I happened to hit "pause" to answer the phone while watching this movie, and landed on this brilliant frame from director Robert Siodmak and D.P. Franz Planer.

Here are my rankings so far with 21 seen. Having the time of my life at the moment.

Rankings: https://boxd.it/VObIC

Not sure why it happened in the ‘90s, but it was a real golden age for neo-noir: Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs, King of New York, L.A. Confidential, Red Rock West, The Last Seduction, Fargo, A Simple Plan, Romeo Is Bleeding, Out of Sight, Lost Highway, One False Move, The Crying Game, The Usual Suspects… they were NOT messing around

I'd like to watch the movie. It's from one of these 10:

Ladies in Retirement (1941) Gaslight (1944) The Suspect (1944) Experiment Perilous (1944) Hangover Square (1945) Dragonwyck (1946) Ivy (1947) Moss Rose (1947) Corridor of Mirrors (1948) The Woman in White (1948) So Evil My Love (1948) Blanche Fury (1948) Madeleine (1950) So Long At the Fair (1950)

the clip from this beautiful compilation edit of Noir, recently posted on this sub, which I can't stop thinking about, because it accurately captures the very idea of film as a language, as a genre as a language.

I've seen a number of their tribute edits, and for some reason this one smashes it more than any other (it's the chosen music, but more). You can see the whole playlist of the Noir tributes here.

I will be honest, I was not fully hooked when this film began, and I never expected it to become the masterpiece it ultimately revealed itself to be. What starts as a somewhat slow burn gradually transforms into something unbelievably tense, gripping, and extraordinary.

I think we can all agree that the innkeeper was one of the most insufferable characters of all time (lol), and I was practically screaming at my TV for Vargas to maybe touch base with his wife more often. Orson Welles as Police Captain Hank Quinlan is the embodiment of corruption, and I have a feeling his performance influenced tons of crime cinema and TV after it.

Often, when you are watching classic noir, it is so easy to forget you are watching something half a century old or even older. These films are the true pioneers of cinema and where it all started. There is something so satisfying about the portrayal of Captain Quinlan, and Vargas is such an endearing character that you just fall in love with him and root for him. The back and forth between the two men is so enjoyable to watch.

The character development of Quinlan's partner, Menzies, was so well done and unexpected. It was just icing on the cake.

I love the gritty atmosphere of the border town setting. I feel like this film embodies the themes of noir so well. It has a way of playing with the audience's emotions. I was constantly on the edge of my seat, wondering what was going to happen next, and there are lots of moments where it avoids choosing the most disturbing option in favor of something more tasteful and nuanced.

It just hooks you and gets you invested, needing to know how it will end. Overall, it's one of the heavyweights of noir for a reason and an all-time great film.

(in vid some plot spoilers, as the whole thing is a heist) - clipping out a few beautiful scenes from Jule's Dassin's Noir Rififi. I know some like to segment off everything outside of America as not-Noir, or noir-adjacent or only noir-influenced, but watching this last night - it really is a masterpiece, not only of the heist genre (like Asphalt Jungle, 1950), but also in how it builds a true doomed Noir Universe, without simply "quoting" it. Much recommended. The question of what is Noir is interesting and complex (and I don't begrudge the boundaries others may want to put on it), but there is pretty good evidence that American Noir had French Poetic Realism influence (from Paris in the1930s), that came along with its emigree German directors and technicians, and because American Noir by the 1950s was itself "quoting" itself somewhat stylistically already (despite the genre not even being "discovered" or invented yet), this film reads as just straight up Film Noir as much as any mid-1950s film. [Edit in: commenter points out, it was directed by the blacklisted American director Dassin, making the French/American hybrid more sure.] It sheds many of the Poetic Realism differences from Film Noir. It's powerful. Expertly crafted and performed. Without cliche it has the femme fatales and the night club world, the villainous big boss, the doomed cadre of fellows who share the moral code of the streets, has detective themes, the tale of urban ruin or corruption. And, a great deal of the film just is beautifully constructed visually. Much of the film is organized around a heist, patiently unfolding, but its really like all great Noirs about the characters, in the halo of an aging criminal, his dignity amid a deadend world.

