rohanaka

Now that I?m into the movie...I?ll put my 'boots' on and go wading through the noir Better make those boots "extra strength HIPWADERS" ha!! There is a LOT to go wading through to get back that far. (and ps... I would LOVE to hear more of your thoughts on Kitty and poor Edward G..) I was just purposely being an unruly kid. I like it when Rohanaka bosses me around Aw youngun'... YOU make "unruly" look like a walk in the park compared to SOME I have seen..ha. PS Ms Favell.... are you tryin' to steal some of my bossy?????? ha.

Hiya Ms Maven.. Ro--- what did you make of the scene with Laurel getting a massage? Wow... that gal she had working for her really KNEW how to work her over!! ha.(I loved her voice by the way) ha I think she DID care about Laurel.. but she knew the right "buttons" to push too. She certainly did a good job of watering those seeds of doubt in Laurel's mind (if not planting a few of her own) And PS.. yes... the electricity from that piano bar scene could have provided enough energy to power an entire city for WEEKS. ha. We should phone the governement and ask for the the "Electricity Czar" to alert him as to how to solve the energy crisis.. ha. GLORIA GRAHAME ROCKS. I'm glad you watched "In A Lonely Place Me too, youngun. I'm really looking forward to my next Gloria "film watching extravaganza"!! :-)

Helloooooo O Great Sultan of Glo!! :-) So you enjoyed it? Now go watch it again in a couple of months! Ha.. I don't know WHEN I will fit that in.. I am already so far behind in my movie watching.. if I strapped myself down in a chair and only watched movies all day and night for the next two WEEKS I don't know if I could catch up.. Seriously though. This film really does get better with each repeated viewing, my opinion anyway. I imagine you are right. Some films are like that... and I can see where this one might be one of them. There were things that I may well have overlooked that would stand out more in a second viewing. I will try to make a point of seeing this one again... SOME DAY! (ha) A lot of what makes up Gloria Grahame comes out in Laurel Gray You could take what I know about GG and put it in a thimble.. and STILL have enough room to drive a Semi tractor trailer around in there too..ha. But I can see what you are saying.. so much of Laurel seemed like a NATURAL part of Gloria's personality... or maybe it is the other way around. How do you think Gloria handled Dix? I think she had several "ways" that she did this... she motivated him.. encouraged him... tried to bring out the best in him... and when she saw he was getting too uptight or upset about stuff... she did her best to "talk him down" or sometimes even just show HIM how calm SHE was being.. in an effort to "bring him down". One scene that I had a HARD time buying when I first saw it was when he was flying down the twisty mountain road at breakneck speed.. and she is sitting next to him in the car, all terrified and thinking they would be killed at any moment... and then suddenly she just reaches in her purse and grabs a cigarette.. and offers one to him... At FIRST I am thinking... OH good grief..ha. Like THAT'S gonna work. Well.... I was right.. it DIDN'T.. but I think that was not so DOPEY of a move for her as I first thought.. but rather another attempt by her to just help calm him down. And even though it failed.. I see that as her way of dealing with him... calm in the face of the storm. A lot of other people would have plowed into him and let him have it (at least verbally) and I think she saw that that would only be adding fuel to the fire. Should she have been more upfront about her worries with him from the beginning? Well... my first answer would be yes... but then again.. he DID NOT have much ability for taking constructive criticism and part of her worries were due to the way HE was behaving as much as the things the police had told her... so he likely would not have handled things very well. But still... I think it would have at least been easier for him to hear she had worries BEFORE he got all suspicious and figured it out for himself (too late). Does she bear some of the blame in the way things turned out? I think she does.. at least somewhat... and it goes back to what I just said. By the time she had gotten SO afraid of him that she wanted to leave.. it was too late to stop him from being so UPSET at finding it all out on his own. I think they BOTH had problems just assuming they really knew the other better than they really did... and it backfired on both of them... only at different times. What motivated her interest in him in the first place? Hmmmm.... well... I think to be honest... at first.. it was physical. But as time went by, I think she DID see more in him than just what was on the surface. He DID have many redeeming qualities (as you say) and I think she saw what talent he had... and she looked past many of his failings because as her attraction to him became more emotional, she could see the good and more complex sides of him and I believe she was drawn to THAT more and more. like the struggle he goes through. He's not a happy man. He's not that confident in himself. He is loyal. He drinks. He is violent. Does that come from insecurity in himself? How did the war affect him? I like the way he comes alive at the sight of Laurel. She gives him hope. I think so long as his life was going well... HE did well. But I think Dix is one of those "cracks under pressure" kinda guys. And yes.. he did have enough conscience to be sorry AFTERWARD... but he did not have enough self control to reign himself in BEFORE he lost it. And I do think Laurel brought out the best in him, but don't you think though, (because he WAS who he was) that IF there had not been this whole "police investigation" going on... and if they had just gotten together anyway that it might have been WORSE for her in the end... Even though she did seem to have a calming effect on his personality.. and even though she was a good motivator for him and seemed to make him want to "be a better man", it could still have been that the violence in him might have lay dormant a little longer... and then someday.. when it was too late and they were married and maybe even had kids.. she REALLY got her eyes opened to the darker side of him??? I think he was NOT going to change until he learned how to deal w/ his temper and whatever it was the made him "him". And evidently... loving her.. and having her love him HELPED for a while... but it did not really change him in the end. These are questions we have tossed back and forth around here while we're waiting for Frank Grimes to come down form the mountain and enlighten us. Oh good gravy.. ha. If you are waiting for HIM to show up... I may need to go get my rope AND my hatpin.. HA. Oh I like Bogie. My goodness I just think of all the great films he was in. You'll come around one day. Dixon Steele is not his most likable or sympathetic character but he is very good in that role and it's one of his best. I know.. ha I am SUCH a doofus.. ha. He has been in SO many films that end up on the "favorites list" of so many people... it is a LONG story as to WHY I somehow thought he was "not my cuppa tea" all these years.. but basically it just goes back to preconceived notions or perceptions of WHO I think he was (as an actor) vs who I am FINDING him to be (as time goes by) I am SURE I will get there... eventually. I have a reminder set just to remind you Woohoo!! I need all the help I can GET!! ha. (did I mention I was a DOOFUS??) ha.

