Film Archives and More

By cobwebsandstrange on 12/20/08 10:45pm
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There are endless sites by which to get your daily entertainment from all over the interweb and most of them host content that in one way or another, disregards some copyright laws. You probably have gotten over the initial conscience guided decisions to not sample at least some of these sites, but battling your inner voice has just become a bit easier. Archive.org is one for abiding by all federal and international copyright laws.

You can find music, film and a host of images. But now you’re probably asking what does this hafta do with gangsters, hit men, bank robberies and striking femme fatales? Well, the Archive hosts a section strictly dedicated to Noir.

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Jack Palance Makes Everything Alright

By cobwebsandstrange on 12/15/08 6:15am
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Elia Kazan is known for two things: making movies and ratting folks out to HUAC. We’re only gonna talk about the first thing here.

The 1950 film Panic in the Streets was Kazan’s first of many successes during the decade and also in some ways presaged On the Water Front which would be released a scant four years later. A character in Panic at one point even utters the phrase, “We’ve already combed the water front.” But both films involve the docks in various ways and here Kazan seemed to work out the scenery and different ways to play with the physical nature of that space.

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Robert Mitchum: Noir Bad Boy

By artchick on 12/14/08 10:23pm
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Robert Mitchum, bad boy extraordinaire, was the quintessential noir protagonist, both onscreen and off. This talented actor also appeared in lots of westerns and war movies, but with his sultry good looks and devil-may-care attitude, he really stood out in his many noirs.

In one of the most famous noirs ever made, Out of the Past (1947), he portrayed Jeff Bailey, a jaded private eye who gets drawn into a shady frameup involving beautiful femme fatale Kathie Moffat, played by Jane Greer, and moneyed mobster Whit Sterling, played by Kirk Douglas. Jeff ends up falling for Kathie in Acapulco, only to find out she was really Whit’s moll all along.

Interestingly, fans sometimes confused Mitchum with Kirk Douglas, perhaps because they were both tall, macho, cleft-chinned leading men.

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Stuck in the Quicksand

By cobwebsandstrange on 12/14/08 1:52am
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While watching Quicksand, it’s really difficult to be conscious of the fact that the lead is being played by a thirty year old Mickey Rooney. After all of the musicals and rather light hearted fare, Rooney landed the lead role of mechanic Danny Brady in this 1950 feature.

Within the first five minutes or so of the film the female lead, who is obviously going to drag Rooney down towards damnation, enters, makes a date with him and snidely responds to various questions. It’s pretty much all down hill from there.

What transpires during this film really is aimed at making the point that women can cause a great deal of trouble, leaving a man with nothing to show. And that’s all accurately played out.

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'B' Noir: Detour

By cobwebsandstrange on 12/13/08 2:14am
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Detour seems to be a perverse moral tale. It doesn’t teach that one should act responsibly, it shows that regardless of one’s intent, the worst possible outcome will undoubtedly be the result.

Al Roberts (Tom Neal) is just looking for a ride when he’s picked up by flamboyant gambler, Charles Haskell. While Roberts takes a turn driving the convertible, it begins to rain, necessitating a stop to put the roof up. Soon Roberts discovers that his companion is dead. Unfortunately, this isn’t the last bit of bad luck for the hitch hiker.

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The Asphalt Jungle

By artchick on 12/10/08 1:51am
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Right from its famous long-continuity opening shot, John Huston’s 1950 (some say 1949) suspense masterpiece The Asphalt Jungle seethes with the urban grit, snappy dialogue, and moody lighting that make it one of the all-time best films noir.

And since the caper planning scene from this glorious flick is starkly depicted on the header of our new Noir Movies blog, I thought an Asphalt Jungle post would make a great first article.

Can you guess what movie will be featured next? (Hint: The dangerous blonde femme fatale over on the right of our blog header, played by Lana Turner, is from that movie, another of my noir favorites. OK, it's pretty obvious to noir fans... The Postman Always Rings Twice.

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