I have seen other noir films, but Detour has such a unique atmosphere. I just love the grittiness of it and the surrealism. I was just wondering if there were other noir films that have a somewhat similar vibe. Maybe some other more obscure poverty row noirs?
share"Detour" reminded me a lot of "They won't believe me" with Susan Hayward, Jane Greer and Robert Young.
Check this out: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0039896/?ref_=fn_tt_tt_1
Robert Young's situation was similarly hopeless as Tom Neal's in "Detour".
A similar vibe...how about "Out of the Past" (Jane Greer), "Reckless Moment" (James Mason & Joan Bennett)and "Conflict" (Bogart)?
There are tons of noirs that could be of interest to fans of Detour, some of them B- and/or obscure, some of them big-budgeted and/or well-known. But anyone who loves Detour (or even finds it interesting) must see Felix (E.) Feist's great B-noir, The Devil Thumbs a Ride.
(Also highly recommended, three other Feist B-noir/crime dramas: The Threat, The Man Who Cheated Himself, and Tomorrow Is Another Day.)
Matthew
I enjoyed "The Man who cheated himself" with Lee J. Cobb. Unique story, not the average story line where you can guess what will happen.
Another good one was "Impact" with Brian Donlevy. It's every year on TCM.
walden,
One thing I love about TMWCH is something I've seen others complain about: that Wyatt's character is a "lousy" femme fatale. She isn't glamorous, arguably she isn't even beautiful, and she doesn't use sex to manipulate men the way the 'classic' ff does. She isn't really a femme fatale at all. She's just an evil criminal -- and she's a lady-person. It's refreshing to see the main female character -- just about the only important female character in the story, really -- to be portrayed this way in a noir.
Dall is good and Cobb is great, and, man, the cinematography and use of SF locations is great, at times outright stunning -- a bit surprisingly so, for such a "little" picture.
I *love* Impact -- besides Donlevy, I love Ella Raines, who has a mostly-terrific part.
And thanx for mentioning They Won't Believe Me, one of my favorite noirs and one of my favorite Robert Young movies. He was so great on the relatively rare occasions he played a badguy -- and this has got to be his greatest badguy role, maybe the greatest homme fatal of all of film.
And what a great trio of female stars -- especially the way undervalued Rita Johnson! I haven't seen too many of her movies, but this is the best role I've seen her given, despite the fairly small size.
TWBM is definitely one of the most underappreciate noirs, tho I do get the impression it's renown has been and is growing with time.
Oh! And if we're gonna recommend "hitch-hike" noirs, don't forget Ida Lupino's The Hitch-Hiker! That's a great film!
Matthew
Thank you, Matthew :). What a great post!
I've already watched "The Hitch-Hiker" years ago, but will watch it again to refresh my memory.
How about "My Name is Julia Ross" (Nina Foch in her best role IMHO),
- "Leave her to Heaven" (a colored film noir with Gene Tierney),
- "The Two Mrs. Carrolls" (Stanwyck and Bogey),
- "The Unsuspected" (Claude Rains),
- "The Woman in the Window" (Joan Bennett...I'm sure I already mentioned "The Reckless Moment" with Bennett and James Mason in a previous post which is my favorite film noir?),
- "The Accused" (Loretta Young, very suspenseful),
- "Beyond the Forrest" (Bette Davis...we could only find it at ioffer),
- "Born To Kill" (Lawrence Tierney),
- "Call Northside 777" (one of my favorite Jimmy Stewart movies),
- "Framed" (1947, Barry Sullivan),
- "Inner Sanctum" (1948, I think it's available on Youtube),
- "The Stranger" (Orson Welles),
- "Ministry of Fear" and "The Big Clock" (Ray Milland),
- "Nightmare" (1942, Brian Donlevy),
- "Sleep, My Love" (Claudette Colbert),
- "Somewhere in the Night" (Lloyd Nolan),
- "Step by Step" (Lawrence Tierney, I prefer it to "Born To Kill")
I thought "The Locket" (1946) was over-rated. I didn't care for "Road House" (Ida Lupino) either. "Suspense" (Barry Sullivan) deserves 3 stars, not more.
Probably I have three times as many film noirs (at least) which I have still not watched due to a lack of time (raising and training a puppy), but these are the ones I watch over and over again.
BTW if you are interested in film noir movie locations in San Francisco, look up the website Reel SF by citysleuth. Check out "Dark Passage", because he even had a chance to go inside Irene's (Lauren Bacall's) art deco apartment which has not changed at all. Citysleuth does a great job with before and after photos to compare film noir locations with how the same spot looks today. One of my favorite websites.
Cheers,
Chrissie
walden,
I can understand why people think The Locket overrated -- I've seen reviews/reactions all over the critical map, including some complete pans -- but I like it. The extreme flashback technique just works for me, and I like the cast. I wouldn't call it a great noir, but I do like it.
I haven't seen Road House or Suspense, but would like to, tho, again, I've seen really mixed reviews for both.
I've got to give Dark Passage another try. I think it's coming up on TCM soon -- they're doing a 'Dark Summer' or somesuch two-months-of-Fridays noir festival. But, while I liked it, I was kinda disappointed. Maybe because its one of the Bogey/Bacall team-ups, I wanted it to be great, or at least better.
As for the ones you've seen, I've seen some of them.
Leave Her to Heaven -- damn! Now that's certainly putting the "fatale" in femme fatale. Tierney is absolutely terrific, and somehow those incredible, saturated colors actually ADD to the noirishness... something I never thought I'd say.
I haven't seen The Woman in the Window (or the Lang/Bennett noir, The Secret Beyond the Door...), but I've seen the Lang/Bennett/Robinson/Duryea Scarlet Street, which I love, and The Reckless Moment is one of my favorite noirs and one of the great Bennett films. I think what I love so much about her in that one is how she's so atypically reserved, almost business-like with her family, but she makes it so clear she fiercely loves her children.
Bennett is, like, my fourth-favorite actress of the Goldent Age of Hollywood. Have you seen The Macomber Affair? It's sorta-kinda an African plains noir, but, whatever label you wanna slap on it, it's a great film, and Bennett is terrific in it. And I first fell in love with her in another Lang film, the noirish spy thriller, Man Hunt! She so spunky in that one!
