FILM NOIR BY FILM NOIR TOURS PRESIDENT Copyrightc2010 Film Noir is a genre of films that capture the imagination of men in fedora hats, cigarette smoking femme fatales, dimly lit alleys, staircases, gumshoe detectives, gangsters, cops, and a city full of suspense and crime. Traits that contain Film Noir films include betrayal, deception, disloyalty, murder, and violence.. Some contain an object or secret intertwined within. DOA (1950) is a noir drama that includes a character investigating himself to solve the secret. Usually these films take place during the post-World War Two period, in a big city like Chicago, Los Angeles, New Orleans or New York. I believe the first noir was WOMAN TRAP (1929), directed by William Wellman who won the first academy award for WINGS (1927). However, the first accepted film noir is STRANGER ON THE THIRD FLOOR (1940). There are a few early films that share a film noir persona such as M (1930), DER MANN DER SEINEN MORDER SUCHT (1931) , CALL IT MURDER (1934) and Woman Trap (1936) which was filmed near Lone Pine, California. Another Film Noir shot in Lone Pine and the Alabama Hills was HIGH SIERRA (1941). This movie has some interesting facts: Edward G. Robinson, Paul Muni, George Raft and James Cagney, turned down the part. During filming, Bogart was under suspicion for being a communist. Ida Lupino enjoyed the location and returned to Lone Pine to shoot THE HITCHHIKER (1953). Raoul Walsh directed this film as well as many films starring Errol Flynn. The screenplay of HIGH SIERRA was done by W R Burnett and John Huston who went on to direct TREASURE OF SIERRA MADRE (1948). Based on a novel by W R Burnett, HIGH SIERRA, Burnett also wrote Little Caesar (1929). The getaway car in HIGH SIERRA can be found at The Lone Pine Museum. (1937 Plymouth Coupe) Joan Leslie had a breakthrough part and went on to star in many films and help at the HOLLYWOOD CANTEEN during World War Two. COLORADO TERRITORY (1949), a western version, with Virginia Mayo was a remake of this film. I DIED A THOUSAND TIMES (1955) with Jack Palance was also a remake of the film.. This film and another film BAD DAY AT BLACK ROCK (1955) was also filmed in the Alabama Hills and Lone Pine, California. Scenes of Film Noir take place on dark streets, diners, banks, police stations, and private residences, some are with images of dingy hotel rooms, underground bookie parlors, racetracks, train stations, basements, bridges, cliffs with winding roads, famous city landmarks or inside buildings of architectural wonder. Famous Noir actors included Alan Ladd, Veronica Lake, Peter Lorre, Barbara Stanwyck, Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Dana Andrews, Ann Savage, Edward G. Robinson, Mary Astor, Robert Ryan, Peggy Cummings, Sterling Hayden, Linda Darnell, Brian Donlevy, Anna May Wong, Ty Power, Ida Lupino and many others. There have been modern attempts to recreate the “noir look” in movies such as BUGSY (1991), DEVIL IN A BLUE DRESS (1995), SEVEN (1995), LA CONFIDENTIAL (1997) and THE GOOD GERMAN (2006). When we watch films that resemble or look familiar to that of noir, notice them and “tip” your Stetson fedora hat to an era long ago… As for me, I think of Alan Ladd saying to Veronica Lake; “Everyone has seen you before, the trick is to find you.” BLUE DAHLIA (1946) filmnoirtours
Posted on: Thu, 27 Jun 2013 22:29:33 +0000
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