wolf The Drifters (with Clyde McPhatter) Sam Cooke The Soul Stirrers Little Richard Jerry Lee Lewis Buddy Holly/The Crickets The Beach Boys (through Surf's Up)/Brian Wilson Bob Dylan The Kinks/Ray Davies The Zombies The Byrds Love Sam & Dave The Velvet Underground Big Star Brian Eno The Ramones The Talking Heads The Mekons The Go-Betweens Sebadoh Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five Afrika Bambaataa (& his various permutations) Moby

*Timothy Carey*: Scene-stealing, over-emoting, lunatic vs. improvisational surrealist acting genius. It's the latter for me -- to my dying breath.

I strongly agree with the listing of The Parade's Gone By, Who the Devil Made It, Conversations with Wilder, and Print the Legend. Some others I recommend: _Bios_ Robert Mitchum: Baby, I Don't Care (Lee Server) Fritz Lang: The Nature of the Beast (Patrick McGilligan) Accidental Genius: How John Cassavetes Invented the American Independent Film (Marshall Fine) A Third Face: My Tale of Writing, Fighting and Filmmaking (Samuel Fuller) _Criticism_ What Is Cinema (Vols. I & II) (Andre Bazin) Theory of Film (Siegried Kracauer) Confessions of a Cultist: On the Cinema, 1955/1969 (Andrew Sarris) Essential Cinema: On the Necessity of Film Canons (Jonathan Rosenbaum) Transcendental Style in Film: Ozu, Bresson, Dreyer (Paul Schrader) Re/Search #10: Incredibly Strange Films

It is difficult for me to rank his films as a whole because even the worst among them has some virtues, and the best are among the greatest films made. _Film Noir_ 1. *Pickup on South Street* 2. *The Crimson Kimono* 3. *Underworld USA* 4. *The House of Bamboo* _War_ 1. *Fixed Bayonets* 2. *The Steel Helmet* 3. *China Gate* 4. *Verboten!* 5. *The Big Red One* 6. *Merrill's Marauders* 7. *Hell and High Water* _Social Criticism_ 1. *Shock Corridor* (tie) 1. *The Naked Kiss* (tie) 3. *White Dog* 4. *Park Row* 5. *Shark!* _Westerns_ 1. *Forty Guns* 2. *I Shot Jesse James* 3. *The Baron of Arizona* There are a few films I need to see, but other than *Run of the Arrow*, I think the main ones are covered. *Shark!* was not as bad as I expected, and *Hell and High Water* was a disappointment given that it has Richard Widmark and immediately followed my favorite, *Pickup on South Street*. *Shock Corridor* and *The Naked Kiss* could easily be categorized as film noir, but I wanted to avoid having them compete with *Pickup on South Street*. And, of course, each of his films is "Social Criticism", but I decided to nitpick.

Today is Greek Independence Day, so it would be appropriate today to watch as many movies by a Greek Independent -- *John Cassavetes* -- as possible. I rewatched *LOVE STREAMS* last week and it is even _more_ powerful than I remembered it.

If you're a Fuller fan, *The Crimson Kimono* is a must-see. Admission: For me, setting *The Baron of Arizona* and *Hell and High Water* aside, Fuller's films range from wonderful ( *I Shot Jesse James* & *Shark* ) to incredible (everything else), though I still have to watch *China Gate* (it's sitting on the VHS player) and *Run of the Arrow*.

Another great seldom seen noir, although a little past the "golden age", is *BLAST OF SILENCE*. Directed by and starring *Allen Baron*. *Lionel Stander* voice-overs. *Larry Tucker* appearance. About an independent hit man, but it is the atmosphere -- not the plot -- that makes this one of the great films noir. It goes beyond the usual noir existentialism into complete and utter bleakness and nihilism. Rarely shown on TV, it has been available through "5 Minutes to Live", but -- and this is truly exciting -- Criterion is releasing it in April. Opening narration: You were born with hate and anger built in. Took a slap in backside to blast out the scream. Then you knew you were alive....Later you learned to hold back the screams and let out the hate and anger in other ways.

Oh, it pained me to omit Ulmer and Karlson. Ahem, only one great noir by Welles? Oh, Dewey.... I saw The Crimson Kimono for the first time two weeks ago. Oh...my...goodness. Ranking Fuller's films is now an absolute exercise in futility. Not that fond of The Baron of Arizona, but the rest range from great to phenomenal, although I have not seen China Gate and (my face is red) Run of the Arrow yet.