2023 - NoirVember by Glen Hannah

AI creation: A detective, a dame and kid walk into a bar

ghannahau — 2023-10-24 12:25:12 UTC

Created with Bing AI

AI creation: The Suspect

ghannahau — 2023-10-24 12:33:12 UTC

AI creation - Detectives are questioning a suspect

Noir 1: They Made me a Killer (1946)

ghannahau — 2023-11-01 08:11:16 UTC

A man is tricked into being a bank robbery getaway driver and is arrested for murder. Together with the Bank Teller's sister (He's also implicated) they try to track down the mob that framed him. Tight and punchy little crime thriller noir crackles along nicely but is equally forgettable.

Noir 2: Tension (1949)

ghannahau — 2023-11-01 08:14:19 UTC

A drug store clerk with an unfaithful wife creates a second identity to murder his rival. The plan doesn't go to plan and complications set in. Audrey Totter is the standout here as the manipulative floozy wife. Lots of twists of fate in this one but it's all quite plausible. Once the detectives enter the scene, the focus shifts somewhat to their methods of solving the mystery and the ways they create "tension" for the suspects.

Also Watching: Alfred Hitchcock Presents

ghannahau — 2023-11-07 00:41:58 UTC

Lots of mystery and murder ahead of me!

Also watching: Peter Gunn

ghannahau — 2023-11-07 00:43:19 UTC

I've known the theme for years but new to this 1950s crime series

Noir 3: My Name is Alfred Hitchcock (2023)

ghannahau — 2023-11-07 00:53:26 UTC

Saw this one at the British Film Festival. Once you get used to the idea of the faux narrator, an Alfred Hitchcock imitator, it's a compelling documentary on Hitchcock's work, focusing on aspects of his filmmaking technique with an acute Film Critic's eye. Writer/Director Mark Cousins made the series The Story of Film: An Odyssey, and this film approaches Hitchcock's body of work in the same analytical style and playful tone. One to catch when it gets a wider release.

AI Creations: Who would you trust?

ghannahau — 2023-11-07 00:57:53 UTC

AI Creations: The Game

ghannahau — 2023-11-07 01:00:35 UTC

AI Creations: The Diner - Monday morning

ghannahau — 2023-11-07 01:02:34 UTC

AI Creations: The Diner - Tuesday morning

ghannahau — 2023-11-07 01:03:40 UTC

Also watching: The Continental (2023)

ghannahau — 2023-11-07 01:10:28 UTC

I don't know if The Continental: from the World of John Wick could be classified a neo-noir or not but the Wickiverse, the world that Wick inhabits, draws upon noir aesthetics and iconography (sometimes)

AI Creations: The Band

ghannahau — 2023-11-07 01:12:46 UTC

AI Creations: The Carnies

ghannahau — 2023-11-07 01:15:54 UTC

Noir 4: Marlowe (2023)

ghannahau — 2023-11-07 01:27:27 UTC

A beautiful heiress seeks Marlowe's help in locating her boyfriend who has disappeared. Marlowe soon discovers that the man is dead but his investigations lead him to think otherwise. Neeson, and for that matter Lange, are too old for their roles by about 25 years but they, and the rest of the cast give a good account of themselves in this complex, perhaps overly complicated, word heavy mystery. It ticks the boxes you'd expect it to but never lifts to the level of being something memorable or special.

Listening: Oz True Crime

ghannahau — 2023-11-08 10:30:38 UTC

Mark "Chopper" Read was a notorious gangland figure in Australia in the 70s and 80s, who became a best selling author (of his own exploits) tapping out around 10 books. He became the subject of the movie "Chopper" (2000) where he was portrayed by Eric Bana.

John Silvester, a prominent Australian true crime reporter, had a hand in developing Chopper's early books. Here he talks about the man he knew and plays recordings of Read narrating his exploits onto cassettes.

