Film Noir?

[m0nk]

Ok, now I HAVE to see Dark Passage....

 

[Blackthorn]

Love those posters!

 

[Old Rogue]

Ok, now I HAVE to see Dark Passage....

It's a great film, well worth the investment of time to watch. It ranks just behind Casablanca, To Have and Have Not, and Key Largo on my list of favorite Bogie films.

 

[m0nk]

It's a great film, well worth the investment of time to watch. It ranks just behind Casablanca, To Have and Have Not, and Key Largo on my list of favorite Bogie films.

Thanks, I'll be looking for it tonight. I'm definitely a Bogie fan; Maltese Falcon, Casablanca, and The Big Sleep are my favorites.

 

[Old Rogue]

Thanks, I'll be looking for it tonight. I'm definitely a Bogie fan; Maltese Falcon, Casablanca, and The Big Sleep are my favorites.

The Maltese Falcon and the Big Sleep are great also. When it comes to Bogie films, I really have a lot of trouble ranking them; almost all of them are so good.

You might want to check out a novel by the title of "As Time Goes By". It's a sequel to Casablanca that was published about ten years or so ago. It accurately captures the characters and is a great read. About once a year I'll toss Casablanca in the DVD player and then pull out the novel for a re-read.

 

[Blackthorn]

Some of the unsung Bogie greats are Tokyo Joe, All Through the Night (a lighthearted adventure-comedy), Deadline USA and The Left Hand of God.

 

[Old Rogue]

Some of the unsung Bogie greats are Tokyo Joe, All Through the Night (a lighthearted adventure-comedy), Deadline USA and The Left Hand of God.

That's true. In my admittedly biased opinion, he was the greatest male actor ever (with all due respect to Sean Connery of course).

 

[Blackthorn]

That's true. In my admittedly biased opinion, he was the greatest male actor ever (with all due respect to Sean Connery of course).

I agree, Old Rogue. There have been more versatile actors, but his screen presence in almost any movie is my favorite, and I also love Connery.

 

[Effingham]

Some of the unsung Bogie greats are Tokyo Joe, All Through the Night (a lighthearted adventure-comedy), Deadline USA and The Left Hand of God.

I love Tokyo Joe. Definitely a different Bogie.

 

[The Good]

I love Tokyo Joe. Definitely a different Bogie.

That was a good movie, yet I've heard that it's more prone to criticism than other Bogart films. I watched it on the Turner Classic Movies channel almost two years ago. Around the same time, I also watched The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, my favorite Bogart film, and I've even went and bought the book too; very classic.

 

[davidraphael]

It's a great film, well worth the investment of time to watch. It ranks just behind Casablanca, To Have and Have Not, and Key Largo on my list of favorite Bogie films.

I agree. For me it ranks above Key Largo. Dark Passage is an incredible noir and totally unique.

 

[Widebrim]

The Black Book (1949), with Robert Cummings, Richard Basehart, and Arlene Francis as the principals in a French Revolution thriller.
Look, the only way to describe this movie is historical noir expressionist whodunit. I was amazed at how good this was, as jumbled up as it was with layers of genres. Directed by Anthony Mann, it was aptly described by the Robert Osborne substitute as a costume epic filmed as a 1920s German expressionist with a noir director.
Basehart plays Robespierre as a completely amoral control maniac plotting to become dictator of France; Cummings is a good guy trying to derail the Reign of Terror (its alternate title in some releases), and Frances promotes the cause of liberty with skulduggery of her own.
But the high contrast lighting, the scenes in darkness or at night, the frequent camera angles showing the ceilings, add up to an incredible visual experience. See this if you can.

Edit: I posted this over on the What Film Did You Just Watch, but just had to put in the noir thread.

Widebrim, have you seen this before?

Just read this, Wally. No, I haven't seen it, although I've heard of the title. I'm not even sure if it's available on tape/DVD, but sounds good enough to seek out.

 

[Widebrim]

I agree. For me it ranks above Key Largo. Dark Passage is an incredible noir and totally unique.

Even though I recently re-viewed and re-evaluated (positively) my opinion of Key Largo, I have to agree that Dark Passage is more up my alley. The first quarter of the film, where we don't see Bogart's face, would come off as a gimmick if it were not so integral to the plot, and the device actually adds to the film's appeal and uniqueness (unlike Lady in the Lake).

As another poster wrote, it is hard to make a list of favorite Bogie films, but I would venture to say that mine are The Big Sleep, Casablanca, Sahara, To Have and Have Not (a recent addition), and Dark Passage. I also have some favorites from the '30s, but none are really in the same league as Bogart's post-1940 films (with the exception of Dead End and The Petrified Forest).