Born to Kill is GREAT. Claire Trevor is my third-favorite GAoH actress, and this is one her best roles/performances. Among a pretty terrific supporting cast, there's one of Esther Howard's biggest and best roles. And this is the movie where I discovered that -- whoa! -- that Resevoir Dog Lawrence Tierney used to be amazingly hot. What a bitter, hard-edged film; Wise was a long way off from the Sharks and the Jets, much less the Von Trapps, here.
The Unsuspected is so damn weird. It's clearly not completely successful, but it's really entertaining. I remember that the last time I saw it, somehow, upon seeing one particular shot -- it's, like, this diagonal crane shot of a female character running from the main house, to, I think it was the garage -- that I said to myself, "this movie is totally insane." It's like this kinda messy, frantic energy had somehow taken over not just the characters, but the filmmakers and the film itself. It was, like, "WHAT the H-E-double hockey sticks is going on???" But somewhow I like the film for it. Plus, both Claude Rains and Audrey Totter. I'm there.
I am completely dying to see Inner Sanctum. It sounds like a movie made just for me -- a little B-mystery/crime drama with a weird plot and a great, weird cast. It's got two favorites of mine: Billy House and the great, great Lee Patrick, so I've got to see it.
I also really want to see Somewhere in the Night, one of the first big movies for the great and beautiful John Hodiak.
Anyway, rambling, rambling, as I certainly will do re: film noir. But my time runs short...
Matthew
With me it's the other way round: "Dark Passage" was my favorite of the 4 Bogart & Bacall movies. I was disappointed by "To Have and Have Not" and "The Big Sleep" which is still better. "Key Largo" was not bad.
Guess I like "Dark Passage" so much, because I enjoy prison escape movies in general more than detective stories.
I think there was some trouble between Warner Bros. and Humphrey Bogart. He wanted more money for "Dark Passage", but they didn't give him more and supposedly that was the reason why we hardly ever see him in the movie and the story is told from Bogey's point of view/his bandaged face. But I just liked that particularly!
I watched "Inner Sanctum" last year thanks to Youtube and have to give it credit for being very different than the regular film noir.
Did you ever watch Lawrence Tierney as "John Dillinger"? It was really good.
Recently I saw him in a nice part for the first time (also a mystery movie), but forgot the title. He spends most of the time in swimming trunks.
BTW "Mystery Street" comes up in a few days on TCM again (Saturday or Sunday if I'm not mistaken). I can highly recommend it! It's with Ricardo Montalban in a very different role as detective in Boston trying to investigate a murder on Cape Cod (Montalban for a change not as Esther Williams' or Lana Turner's usual beau).
I just watched "Reckless Moment" last night again and it still does it's magic for me. I hope to visit the movie locations one day.
"Leave her to Heaven" is very different as well and so much more suspenseful than "Laura" (which to me seems a bit over-rated...don't get me wrong, "Laura" is a good film, but doesn't keep me on the edge of my seat as "eave..." does).
I was so taken (and still am) with "Leave her to Heaven" that I read the novel by Ben Ames Williams (sp?), but the movie is much better.
I expected sooo much from "Secret Beyond The Door", but found it pretty boring considering it's a Fritz Lang movie. But "Man Hunt" (1941, Walter Pidgeon and Joan Bennett, by Fritz Lang) was much more to my liking. The book by Geoffrey Household (Rogue Male) is very recommendable and focusses more on Pidgeon's time in hiding whereas you only see bits of it at the end of the film.
I will watch "The Locket" once more. Maybe I just was not in the right mood for this film.
"Woman in the Window" is several times a year on TCM and most likely availabale at Netflix (or your local library can request it).
I must have watched "Scarlet Street" at least once, but it was a long time ago.
What did you think about "The Stranger" (Orson Welles, Peter Lorre, Loretta Young)? But my favorite Loretta Young film noir is "The Accused" followed by the under-rated "Cause for Alarm" (another Loretta Young & Barry Sullivan chick film noir).
Yes, I watched "Somewhere in the Night" 3 years ago and rated it 4 stars (with 6 stars being the best) in my own DVD list, so it must have been pretty good, but I forgot all about the plot.
John Hoyt was unforgettable in Hitchcock's "Lifeboat".
Oh, before I forget -- when I replied earlier, I wanted ramble about every movie you'd mentioned, but the main one I wanted to get to but ran out of time: As a big fan of both Joseph H. Lewis and Nina Foch (and a pretty big fan of a lot of the rest of the cast, too...), I really love My Name Is Julia Ross. Foch is really is great in it, and it's great how the movie paints such a twisted, weird scenario, but in a sort of low-key way, as film couldn't go to such blatantly graphic extremes in depicting such things, compared to more recent filmmaking.
Foch is in another, very different, Lewis noir/crime drama, The Undercover Man, with one of Glenn Ford's best performances, I think. That one, like any of Lewis's noirs, is well worth seeing. This includes what I take is considered the runt of the litter, A Lady without Passport -- that one may not be quite on the same level as, say, Gun Crazy, but I really like it, and it's cast is basically made to put me into a sugar coma: Hedy Lamarr, John Hodiak (again!), James Craig, George Macready (from MNiJR!) and another of my absolute favorites, the great Steven Geray (who was amazing in, what, his only lead role in Lewis' fantastic French-rural noir, So Dark the Night!). Some really good camerawork in ALwP, too.
I think Dark Passage is coming on TCM again soon -- or else I just missed it. I've kinda wanted to see it again, and I've kinda wanted to put my viewing time elsewhere -- both because of how I liked it before but was kinda disappointed at the same time. We'll see... my DVR is close to full now, and that noir festival on TCM hasn't even started yet.
I like To Have and Have Not, but it can't hold a candle to The Breaking Point, with my favorite Golden Age of Hollywood actor, John Garfield. TBP bests THaHN in every single dimension. THaHN is excellently made entertainment, with characters that are just that -- entertainment. TBP features real people (even Patricia Neal's character, which comes closest to its THaHN counterpart, is much more like an actual human being than Bacall's eariler femme); the film has blood moving thru its veins.
I'm with those that claim The Big Sleep is one of the great noirs, tho. TBS achieves its confounding madness in an organic way that, say, The Uninvited, can't. I've seen it so many times and still can't figure it out, and, whatever went on offscreen in crafting the film, onscreen it feels like the film is exactly what it should be.
