Referred to by many as the first major noir after the more obscure 1940 film stranger on the third floor, this john huston classic set the bar for the archetypal detective, the subgenre as a. Never one to miss a trick, orson welles had already located some of the markers of film noir in his first forays into cinema although film noir was a style which had not even been named or identified when he made the stranger. It is welless third completed feature film as director and his first film noir, about a war crimes investigator tracking a highranking nazi fugitive to a connecticut town. Lucas marsh, an intern bent upon becoming a firstclass doctor, not merely a successful one. An investigator from the war crimes commission travels to. Film noir itself was an important genre for legitimizing cinema as an artform the use of shadows for terror, the seductive placement of limbs, glances.
Its not your average genre and to many, its not a genre at all. Unlike a touch of evil, the stranger has no subplot or convolutions to distract. While not ostensibly film noir in its construction, the story nevertheless touches upon classic noir themesnamely, the corruptive. Welles is considered to have made three ventures into noir territory with lady from shanghai, touch of evil and this overlooked gem the stranger.
Noir and neonoir tv listings on tcm film noir foundation. No matter what, there is always some nuance to be found. With so much of the picture shot in flat lighting in dull sets, its not very attractive or visually exciting. Not as a stranger 1955, film noir, frank sinatra, robert mitchum. Film noir wasnt a self conscious movement in the way the french new wave was. Not as a stranger 1955 original trailer hd 1080p youtube. There were moments in strangers on a train, such as the murder scene at the carnival, which felt more noir than laura. The 15 best noir films of the 1940s taste of cinema. Orson welles film noir the stranger that is getting. About the film, cahiers du cinema wrote to what degree this film is a work of art, we are not certain but, in any case, it is strong stuff. The stranger is an amazing looking film and welles first directed film noir. Millionaireindustrialist walter williams is marked for murder by his sexy young wife and her seedy lover. Posted on may 23, 2014 september 10, 2014 by james davidson.
Mar 03, 2016 55 film noir titles available to stream right now. The reasonably sharp and well graded hd transfer has quite a bit of dirt, digs and other flaws. In this quintessential film noir, small town gas station owner jeff baileys robert mitchum past catches up with him when a stranger passing through town recognizes him. The stranger was the third orson welles directorial effort to see the light of day and the dark of cinema screens, following citizen kane 1941 and the magnificent ambersons 1942. However, orson has stated that this is his least favorite of his films. The film epitomizes noir s grim sense of fate, and the cheap production values only add to the sordid ambience. Newspaper noir a film series to kill your dailyjournalism nostalgia by eli sanders. Stanley kramer directs this film noir classic starring robert mitchum and frank sinatra. Its a cinematic movement that happened at a specific time for specific. The stranger was directed by orson welles but he did not adapt it to the screen. Kramers heavyhanded direction avoids the social preaching that mar some of his other films, which is not to say that not as a stran ger lacks a message. Atmospherically, a film noir could just as easily be an oneiric musical as it could a gritty gangster film.
The romantic melodrama novel was widely popular, topping that years list of bestselling novels in the united states. Not a noir in structure, but instead it borrows film noir visuals. The stranger is a 1946 film noir directed by orson welles, starring welles, edward g. Welles even contrives a suitably noir gimmick ending. Robinson and the stange love of martha ivers with barbra stanwyck, van heflin and lizabeth scott. The best of film noir continues in film chests 3 dvd collectors set with vol.
Its a starmaking turn for the leads miranda richardson and rupert everett. In a place in the sun the dichotomy between romantic melodrama and noir is represented by two characters, angela and alice, as well as by two visual styles, classic and noir. The film now most commonly cited as the first true film noir is stranger on the third floor 1940, directed by latvianborn, soviettrained boris ingster. Orson welles film noir the stranger that is getting remade by the guy who directed sleeping with the enemy kevin jagernauth. When you think that phrase, the mind is immediately drawn to images of leggy ice queens, rumbled losers in fedoras, guns, neon and certain deadpan cynicism. Welles was a genius who had a large as well as problematic career. Starring peter lorre as the stranger of the title, its a short, cheap bmovie in which many of the hallmarks of the emerging style are brought together.
Humphrey bogart, threatening to get into a brawl with a stranger. But, at the very start, film noir meant a particular cycle of cynical american thrillers beginning around 1941 and continuing until about 1959. The most notable and memorable scene in the stranger is an exciting chase in and on an elaborate clock tower. Stranger directed by brandon christensen written by dertrez pressley cinematography by matthew greene produced by brandon christensen dertrez pressley matthew greene david ae. May 23, 2014 it is a term coined in french, meaning literally black film that is used to define a genre, or possibly just a subset of the genre of the thriller. While not a film noir, the chiaroscuro lighting of citizen kane, the lowangle photography and nonlinear structure had a great influence on film noir as it developed in the 1940s and 1950s. The noir elements are accentuated by the films director and the plots principal villain, orson welles, who, with every camera movementthe cinematographer is none other than russell mettycaptures the very mood of the genre, as both men had done, perhaps most brilliantly, in touch of evil. The stranger was made the same year as alfred hitchcocks notorious, both based on a similar. Obviously mitchum was not cast just for his acting skills. Dementia free also called daughter of horror, this film by john parker incorporated elements of horror film, film noir and expressionist film. The stranger is a 1946 american film noir starring edward g. Welles direction gives us everything we could wish for. The expressionistic film starred peter lorre as the sinister, oddlooking stranger cast due to his creepy performance in m 1931, in a story about the nightmarish aftereffects for news reporter. However, the stranger, principally, brings home the enduring theme of noir.
