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Film Noir  They Shot Dark Pictures, Didn't They?

 
  250 Quintessential Noir Films  Part 5  
     
  Noir Homeoir Home  
  250 Quintessential Noir Films (1940-1964): Parts 1  2  3  4  5  
  50 Key Noir Filmmakers  More American Noir (1940-1964)  Non-American Noir (1940-1964)  Noir Precursors (Pre-1940)  Neo-Noir / Modern Noir (Post-1964)  Noir Links  Noir Sources  
  Full listing of all films cited: Alphabetical  Chronological  By Director  
     
     
 
Strange Illusion
Edgar G. Ulmer
1945, 80 mins, PRC
Scr Adele Comandini Cin Philip Tannura Cast Jimmy Lydon, Sally Eilers, Warren William, Regis Toomey, Charles Arnt
"Adolescent believes that his widowed mother's suitor may have murdered his father. Stylish cheapie by the recognized master of stylish cheapies." - Spencer Selby, Dark City: The Film Noir
TSPDT: Recommended
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The Strange Love of Martha Ivers
Lewis Milestone
1946, 117 mins, Paramount
Scr Robert Rossen Cin Victor MilnertCast Barbara Stanwyck, Van Heflin, Kirk Douglas, Lizabeth Scott, Judith Anderson
"This movie is filled with darkness, brown soot, pessimism, secrecy, control freaks...It's a very dark vision of the world, set in a bleak, heavily industrial landscape, like a steeltown outside of Chicago." - Barry Gifford, The Devil Thumbs a Ride
TSPDT: Recommended
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The Stranger
Orson Welles
1946, 95 mins, RKO
Scr Anthony Veiller Cin Russell Metty Cast Orson Welles, Loretta Young, Edward G. Robinson, Philip Merivale, Richard Long
"Though more straightforward than Welles' masterpieces, it still offers plenty of hysteria, paranoia, and hidden identities as well as a truly warped gothic ending." - David N. Meyer, A Girl and a Gun: The Complete Guide to Film Noir on Video
TSPDT: Highly Recommended
Amazon IMDB MRQE
 
             
 
The Stranger on the Third Floor
Boris Ingster
1940, 64 mins, RKO
Scr Frank Partos Cin Nicholas Musuraca Cast Peter Lorre, John McGuire, Margaret Tallichet, Charles Waldron, Elisha Cook Jr.
"Stranger on the Third Floor is the first true film noir...This unheralded B film noir, made a full year before Citizen Kane, demonstrates the most overt influence yet of German expressionism on American crime films to that time." - Bob Porfirio, Film Noir: An Encyclopedic Reference to the American Style
TSPDT: Highly Recommended
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Strangers on a Train
Alfred Hitchcock
  GF1000 
1951, 101 mins, Warner Bros
Scr Raymond Chandler, Czenzi Ormonde Cin Robert Burks Cast Farley Granger, Robert Walker, Ruth Roman, Leo G. Carroll, Patricia Hitchcock
"One of Alfred Hitchcock's supreme thrillers...Film has flaws, but Walker's performance and Hitchcock's vast array of tricks more than compensate for them." - Danny Peary, Guide for the Film Fanatic
TSPDT: Highly Recommended
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Street of Chance
Jack Hively
1942, 74 mins, Paramount
Scr Garrett Fort Cin Theodor Sparkuhl Cast Burgess Meredith, Claire Trevor, Louise Platt, Sheldon Leonard, Frieda Inescourt
"A man has an accident at work, returns home and is told by his wife that he has been missing for a year. The original noir amnesia story, which was also the first adaptation of a Cornell Woolrich novel." - Spencer Selby, Dark City: The Film Noir
TSPDT: Not Seen
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The Street with No Name
William Keighley
1948, 91 mins, 20th Century-Fox
Scr Harry Kleiner Cin Joseph MacDonald Cast Mark Stevens, Richard Widmark, Lloyd Nolan, Barbara Lawrence, Ed Begley
"Street with No Name is an example of the semidocumentary thrillers produced by Fox...the photography of Joe MacDonald evokes a sense of the corrupt city through stylized and shadowy images not too different from such studio films as I Wake Up Screaming and Dark Corner." - Bob Porfirio, Film Noir: An Encyclopedic Reference to the American Style
TSPDT: Worth a Look
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The Strip
Leslie Kardos
1951, 85 mins, MGM
Scr Allan Rivkin Cin Robert Surtees Cast Mickey Rooney, Sally Forrest, William Demarest, James Craig, Kay Brown
"Jazz drummer and aspiring actress become involved with racketeers, ending in violent tragedy. Los Angeles jazz scene nicely woven into tough noir plot." - Spencer Selby, Dark City: The Film Noir
TSPDT: Worth a Look
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Sudden Fear
David Miller
1952, 110 mins, RKO
Scr Lenore Coffee, Robert Smith Cin Charles Lang Cast Joan Crawford, Jack Palance, Gloria Grahame, Bruce Bennett, Virginia Huston
"Sudden Fear, a late entry in the RKO noir cycle, has an overly contrived plot partially camouflaged by some stylish and typically RKO photography by Charles Lang and by naturalistic performances by the three lead actors." - Bob Porfirio, Film Noir: An Encyclopedic Reference to the American Style
TSPDT: Highly Recommended
Amazon IMDB MRQE
 
