1950: In a Lonely Place (Nicholas Ray)

1950: In a Lonely Place (Nicholas Ray)

This is one I didn't see for the first time until about five years ago.  What the hell took me so long, I wondered, when I finally got around to it.


Like Double Indemnity and Out of the Past, this is film noir of the highest order -- incredible script, surprise, great acting, twist, wonderful direction, social commentary, surprise, twist, a movie firing on all cylinders.  


I like art film, movies that challenge you more than entertain you.  I like mainstream movies, movies that entertain you more than challenge you.  But most of all, I like movies that are a hybrid of both -- ones that challenge AND entertain you, films that are working vertically and horizontally at the same time.  Vertical is the depth, horizontal the story charging ahead.  


Like everything else, it's arbitrary when a movie is successful being this ideal hybrid as I describe it above.  But, as in a great relationship, I watch In a Lonely Place and wonder if I'm not getting everything I could ever want.  It's mysterious, heartbreaking, scary, fun, sexy, beautiful, sensitive, and smart.  And, if I weren't already, hell I'd probably want to propose to it.

Other contenders for 1950: As with other years, I have gaps here that I still need to fill.  These include:  Robert Bresson's Diary of a Country Priest (somehow, this is a Bresson I've never seen), Michael Curtiz's The Breaking Point, Michael Powell's Gone to Earth, John Ford's Wagon Master, Vincente Minnelli's The Father of the Bride, Jacques Tourneur's The Flame and the Arrow, Anthony Mann's The Furies, Henry King's The Gunfighter, and Alf Sjoberg's Miss Julie. Both All About Eve and Sunset Boulevard are films I need to re-visit at some point.  After first viewing, neither impacted me like I would have expected.  Meanwhile, there are a good number of films from this year that I do love.  I'll break them into two tiers: films I love and films that were the closest runners-up.  In the first group are Luis Bunuel's Los Olvidados, Roberto Rossellini's The Flowers of St. Francis, and John Huston's The Asphalt Jungle.  My closest runners-up would all be among my favorite films of all time:  Jacques Tourneur's Stars in My Crown, Anthony Mann's Winchester '73, and Jules Dassin's Night and the City.


10/28/10 I watched Vincente Minnelli's Father of the Bride.  Cute if a little silly at times.  But Tracy gives it some weight and adds most of the humanity.   While Minnelli keeps it light and whirling along in a slick but artful way.


10/29/10 I watched John Ford's Wagon Master.  There's a lot going on, and a depth and darkness in this one that I don't find in all of Ford. Joanne Dru is beautiful, and the Cleggs add a real menace to everything.  A strong Ford western.  


10/31/10 I watched Jacques Tourneur's The Flame and the Arrow.  It's a rambunctious affair with a very nice use of Technicolor and childish fun.  But I found it just somewhat entertaining without too much more than that.  


10/31/10 I watched Anthony Mann's The Furies.  As is typical with Mann, it's dark and very psychological.  There are also several moments where Mann's incredible eye is on display.  A strong Stanwyck performance.  But overall, not spare nor visual enough to match my favorite Mann work. 


11/5/10 I watched Robert Bresson's Diary of a Country Priest.  The most difficult of the Bresson films I've seen so far and my least favorite. But it still demonstrates Bresson's tremendous feeling for nature and for the first time I realized how adept and expressive Bresson could be with moving the camera.  Claustrophobic for me to the point of a little disinterest, part subject matter, part Bresson's approach here.  


11/19/10 I watched Alf Sjoberg's Miss Julie.  An elusive, and at times quite lyrical film.  Anita Bjork is painfully beautiful and effective as the vulnerable Julie.  And for much of the proceedings, Sjoberg keeps a pretty light touch on it all.  

9/22/12 I watched Michael Curtiz's The Breaking Point.  So many things at once - a family melodrama, an action-adventure flick, a noir of reckless abandon, and a great film.  Curtiz shoots it with a wonderful sense of invention, every shot, a little off and angular, immediately creating an atmosphere of complete unpredictability.  The third act can be felt strongly in Taxi Driver and why this film doesn't come up more during discussions of the great noirs is beyond me.

4/19/14 I watched Joseph H Lewis' Gun Crazy.  A second viewing of a film that enjoys a major reputation but that I struggled with the first time I saw it.  The second viewing of course brought out some different observations, namely the cinematography is almost always innovative and interesting.  But I am sill not the fan that I am of some of my favorite noir.  There is too much score in this one for me and it is lacking the meanness of image and tone that I feel is key to make noir truly pop. 