 

[Atomic Age]

Just read this, Wally. No, I haven't seen it, although I've heard of the title. I'm not even sure if it's available on tape/DVD, but sounds good enough to seek out.

The Black Book is available on DVD. However I believe this film is in the public domain, so I don't know how good the quality is.

http://www.amazon.com/Black-Book-Robert-Cummings/dp/B0000D1FG4/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1320592036&sr=8-6

Doug

 

[Atomic Age]

Even though I recently re-viewed and re-evaluated (positively) my opinion of Key Largo, I have to agree that Dark Passage is more up my alley. The first quarter of the film, where we don't see Bogart's face, would come off as a gimmick if it were not so integral to the plot, and the device actually adds to the film's appeal and uniqueness (unlike Lady in the Lake).

As another poster wrote, it is hard to make a list of favorite Bogie films, but I would venture to say that mine are The Big Sleep, Casablanca, Sahara, To Have and Have Not (a recent addition), and Dark Passage. I also have some favorites from the '30s, but none are really in the same league as Bogart's post-1940 films (with the exception of Dead End and The Petrified Forest).

I need to look at Dark Passage again. I must admit the first few times I watched it, I had a hard time getting past the first 3rd of the movie, where it is almost all POV. I also have a hard time with The Lady in the Lake, which is one of my favorite Chandler novels, but I have a hard time with the POV device used in the film. Although there are some truly amazing things technically going on in that film.

As for favorite Bogart films, I'd rank them:

1. The Big Sleep (the film that got me interested in Chandler, and film noir)
2. The Maltese Falcon
3. All Through the Night (Bogart plus all those great character actors. Nice to see him doing some comedy)
4. To Have and Have Not
5. Key Largo
6 The African Queen
7. Across the Pacific
8. Sahara
9. Dead Reckoning (though I must say that Lizabeth Scott bugs me in this movie)
10. The Caine Mutiny

Doug

 

[Widebrim]

I need to look at Dark Passage again. I must admit the first few times I watched it, I had a hard time getting past the first 3rd of the movie, where it is almost all POV. I also have a hard time with The Lady in the Lake, which is one of my favorite Chandler novels, but I have a hard time with the POV device used in the film. Although there are some truly amazing things technically going on in that film.

As for favorite Bogart films, I'd rank them:

1. The Big Sleep (the film that got me interested in Chandler, and film noir)
2. The Maltese Falcon
3. All Through the Night (Bogart plus all those great character actors. Nice to see him doing some comedy)
4. To Have and Have Not
5. Key Largo
6 The African Queen
7. Across the Pacific
8. Sahara
9. Dead Reckoning (though I must say that Lizabeth Scott bugs me in this movie)
10. The Caine Mutiny

Doug

The first third of Dark Passage can be taxing, but I've come to appreciate the use of Bogart's voice and Bacall's underplayed response to her "visitor." I also like the novel The Lady in the Lake, more so than The Little Sister and The High Window (I never got past the first quarter of The Long Goodbye...).

Yes, I forgot to include The Maltese Falcon; how could I have committed that oversight?

Currently watching Crime Wave ('54) with Sterling Hayden. After that, will finally get to see Decoy.

 

[Old Rogue]

Just wanted to chime in on the use of POV in Dark Passage. I have to agree with a couple of others that the first couple of times I watched the film this really bothered me. The technique is effective, but for me it was so distracting that it took a couple of viewings to appreciate the overall story.

 

[Atomic Age]

The first third of Dark Passage can be taxing, but I've come to appreciate the use of Bogart's voice and Bacall's underplayed response to her "visitor." I also like the novel The Lady in the Lake, more so than The Little Sister and The High Window (I never got past the first quarter of The Long Goodbye...).

Yes, I forgot to include The Maltese Falcon; how could I have committed that oversight?

Currently watching Crime Wave ('54) with Sterling Hayden. After that, will finally get to see Decoy.

Crime Wave is a great under appreciated film. When you get the chance, listen to the commentary on it with Eddie Muller and James Ellroy. Almost as entertaining as the film itself.

Decoy is an interesting and very strange movie! LOL

Doug

 

[Widebrim]

Crime Wave is a great under appreciated film. When you get the chance, listen to the commentary on it with Eddie Muller and James Ellroy. Almost as entertaining as the film itself.

Decoy is an interesting and very strange movie! LOL

Doug

Yes, I will listen to the commentary.

Regarding Decoy, it's a shame that Jean Gillie only made one other film after that, and then passed away.

 

[Atomic Age]

Yes, I will listen to the commentary.

Regarding Decoy, it's a shame that Jean Gillie only made one other film after that, and then passed away.

Yeah she had quite a interesting screen presence. I would like to have seen where she could have gone in Hollywood.

Doug