Listening: Music for a Private Eye (1963)

ghannahau — 2023-11-08 10:36:23 UTC

Your late night listen. These aren't the original TV themes but they sure do swing.

https://archive.org/details/lp_music-for-a-private-eye-swinging-themes_ralph-marterie-and-his-marlboro-men_2

Noir 5: The Face behind the Mask (1941)

ghannahau — 2023-11-08 10:45:01 UTC

Peter Lorre is the hopeful immigrant, just arrived in New York, whose face is horribly burnt in an apartment fire. Rejected because of his hideous looks, he turns to a life of crime. A good role for Lorre here and an usual noir that many people wouldn't know about.

Noir 6: The Kiss before the Mirror (1933)

ghannahau — 2023-11-08 10:56:19 UTC

A defence attorney takes on the case of a man (a friend) who has murdered his unfaithful wife. Soon, the attorney suspects his own wife of being unfaithful.

This Pre-code Pre-Noir is a stage play adapted for the screen. Often, in the early years of sound, such movies came across as filmed plays and could appear very wooden and stagey (of course).

Filmed between Frankensteins by director James Whale, Kiss has a fluid, probing, inventive camera. Cinematographer Karl Freund paints the screen with shadows and light in a very Noirish manner elevating this drama above the ordinary... but who has heard of it?

Noirvember: SBS playlist

ghannahau — 2023-11-08 11:04:44 UTC

Australians with access to SBS on Demand may like to check out their Noirvember offerings. Movies from around the world - Scandi-Noir, Brit-Noir, Celtic-Noir, The Future is Noir, Vintage Noir and more

https://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/noirvember

NoirVember: My 2022.

ghannahau — 2023-11-08 11:12:55 UTC

My 2022 Noirvember Wakelet board with everything I watched, listened to, read and created

https://wakelet.com/wake/L08YLuanZPLhoaDYgEHv0

Listening: On Story: 412 Neo Noir: The Modern Day Film Noir

ghannahau — 2023-11-08 11:17:54 UTC

Really interesting talk from two key film-makers who've dabbled in neo-noir.

Shane Black (Kiss Kiss Bang Bang) and Brian Helgeland (LA Confidential) discuss the modern day Neo Noir - a genre-bending response to the Film Noirs of the 1940s and 50s – and dissect the basic styles, impulses, themes, and tones that embrace this form of storytelling.

https://youtu.be/fd_LLw8uiXU?si=DuCb-rP1aJ4fajXe

AI creations: Gangster family portraits

ghannahau — 2023-11-12 05:20:20 UTC

A slide show with music on my insta. Created with text to image AI software.

NoirVember: My 2021

ghannahau — 2023-11-12 05:27:07 UTC

Hello operator. Get me the police. My husband is trying to kill me..

Wait!.. It's ME. I'm trying to kill my husband. Oh its #Noirvember . I can't get murder out of my mind. Why am I even talking to you. You could be trying to kill both of us.

Here's what I watched in 2021

Also watching: Glass Onion (2022)

ghannahau — 2023-11-12 05:42:58 UTC

Not Noir at all but this film and it's predecessor were immensely entertaining, adapting the classic Agatha Christie formula and updating it for the present. Perhaps more successful than the recent Hercule Poirot adaptations.. but then without Poirot there would be no Benoit Blanc

Noir 7: Kiss the Blood off my Hands (1948)

ghannahau — 2023-11-12 05:54:17 UTC

Burt Lancaster, in London, is a man on the run after accidentally killing a man in a bar. He meets Joan Fontaine and perhaps he has a chance at happiness. However, blackmailer Robert Newton is skulking around and has plans for him. Solid, lesser known noir is a good role for Lancaster, who gets to show off his athleticism early in the film and plays a complex character always on the cusp of violence.

Listening: The Lives of Harry Lime (1951-52)

ghannahau — 2023-11-12 06:12:07 UTC

Prequel radio series to The Third Man (1949) had a good run of 50+ episodes and secured Orson Welles to recreate his memorable role as the title character. The episode Man of Mystery is of particular interest as it uses the story that would later be adapted into Welle's Mr. Arkadin

Noir 8: No Way Out (1950)

ghannahau — 2023-11-12 06:22:26 UTC

Racist and violent criminal Richard Widmark blames black doctor Sidney Poitier for the death of his brother and plots revenge. Film Noir/ Drama punches hard and tackles race issues frankly - in language and behaviour.