I'm going to search the archives for any write-ups on "Scarlet Street." They'll probably be worth a read Girlie... where ya been???? There may be other chats elsewhere too, but go back a few pages in HERE (ok..SEVERAL pages..ha... somewhere around the end of September) If memory serves SS was the film we took a walk on just before Night and the City Ok.. that sounded a little bossy.. ha. I have just started a new job.. and have been hanging around too many unruly CHILDREN lately... My "peacemaker" is on overload. ha. :-) Didn't mean to be so bossy..ha. But I DO recall all the fun we had chatting that film up one side and down the other in here... poor Edward G... And thanxxx to our newbie who is prompting us these walk on the noir side. "Night and The City" was a great movie No.. I am the one who is thanking all of YOU folks for helping ME find a whole new genre of REALLY great films to dive into!! :-) It is a lot of FUN taking these films out for a little stroll now and then. Edited by: rohanaka on Oct 30, 2009 12:08 PM

Hey there, Miss G... or should I say.. MRS D!! ha. You are really diving in the deep end of the noir pool these days...and you watched and discussed Once Upon a Time in the Slime....how are you holding up? Do we need to start another Dukey disucssion right quick? Yes? Yay I think I need a LONG swim in the ocean.. you know.. a certain REEF??????????? ha. I HAVE been having a bit of an identity crisis lately.. ha. That "DUKE" day is drawing NEARER and NEARER..ha. I'll give you one Dix Steele for one Ransome Stoddard. Deal Done!! ha. (And ps.. I DID like Dix.. SOME of the time..ha. But BOY.. it was really hard to TRULY feel sorry for him when he just kept making a MESS of things by being such a JERK the rest of the time..ha) :-) like what you said about Gloria's "cool" in this character. That's an excellent adjective because it's a quality that is usually one which is put on, or not very deep rooted. You know.. I kept thinking how could she be so "cool" and yet so "steamy" all at the same time..ha. But she was.. and she carried it off VERY well.