             
 
Suddenly
Lewis Allen
1954, 77 mins, United Artists
Scr Richard Sale Cin Charles Clarke Cast Frank Sinatra, Sterling Hayden, James Gleason, Nancy Gates, Kim Charney
"Frank Sinatra plays John Baron, leading a trio of assassins who arrive in a small town just in time to shoot the president. It's a compelling premise, well performed and well directed." - The Rough Guide to Cult Movies
TSPDT: Approach with Caution
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Sunset Blvd.
Billy Wilder
  GF1000 
1950, 110 mins, Paramount
Scr Charles Brackett, Billy Wilder, D.M. Marshman Jr. Cin John Seitz Cast Gloria Swanson, William Holden, Erich von Stroheim, Nancy Olson, Fred Clark
"Billy Wilder's searing, funny, morbid look at the real tinsel beneath the phony tinsel...A tour de force for Swanson and one of Wilder's better efforts." - Don Druker, Chicago Reader
TSPDT: Highly Recommended
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The Suspect
Robert Siodmak
1944, 85 mins, Universal
Scr Bertram Millhauser Cin Paul Ivano Cast Charles Laughton, Ella Raines, Henry Daniell, Dean Harens, Stanley Ridges
"Oppression, guilt, blackmail and murder in turn-of-the-century London's quiet Laburnum Terrace - the plot specifics of The Suspect inevitably evoke Hitchcock's world, even if the studio choice of noir specialist Siodmak as director suggests a more darkly labyrinthine atmosphere." - Paul Taylor, Time Out
TSPDT: Recommended
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Suspense
Frank Tuttle
1946, 101 mins, Monogram
Scr Philip Yordan Cin Karl Struss Cast Barry Sullivan, Albert Dekker, Belita, Eugene Pallette, Bonita Granville
"Promoter's illicit involvement with star of ice show leads to deception and murder. Strange film, with expressive sets and visuals, that was one of Monogram's only A productions." - Spencer Selby, Dark City: The Film Noir
TSPDT: Not Seen
Amazon IMDB MRQE
 
Suspicion
Alfred Hitchcock
1941, 99 mins, RKO
Scr Samson Raphaelson, Joan Harrison, Alma Reville Cin Harry Stradling Cast Cary Grant, Joan Fontaine, Nigel Bruce, Cedric Hardwicke, Dame May Whitty
"Film has good scenes - Grant carrying glowing glass of milk to sick Fontaine, a dinner conversation about murder - but the disappointing resolution keeps it from being top-grade Hitchcock." - Danny Peary, Guide for the Film Fanatic
TSPDT: Recommended
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Sweet Smell of Success
Alexander Mackendrick
  GF1000 
1957, 96 mins, United Artists
Scr Clifford Odets, Ernest Lehman Cin James Wong Howe Cast Burt Lancaster, Tony Curtis, Susan Harrison, Martin Milner, Sam Levene
"A wonderfully bitter satire on the celebrity biz...Director Alexander Mackendrick more than makes the transfer from Ealing comedy whimsy to ferocious frenzy, picking up on the cynical, observational attitude of Ernest Lehman's hardboiled newsprint script and adding gothic shadows." - Kim Newman, 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die
TSPDT: Highly Recommended
Amazon IMDB MRQE
 
             
 
