Moontide (1942) -- thanks to Arturo

[Swithin]

Thanks to Arturo's FMC listings, I finally saw Moontide (1942), an odd, surreal noir directed by Archie Mayo, starring Jean Gabin and Ida Lupino. It's a fascinating movie about a strange group of shadowy people on the California coast. Incredibly looking film -- almost reminded me of Mayo's earlier Svengali in its surreal expressionism. It features characters with names like Bobo (Gabin, playing a drifter/live bait salesman), Nutsy, and Tiny as well as an incredibly sleazy bar -- The Red Dot. There are certainly plot contrivances, but still this is a fascinating film. Thomas Mitchell (Tiny) and Claude Rains (Nutsy) give two of the strangest performances of their careers.

[TopBilled]

When Gabin was featured during SUTS a few years ago, I thought that MOONTIDE should have been included. This was before TCM started partnering more with Fox.

 

He also made another English language film in Hollywood during the 1940s. It was at Universal: THE IMPOSTOR (sometimes retitled as STRANGE CONFESSION) with Ellen Drew. It was directed by Julien Duvivier and is a classic missing in action.

[Arturo]

 

Swithin, thanks for the thanks. It will be on again on Fox Movie Channel this Monday, July 1 (and later in the month, on the 4th and 11th):

 

 

 

7:40 am eastern, 4:40 am pacific:

 

 

MOONTIDE

 

Dock worker Bobo (Gabin) awakens from a drunken binge and is afraid he may have killed a man.

*Cast:* Jean Gabin, Ida Lupino, Thomas Mitchell, Claude Rains, Jerome Cowan, Fritz Lang, Nunnally Johnson

*Director:* Archie Mayo

1942

 

 

[Swithin]

Your welcome! It filled one of the great gaps in my cinematic viewing. I recommend it highly to all the noir fans here. It's also got that Dali-inspired drunken scene at the beginning.