The Sea Wolf: Cinema Shame for March

Although the banner lists "swashbuckler," the Cinema Shame March (or Maarrrghh) post identifies the pirate as another legitimate focus for their monthly prompt. I did despair of finding anything to write about for this noir blog on the subject, but...

Casualty of Corruption: I Am A Fugitive from A Chain Gang (1932)

I like that 1932's I Am A Fugitive from a Chain Gang is identified by some as an example of film noir, primarily because it makes this review "on topic" for my blog. Sure, I see the bleak underside of the American Dream,...

Don’t Bother to Knock…or maybe do

Although it's not on my Cinema Shame 2018 list, Don't Bother to Knock (1952) should have been. Wild that it's taken me so long to see this film, one I've wanted to see for all of its main actors and a noteworthy dramatic...

Le jour se lève and Film Noir

Every time I see a film starring Jean Gabin, I'm amazed anew. I love his acting style, the roles he plays, the directors he works with, and the artistic style of his films. Before yesterday, I'd seen and loved: The...

Cinema Shame: Ride the Pink Horse

Ride the Pink Horse (1947),* directed by and starring Robert Montgomery, has been on my to-see list for some time, primarily for the oddness of its title. A second reason was to see if I could truly enjoy Montgomery as...

Crisis: The Cary Grant Film I Didn’t Know Existed

Until a few days ago, I had never heard of the 1950 noirish drama Crisis. It's a rather overwrought tale of an all-American couple on holiday in Latin America that tries unsuccessfully to leave for home as tensions rise in a small,...

Guilt, Gals, and Detective Story (1951)

Detective Story is a 1951 day-in-the-life police movie directed by William Wyler. It's a compelling but stagebound production, obviously a film adaptation of a play. The film features a powerful lead performance by Kirk Douglas as James McLeod, a hard-nosed, morally...

A Few Words on Ace in the Hole

Wow, did I love Ace in the Hole (aka The Big Carnival) (1951). Like Gun Crazy (1950), it is one of those films I thought I knew only to find I didn't, and it's instantly become an obsession. It is a film that has...

Looking Back at Gun Crazy

1950's Gun Crazy (Deadly is the Female) was hardly seen upon release, ignored by critics, and entirely ahead of its time. It's full of wonderful cinematographic flourishes, wildly creative mise-en-scene, and wicked sexually -- especially its link between sex and violence. It's Bonnie...