Talk About a Stranger
David Bradley
1952, 65 mins, MGM
Scr Margaret Fitts Cin John Alton Cast George Murphy, Nancy Davis, Billy Gray, Lewis Stone, Kurt Kasznar
"Young boy is convinced that a new neighbor has poisoned his dog. Atypical film with good visuals that encourages the viewer to identify with a paranoid juvenile." - Spencer Selby, Dark City: The Film Noir
TSPDT: Worth a Look
Amazon IMDB MRQE
 
The Tattooed Stranger
Edward Montagne
1950, 64 mins, RKO
Scr Phil Reisman Jr. Cin William Steiner Cast John Miles, Patricia Barry, Walter Kinsella, Frank Tweddell, Rod McLennan
"One of the seediest films ever made, The Tattooed Stranger remains a unique testament to independent film makers. Taking to the streets, the film is populated with non-professional actors who suggest, rather than act out, the intrinsic fear and loathing found in many urban slums." - Carl Macek, Film Noir: An Encyclopedic Reference to the American Style
TSPDT: Not Seen
Amazon IMDB MRQE
 
Tension
John Berry
1949, 95 mins, MGM
Scr Allan Rivkin Cin Harry Stradling Cast Richard Basehart, Audrey Totter, Cyd Charisse, Barry Sullivan, Lloyd Gough
"Tension is a taut thriller developed with noir motifs and style. The film is populated by a host of characters who embody the cynical essence of the noir world." - Carl Macek, Film Noir: An Encyclopedic Reference to the American Style
TSPDT: Worth a Look
Amazon IMDB MRQE
 
             
 
They Live by Night
Nicholas Ray
  GF1000 
1948, 95 mins, RKO
Scr Charles Schnee Cin George E. Diskant Cast Farley Granger, Cathy O'Donnell, Howard da Silva, Jay C. Flippen, Helen Craig
"A key film noir of the 40s, this was Nicholas Ray's first film as a director, and the freshness of his expressionist-documentary style is still apparent and gripping." - Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader
TSPDT: Highly Recommended
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They Won't Believe Me
Irving Pichel
1947, 79 mins, RKO
Scr Aben Kandel, Robert Rossen Cin Harry Wild Cast Robert Young, Susan Hayward, Jane Greer, Rita Johnson, Tom Powers
"A man's involvement with several women leads to an ironic murder charge. Notable, lesser-known film noir with a strong sense of sexual malaise." - Spencer Selby, Dark City: The Film Noir
TSPDT: Not Seen
Amazon IMDB MRQE
 
The Thief
Russell Rouse
1952, 85 mins, United Artists
Scr Clarence Greene, Russell Rouse Cin Sam Leavitt Cast Ray Milland, Martin Gabel, Harry Bronson, Rita Vale, Rex O'Malley
"The Thief remains superior to most other propaganda films - the loss of dialogue in itself is an asset in toning down didacticism - and director Russell Rouse, experienced in the noir cycle, imbues the film with the necessary elements of fear, persecution, alienation, and loneliness." - Bob Porfirio, Film Noir: An Encyclopedic Reference to the American Style
TSPDT: Worth a Look
Amazon IMDB MRQE
 
             
 
Thieves' Highway
Jules Dassin
1949, 94 mins, 20th Century-Fox
Scr A.I. Bezzerides Cin Norbert Brodine Cast Richard Conte, Valentina Cortese, Lee J. Cobb, Barbara Lawrence, Jack Oakie
"Perhaps the most unjustly neglected of Jules Dassin's pre-blacklist Hollywood pictures and one of the best noirs ever made by anyone, this is a terrific, fast-moving thriller about the corruption of the California fruit market business." - Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader
TSPDT: Highly Recommended
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The Third Man
Carol Reed
  GF1000 
1949, 104 mins, London Film Productions/British Lion Film
Scr Graham Greene Cin Robert Krasker Cast Joseph Cotten, Orson Welles, Alida Valli, Trevor Howard, Paul Horbiger
"Justly celebrated British noir...Robert Krasker's camerawork matches the baroque conception of Graham Greene's characters, Welles' contributions add intriguing internal tension, and even the 'gimmick' of Anton Karas' solo zither score works perfectly. A tender/tough classic." - Paul Taylor, Time Out
Note: The Third Man is one of only 2 films included within the 250 Quintessential Noirs listing that was not produced in the USA.
TSPDT: Highly Recommended
Amazon IMDB MRQE
 
