“He felt he would suffocate on the bus. A baby was crying. The cheap perfume of the woman next to him was nauseating.” This voiceover is heard almost three minutes into the film as we see Toshiro Mifune’s young detective Murakami squashed together with fellow passengers on an overcrowded bus hurtling through the streets of… Continue reading Stray Dog(1949)
Tag: Film Noir
The Strange Love Of Martha Ivers(1946)
The Strange Love Of Martha Ivers was directed by Lewis Milestone(All Quiet On The Western Front, Edge Of Darkness)and produced by Hal B. Wallis. The screenplay by Robert Rossen and the uncredited Robert Riskin was based upon the short story Love Lies Bleeding by John Patrick. When filming commenced, Milestone would leave the set for… Continue reading The Strange Love Of Martha Ivers(1946)
Vertigo(1958)
This haunting Alfred Hitchcock film surprisingly wasn't all that well received upon its release in May, 1958, and received quite a mixed response from audiences and critics. Vertigo was undoubtedly the darkest film that the director had made up to that point and it would appear as though its themes and content were too much… Continue reading Vertigo(1958)
Murder, My Sweet(1944)
1944 was a seminal year for Film Noir with the release of some of the greatest films in the genre such as Double Indemnity,Phantom Lady, Laura, To Have And Have Not, The Woman In The Window,The Ministry Of Fear and Murder, My Sweet. Whenever I hear or read the words Film Noir, Murder, My Sweet is always… Continue reading Murder, My Sweet(1944)
Cry Of The City(1948)
Cry Of The City is a Film Noir which plays out like a 1940’s Greek tragedy. It is a poignant and powerful tale of injustice, love, the desire for a second chance and the inability to avoid the hand in life dealt to us by fate. Not only does the film make us fully support and sympathise… Continue reading Cry Of The City(1948)
Dark Passage(1947)
Dark Passage is one of the most underrated and interesting of all the 1940’s Noir films. Quite why this one isn’t discussed more often is beyond me. It’s a very different looking Film Noir than most and also offers us a glimpse of a far more vulnerable Humphrey Bogart. The Humphrey Bogart we see in this… Continue reading Dark Passage(1947)
The Narrow Margin(1952)
The Narrow Margin is a film that I never tire of watching. It’s very brisk and manages to pack quite a punch in just 71 minutes. This is also a film in which no scene or dialogue exchange feels like a waste of time. It serves as a prime example of how a low budget B… Continue reading The Narrow Margin(1952)
Walking Down The Dark Alleys Of Film Noir
Happy Noirvember. Yes it’s that time of year again where we celebrate all things Film Noir. Put on your trench coats and hats, pour yourself a glass of bourbon and sit back and revel in a cinematic world of shadows, thrills, double-crosses, sexual tension, Femme and Homme Fatales and plenty of darkness and danger. Dorothy… Continue reading Walking Down The Dark Alleys Of Film Noir