But Key Largo is my favorite Bogart/Bacall -- in part for the reason it's most fans' least-favorite B/B movie: they don't play tough cookie's, they don't have that snappy, tough banter... Bogart has an edge, but he's mostly just this guy, and Bacall just plays this woman, and they're great together. It's really interesting and great to see them playing this type of mature relationship, these types of people. I love the claustrophobia of the hotel, especially, of course, during the storm. And don't get me going on that cast! Of course Trevor is great. Barrymore is in many films a little too much for me, but here I think he gives one of the best performances of his I've seen. And any film in which Edgar G. Robinson's Number One and Number Two wiseguys are played by Thomas Gomez (another of my very favorite actors -- I have a LOT of favorite actors) and Dan Seymour...!
The thing about The Secret Beyond the Door... is that it's very much considered the dud among the Lang/Bennett noirs, most of what I've read about it is not positive, but it's got its seemingly able-brained defenders. All of this makes the film one I'm dying to see, even tho I'm bracing myself for disappointment.
I keep looking for both Scarlet Street, which I've seen and loved at least twice, and The Woman in the Window, which I've yet to see but will basically die if I don't soon, on TCM -- but I must keep missing them. Hopefully they'll both be a part of the upcoming noir festival!
I'm planning on seeing Mystery Street again this weekend! I liked but didn't love that one. It's quite good, tho not a favorite of mine. I'm a pretty big John Sturges fan, and among another pretty nifty cast Elsa Lanchester is, as always, marvelous.
Dillinger! Dillinger! Late forties, early fifties (part of his, oh, my god, Lawrence Tierney was hot??? period), Tierney made a good spat of what are supposed to be lesser and more memorable noirs and crime dramas, and I've seen some of them -- but I need to see Dillinger! (And, as Warren Oates is basically the greatest actor to ever live, I also need to see his much-later Dillinger.)
I like Laura even better than Leave Her to Heaven, but I can definitely understand anyone feeling the opposite. Both are pretty great, if very different, the-other-Tierney noirs.
You're a dedicated The Reckless Moment fan! I hope those locations are still recognizable. Come to think of it, it might be cool to visit the locations of both TRM and the remake, The Deep End, which I thought was almost as great as the original.
I've seen The Stranger several times and quite liked it. Another one that's not among my favorite noirs, but quite enjoyable. For one thing, it's another of the relatively rare film appearances of Billy House, from Inner Sanctum (he's the vaguely sinister drug store owner in TS), so that always makes me happy. I like Cause for Alarm! probably as much as TS; it's not as well-known a film, but I dig it -- it's a snappy little thriller, and Young and Sullivan are both terrific in it. It's another nice feather in the cap of one of my favorite directors, the under-valued Tay Garnett, who made at least two great films, The Postman Always Rings Twice and the non-noir One Way Passage. I'll need to see The Accused sometime!
Matthew
To veer back to the original topic, one film maybe worth mentioning is Blast of Silence. It's not too much like Detour in some ways (plot and setting are pretty different, for one thing, and it was made way later... basically after the classic noir cycle was dead... some fans and critics stretch that cycle to claim that BoS was actually the last film in it), but it's a little, independently-made low-budgeter that is very dark, bleak indeed. I think there's a good chance that many folks who love Detour would love BoS.
And the guy who directed, co-wrote and starred in it went on to be the second-most polific director on Charlie's Angels! What more do you want???
Matthew
Matthew,
I will try to get "Blast of Silence" via Netflix or the public library as TCM has it not scheduled for the next 3 to 4 months.
Cheers,
Chrissie
Hi Matthrew,
I'll answer this is several installments.
Just watched this afternoon "The Undercover Man" again and it's a really good film, reminded me of "The Untouchables" (Sean Connery) just like Robert Osborne mentioned in his intro.
But Nina Foch only had a small part as Glenn Ford's wife.
"My Name is Julia Ross" is among my favorite chick film noirs, as good as "The Reckless Moment" (James Mason & Joan Bennett), "Woman in Hiding" (my favorite Ida Lupino movie) and "The Accused" (ca. 1949, Loretta Young).
You surely have seen the remake of MNIJR with Mary Steenburgen and Roddy McDowall (sp?)?
Tomorrow I plan to watch 2 other Nina Foch films from the 1940's, "I like a Mystery"and "Escape in the Fog" where Foch had more of a leading role and then will write some more. Did you ever watch those?
Huete frueh sah ich mir "I like a Mystery" mit Nina Foch und George Macready (wieder als Ehepaar) an. Verglichen mit MNIJR not nearly as good and a bit complicated. The director put too much into the movie to keep it suspenseful.
Will watch "Escape in the Fog" (Nina Foch) later.
walden,
I've seen one of these two 1945 Foch films, but not the other. I enjoyed I Love a Mystery, and also the two other movies in the abbreviated I Love a Mystery series: The Devil's Mask and The Unknown, both 1946. But all three are very minor films; fun, only partly-successful mysteries with some horror-movie trappings. The kind of films I love but have to admit aren't, in the end, all that much. My favorite is The Unknown (generally the least-appreciated of the series), because of the cast. I Love a Mystery may have Foch and Macready, but The Unknown has Jeff Donnell and stars one of my favorite actresses, Karen Morley. It is also, arguably, the most horror-movie-ish, given some of its plot elements and its general atmosphere. The horror/thriller is my favorite film genre, so...
I haven't seen Escape in the Fog, but if it's a 1945 mystery/crime/noir with Nina Foch and the title Escape in the Fog, I need to see it! (Plus, Otto Kruger is pretty cool, and the imdb says Shelley Winters has an uncredited part as a taxi cab driver!)
Matthew
Matthew,
I also have a copy from "The Devil's Mask", but not (yet) from "The Unknown" (I checked the TCM schedule last night, but over the next 3 to 4 months "The Unknown" is not scheduled).
Need to watch "The Devil's Mask".
Don't think I've ever seen a movie with Karen Morley.
I like Otto Kruger, he had good supporting roles in "All that Heaven allows" and "Magnificent Obsession" (both with Rock Hudson and Jane Wyman).
Have you seen Shelley Winters in "Saskatchewan", the color western with Alan Ladd?