This Gun for Hire
Frank Tuttle
1942, 80 mins, Paramount
Scr Albert Maltz, W.R. Burnett Cin John Seitz Cast Alan Ladd, Veronica Lake, Robert Preston, Laird Cregar, Tully Marshall
"Hired killer is paid for a job with 'hot' money...Important, meaningful early noir which links the cycle with British suspense novels of that period." - Spencer Selby, Dark City: The Film Noir
TSPDT: Recommended
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T-Men
Anthony Mann
1947, 96 mins, Eagle Lion
Scr John C. Higgins Cin John Alton Cast Dennis O'Keefe, Alfred Ryder, Mary Meade, Wallace Ford, June Lockhart
"T-Men established the reputations of its director, Anthony Mann, and its photographer, John Alton. Within a year, both were hired by MGM on the strength of this Eagle-Lion sleeper." - Blake Lucas, Film Noir: An Encyclopedic Reference to the American Style
TSPDT: Highly Recommended
Amazon IMDB MRQE
 
Too Late for Tears
Byron Haskin
1949, 99 mins, United Artists
Scr Roy Huggins Cin William Mellor Cast Lizabeth Scott, Don DeFore, Dan Duryea, Arthur Kennedy, Kristine Miller
"Notable, well-directed film in which Lizabeth Scott plays a restless housewife who will stop at nothing to get what she wants." - Spencer Selby, Dark City: The Film Noir
TSPDT: Worth a Look
Amazon IMDB MRQE
 
Touch of Evil
Orson Welles
  GF1000 
1958, 108 mins, Universal
Scr Orson Welles Cin Russell Metty Cast Charlton Heston, Janet Leigh, Orson Welles, Joseph Calleia, Akim Tamiroff
"Welles at his most imposing in this exhausting exercise in high-energy, self-conscious noir. The movie moves...slowly but with concentrated effort designed to maximise the results. And it works - almost unlike any other picture that so purposefully sets out to achieve a dark effect." - Barry Gifford, The Devil Thumbs a Ride
TSPDT: Highly Recommended
Amazon IMDB MRQE
 
             
 
Try and Get Me!
Cy Endfield
aka The Sound of Fury
1951, 85 mins, United Artists
Scr Jo Pagano Cin Guy Roe Cast Frank Lovejoy, Lloyd Bridges, Richard Carlson, Kathleen Ryan, Katherine Locke
"Try and Get Me functions better as a film noir than it does as a quasi-documentary...Reminiscent of both Fritz Lang's Fury and Mervyn LeRoy's They Won't Forget, Try and Get Me concentrates less on the result of the lynching than on the collapse of decency in both the criminals and the townspeople." - Carl Macek, Film Noir: An Encyclopedic Reference to the American Style
TSPDT: Highly Recommended
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The Turning Point
William Dieterle
1952, 85 mins, Paramount
Scr Warren Duff  Cin Lionel Lindon Cast William Holden, Alexis Smith, Edmond O'Brien, Tom Tully, Ed Begley
"While aiding special crime committee, investigative reporter discovers that the chairman's father is on the syndicate payroll. Tense, dramatic exposé film with some strong performances." - Spencer Selby, Dark City: The Film Noir
TSPDT: Worth a Look
Amazon IMDB MRQE
 
The Undercover Man
Joseph H. Lewis
1949, 85 mins, Columbia
Scr Sydney Boehm Cin Burnett Guffey Cast Glenn Ford, Nina Foch, James Whitmore, Barry Kelley, David Wolfe
"Another in an unrelated cycle of noir films made during the late 1940s that approach the subject of organized crime through the conventions of supposed documentary technique, The Undercover Man emphasizes the ability of the noir film to suspend disbelief." - Carl Macek, Film Noir: An Encyclopedic Reference to the American Style
TSPDT: Not Seen
Amazon IMDB MRQE
 
             
 
Undercurrent
Vincente Minnelli
1946, 116 mins, MGM
Scr Edward Chodorov Cin karl Freund Cast Katharine Hepburn, Robert Taylor, Robert Mitchum, Edmund Gwenn, Marjorie Main
"The film is more gripping than it has any right to be, with its gothic mansions, flickering firelight, mysterious brothers, and simple-minded notions about gender politics." - David N. Meyer, A Girl and a Gun: The Complete Guide to Film Noir on Video
TSPDT: Recommended
Amazon IMDB MRQE
 
Underworld, U.S.A.
Samuel Fuller