Linda Darnell is the surprise here as the tough ex-wife of the Widmark's dead brother.

Joseph L Mankiewicz co-wrote and directed this around the same time as he made All About Eve. Eve is fondly remembered but I'm not sure this one is, although it gained praise at the time.

Noir 9: Paid to Kill (1954)

ghannahau — 2023-11-16 09:13:11 UTC

aka FIVE DAYS. A businessman in financial trouble decides to have a friend murder him so that his wife can collect on his life insurance. When things suddenly look better and he tries to cancel the arrangement, he finds he can't... and that his friend or someone else really wants him dead. If you accept the premise, this noir travels rather well.

Reading: Batman DOA (1999)

ghannahau — 2023-11-16 09:25:24 UTC

Many noir fans will be familiar with a little 1950 film called "D.O.A" with Edmond O'Brien as the victim of a poisoning who tries to find his murderer. This Batman story lifts that premise and neatly reworks it. From behind bars, The Joker, The Penguin and Two Face scheme to poison Batman. With only days to live, Batman struggles to save a kidnapped little girl, while Robin and Commissioner Gordon race against the clock to find an antidote. I enjoyed this one, but it seems to split the fan base.

Listening: Suspense.

ghannahau — 2023-11-16 09:39:36 UTC

SUSPENSE was a radio drama program that ran from the early 1940s to 1962 and is considered one of the most successful of its era, with a TV show and Anthology magazine spinoffs. It also attracted some big name Hollywood stars. In this episode from 1944, One way ride to Nowhere, Alan Ladd investigates a bizarre murder on a roller coaster.

https://youtu.be/sIfKumvMeow?feature=shared

NoirVember: My 2020

ghannahau — 2023-11-16 09:46:45 UTC

Everything I watched in 2020. Check out my list here. Some classics.

Hit any key on that typewriter above.

NoirVember: My 2019

ghannahau — 2023-11-16 09:49:49 UTC

Still looking for movies to watch this NoirVember. The lady above will take you to my 2019 watch list. What did I see and what did I think?

Noir Double feature

ghannahau — 2023-11-16 09:57:50 UTC

Noir 10: Rogue Cop (1954)

ghannahau — 2023-11-16 10:14:41 UTC

Compromised cop (Robert Taylor) runs foul of crime lord George Raft, when he fails to lure his younger brother (also a cop) into Raft's clutches. Fast talking, hard punching noir has wonderful grit and moves like a bullet. Cast are all great, including the women (JLeigh, AFrancis) who get substantial parts. One to catch... and yes that IS the skipper from Gilligan's Island punching on with Taylor.

Noir 11: Cop Hater (1958)

ghannahau — 2023-11-16 10:23:04 UTC

Somebody is gunning down cops and the police at the Ed McBain's 87th precinct are desperate to find the killer. I recall reading the novel of this years ago and think the film does remarkably well in honouring the source material and capturing the essence of McBain's style.

Solid low-budget noir/police procedural.

Noir 12: Girls on the Loose (1958)

ghannahau — 2023-11-16 10:28:04 UTC

Cheesy pulp title but don't let that put you off viewing this one. It's actually about an all female crime gang who pull off a successful heist. Things start to fall apart when a cop enters the scene and romance blossoms. Feisty female cast of bad broads who don't trust anyone...including each other.

Noir News: Michael Caine

ghannahau — 2023-11-16 10:48:54 UTC

Actor Michael Caine is not stranger to crime fiction, playing gangsters in such Neo-Noir films as Get Carter and Mona Lisa. Anyway, he's turned author and releases his first crime thriller in December. Wonder how he shapes up as a first time (fiction) author.

Read about it here.

https://www.amazon.com/Deadly-Game-stunning-thriller-Michael/dp/1399702505

Listening: Portishead

ghannahau — 2023-11-16 11:05:42 UTC

Remember Portishead? In the 1990s and into the 2000s their music seemed like the song-track to every crime thriller that came out of the UK. Film-makers certainly liked their style as it was well suited to dark tales of murder and underworld crime. Turn off the lights tonight and sit in the dark listening to this very neo-noirish playlist.

