Killer’s Kiss Directed by Stanley Kubrick Written by Stanley Kubrick and Howard Sackler U.S.A, 1955 Just as last week’s column entry took a look at one of Stanley Kubrick’s earliest works, The Killing, this week yet an earlier piece of cinema from the director is explored. One year prior to making his real breakout film …
The Killing Directed by Stanley Kubrick Written by Stanley Kubrick and Jim Thompson U.S.A., 1956 Stanley Kubrick, now there is a name evocative of so many immediate thoughts and emotions for movie buffs everywhere. Infuriating, coldly mechanical in his depiction of people, difficult to comprehend. He was also an intelligent screenwriter, deeply profound in the …
The Treasure of Sierra Madre Directed John Huston Written by John Huston U.S.A., 1948 Gordon Gekko, the central figure of Oliver Stone’s famous Wall Street, once uttered the phrase ‘Greed is good.’ That same individual was, understandably, also that film’s antagonist. To willfully adhere to the aforementioned philosophy is one thing, yet the reality of …
Bound Directed by: The Wachowski Brothers Written by: The Wachowski Brothers Starring: Jennifer Tilly, Gina Gershon Genre: Thriller Year: 1996 Bound is a perfect distillation of 90’s cinema, a bygone era when indie filmmakers and screenwriters, clamoring to capture the cinematic zeitgeist, found themselves backed into corners and forced to write their way out. The …
Crime in the Streets Directed by Don Siegel Written by Reginald Rose U.S.A, 1956 Magic can be created on a studio set. Today, in 2012, filmmakers, critics cans fans alike take great pleasure in watching films which are said to have been filmed on location. Said decision to shoot a picture in a real world …
His Kind of Woman! Directed by John Farrow Written by Frank Fenton, Jack Leonard U.S.A., 1951 John Farrow’s His Kind of Woman! has it all, and so, so much more. Sometimes the best entries in a film genre or series are the ones that need to add different ingredients to spice things up a little …
The Phenix City Story Directed by Phil Karlson Written by Daniel Mainwaring and Crane Wilbur U.S.A., 1955 When a neighbourhood, a town, a city, a state or a country is ostensibly run by the wicked and the corrupt, what does it take for the populace to rise up and fight its oppressors? When the patience …
Dial 1119 Directed by Gerald Mayer Written by Hugh King and Don McGuire U.S.A., 1950 If there is one thing about older films which can cause a surprise among modern audiences, it is the acting style of the period. A frequent complaint coming from those whose exposure to movies of the 30s, 40s and 60s …
Desperate Directed by Anthony Mann Screenplay by Harry Essex U.S.A., 1947 One of film noir’s strongest, most unique qualities is its malleability. A film which fans and scholars deem as part of the genre need not be especially violent, nor especially thrilling, nor especially long, nor especially short, etc. Despite that so many take pleasure …
Decoy Directed by Jack Bernhard Written by Nedrick Young (screenplay) and Stanley Rubin (story) U.S.A., 1946 Film noir is film noir because of a variety of recognized qualities which concern both visuals cues as well as some specific narrative aspects, including stereotypical character traits. It stands to reason that that is how the genre, or …
Tension Directed by John Berry Screenplay by Allen Rivkin U.S.A., 1949 Who is the infamous femme fatale? From what dark depths of humanity was she born and will men ever be able to truly resist her seductive moves? Such queries can spark endless discussions, among them the quality of the actresses who have portrayed them …
They Live by Night Directed by Nicholas Ray Screenplay by Charles Schnee U.S.A., 1949 Young love is a powerful thing, even dangerously so when it blinds people from reality. When the hearts of two youths are intertwined as they are between the protagonists in They Live by Night, a sense of invincibility can slowly and …
Illegal Directed by Lewis Allen Screenplay by W. R. Burnett and James R. Webb 1955, U.S.A. Few those familiar with the Hollywood of the 1930s, 40s and 50s, few names strike a chord like Edward G. Robinson. Shorter than most of his co-stars perhaps, what the actor lacked in physical stature he made up for …
Mystery Street Directed by John Sturges Screenplay by Richard Brooks and Sydney Boehm USA, 1950 If one comes across a review or snippet of commentary regarding John Sturges’ Mystery Street, one aspect about the film which people argue stands out is how it works as a police procedural which makes it, in a fashion, a …
There have been enough books and articles on Alfred Hitchcock and his work to fill a library wing. Doubtless little can be said here about one of the most examined careers in movies which hasn’t already been said several times over elsewhere. Still – and sadly, to those of us of a certain age — …
Coming out of World War II, the major Hollywood studios had hoped to get back to business as usual. The distraction of the war was gone, rationing repealed, and the boys – 15 million of them — were coming home. But the expected upsurge in business didn’t come. In fact, almost immediately box office began …
It is arguable that women live in a “man’s world”. Women, it might also be argued, possess certain physical attributes of appeal to men that allow them considerable advantage under some circumstances. Such attributes coupled with certain behavioral subtleties often lay bare men’s weaknesses to a point where they seem compelled to act irrationally to …
Filmmakers are confronted with the perennial challenge of intriguing their audience with new cinematic experiences – the challenge of innovation.When a traditional genre transcends time, it is often altered to slake this thirst for the new.Consequently, such an evolution has altered one of America’s most stylish genres of the 1940s, film noir.The introduction of color …
The debut of a number of distinctive personalities is one of the important features of film noir. Noir’s main character, for instance, may appropriately be labeled thenoir loser. He is a handsome, middle-aged man who seems to blur the line between protagonist and antagonist. Billy Wilder has very explicitly introduced such personalities as Walter Neff …
A term that translates to ‘Black Film’ already sounds interesting. Add to that dramatic, highly stylized cinematography and hard-hitting, gritty writing, and the appeal of film noir is clear. The term is mostly attributed to works such as Double Indemnity, Scarlet Street, and The Maltese Falcon, all major works which helped popularize the genre after …