May 01, 2020 edward g robinson, loretta young and orson welles in the stranger a film with a lot of great stuff in it. Hungarian emigre peter lorrewho had starred in langs mwas topbilled, although he did not play the primary lead. Welles earliest take on film noir preceding the lady from shanghai 1947, and touch of evil. Angela and alice, as well as by two visual styles, classic and noir. Take laura for instance which is considered to be noir. As it is in the public domain, there are dozens of poorquality versions of the film floating around on home video, but oeg classic movies bluray presentation is slightly let down quality. It is the first hollywood film to present documentary footage of the. How many noir elements does it take to make a film noir noir. He tells his girlfriend ann miller virginia huston about his previous via flashback, of course.
Film noir literally black film or black cinema was coined by french film critics first by nino frank in 1946 who noticed the trend of how dark, downbeat and black the looks and themes were of many american crime and detective films released in france to theatres during and following world war ii, such as the maltese falcon. The 15 best noir films of the 1940s taste of cinema movie. Rather than haggle definitions, i would rather attempt to reduce film. The noir world is located far away, in places reached by. The style of film noir would cross the water to britain and france and elsewhere in the world, just as it would return in the 1970s and 80s and the present day. Snowden, and starring richard basehart, mary murphy, constance cummings and roger livesey. Many sources have claimed that director boris ingsters and rkos bfilm stranger on the third floor 1940 was the first fullfeatured film noir. But trying to pinpoint exactly what film noir is tends 8 classic film noirs every horror fan should see bloody disgusting its not your average genre and to many, its not a genre at all. Although this is seen as a detraction from the whole by some who have seen it, i believe that welles deft directing and penetrating acting is what makes this a welles film for my taste. The plot becomes bogged down too much in romance, and loretta young remains constrained in stalwart matron roles, but the movie is a thriller highwire act with welles continuing to present insight and political commentary with a dynamite plot. Stanley kramer is the director of this film noir classic.
Ronald grant in these lockdown times, we should all be scrambling to watch. Is film noir french for dark film a genre all its own. Kramers heavyhanded direction avoids the social preaching that mar some of his other films, which is not to say that not as a stranger lacks a message. The romantic world is fictitious ashton, where, as a brochure says, people can enjoy healthful, happy living. The stranger is a cat and mouse game between wilson edward g. Its one of mike newells first film, and its a knock out. Other ways people have described the general mood of noir films includes strange, smoky, cruel, and ambivalent but it is notable that a film noir need not adhere to all of these styles simultaneously to be considered noir. Wilson robinson is a war crimes investigator who has followed a nazi war criminal, konrad meinike, to harper, connecticut. Mullers brain has gotten as soft as bigelows belly. An isolated diner on californias 101 highway provides the backdrop of the story involving nuclear secrets, foreign spies and federal agents. The story leading up to the murder was documented in a film, dance with a stranger in 1985. Starring peter lorre as the stranger of the title, its a short, cheap bmovie in which many of the hallmarks. Dana andrews stars as a charismatic grifter who courts and weds a sheltered spinster, alice faye in a warmly wonderful performance, in order to obtain enough money to win his real object of desire, the local floozy linda darnell. Medical student lucas marsh mitchum is determined to succeed, but his.
His plans go awry when the floozy turns up murdered. The intimate stranger is a 1956 british film noir directed by joseph losey, under the pseudonym alec c. Since film noir is defined by tone rather than genre, it is almost impossible to argue one critics descriptive definition against anothers. Classic film noir streaming the film noir foundation. Orson welles film noir the stranger that is getting remade by the guy who directed sleeping with the enemy.
Orson welles was given the chance to direct again after his falling out at rko and he produced the stranger 1946, a solid film noir that starred edward g. Maybe youll meet a dangerous stranger along the way. It wasnt a brand name like a marvel superhero epic. Margot robbie and the birds of prey creative team had a big impact on jurnee smollett s experience as black canary. A life at stake free directed by paul guilfoyle, this american noir film stars angela lansbury and keith andes. Nov 02, 20 stranger directed by brandon christensen written by dertrez pressley cinematography by matthew greene produced by brandon christensen dertrez pressley matthew greene david ae levy and rusty. Latvianborn boris ingster only ever directed three films he later became a tv producer on shows such as the man from u. Edward g robinson, loretta young and orson welles in the stranger a film with a lot of great stuff in it. Other ways people have described the general mood of noir films includes strange, smoky, cruel, and ambivalent but it is notable that a film noir need not adhere. Charles mudede has written, if you love film noir, then you must love the noir city festival, which will feature a number of known and less known movies in this genre that has lots of spiderlike. The stranger is an entertaining film noir prototype with two dynamic leading men. Note to eddie muller because john alton was the cinematographer does not make a film a film noir nor a near noir not ven a noir or not. In walk softly, stranger, it is based on geography. When the stranger was a box office success, harry cohn gave.
An egodriven, aspiring physician, intolerant of the weaknesses of others, especially those closest to him, comes to grips with his own imperfections. Production lasted from late september until 21 november 1945, with the picture released the following july. The stranger may not be orson welless best effort, and its certainly not his most celebrated work, but its a great film worthy of recognition. Wilson is hoping to find meinikes old commander, franz kindler, a notorious nazi criminal and perpetrator of the holocaust.
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