WOO HOO!!! Mad Hat is in the house!!! ha. WELCOME to our little "amble" on the Noir side, sir. I might get myself in trouble on this one Hmmm, should I break out the ROPE or the hatpin??? ha. REALLY though.. the only "TROUBLE" you are in is for TAKING so dadgum LONG to get here..ha. I really enjoyed reading your take on the whole thing. It ?s not a bad thing so much but maybe that mocking laughter from Nosseross and Helen is really Dassin?s contempt for his own characters. There is a side show aspect to the whole lot of them, which I find to be a bit overdone. Still , Helen, Nosseross and Kristo were the most interesting characters for me. You know, you have a point. There was not too much to be found "likeable" in almost ALL of these characters.. they all had their ISSUES that made them awful excuses for human beings. Maybe we weren't supposed to "like them" or even sympathize with them so much as maybe just SEE them for who they are. Going back to my "spider" analogy... I SEE the spider in all its ugly hideous SPIDERY-ness and I just want to go run and grab my can of RAID. Maybe that is what we are supposed to feel here and the pretty much the whole movie is more about "hey look here.. there are dark corners of the world filled with spiders" and less about "sympathy for the spider" I?ve read through all the comments and I haven?t been swayed from this. There are a lot of good points made though. I think it?s just something about me personally. Where I was once so moved by the trumpet?s mournful wail, I now turn toward a piano?s quiet lament. It?s all about where we are in the moment we watch, and that moment often changes and we see things new Very poetic way of putting things, sir. Well said. Really? I never felt sorry for him even at the end. I don?t know that he necessarily was sorry for hurting Mary. What else could he do at that point? I think for me it goes back to what I said about my "mom" side..ha. I DO feel sad when someone is sorry for their "sin" and still gets their just reward for their wrong actions. But that does not mean that I think everyone who is "sorry" deserves (in THIS life) to walk away w/ out paying their "check". He got just what he deserved.. but to me it would be "grave dancing" to be happy about it. Again... I guess it is the mom in me..ha. thought we had a happy ending here. Mary is the big winner in all this. She has been reprieved whether she realizes it or not. She will soon enough if she doesn?t. Mary can now live Ha.. you big meanie Grave Dancer, you..HA!! (kidding!!!) ha Truthfully, I CAN see where this would be (if not a "happy) at least a POSITIVE ending for Mary. If the film had been more about her.. and Harry had just been a character in HER story.. then I could see it more like the way you are thinking. Thanks for chiming in on this one FINALLY!!!!!! ha. (don't be a stranger on the Noir side of town, my Mad Hat friend!!) :-)

Hiya Miss Maven... (and thanks for the "WILKOMMEN!") :-) I see you still have reservations about Bogart, but you got passed him to see Gloria...and THAT is a good thing Ha... yes.. "reservations" about Bogart. Well... I AM trying. I will get there... eventually... maybe... ha. :-) But boy... Gloria made it easy for me in this film... she really brought out some of his best moments in the story. I think for both their characters, I liked their "casual" moments the best(especially him). Like at the beach (at least BEFORE he got mad.ha.) I think that scene with him being so relaxed with her made him seem more "natural" to me (like a real person instead of this preconceived character of Humphrey Bogart that I had stuck in my head) I guess I am learning to break through my "Bogie" barriers one scene at a time..ha. :-)

Ding Dang, cinemafan, that picture SCARED me!! HA!! Me too... break out the PEPTO!! ha. But hey.. it IS almost Halloween... ha. TIS the Season. ha. OH gee.. I just had a nightmare moment... thinking of a bunch of little trick or treaters showing up at my door wearing FRANK masks.... .Who cares about Frankenstein or the Wolfman... or even some dopey mask w/ bloody eyeballs hanging out of their sockets..ha What if they were all dressed up like FRANK... YIKES!! Now THAT would be scary.. Ha.

