Film Noir on Sky Arts - Episode 2 Classic Noir (1944 to 1958) Part 1

 

This was the heyday of film noir, actually a post war phenonium. Ian Nathan thought it was a response to the bleak times of WW2. Neil Norman added that these cleverly photographed black and white films had an "existential style". Derek Malcolm talked about the difficulty the censors had with some scenes, while Stephen Armstrong said everything looked so bleak.

Ian Nathan told us that maybe (but not certain) that the first of these films was 1940's Stranger on the Third Floor starring John Maguire and Peter Lorre (the man from the title). Derek Malcolm showed us "the most astonishing lighting effects, especially the shadows of this black and white movie. In 1941 came The Maltese Falcon (described elsewhere on this blog). Derek Malcolm said "you don't know what is happening half the time" and that it made a name for Lorre. Neil Norman liked the coolness of Humphrey Bogart.

In 1944 came the film that Neil Norman said is the first one you think about film noir. Double Indemnity had a screenplay by Raymond Chandler and director Billy Wilder from the original book. Starring Fred McMurray, Barbara Stanwick (a marvelous femme fatale) and Edward G Robinson.   It still looks great, the lighting, camera work and the close ups. Then in 1945 came Detour. Only an hour long and shot in six days by Edgar G Ulmer. The same year Billy Wilder directed The Lost Weekend starring Ray Milland.

We had to wait until 1950 for Wilder again directing Sunset Boulevard, maybe the funniest of all film noir. Then Fritz Lang directed 1944's The Woman in the Window, Joan Bennet another wonderful femme fatale up against Edward G Robinson. They again appeared in the same director's 1945's Scarlett Street. In 1947 Robert Mitcham and Jane Greer starred in 1947's Out of the Past that Neil Norman thought was a wonderful film. But it was 1946's The Big Sleep (see previous review on this blog) with Bogart and Bacall directed by Howard Hawks.

There was then a diversion when the presenters talked about the 1946 "Exhibition of American Film" in Paris. France was overwhelmed with what they saw. The programme then focused on British films with 1949's hugely atmospheric The Third Man (also reviewed on this blog). Written by Graham Greene and directed by Carol Reed it agin had wonderful lighting and photography. Then Hitchcock's Shadow of a Doubt from 1943 gets a mention (also reviewed here). There were lots of other Hitchcock movies but were they classic noir? It was left to us to decide.