Chrissie
Great discussion going on here, Matthew and Chrissie. I would like to ask if either of you could recommend any extra dark noirs. By dark, I mean visually, thematically, plotwise, tone--everything. I love old melodrama/noir/mystery/suspense. Not so much cops, gangsters, and detectives, but the psychological thrillers with sinister gothic, nightmarish touches like these:
The Two Mrs. Carrolls (1947)
The Spiral Staircase (1946)
House by the River (1950)
High Wall (1947)
Angel Face (1952)
Possessed (1947)
Phantom Lady (1944)
No Man of Her Own (1950)
Conflict (1945)
Undercurrent (1946)
The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946)
While I appreciate cops and robbers, gangster films, police procedural focused 'classic' noir, I love the psychologically driven ones, as listed above, more than many of the higher rated classics. For instance, High wall was so visually dark, Angel Face so devious, and House by the River showed a man spiraling into insanity, etc. Anything along these lines I'm overlooking? Dark Passage with Bogey was good, but it was a bit distant.
PS I've seen all Lang and Hitchcock. Barbara Stanwyck may be my favorite actress of them all.
Thanks for your consideration.
Hi OpaqueOne,
I'm so glad that you've listed "Undercurrent" and "Conflict", both are big favorites of mine :).
I assume you've already watched "The Uninvited" (Ray Milland)?
Dark film noirs:
"Impact" (Brian Donlevy, 1949),
"Journey into Fear" (1943, Joseph Cotton),
"The Stranger" (Orson Welles),
"Leave her to Heaven" (I think that's the darkest colored film noir out there),
"Ministry of Fear" (Ray Milland),
"Out of the Past" (Mitchum + Jane Greer),
"Nightmare" (1942, Brian Donlevy), I just watched "Hangmen also die" (Brian Donlevy), but that's probably rather a very dark WW II drama.
"Woman on the Run" (Ann Sheridan),
"The Accused" (it's on TCm once in a while, very eery and so is "Reckless Moment" with James Mason),
"Woman in Hiding" (my favorite Ida Lupino film noir with a very nasty Stephen McNally),
"Double Indemnity" (very dark),
"Mystery Street" (Bruce Bennett),
"Call Northside 777" (James Stewart),
"Born to kill" (Laurence Tierney),
"Step by Step" (Laurence Tierney),
"They won't believe me" (Robert Young in his best role),
"This Gun for hire",
The Unsuspected" (Claude Rains),
"Woman in the Window" (Edward G. Robinson),
"Beyond the Forrest" (Bette Davis),
"Black Angel" (1946),
"Fear in the Night" (1947, DeForrest Kelley, but I like the remake with Kevin McCarthy even better, "Nightmare", ca. 1956),
"Framed" (1947, Barry Sullivan),
"Cause for Alarm",
"I saw what you did",
"Female on the Beach" (Joan Crawford),
"Sudden Fear" (Joan Crawford),
"House on Telegraph Hill",
"The Man who cheated himself" (Lee J. Cobb),
"On Dangerous Ground" (1952, Ida Lupino),
"Sorry, wrong Number" (Stanwyck),
"Witness to Murder" (Stanwyck),
"Appointment with Danger" (Alan Ladd),
"Man in the Net" (Alan Ladd),
"Beyond a reasonable Doubt" (Dana Andrews)
and my special tip with Anthony Perkins "Five Miles to Midnight" (unfortunately the most important scene has been cut in the US).
Hope these film noirs will appeal to you. Those are the ones that I find really dark and I can watch them again and again.
I agree, Barbara Stanwyck is excellent, one of my favorite leading ladies from the 40's and 50's. As a teenager I watched "The Night Walker" and that was really scary.
Hitchcock is my favorite movie director.
I like "Angel Face", but prefer "The Clouded Yellow" (also with Jean Simmons).
Chrissie
Chrissie,
Thanks for so many suggestions!
OpaqueOne,
You're very welcome :).
Please tell me later on your opinion once you've watched a few of them, will you?
I'm always interested in other film noir fans' points of view.
Thanks,
Chrissie
Dear Opaque and Chrissie,
Sorry for my lack of reply -- I've had a hard time getting posting time lately.
Opaque, one film that I don't think Chrissie named for you is So Dark the Night. That I would highly recommend, in general, but for you in particular. It's directed by Joseph H. Lewis, the guy who made My Name Is Julia Ross, which Chrissie and I love so much, for one thing. It's also one of the few films -- the only film? -- to actually star the wonderful character actor Steven Geray, who played so many supporting roles, some very tiny, in noirs and all other kinds of films. He was the club employee who is Rita Hayworth's confidante in Gilda.
But it's also just a great noir. And, thinking of your request, beware that Geray *does* play a police detective, but this is anything but a typical procedural or murder tale. In terms of visuals and theme, it's very dark and cerebral. If you like noirs that really get into the psychological, this one could likely be for you.
You name among the noirs you particularly like a number of films I do as well, but especially Phantom Lady and The Spiral Staircase, by one of my favorite directors, Robert Siodmak. TSS is my favorite by him. I'd recommend any of his noirs/crime films, but their tone and subject matter varies, within these genres, so not all are exactly like PL or TSS. The Dark Mirror is probably one you'd want to see, I'd guess!
Chrissie,
If I recall correctly, it is not important to watch the three I Love a Mystery series in order. They are definitely a series -- Jim Bannon and Barton Yarborough play the same starring characters in each film, the detectives on the cases. But the stories are completely independent, and I don't remember any of them being particularly concerned about character development! I would say watch them in the order they came out, but that's just because, like, that's just a crazed anal retentive 'rule' of mine. I like to see series in chronological release order if possible.
THaHN - To Have and Have Not!
You better believe I've seen -- and loved -- The Uninvited! One of the classics of horror films, especially of the ghost story/haunted house sub-category. And a nice role for the all too often overlooked Ruth Hussey (as Milland's sister). She had a great voice! I'm told director Lewis Allen's follow-up (apparently not a sequel, but another ghost story, also with Gail Russell), The Unseen, is nowhere as good, but it's got Joel McCrea and Herbert Marshall, so I have to see it some day.
I have recovered from the stroke I had when you denounced Lewis's Gun Crazy, so we can talk again. :-) I'd say Lady Without a Passport is worth another try, but I do admit it's not up there with Lewis's best.
Did you watch 99 River Street the other night on TCM? It wasn't part of the Summer of Darkness event but part of an evening of four Evelyn Keyes films. It's one of the best by another director sorta revered the same way as Lewis: Phil Karlson. Keyes and John "Gorgeous Hunk of Meat" Payne are terrific in this one, separately and together; it's got a breathless, twisty storyline; and it's got enough marvelous, dark grimy nighttime city atmosphere to drown an army. If you didn't catch it, you should definitely search it out.