WAY WAY BACK in the wee hours of Sept 3, 2009 Mad Hat Molo, the Sultan of Glo asked: Now why haven't you watched In A Lonely Place yet? To which Rohanaka replied: Two Words.... Humphrey Bogart... ha. I am NOT his biggest fan. Followed by THIS comment from Ms Cutter: Though Bogie may be the star of Lonely Place, Gloria all but steals the movie from him with her performance as a woman who begins to doubt the man she loves. She is really good in it and you won't be disappointed. Well my "Glo Friends".... I am happy to report that I FINALLY got to see this film.... and Ms Cutter.. you were 100% right.... little Gloria was quite the show stealer!! :-) Now I have to be honest... I can't say this was the BEST movie I ever saw... ha... and it isn't even BOGIE''s fault.ha. There were just some "over acting" and "under" acting moments that I found a bit distracting.. and also some "stretches" for my imagnination too (in terms of some of the characters and their actions in a few scenes) but overall.. I have to say... I really enjoyed this film a lot. And again.. that GLORIA.... watta gal. I can TOTALLY see why she has such a following here. My only other references for her were It's a Wonderful Life and Oklahoma.... and while I enjoyed those performances very much.. IALP is likely a much better representation of her ability as an actress. She was SO smooth and cool, especially in the early scenes (like when she is first called down to the police station) and then she is sensual... smart... vulnerable... and quite LOVELY to look at all at the same time. And then at the end when she starts to unravel... all very nicely done. I thought she did a very nice job throughout the film, though I think sometimes her character was a bit TOO "underdone". I don't think it was her fault, though. I think she was just not as clearly "written" as she might have been. I had some trouble seeing her doing a few of the things she did... And near the end... though I DID like her performance overall, it felt like a few of the scenes between her and Bogart were somewhat "overplayed" (at least to me) but BOY.. I LOVED the strong ending. *SPOILER ALERT* Now even though the end was less than happy, I really LIKED how it ended. In fact... I almost wish it had been a bit stronger than him just losing it and choking her... and then HE knows it's over and she is left there talking on the phone to the detective, and just watching him walk away. I WISH (while he was choking her) that she had reached into the drawer of the nightstand... and pulled out a gun... and defended herself. And of course her reason would be... because she BELIEVED he would kill her... (in no small part due to the doubt that had been placed in her mind by the police). And THEN when she gets the phone call saying... "OH sorry, we were wrong, he was NOT the murderer", then the line where she says... something like... "YESTERDAY that would have meant so much more than it does right now" (or something close to that) that would REALLY have packed even MORE of a punch.. but maybe I have been watching too many crime shows lately.. ha. Or maybe I just DISLIKED old DIx that much (that I wanted her to do him in!!!) ha. Ok.. not really... maybe dislike" is too harsh a word. I was just so DISGUSTED with him though..ha. OH ME.. what a NUT JOB. ha. I THINK he was supposed to be "tragic" and "self destructive" maybe. And perhaps even "eccentric" in the way he treated everyone else around him. But to me he was just an arrogant "chump" with a bad temper (most of the time, anyway) ha. The way he pushed everyone away by pushing them around, and the way he played little "mind games" with "authority figures" and then acts all surprised when no one will believe he is innocent. Not to mention the way he flew off the handle on SEVERAL different occassions and roughed people up (people he knew... some people he loved... EVEN complete strangers... he was an "equal opportunity" rough-er upper!. ha) And don't even get me started on his driving...ha.. (did I mention he was self destructive?) OK.. so I am starting to sound like I really hated him... the fact is... I was rooting for him right up to the very end...ha. I WANTED better for him. Gloria MADE me want better for him... because better for HIM meant better for HER too.. and I wanted them to finally overcome all their issues... But alas... Now as for Mr. Bogart... OK. I need to be more OPEN minded..ha. He DOES tend to get better for me each time I see a new film from him. I thought overall he did a VERY good job in this film even if I DID have some issues with the "why's" of some of his character's actions. But I am not ready YET to become a card carrying member of the "I love BOGIE" fanclub..ha. But I will KEEP trying... and who knows... People CAN change. (at least SOME of us can) so maybe there is hope for me, yet. ha. Anyway.... THANKS so much for the tip on this one, all you "GLO-ites" ha. I will look forward to MORE fun discoveries of Ms Grahame in the near future, I hope. I have (I think) a couple of her films (that will be showing in the next several weeks on TCM) marked for a reminder. And in the meantime, I will keep my eye out for more titles for her as well. And as for Gloria.. I am GLAD to finally be able to say that I KNOW now what all the "FUSS" has been about..ha. Edited by: rohanaka on Oct 29, 2009 2:07 AM

Hello Mr. ChiO and also Mr. Grey and also Miss G.... As your resident "noir newbie" here, I have a question for you... centered around this little bit of info right here: ChiO says: For me, film noir is not a genre; however, most movies that are considered film noir can be placed in some other genre, primarily Gangster, but also Horror, Sci-Fi and Western I am looking at some of the titles that you all have mentioned and I am seeing that maybe some "blurry lines" get drawn when the word "noir" comes up... Is there a common element in all of these movies that maybe LEANS to then "Noir side" but maybe not totally "crosses" over???? ha. One of the movies I did not see mentioned yet is one of my most recent new faves.... Night Must Fall... I am putting in the same category as say... Shadow of a Doubt, Night of the Hunter, etc. I think for all of these films there is a level of "sinister-ish" suspense. But I see these three mentioned (along w/ some of the other titles you have brought up) from time to time in "noir conversations" so I am wondering if a film could be ONE and the OTHER all at the same time... Ok... I am sure NONE of that made sense..ha. But anyway.. I guess what I am asking... is... are there certain films that are just too hard to "peg" into any one category.. and how AWFUL is it (for say... a "noir purist" to see someone like me...ha.. come along and muddy up the water by calling a film by a wrong genre... and what is the penalty for said crime??). Because, you know..ha... as a "rope totin" Peacemaker, I don't want to have to preside at my own hanging....HA! :-) Edited by: rohanaka on Oct 28, 2009 11:49 AM