11/28/14 I watched Jean Cocteau's Orpheus.  A very unusual film full of fantasy and Cocteau's unique flights of fancy.   It feels like Lynch must be a big fan and the film as a whole is still striking as incredibly modern today.  I cannot say I fully understand all that Cocteau is saying but it is a highly noteworthy work.  

5/1/16 I watched Ida Lupino's Outrage.  There are a few flashes of brilliance, such as the initial chase and assault, but overall feels like a very minor work from the very talented Lupino.  

1/4/17 I watched Charles Walters' Summer Stock.  Not sure where this falls in Kelly's career, but there is an extra dose of energy and charm whenever he is on screen.  Some of the performances and some of the music are not an absolute level of greatness.  But between Garland and Kelly there is so much talent on display that it is hard not to enjoy.

11/29/17 I watched Cy Endfield's The Sound of Fury.  I did not know what to expect, having never seen a film from Endfield.  But I knew the film had a pretty big reputation and was curious to see what it was all about.  It has elements of Lang's Fury that place it in an interesting cinematic context (Endfield certainly has much of Lang's dark, venomous abilities) and offer some historical clue to some of what Endfield may be up to, using noir to lodge an attack on WWII atrocities.  What struck me most is how far Endfield goes into the darkness.  You cringe numerous times as you feel Howard splintering apart, first into violence and then into adultery and alcoholism.  This is uncomfortable noir, spewing out in all directions, unconcerned with softness or any commercial sentimentality.

1/31/23 I watched Henry King's The Gunfighter.  An extraordinary western that is most impressive in how many later noir films and later westerns it prefigures in its fatalistic setup.  King's direction is concise and sharp and it is the emotional weight he infuses into the story that makes the greatest impact.    

8/7/23 I watched George Cukor's A Life of Her Own.  A Cukor melodrama that is strong and focused even if not always the most compelling watch.  But interesting for anyone wanting to better understand the great director and his long career.

1947: Out of the Past (Jacques Tourneur)

1947: Out of the Past (Jacques Tourneur)
When I made The Last Lullaby, some people called it film noir, and then others would ask me what exactly that meant.  It's a much debated term, and I try and stay on the side of being simple as much as I can. Noir in French = dark.  Dark here usually speaks of a thematic darkness and a literal, visual darkness. 


Still not sure what I'm talking about?   Take a look at this film.  It's a prototypical film noir, and almost everyone agrees it's one of the best.


I became a fan of noir, probably before any other genre, for a number of reasons.  One of them is I like a good story, and I guess I mean that in the traditional sense of the term -- something with a plot, a conflict, and a vehicle that charges toward some resolution, as ambiguous as that might be.  Many of the noir films fit this description.  They have surprises, they keep you guessing, and they're usually taut and charging forward at a pretty good clip.  Don't get me wrong, some of my (other) favorite films are purely character-driven, but I do really like the feeling of being sucked up into a plot, unsure of how it will all end up.   


Out of the Past has one of these stories.  It also has wonderful characters, two of the greatest noir actors (Kirk Douglas and Robert Mitchum) in two of their greatest performances, noteworthy composition, fluid camerawork, evocative lighting, and one of the moodiest house locations in the history of cinema (I guess it reminds me a little of James Mason's compound in North by Northwest.)  


Wholly satisfying on every level, this film is one helluva ride.   

Other contenders for 1947: As with other years, there are definitely some things I still need to see.  These include: Delmer Daves' Dark Passage, Alfred Hitchcock's The Paradine Case, Carol Reed's Odd Man Out, Jean Renoir's The Woman on the Beach, Robert Rossen's Body and Soul, and Edmund Goulding's Nightmare Alley.  Although they wouldn't be the closest runners-up, I love Jacques Becker's Antoine and Antoinette, Raoul Walsh's Pursued, and Henry Hathaway's Kiss of Death.  Then, there are two films that pain me a little to not have as top picks, both among my favorite films of all time: Roberto Rossellini's Germany Year Zero and Michael Powell's Black Narcissus.  A really tough year for me to call, I just probably like the Tourneur film a little bit more than everything else.  