Noir 13: Hell on Frisco Bay (1955)

ghannahau — 2023-11-16 11:13:24 UTC

Glossy colour noir in Cinemascope doesn't really capture a noirish atmosphere as say Vertigo would a few years later or Leave her to Heaven in 1945 or even Niagra from around the same time. All colour noirs.

Reading: Graphic novels

ghannahau — 2023-11-19 00:03:46 UTC

Also Watching: Victorian mysteries

ghannahau — 2023-11-19 00:04:46 UTC

AI creations: The Couple

ghannahau — 2023-11-19 00:05:40 UTC

Noir 14: Please Murder Me! (1956)

ghannahau — 2023-11-19 00:12:12 UTC

A woman kills her husband in self defence (or was it murder?) Her secret boyfriend, a defence lawyer pleads her case. Interesting noir, in that you suspect you know where it is going and how things are going to end, but when it gets to that point, it evolves into something more. Some interesting turns of events here.

Listening: Bold Venture (1950-51)

ghannahau — 2023-11-22 11:27:44 UTC

In the early 1950s Bogart and Bacall teamed up for a radio series that ran 50+ episodes. It evoked memories of To Have or To Have Not as they played characters not unlike those in the movie. Bogart played a hotel owner and Bacall his sidekick on adventures in Cuba and around the Caribbean. Fun and spirited. Episodes are freely available on the internet.

Read about it here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bold_Venture

Listening: The Projection Booth on Nightmare Alley

ghannahau — 2023-11-22 11:37:33 UTC

Nightmare Alley, one of the darkest classic Noirs is examined and analysed by the Projection Booth panel in this podcast. Some interesting commentary on the 1947 movie comparing it with the original novel and the movie remake.

I didn't think much of the Bradley Cooper version and it was interesting that some of the panel were critical of the same things that bothered me. I must read the novel. Started last year and never finished...for no good reason.

List: Before NOIR

ghannahau — 2023-11-22 11:52:12 UTC

Pre-Noir or Proto-Noir movies are those films that came before the classic Film Noir period (appx 1940-1960)

These formative noirs contain elements of noir (story, style, lighting, atmosphere, themes of fatalism or doom) Elements that would all come together to create the Film Noirs we love.

These Pre/Proto Noirs can be very interesting in themselves and scholars and film buff should seek them out.

Oh look! Somebody made a list.

https://www.imdb.com/list/ls553558223/

Noir 15: The Breaking Point (1950)

ghannahau — 2023-11-22 12:03:13 UTC

Remake of Bogart/Bacall's To Have or To Have Not is not like it at all... which is a good thing as they were only about six years apart. Apparently, it's closer to Hemingway's original book.

Garfield is the charter boat captain facing financial problems who sails into trouble when he takes on human cargo and more trouble when he hooks up with gangsters. It's solid noir, with some shocks, and Garfield is strong in this. Stick around for that final heart-breaking shot

Listening: Sin City soundtrack

ghannahau — 2023-11-22 12:15:54 UTC

Your late night listen: SIN CITY original soundtrack The film from 2005 was a blended neo-noir embracing the modern but honouring the classic era of Noir.

The soundtrack is a bluesy, jazzy, grimy, eclectic, junkyard beat that sounds more than a little crazed.

Noir 16: The Long Haul (1957)

ghannahau — 2023-11-22 12:26:54 UTC

An American in Liverpool becomes a Lorry Driver (Trucker/Truckie) to earn enough to move his family to the States, but soon encounters corruption in the industry and gets on the wrong side of a crime boss. Solid Brit-Noir with Mature as the conflicted driver. Diana Dors is blondy-blonde and well lit.

Perhaps overshadowed by some of the Trucker Noirs that preceded it - THEY DRIVE BY NIGHT, THIEVES' HIGHWAY, WAGES OF FEAR etc

Listening: The Price of Fear (1973-1983)

ghannahau — 2023-11-26 10:22:19 UTC

I originally thought this was a old time radio series from the 1940s or 50s but it actually came later, broadcast by the BBC from 1973 to 1983.