Wow. You don't like Casablanca? I'm shocked! Shocked, I tell you! Hee hee hee. Actually, it comforts me a little to know you don't care for this classic film, because I feel like a freak enough because I have no intention of ever seeing an even bigger clasic -- Gone with the Wind! (Which bums me out, actually, because it means there's at least one Evelyn Keyes movie I'll probably never see...)
Okay, this is getting longish, so I'm going to do another post...
If you do see One Way Passage, beware that it is very much NOT a noir. I mean, three of the four main characters are crooks, actually, but it's not even a crime story. It is very much a romance. Kay Francis and William Powell are the romantic leads, and Aline McMahon and Frank McHugh are terrfiic and funny as the second leads.
Speaking of non-noirs -- don't get me going on The Mortal Storm and director Frank Borzage! (Have I already done so on this thread...?) The Mortal Storm, Three Comrades and History Is Made at Night. Three masterpieces, as far as I'm concerned (all non-noir), and Borzage made other worthy films, too. Like I said, don't get me going...
I haven't seen Hangmen Also Die (or the other film that told the same story the same year, Hitler's Madman) -- I missed it on TCM recently, dangit! But I really want to. Donlevy, Lang, and I love Anna Lee (fell in love with her in Val Lewton's and Mark Robson's Bedlam). Nightmare sounds like a neat little movie -- I would like to see it, too!
I've seen Woman on the Beach once. What an unusual film. It kind of doesn't work but it's kind of brilliant. A great French "art film" director working in the American studio system, which shredded his cut of the film. No wonder it's weird. But, I really liked it. And Bennett and Ryan together. Holey Moley. And Bickford was really good, too. It's coming on TCM again, I think this Friday, I'm going to watch or DVR it. Need to see it again.
Woman on the Run was a lot of fun!
Running out of time... I enjoyed seeing Mystery Street again, but did you see the other Montleban they showed that night, Border Incident. Really liked that, too, but... man, I won't spoiler it, but it's an upsetting film in general that has one sequence that's REALLY distressing. I'm still upset about it...
Good yakkin' -- gotta go!
Take care,
Matthew
Dear Matthew and Opaque,
I'm busy cleaning our house as my daughter-in-law will be visiting this coming weekend.
But now I need a break :).
Yes, I've watched "99 River Street" a few years ago and liked it, but don't remember the plot to be honest. I like John Payne movies.
Also I like Evelyn Keyes and remember that I've seen her on TCM last year in a good movie which was filmed in the UK, "Shoot First" (1953), which according to Robert Osborne was Joel McCrea's last role in a non-western. From that film on he only made westerns.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0046307/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_20
Somebody in this threat recommended "Blast of Silence" (1961), so I requested it from Netflix, but was so disappointed. It didn't feel noirish at all. Just like a regular crime film about a mobster. For me the feel of the 40's is missing.
GWTW and Evelyn Keyes, well, her part is rather unimportant. She plays Scarlett O'Hara's nagging sister who always complains about Scarlett getting every man she wants. Not a very challenging part. I liked her better in later roles.
BTW I rather re-watch GWTW than "Laurence of Arabia" which to me was one of the most boring movies I've ever watched (and on an average I watch close to 400 movies per year, but a certain amount of them are repeats as I like to re-watch some movies).
I guess I'll have to give "Gun Crazy" another chance. It's on TCM almost every other month, so I will catch it.
Yes, Ruth Hussey is lovely. I always enjoy movies in which she has a part like "The Uninvited". She played Jordan Baker in "The Great Gatsby" (1949, with Alan Ladd) which we watched 2 years ago (my favorite Gatsby version, but hardly anybody knows it exists), "Another Thin Man" (my husband and I love this series and watched it over xmas) and several others which I remember.
I will order "The Unseen" from ioffer next year. It's on my wish list for several years.
TSS and "The Dark Mirror" were scary for me to watch when I was a teenager and saw them on German TV for the first time. However, both did not pass the test of time for me when I watched them again a few years ago. Others like "My Name is Julia Ross" and "Nightmare" (1942, Brian Donlevy) felt as good 40+ years later when I had a chance to watch them again. The suspense was still there.
Yesterday afternoon I watched "They won't believe me" with Susan Hayward and Robert Young. No matter how often I watch it, it's fascinating. I love it.
Let me know which other post you are doing, maybe it's something I might be interested in?
Cheers,
Chrissie
Sorry Blast of Silence didn't get you -- I guess I didn't think about a specific 40s-ish feel. I know what you mean, but I guess I don't equate a 40s feel with noir, at least not that exclusively, but I do know what you mean. I just think it's a marvelous little blast of smarts, grit and darkness.
I skipped They Won't Believe Me on TCM this time because I'm ticked they're still showing the edited version. I think it may be up to 15 minutes that's missing from the cut shown on TCM, and it's really starting to tick me off that TCM keeps doing it. It wasn't shown during the prime-time Eddie Mueller section of the evening, but it's still part of TCM's Summer of Darkness, so maybe this'll bring the need to get the full, real version of the film back in wider circulation (like, you know, on TCM...) to his attention. I mean, he's a film preservationist, after all. This is one film noir that desperate needs help from someone like him.
I really need to see Ladd's Gatsby. It's not well-regarded (but, then, neither is the Redford/Farrow version, but I like that film), but I really like Ladd, and I completely love the great Betty Field -- and to see her as Daisy...! And now you tell me Ruth Hussey is in it, too!
I've never seen Shoot First, but if it's McCrea and Keyes, I need to see it.
Keyes is a real favorite of mine. She did other noirs/crime dramas, but I particularly like a "Holy Trinity" of B-noirs she did: The Prowler, The Killer that Stalked New York, and then 99 River Street. (Don't feel bad about not remembering the plot, I never do by the time I re-watch it each time -- it's really quite clever, but it's VERY twisty, and I don't know that precisely remembering it is the point, as opposed to being there to witness it at the time, being breathlessly dragged along thru it...)
Johnny O'Clock is a terrific little noir/crime-er with Keyes and Dick Powell. I really want to see Hell's Half Acre. She made some thrillers that I myself would put closer to the horror camp than noir, The Face Behind the Mask, Ladies in Retirement... and the horror movie Before I Hang, with Karloff -- and the non-noir/crime film of hers I most want to see but haven't yet is A Thousand and One Nights. She plays an impish, sexy genie, and I've read she's great, as I'd expect her to be in such a role.
