Noir City DC: He Walked By Night

The past two weekends meant it was time for me to spend some significant time at the AFI Silver for the annual Noir City DC film festivals.  Unfortunately, it came at the end of being furloughed for almost three weeks, so I wasn't immediately in the mood for film noir the first weekend (further hampered by showing 2 John Garfield movies, pass).  However, I did get there on the first Saturday to see a great noir gem : He Walked by Night.  The basic plot is Richard Basehart plays a mechanically gifted burglar who recently graduated to murder (by shooting a police officer, bad move Richard) and the efforts of the police to catch him.  So the plot isn't that revolutionary, however, there are a few times about this movie that makes is really stand out.  It was one of the first noir movies that had an emphasis on the police work required to solve the case.  There is this cool scene where the police are trying to make a composite sketch of Richard Basehart.  So all the witnesses come into a room and they use slides with different eyes, hairlines/hairstyles, noses, chins, and lips to make a sketch versus trying to have each witness sit down with an artist (also, not one single witness gets a really good look at him during the robbery spree).  In this movie, you can really see the bones on the procedural drama, especially when you learn that Jack Webb was very inspired by this movie (he plays a lab tech) to create Dragnet (including that there is a line along of the lines of "Let's set up a dragnet").  Another standout is the gorgeous black and white shots of the city of Los Angelos (in the 40s).   Related to the cinematography,  are the scenes shot in the tunnels of LA.  Richard Basehart used the subterranean tunnels to move around the city quickly and without getting caught.  And the final showdown with the police takes place in the tunnels which seems to have heavily inspired the final act in The Third Man in which Holly Martin (Joseph Cotten) chases his corrupt friend Harry Lime (Orson Welles) in the tunnels under Vienna.  Also, those tunnels play a role in the 1950s nuclear paranoia flick Them! (which is also great!).  All in all, the movie is enjoyable and it is fun to see a early movie that had an impact on later movies.

Without Comment: List of Film Noir Titles

Film noir movies have the best titles ever:

• Kiss Me Deadly
• Murder, My Sweet
• Murder is my Beat
• Sudden Fear
• High Wall
• Crashout
• Experiment in Terror
• Loophole
• The Killers
• On Dangerous Ground
• Dangerous Crossing
• Bunny Lake is Missing
• Detour
• Clash by Night
• DOA
• Deadline USA
• The Glass Key
• This Gun for Hire
• The Blue Dahlia
• Touch of Evil
• The Big Sleep
• The Maltese Falcon
• Nightmare Alley
• Fear in the Night
• Three Strangers
• Backfire
• The Naked City
• 99 River Street
• The Big Knife
• The Killer That Stalked New York
• Call Northside 777
• Laura
• Night and the City
• Boomerang
• Where the Sidewalk Ends
• Fallen Angel
• Out of the Past
• Sorry, Wrong Number
• Double Indemnity
• Jeopardy
• Shock
• Man in the Dark
• My Name is Julia Ross
• The Stranger
• The Dark Mirror
• The Hunted
• Suspense

Unseen, but so good: Sudden Fear

Title: Sudden Fear

Stars: Joan Crawford, Gloria Grahme, Jack Palance, and Jack Palance's cheekbones

Genre: Film Noir

Synopsis: Joan Crawford stars as a wealthy playwright who begins the movie by firing Jack Palance from her latest play.  A chance meeting between the two on the train to San Francisco (where Crawford's character lives and owns 2 houses) results in marriage.  But is Jack Palance to be trusted?  Does he actully love Joan Crawford or he scheming with former flame Gloria Grahme to bump off Joan Crawford and inherit his wife's family fortune?

Why It is So Good:  Film noir is one of my favorite genres, so I am always willing to give one a try.  I love trying to figure out the plot and appreciate the economicalness of the plot. In most film noir, there are no sideplots or subplots that go nowhere or have no impact on the main plot.  Most seems to follow the Chekov adage that a gun shown in the first act will go off in the third act.  As a result, most film noir movies are short, running between 90 and 110 minutes; I think that longest one I have seen was about 2 hours.  And Sudden Fear is no different, the plot runs along at a good clip and nothing is introduced that is not used at a later point.  Also, Joan Crawford is on the most proactive potential victims in the genre.  Furthermore, like any good film noir, Sudden Fear makes you question the morality of all the characters on the screen.

I'll Follow You Anywhere: Gregory Peck

There are a lot of actors that I really like, but there are only a few that I have such an affection for that I will make me transcend preferred genres or themes to see that actor in a performance.  And one such actor is Gregory Peck.

"First" Movie (that I saw with this actor): Probably To Kill a Mockingbird.  I saw this a few years before I read the book in school.  Obviously, he is fantastic in this movie (and won an Oscar for it).  This movie is such a masterpiece due to a compelling story adapted by Horton Foote, a great visual style, a beautiful score by Elmer Bernstein, and wonderful performances from the entire cast.

Genre Film(s): As not a fan of both war movies or westerns, a movie from each genre that I enjoy star Gregory Peck: The Guns of Navarone (war) and Big Country (western)

The Movie That May Stop Me/You Can Say No to a Job: Ugh, The Omen

The Prestige Film You Can Skip:  The Gentleman's Agreement, I can see why this might have made a splash when is was made but Gregory Peck is surprisingly wooden and even the luminous Celeste Holm couldn't save it.  Plus I can't get on board with a movie in which Dorthy McGuire is not 100% awesome.

Movies Left to See:  The Boys From Brazil, Roman Holiday (both on Netflix streaming), In the Valley Of Decision (I can't decide about this one) , The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit,

Recommended Movies:  Spellbound, To Kill A Mockingbird, Arabesque, Mirage, The Guns of Navarone, Big Country (look out for Burl Ives with the eyebrows of ten men!), Cape Fear (only if you are already terrified of Robert Mitchum due to The Night of the Hunter).