Each episode features Price narrating a mystery or strange tale, occasionally appearing in some. In The Ninth Removal, a prissy secretary plots revenge against her boss when he transgresses.

Series is in the public domain and you'll find it everywhere.

Listening: The Adventures of Ellery Queen (1939 to 1948)

ghannahau — 2023-11-26 10:31:09 UTC

The gimmick with this old time radio show is that it gives you all the clues and you (and a couple of celebrity guests) get the chance to deduce the motive, guess the killer and solve the crime.

Can you match wits with Ellery Queen?

In the 1944 episode The adventure of the Scarecrow and the Snowman, victims turn up inside scarecrow costumes and inside a snowman. Weird fun. Episodes in the PD are everywhere.

Noir 17: Crime of Passion (1957)

ghannahau — 2023-11-26 10:43:11 UTC

Newspaper columnist Stanwyck marries cop Hayden and after giving up her career, conspires to push him up the career ladder .. because he's not that ambitious.

This one seems to split the Film Noir community but I liked it as it allows Babs to be a pathological obsessive and she plays it with relish.

Noir 18: Thunder Road (1958)

ghannahau — 2023-11-26 10:52:51 UTC

Another late (classic) era noir with Mitchum as a bootlegger with the law on his tail. He's also at war with a rival gang, who want to take over the family business.

Mitchum displays some 50s rebellious swagger and drives hard and fast to a rockabilly soundtrack. A different kind of thriller-noir-crime film. Aparently, Elvis was up for the part of his younger brother but priced himself out of the picture (The Colonel again!)

AI Creations: The Detective

ghannahau — 2023-11-26 10:57:14 UTC

AI Creations: The Prison

ghannahau — 2023-11-26 10:59:48 UTC

Sound On for this clip. 1950s Prisons. Inmates. Guards. Bars and blues.

Listening: Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine podcast series.

ghannahau — 2023-11-26 11:11:06 UTC

Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine has been around since the 1950s and is still published 6 times a year to a niche crowd. Still highly respected in the literary and crime writers communities.

The official website contains free readings (usually by the author) of selected stories from the magazine. The Wolf and the Lamb from 2020 takes a new spin on the Jack the Ripper murders.

You'll find this story and others here:

https://www.alfredhitchcockmysterymagazine.com/

Listening: The Adventures of Nero Wolfe (1950-51)

ghannahau — 2023-11-26 11:20:17 UTC

Rex Stout's rotund armchair detective has been solving crimes since the 1930s and still has a dedicated fan base.

Noir heavy Sydney Greenstreet is very comfortable in the role in this OTR series In The Dear Dead Lady from 1950 he must deduce which of a woman's suitors murdered her.

In the public domain everywhere.

Noir 19: Where Danger Lives (1950)

ghannahau — 2023-11-26 11:30:12 UTC

Hospital doctor falls hard for a mystery patient who takes him on a wild ride to the border after he kills a man. Mitchum made so many great noirs, I wonder if this one has been overlooked. It shouldn't be. Both he and Domergue are excellent, as it a venomous Claude Rains.

Farrow directs with great skill and one scene in a hotel room towards the end is one extraordinary take.

Noir 20: Witness to Murder (1954)

ghannahau — 2023-11-26 11:41:19 UTC

Like Hitchcock's Rope, we're off to a flying start with Babs witnessing a murder in the apartment opposite (similar to Hitchcock's Rear Window released the same year) Murderer George Sanders acts quickly to hide the body so nothing looks out of the ordinary. Babs is sure she saw what she saw but everyone gaslights her, including the sympathetic cop. Things go from bad to worse when charming Sanders decides to turn the tables and frame her. Underrated noir thriller with both leads in find form. Great cat and mouse stuff.

Note: Scene in the poster is a bit misleading.

Listening: The Adventures of Philip Marlowe (1947)

ghannahau — 2023-11-26 11:48:38 UTC

Van Heflin only had a short stint as Chandler's famous private eye but he fine in the role. Who Shot Waldo? was the first in the series and it's drawn from Chandler's writings. Marlowe must make sense of a bar shooting that leads him to a mysterious woman, thugs and a dead body.

Packs a lot into its short run time.