Ummm... I think the only other threads I've been on at all lately are one for the deliriously so-bad-it's-good Elizabeth Taylor soaper, BUtterfield 8 and a couple on -- speaking of Blast of Silence and Allen Baron! -- Charlie's Angels! Not too noir-y, there...
Matthew
Matthew,
Now you really got me excited: there is a version from "They won't believe me" which is ca. 15 minutes longer? Where can I find that?
It's strange that TCM keeps claiming that they show all their movies uncut.
Is the version in the imdb the longer version?
Well, I collect Ladd movies and really enjoyed "Gatsby". Thought it was not as slow as the Robert Redford version that everybody loves.
I've watched the entire "Holy Trinity" without knowing that they belong together. Have to watch them again.
I enjoyed watching "Butterfield 8" several times, didn't care for the novel though.
My favorite Liz Taylor movie is "A Place in the Sun", even though Shelley Winters and Clift have the "meatier" parts. Also a good example where the movie is much more interesting than the book. I tried to read Theodore Dreyser, but it was too slow to keep my attention.
Sorry it took me that long to respond, but I was very busy and then tend to post-pone checking e-mails (and answering them).
Cheers,
Chrissie
Chrissie,
I've read multiple times online (several of them here on imdb) about an original, longer version of TWBM. It's either true or a very well-propogated hoax. As to where to see/get it, I'd sure as H-E-double hockey sticks like to know.
I love TCM, but I've complained pretty bitterly about them showing cut films. If you have the time and the care to do so, if you go to the TWBM boards here, you'll find me and other posters hair-splitting about TCM's claims to showing uncut movies/not cutting movies themselves, and you can read more about the talk of the real, full version of the film. At least a few times I've read that the missing footage is 15 minutes worth.
(I'm not sure what you mean by the version in the imdb. They have an actual bank of watchable movies here that I've never bothered to find 'cause I never have time or inclination to watch a movie on a computer???)
Okay, I'm gonna stop talking about this now, because I'm actually getting mad, madder than I should about movie stuff. I'm a crazed movie person.
I love Alan Ladd, I understand you collecting him. But not everybody loves -- or loved at the time of its release, at least -- the Redford Gatsby. It got mostly "meh!" or outright poor reviews. A lot of criticism went Mia Farrow's way, but the film itself was basically seen as wan. I rather like it, maybe close to love it.
Oh, no no no. There's no "official" connection between those three Evelyn Keyes films. I mean, besides all having Keyes and being noirs, if you can call that a connection. I rather weakly just tried to personalize the "Holy Trinity" label by putting it in quotes and not explaining any further. They're just the three of her noirs I love the most. I guess also the connection that they're all smaller films from the fifties. They just very much come together as a kind of group for me.
I've not read BUtterfiled 8 or An American Tragedy, but I do like both of those Taylor films -- A Place in the Sun is even a good film, not just a trashy/campy guilty pleasure. Really, that weird combination of just a little bit of real drama (but nowhere near enough of it) and utter outrageousness (oh my god that great ending) is what makes it worthwhile for me -- slong with some of the performances. Taylor really is terrific; people have complained ever since about her getting the Oscar for this, but, without remembering who her competition was, I'm not complaining. And the great, great Betty Field -- Daisy in Ladd's Gatsby! -- she made me laugh hysterically AND then sobered me up, as the scene required.
A Place in the Sun is a mixed but mostly excellent bag, for me, because of its director, George Stevens, who is a weird one for me. He's considered one of the giants (forgive the pun) in American cinema, and he made many great films, but to me, it was often despite himself. His staging could be so stodgy, stiff... like the film is trapped in molasses. I felt it even in the great Western, Shane. As superior as his work with the actors was, he shouldn't have been on that picture. A western has no right to be as stifled as that film. That's why it's so weird that his Gunga Din is such a visually, kinetically exciting film. That film moves! Beautifully! He also handled some of his comedies surprisingly well, if not as well as a Lubitsch or a McCarey or a Capra (among others) might've.
But it was much more often that the acting and writing carried the day in a Stevens film. And that's certainly the case with A Place in the Sun. A certain "stodginess" might come across as the oppressive weights of both class and guilt that dog the Clift character, but it feels like much more than that to me when I watch the film. I feel like I'm watching action taking place entirely in a shoebox. But the power of the story itself and the great acting is undeniable. Just when I think Stevens' pacing and staging is gonna make me scream at the top of my lungs, one or more of the actors will pull me back into the moment and remind me why I love the film.
No need to apologize -- I'm really lucky when I can get a good post like this in nowadays, I understand!
Hope you are well...
Take care,
Matthew
Matthew,
I still am too busy to give you the long answer that you deserve, but wanted at least let you know that I already posted a bit in the imdb message board from TWBM.
And yes, Liz Taylor is a great actress for me.
Cheers,
Chrissie
Matthew,
We have "The Devil's Mask", but not yet "The Unknown" (I didn't know those three belong together). Are they sequels and to be watched in chronological order? I will check TCM from time to time if they schedule "The Unknown".
In July they have film noir nights starting on 7/3, then 10/3, 17/3, 24/3 and 31/3. I have seen 90 % of them, many several times, but TCM seems to have either purchased a few more or has not aired them before April 2008 when we started watching and recording from TCM.
I assume you already have watched "The Uninvited" with Ray Milland?
That's one of my favorite horror/thriller movies.
Film noir is my favorite genre for decades (since the 1970's). I also love mystery, crime, thriller and some horror (recently recorded "The Hidden Hand" with an unknown cast, but I recognized the African-American butler whom I have seen and very much enjoyed in 2 previous old films from the 1930/1940's...his name is Willie Best ("The Body Disappears", "Nancy Drew, Trouble Shooter", "Murder on a Honeymoon"),
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0079008/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t4
but never really got into Frankenstein or Dracula movies. Just not compelled by it.
My computer acts up and freezes quite often. My husband will run a scan on the weekend, that's why I keep this short,
Chrissie
Hi Matthew,
Sorry it took me a while to answer your oldest post. I hope to answer the others on the next 2 or 3 days, but our weekends are usually very busy.
I didn't care for "Gun Crazy", but once watched "Lady without a Passport", however, I have forgotten all about it. Some movies just don't stick to my mind, others like "Dark Passage", "Conflict" (Bogey and Alexis Smith), "Julia Ross", "Leave Her To Heaven", "Reckless Moment" (Joan Bennett) and "The Accused" are unforgettable.