I have my work cut out making up my own list, which will doubtless be the least interesting by far. No ma'am... that would be MY List..ha. (IF I even had the guts to TRY to make one.. which I DON'T!! ha) But Wow... what a veritable TREASURE TROVE of COOL info in here for a noir newbie like me... OH MY GOLLY!! Thanks Miss G for starting this great thread... I see I have LOTS and LOTS of fine reading to catch up on... and I will be taking NOTES!! ha. Thanks my noir friends... for giving me some great tips!! :-)

OH WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am SO excited to hear your thoughts on TMWSLV Miss Maven.. And Miss G... I wanna hear more about the "blubbering' too..ha. I have been VERY busy w/ "real life" stuff the last several days.. I HOPE to get back on here a bit later... and if not.. maybe sometime tomorrow because I want to respond a bit more to your comments.. but for NOW I will say... picture me.. GREEN with envy.. and "blub blub blubbering" right along with the rest of you..ha. PS... Ms Favell... HOW many minutes are you up to yet on Once Upon a Blah Blah Blah?? And have you needed any PEPTO so far????????? ha. Inquiring minds wanna know!! Ha. OH me.. ha.. It is almost a SACRILEGE to mention those two movies in the SAME breath..ha

Congrats on the 8000, MissMaven!! (and PS: thanks for the way cool link to that Noir site too) :-)

Aw Shucks Miss G!!!! ha. I was so "ga ga" over MissFavell's pics of Harry..ha. I had not even LOOKED in here.. oh wow...

"Sure I'm a louse, but I'm a live louse.... " HA!!!! Well.. he might THINK he is getting away.. but...

"Teacher, did you open your drawer yet?" Ha!!! I love it... sounds like you had a FUN day.. ha. And wow... what a feast. (Save the cake I made for tomorrow! ha) PS.... ha.. thanks for the pizza... I am gonna have heartburn for sure..ha.

two cat, one big and goofy (like Lenny) and one little and sharp named "George" Ha... we do the whole "Duh.. which way did he go?" thing around here ALL the time..ha. The kidling does it SO cute.. and she doesn't even know WHERE it came from..ha. This is the one I always think of though... I guess it was such a good routine.. they used it more than once..ha. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JlVqfC8-UI&feature=related

Well I DID make a lot..ha but I figured with such a crowd of well wishers we'd need enough to go around..ha. But don't worry... It's all made with CYBER sugar.. totally safe and ABSOLUTELY guilt free..ha.

Wowza Miss Favell... Nice find on the Harry Sr. Pics. And I am having trouble w/ your Tex link.. but I LOVED the cartoon you posted yesterday... ha. He was a "wild" guy... ha. :-)

OH my golly... I almost forgot the CAKE!! ha. Enjoy... Hope you had a great day!! :-)

She called me up this morning to wish me birthday greetings and added: "Believe me, you don't look that old". HA!!! Love that mom!!!! Hope you enjoy your pizza little cutie.... and hope your students give you NOTHING but smiles tonight... (no whacko stuff..ha) Take care, kid... have a VERY nice day!! :-)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY my little "Boca Twin" (from your "KC Twin"!!) :-) I hope you have a VERY happy day!! :-) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJQM5xBaRXI&feature=related

Did I go overboard with that last comment? HA!!!

Hey, is this considered noir ? It takes place in the city, it's got moody lighting including a featured street lamp, a guy of questionable character as the hero, a really hot babe, and a heck of a twist. Things end badly for our hero, and he never changes..... HA!!!!! Jackie... you find the best cartoons..ha. And YES... every inch a "noir" ha. PS: April... I bet you made a GREAT "Little Red" :-) If anyone laughs when I go see The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance on Saturday.. Blasphemy..ha. I will loan you my rope and hatpin too... If you have ANY troublemakers I want you to pull out ALL the stops to keep those folks in line.. :-)

HA!!!!! Jackie.... "refreshing" indeed!!! ha. And look.. .you posted TWO pictures of him.. one for each of us!! ha. PS: Laffite.. could I have your Coke Ha... with Miss Favell's permission I say... take her she's yours!! ha. I'll stick w/ "The Real Thing" Jackie just posted..ha. But you will likely have to fight off Molo and Frank for her as well. (unless you can stow her away on your Pirate Ship somewhere..ha)