In the public domain everywhere.

Listening: Bogart Presents (1945)

ghannahau — 2023-11-26 12:02:55 UTC

Bogart presents and stars in (how many episodes? Don't know. Can only find one) This episode Dead Man is about a young drifter haunted by the voice of the man he kills. Bogart is offed early in proceedings but his voice prods the conscience of the man throughout.

At the end of the episode Bogart talks about future stories but I can't locate them. Maybe they are lost to time.

Comment: Where Danger Lives

ghannahau — 2023-11-27 11:11:48 UTC

AI Creations: The Fighter

ghannahau — 2023-11-27 11:13:47 UTC

Boxing Noir clip [sound up]

Listening: The 39 Steps (1937)

ghannahau — 2023-11-27 11:29:33 UTC

Lux Radio Theater had an astonishing run on radio, broadcasting from 1934 to 1955. An anthology drama series, it ran for an hour, allowing it to dramatise recent movies and longer works. Here, The 39 Steps follows the Hitchcock version reasonably faithfully and stars Robert Montgomery (who would one day play Philip Marlowe) and soon to be a popular Film Noir favourite, Ida Lupino.

Listening: The Fat Man (1946-51)

ghannahau — 2023-11-27 11:36:48 UTC

Another larger than life crime buster with a radio series, popular enough to get a film adaptation in 1951.

Episodes everywhere. In the public domain.

Listening: The Adventures of The Falcon (1945-54)

ghannahau — 2023-11-27 11:46:43 UTC

Did you know there were TWO detectives called The Falcon solving crimes in the 40s and 50s? I was familiar with the film series of The Falcon which starred George Sanders then Tom Conway. It was a bit of a The Saint imitation with a charming rogue detective stumbling upon all sorts of crimes. Anyway, this Falcon isn't him. This Falcon, completely unrelated to the other, is private detective like Sam Spade. Entertaining enough but not enough to distinguish it from similar series.

ListeningL The Saint (1941-51)

ghannahau — 2023-11-27 12:02:12 UTC

The Saint, a roguish modern day Robin Hood was popular across all mediums. On radio, there were several who wore the halo, but Vincent Price is the name most associated with the radio version. He placed his stamp on it and thankfully the scripts fed him plenty of witty lines.

In the public domain and episodes everywhere including here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zlu7k4zOizk

Noir 21: The Scarlet Hour (1956)

ghannahau — 2023-11-30 10:00:45 UTC

A woman and her lover plan to steal from a bunch of thieves but fate intervenes and somebody ends up murdered. Apparently, Lauren Bacall and Barbara Stanwyck were lined up for lead roles at one stage but dropped out. Instead the lead roles went to newcomers Tryon and Ohmart (who resembles Stanwyck a little).

Sturdy enough Noir but also a lesser effort from Director Michael Curtiz, as it ticks a lot of familiar boxes and echoes Double Indemnity in certain scenes.

Noir 22: The Strange One (1957)

ghannahau — 2023-11-30 10:11:12 UTC

Perhaps not a noir, although it seems to attract that tag. In a Southern state military academy, a charismatic, but vile cadet manipulates all those around him and orchestrates the expulsion of a rival. He continues his lies until other cadets decide it's time to act. Ben Gazzara in the central role is a knockout and you'll spot several other familiar faces in the cast who went on to better things. Solid drama but not sure it qualifies as Noir.

Noir 23: Knock on Any Door (1949)

ghannahau — 2023-11-30 10:16:15 UTC

Defence Attorney Bogart defends career criminal Derek accused of shooting a policeman. Some tense courtroom scenes towards the end but this noir has a social conscience and can get a little preachy. I found that I just didn't have much sympathy or empathy for the Derek character.

Fade to Black. Roll credits

ghannahau — 2023-11-30 10:26:02 UTC

Well that's a wrap for NoirVember 2023. 23 Noirs watched as well as a lot of wonderful old radio plays listened to. Never read as much as I had planned but got creative with AI and made some noirish imagery that I'm quite proud of. Thanks for all your likes and comments, here and on TwitterX and Instagram. See you all in the same dark alley next year. Don't try to creep up on me!