"Key Largo" is my second favorite Bogey & Bacall movie ("Dark Passage" will always be my # 1 as Bogey and Bacall really get much closer than in "The Big Sleep" or in To Have and Have not") and I like the scene with Claire Trevor in "Key Largo" where she's forced by the mob boss to sing. I think she sang wonderfully (she talked about it on TCM how hard this scene was for her).
I'm no fan of "Casablanca" and didn't care for "To Have and gave not" either, but watched it again last year after many years. Again I found it rather boring even though I love to watch many WW II dramas on TCM. Sorry.
Didn't care for "In a Lonely Place" as I don't like Gloria Grahame, but I absolutely LOVED "The Two Mrs. Carrolls" (also with Bogey and Alexis Smith).
Have to watch "Scarlett Street" again, I only remember "Woman in the Window". Did you ever watch "Woman on the Beach" with Joan Bennett and Robert Ryan?
"Female on the Beach" with Joan Crawford and Jeff Chandler is also a thrilling film noir and almost as good as "Sudden Fear" (Joan Crawford and Jack Palance).
I never heard about "One Way Passage" (BTW "Leave her to Heaven" is also a non noir), but will try to catch it.
I made a list of your recommendations.
Lately after "Escape in the Fog" (Nina Foch), I only had time to watch a Brian Donlevy film called "Hangmen also die" by Fritz Lang. It's taking place in former Czechoslovakia durung WW II after Heydrich got killed. Parts reminded me a lot of "Mortal Storm", because Anna Lee acts and sounds very much like Margaret Sullavan (sp?).
Did you watch Donlevy in "Nightmare" (1942)?
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0035127/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_74
This is the Lawrence Tierney film that I liked so much, very thrilling:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0038982/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_88
And yes, he was hot!
Netflix and the local library both have "Dillinger" with Tierney (ca. 1945) on DVD.
I will try to watch "The Breaking Point" with John Garfield.
BTW I watched "The Postman Always Rings Twice" several times, but even though Lana Turner is one of my favorite actresses (Portrait in Black, Madame X, The 3 Musketeers, The Bad and the Beautiful, Peyton Place, The Lady takes a Flyer are among my favorites)and this is considered such a classic, I didn't care too much for it. For me there's much more suspense in "Dark Passage", "Conflict", "The Accused" and "The 2 Mrs. Carrolls".
But I could watch Lana Turner in "Madame X" and "Portarit in Black" over and over again. "Portrait in BlacK" was filmed in San Francisco. It has a Hitchcock feel to it.
Watched "The Deep End" and it was o.k.. I never really liked Tilda Swinton, even though we watch movies with her from time to time and she sure is a good actress.
Forgot if I mentioned that I finally watched "The Undercover Man"? I enjoyed it. I'm just watching another movie with Glenn Ford (and Bette Davies), "A Stolen Life".
I like Joan Bennett and I like British actor Michael Redgrave very much, so I expected a lot from "Secret beyond the Door"...especially because Fritz Lang directed it. I will give it another chance.
I can recommend a very thrilling and scary film with Redgrave, "Dead of Night".
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0037635/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_60
So how did you like "Mystery Street"? I vaguely remember that when I first recorded it, Robert Osborne said that this was one of the first movies after WW II which was shot on location (Boston and Cape Cod) and not in the studios or somewhere in CA. I wonder why it took them 5 years after the end of WW II to start filming in other states of the US? This was the so-called prime time of movies/golden age and everybody went to the movie theaters and read the fan magazines. So the reason cannot have been financial like today where so many movies and TV movies are filmed in Canada, because it's cheaper (even though I still cannot imagine that flying out a crew to Canada and pay for their accommodations can be cheaper than simply filming it in Hollywood and surroundings where the actors return to their houses at night).
Please try to catch "Dark Passage" (it's 3 or 4 times per year scheduled on TCM). I read the novel by David Goodis recently as I enjoy the film so very much, but IMHO the movie is a lot better than the novel. It's VERY different compared to other movies of the time. I also love the San Francisco movie locations (look up City Sleuth or Reel SF where he has posted lots of before and after pics from "Dark Passage", "Woman on the Run" and also from "Born To Kill" with Lawrence Tierney) and hope to visit it one day. Had no time left in 1997 when I went to SF for the first time.
We just watched "Woman on the Run" with Ann Sheridan and Dennis O'Keefe a few days ago. It was good.
Which film is THaHN?
More later...
Chrissie
Matthew,
Finally I received the movie from the public library.
Yes, "To Have and Have Not" can't hold a candle to "The Breaking Point" with Garfield (but I don't like Patricia Neal, especially not in this part). Well, I didn't see much similarity between these 2 movies, because I forgot the (tragic?) ending from THAHN, plus Garfied comes with a family of four whereas Bogey seemed to be single.
Definitely a good movie to watch!
Thanks for the tip.
Did you check Youtube for "Inner Sanctum"?
Cheers,
Chrissie
Chrissie,
Again I demonstrate that the bonds of our internet pal-ship cannot be broken by 'nuthin'. Not like Patricia Neal??? :-)
I'm glad you liked the overall film, however. It *is* kinda amazing that they come from the same source material, that the one is officially a remake of the other, they're so very different. At the risk of getting too simple about it, it's basically the difference between "escapist" entertainment and "serious" drama, for me.
And, again -- damn, a cast that just floors me. The criminally under-appreciated Phyllis Thaxter is so moving and believable. Actually, she kinda pulls off what Rita Johnson does in They Won't Believe Me. She's got the "wife" role in a story of crime and infidelity/temptation, but excels in it -- she's the less-known, less-glamorous actress playing the "plain" role and she creates a beautiful character. Wallace Ford and Juano Hernandez are two of my favorite character actors and have good roles here, so they shine. And Garfield, my favorite Golden Age of Hollywood actor, giving probably his greatest performance (main competition probably being Body and Soul).
Then there's oddly-faced but oddly-attractive -- and, I think, kinda under-rated -- William Campbell. Oh, and the kids are pretty swell.
And I love Neal, myself, tho, of the three main characters, she has the least fully-fleshed out, human one to play. But she injects some vulnerability under the been-around-block exterior.
I do really want to see Inner Sanctum, but I really do not enjoy watching stuff on the computer-machine. When I miss an episode of a series and can't get to it anyhow else before the next one airs, I'll break down and do it (I've had to do this a handful of times with Supernatural), but I don't like it.