3/16/10 I watched Edmond Goulding's Nightmare Alley.  Although it wouldn't contend for my top spot, it's definitely one of the more unhinged, full-fledged noirs I've seen from this period.  I really enjoyed it.  


10/17/10 I watched Alfred Hitchcock's The Paradine Case.  It contains some of Hitch's most expressive and emotional camerawork.  But it's a strange, ultimately very bleak film that didn't grab me near as much as some of his other work.  Worth seeing but certainly not top-tier Hitch.  


10/18/10 I watched Delmer Daves' Dark Passage.  The novelty of the subjective camera is used well, and Bogart/Bacall's chemistry is quite palpable.  But all in all a little too plodding and flaccid for my taste in noir.  


7/25/11 I watched Carol Reed's Odd Man Out.  Beautifully filmed and lushly scored, it's an impressive film.  It feels slightly theatrical to me, though.  I'm not sure if they were really in the streets or most of this is backlot stuff.  But the suspicion of artificiality keeps me from fully embracing it.  

3/15/12 I watched Robert Rossen's Body and Soul.  It's a strong noir, particularly as it drives to its end, and it has that hysterical, abstract quality that makes so many of the noirs so special.  Benefitting considerably from some James Wong Howe masterwork, it's a Scorsese favorite.  For me though, it's simply a very good, not great, noir. 

7/2/12 I watched Raoul Walsh's The Man I Love.  An extremely interesting noir, with a backbone that's as dark as can be, yet devoid of any on-screen shootings, murders, or highly realized violence.  The mood is foggy, and Walsh's great tool here is restraint.  You feel the atmosphere building and at any moment ready to all fall apart.   People are trapped, the outlook somber, and the effect all the more effective as no real catharsis is ever achieved.  

10/12/14 I watched Joseph Mankiewicz's The Ghost and Mrs. Muir.  Sometimes one film can make you completely rethink your opinion on a director and make you want to suddenly stop watching everything else and fill in whatever gaps may remain for you of that director's work.  I had one of those experiences today.  I have long been a fan of The Barefoot Contessa but aside from that Mankiewicz I have never had strong feelings about anything else I had ever seen from him and had quite a few films of his I still needed to see.  The Ghost and Mrs. Muir reminds me of all that I have come to love about Contessa.  It is deeply felt and wonderfully balanced in spite of some very unconventional tonal shifts and emotional territories in which it decides to tread.  Tierney is stunning.  Herrmann's score is among the most emotive I have ever heard.  And this is a flat out masterpiece that deserves a significantly larger reputation.   

12/2/17 I watched Robert Montgomery's Ride the Pink Horse.  An effective noir that makes great use of its Mexico locations.  It has that seamy atmosphere of the best films of the genre and exists in a haze and stupor that keeps it in a compelling, elevated state.  Not all of it pops but there are number of great elements, including all of the scenes on the carousel and the final few moments.  

12/9/17 I watched Otto Preminger's Daisy Kenyon.  Armed with a powerhouse trio of actors (Crawford, Fond and Andrews), Preminger creates one of his most effective films.  It is dark, unpredictable and tackles subject matter (extramarital relationships) that had to be far out of step with his time.  The most impressive aspect of the film is the way that Preminger is able to able to place the viewer, at different times, into the unique perspective of each of the three characters.  It is a complex, uncomfortable look at marriage with a resolution that, like Preminger, leaves you a bit perplexed.

3/21/20 I watched Allan Dwan's Driftwood.  What a great surprise this was.  From seeing Natalie Wood as a child actor to the overall feeling Dwan gives the whole film.  Reminds me of Walsh's Strawberry Blonde in its depiction of the wonderful community aspect that can come out in small towns.  I know Dwan has a big reputation.  If this any indication, I certainly need to seek out more of his work.  

9/25/22 I watched Henri-Georges Clouzot's Quai des Orfevres.  One of the earliest, most thorough procedurals I can remember seeing on screen.  Once Jouvet is on screen, it takes on some of the intensity and focus of a film like Le Trou but I found myself less invested in the characters than in other, similar works.  

8/20/22 I watched George Cukor's A Double Life.  Most impressive is the darkness Cukor sustains from nearly the beginning to the end.  It is almost fully lacking in the lightness we have come to expect from most Cukor work.  But it is also a trudge.  In my favorite noir there is enjoyment in trying to see how it all ends up.  I found myself not invested enough to care.