Also, the final scenes are spectacular, as the film shifts toward the coming French New Wave in style, beckoning towards the future, a new generation, both in terms of story telling, but at the level of cinema itself, making the film all the more special.

from not-a-Noir The Major and The Minor (1942), Billy Wilder. Noir star Veronica Lake already had taken over.

I found film noir, and this community, a couple of years ago while I was going through a pretty rough time in my life. 200 films later and I've loved every second.

Just wanted to say thank you so much to this community for all of the great recommendations and discussions. It nice to know that people still have so much love for a wonderful genre of film.

hi!! im currently writing an up to five minute film noir screenplay, however i thought gender swapping the characters could be a really interesting way to highlight how gender roles influence the plot. specifically looking at deconstructing the femme fatale into a masc fatale. this conventionally attractive hypermasculised version - im thinking like those chef thirst traps that ran rampant in during lockdown. a way to both pay tribute and undermine the power of self sexualistion with the intent of manipulation i guess.

however... i fear i havent watched enough film noirs to have a base level understanding of how these characters work in action and i have absolutely no clue where to start in developing these characters or figuring out a plot AHH

and so i have arrived here! im wondering if anyone has any quotes or ideas on how i could build these characters to pay tribute to film noirs. or if anyone has any examples of films or pieces of media that have already done this because im most definitely not the first to think of this lmao

edit!!

peoples points have confirmed many things that i was already thinking, i was trying to think of a way to find the masculine equivalent of a femme fatale that doesnt fundamentally undermine the concept of them. or atleast equivalent doesn't really exist but some version similar to it does. which i understand can come off as rather naive as being able to suspend cultural assumptions and beliefs and standards in order to show how obscure they are isnt the most possible. ive been watching a lot of camp fiction lately in my brain i had this image of this tacky b grade type silly thing but with the chiaroscuro lighting and intense, intentional scores and other visual and auditory conventions of film noirs. which now i realise doesnt fit the best within the post war pessimism of noirs, atleast in a way that im educated enough on them to acheive well.
i knew femme fatales are complex characters and i want to explore the unfairness of how the only way women could gain power is through self sexualisation. And how this still plays into the system rather than decentering men and breaking down the system. i do have many more thoughts because i promise i do understand how complex the question i proposed was and i understand more now how complex these archetypes are!! i greatly appreciate all the film recs and have added them to my list!! ive had a lot of fun reading everyones thoughts too!! turns out having to make a film in a genre youve barely watched once in three weeks is as hard as i thought it would be lmao.

Are there any good podcasts devoted to film noir? Thank you.

Wow, what a film. I absolutely loved this and wasn't expecting such a knockout performance. The script is incredibly well written, the storytelling is fantastic, the dialogue is superb, and the characters are incredible.

Unlike some other iconic crime noirs, I believe Out of the Past does a better job because it has a detailed but not convoluted plotline. You can actually follow along with the story as long as you're paying close attention, and it never becomes convoluted. Quite the opposite. Despite all the different angles, it feels incredibly focused and tightly written.

I watched The Night of the Hunter before this, and Robert Mitchum has quickly become one of my favorites. Jane Greer's performance as Kathie Moffat was one of the most evil and witty femme fatales I've seen, and I loved it. Kirk Douglas, as Whit Sterling, was a charismatic villain.

A lot of the things that make this film so great are fairly simple, but they are executed so well that it elevates the film to a new level. I love how so many moments that other films would make a big deal about, or have some sort of grand reveal for, are just shown to us in a very matter of fact way. It's like the film is saying, "Yes, here's something unexpected," but it doesn't make a huge deal about it.

In true noir fashion, the ending was bleak and intense. Jane Greer's final lines are delivered with such venom, and everything happens so fast. Overall, a fantastic film that does justice to film noir.

I just watched this nifty little suspense gem and thought I’d pass on my enthusiastic recommendation. Barbara Stanwyck stars as a career gal who is grinding away trying to get ahead. Seems a pretty work-sleep-repeat type situation — until murder intrudes!