Plus, I don't have a working home computer now, and my online time is really limited. Even for a short flick like this, I don't want to take time away from other online stuff. My local library system doesn't have it, but I may soon be able to afford to start renting some things, and this will be near the top of the list.
Oh, I watched (among enough other films to choke a small nation) Cause for Alarm! again as part of the recently-ended TCM Summer of Darkness and it was a pleasure to see it once more. Altho I do have to say I don't buy the ending.
!!!SPOILERS IN CASE ANYONE ELSE IS READING!!!
The movie has to show that everything will turn out all right, so it shows Young all sigh-of-reliefy -- but when she shows this relief, the story is actually ending waaaay before she has Cause for Relief! She's made such a neighborhood spectacle of herself that getting that letter back won't be enough to prevent suspicion from falling on her!
!!!OKAY, END OF SPOILERS!!!
Still, the suspense is marvelous, the relationship between Young and Sullivan fascinating, and their performances so good. And placing the noir almost entirely within the sunny confines of a suburban, white-picket-fencey home and its immediate neighborhood, with a housewife the protagonist, is pretty beautifully conceived and executed.
Oh, and I had forgotten how much I love Hoppy. A little irritating, quite nerdy -- he's pretty freakin' great.
Take care,
Matthew
Hi Matthew,
I watched "The Fountainhead", the other movie with her and Gary Cooper and several more (The Subject was Roses), but I still don't like her. And I really don't question her acting skills, just don't like that type of woman. I'm much more taken by/with Lauren Bacall if you would ask me.
Yes, Phyllis Thaxter had a very good part (and actually was more beautiful inside and out than Neal I thought).
We have thunder and lightning, I have to shut down our computers and calm the puppy.
Cheers,
Chrissie
Oh, I watched (among enough other films to choke a small nation) Cause for Alarm! again as part of the recently-ended TCM Summer of Darkness and it was a pleasure to see it once more. Altho I do have to say I don't buy the ending.
!!!SPOILERS IN CASE ANYONE ELSE IS READING!!!
The movie has to show that everything will turn out all right, so it shows Young all sigh-of-reliefy -- but when she shows this relief, the story is actually ending waaaay before she has Cause for Relief! She's made such a neighborhood spectacle of herself that getting that letter back won't be enough to prevent suspicion from falling on her!
!!!OKAY, END OF SPOILERS!!!
Still, the suspense is marvelous, the relationship between Young and Sullivan fascinating, and their performances so good. And placing the noir almost entirely within the sunny confines of a suburban, white-picket-fencey home and its immediate neighborhood, with a housewife the protagonist, is pretty beautifully conceived and executed.
Oh, and I had forgotten how much I love Hoppy. A little irritating, quite nerdy -- he's pretty freakin' great.
Take care,
Matthew
Hi Matthew,
Again I have to apologize for not answering sooner, even though film noir is my favorite topic! Mea culpa!
Yes, "Cause for Alarm" is one of those DVD's that I can watch once a year or every other year and they still compel me. Good point! The neighborhood should become suspicious indeed.
Barry Sullivan is one of my favorite actors.
I noticed that Chick noirs usually do have happy endings, for instance my favorite of them all, "Reckless Moment" (Joan Bennett and James Mason, because after all that happened she gets to keep her husband), "My Name is Julia Ross" (Nina Foch) and "Woman in Hiding" (Ida Lupino).
I forgot "Female on the Beach" and "Sudden Fear", because Joan Crawford survived. In a way that's a happy ending, isn't it? But of course one without a love interest.
Hoppy from "Cause" is cute. I also like the friendly neighbor woman.
There are two newer movies (I consider them 70's film noirs even though they are in color, but then..."Leave Her To Heaven" is also in color) that remind me a bit of "Cause for Alarm":
"The Little Girl who lives down the Lane" and "Bad Ronald", both are with Scott Jacoby and have a timeless quality IMHO. I also read the novels on which these two movies are based and they were also excellent.
Need to check if "Cause..." is based on a novel.
Take care,
Chrissie
Chrissie,
It warms my heart to hear some love for BR and especially TLGwLdtL. The latter was an almost mythic movie to me when I was growing up, because I wasn't allowed to see R-rated movies, but I loved horror movies and thrillers and I loved Jodie Foster and I wanted to see it SO bad. To say that an air of mystery was built up around the flick for me would be the weakest tea imaginable; it seemed to me that the movie promised just about the ultimate in psychological AND physical terror that film could offer.
Needless to say, no film could possibly live up to this immense and taboo build-up my young mind had given it. Luckily, it didn't need to do so; by the time I saw it I was old enough to enjoy all different kinds of film and to appreciate different shades of cinematic terror.
It's a terrific film, and still one of Foster's best roles/performances. And I had an *enormous* crush on Scott Jacoby when I was a kid/teenager. I completely fell in love with him in this film in particular. A cute, sweet, crippled-but-brave boy roughly around my age (AND dorky enough to want to be a magician)? I didn't stand a chance.
I haven't seen the tv movie Bad Ronald in a million years, and I'm pretty sure I only saw it once. I'd love to see it again. My vague memory is that it was fun -- I mean, beyond just having Scott Jacoby in it -- but that it couldn't hold a candle to the cold, terrifying brilliance of The Little Girl who Lives down the Lane, which I really think is some kind of small, sleeper classic.
Matthew
Hi Matthew,
Yes, I agree. IMHO TLGWLDTL is Foster's best movie, much better and more compelling than "Taxi Driver" which got so much praise (I found it rather depressing and boring).
BR reminded me a bit of TLGWLDTL as both took place in idyllic houses in or near small towns.
Scott Jacoby was a brilliant actor (I wonder what he's doing today?).
Two years ago I purchased a video tape with him and Stephanie Powers, the story of a boy who lost his parents, happily lived with his grand dad and then Social Services plans to take him away into Foster care. So the grand dad and SJ run away. I love such stories. In a way TLGWLDTR is a runaway story, too (and BR to some degree as he hides from justice).
BR is out on commercial DVD, I bought it a few years ago. I think it's "on demand". Definitely worth the purchase. And so spooky.
You are right, compared with TLGWLDTL it can't hold a candle to it, but it's still a very good thriller. The kind that never would receive an OSCAR though :).
Cheers,
Chrissie
Quicksand (1950)
~~~~~
Jim Hutton (1934-79) & Ellery Queen 🎇