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USA, 114 min, b&w
Howard Hawks (Director)
I slowly come to the end of classic Noire movies’ primary list and tonight I watched one of the American critics’ favorite – The big sleep. And admit I am slightly stumbled but more about that below.
So, we have screening a Raymond Chandler’s novel about of course the private detective adventures. His name is Philip Marlowe. The movie is famous first of all because three months after the shootings two of its main actors Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall married. That was probably the cause of some family squabbles so Bogart was on a bender during the entire shooting period. In those rare moments when he was able to appear on the set, I suspect camera lens steamed from his morning-after breath. But the film is not about that, of course.
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Popularity: 5% [?]
USA, 112 min, b&w
Orson Welles (Director)
It is common opinion to take Touch of Evil the most recent classic Noire movie – the first was Maltese Falcon (1941) directed by John Huston.
Touch of Evil is also called the greatest B-Movie of all times. That’s quit funny for all who already read director’s name, but it’s true – in defiance of all common sense this movie was distributed as an additional bonus to ordinary drama The Female Animal and the US audience staid indifferent to it.
The reaction of rest of the world (and mine) on Touch of Evil differs.
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Popularity: 33% [?]
USA, 88 min, b&w
Robert Siodmak (Director)
As it was common for the Hollywood 30-40’s, the German Jewish director Robert Siodmak ran through the Atlantic in the United States not only to find work and refuge from Hitler, but also create a number of movies that made huge influence in one of genres, in this case – Noire. Overall, he filmed eight classical Noire movies, which is considered the greatest achievement of its kind (along with Fritz Lang).
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Popularity: 41% [?]