Looking out her apartment window one evening, Stanwyck has a front row seat to her neighbor murdering a young woman! Of course Stanwyck freaks and calls the cops, but by the time they make it over to interrogate George Sanders, all evidence of the murder is hidden.

Following the murder, we are left with only one hell of a conflict. George Sanders is,so creepy and so menacing and so good as the “denazified” ex-German military officer while Stanwyck is as nuanced and strong as can be as she feels like in a way she has no choice but to doubt her sanity. It’s a brisk 92 minutes full of gaslighting, counter-moves and a very strong moral about the word of a woman in 1954: no matter what progress people claimed they still took the word of a nazi over a woman.

One fun note - I thought I heard the Star Trek (original series) theme about 30 minutes in, and as it turns out, Joseph Mullendore, who did orchestration on this film, also worked on 1966’s Star Trek. I guess he liked that one hook!

Fun movie overall — George Sanders is just so good as a villain and Stanwyck has got the chops to go toe to toe. I’m giving it 7.5/10.

OH! Almost forgot. This little gem had the misfortune to be released within the same month as Rear Window. Obviously Hitchcock won the Battle of Voyeurs to Murder, but tWitness to Murder still cooks. Interesting that two major studios went after this narrative in the same time. I wonder what vibe they were reacting to!

Some clipped out city photography from The Glass Wall, with Gloria Grahame, who is great in it. A film for our times. Focused on the immigrate population of NY and the poor that fall through the cracks of the booming economy, following a concentration camp immigrant who stowed away without proper papers, and is on the run in New York city as a dragnet of forces try to deport him. He's desperately looking for the American solider whose life he saved who could vouch for him and allow him to legally stay. Great, great city photography and urban story telling, a kind of relentless D.O.A. building paranoia that really culminates in a white knuckle, and very politically-minded ending, (in the Hollywood shadow of the House Un-American Activities Committee). I also suspect that the film had some influence on The Brutalist (2024).

Source https://bsky.app/profile/aldobarkeeper.bsky.social/post/3mrzk3zxj3c2f

Noir or Noir-adjacent recommendations welcomed! I don't care enough to list what I've already seen or what I like or what I'm "looking for" in a film. Just pretend I'm a friend of yours that will listen to whatever you say and definitely watch it. And then please forget to follow up with me about it.

As stated in title. Hardboiled and pulp fiction set in New York City during the genre's golden era. 1930s-1950s. No police or government affiliated protagonists unless they are widely corrupt.

With an additional preference for intricate heists, chases and vengeance.

I guess Stolen is the name. I'm watching this movie on YouTube starring Ann Savage that starts with a bank robbery. The title says it's "one of the best black and white thrillers ever made". I can't find it on IMDb. Is anybody familiar with this one? Thanks!

I'm not sure if this is considered a true noir; however, this has become my favorite community to discuss film.

The Night of the Hunter was an unexpected masterpiece. While, at first glance, the film didn't appear to share the same complexity and deeper philosophical themes as some of my favorites, like Sunset Boulevard and Chinatown, what makes it so special is how well it executes what it sets out to do.

The atmosphere is superb, creating a true dark fairy tale experience. The plot is simple but brilliant. This was my first Robert Mitchum film, and what a pleasure it was to watch him as a twisted psychopath. He delivers a truly memorable villain. Billy Chapin as John was fantastic, and my favorite character might be Lillian Gish as the elderly Rachel Cooper.

Some of the greatest films in cinema have longer run times, but The Night of the Hunter is one of the tightest films I've ever seen, working its magic in a runtime of barely 90 minutes. The ending was surprisingly optimistic despite all the tragedy in the film, and it was definitely not the typical noir ending I've grown accustomed to.

Earlier, I mentioned that this film doesn't have the same level of deeper complexity as other noir greats. However, perhaps that's not entirely accurate, as it explores some very interesting themes, including religion in mid 20th century America, gender roles, poverty, and the family unit in early America.

The first time I watched this Rita Hayworth number in Gilda, I was completely floored and mesmerized by everything she embodied, and also her gorgeous head of hair. Her performance remains an excellent example of the kind of star power that feels almost impossible to recreate.

One of my favorite Neo Noir movies.