It's hard to believe that we've reached the end of the 2011 festival! I'm so glad I was able to squeeze in as many screenings as I did. Thursday's Robert Ryan double was certainly the high point for me-- Caught has one of the most bizarre endings I've seen in any pre-1970's film.
Tonight features a Glenn Ford double alongside a visit from Mr. Ford's son, Peter. Framed is primo James M. Cain penned paranoid pulp while Mr. Soft Touch is more lighthearted fare. Sunday looks to be a great crime picture double; Cry Tough features a very young John Saxon while Down Three Dark Streets features beautiful LA locations and Broderick Crawford as an FBI agent. Wednesday closes the festival out with a couple of female led thrillers; Gaslight is an absolute classic and brought Ingrid Bergman an Oscar for her portrayal of a woman haunted by the unsolved murder of her aunt. My Name is Julia Ross ends it all with great B-movie suspense from director Joseph H. Lewis of Big Combo & Gun Crazy fame.
13th Annual Film Noir Festival @ the Egyptian Theater
6712 Hollywood Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90028-4605
(323) 466-3456
6712 Hollywood Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90028-4605
(323) 466-3456
We're now deep in week 2 of the 13th annual Film Noir Festival and have some great pairings to look forward to!
Tonight features a couple of classic tough guy performances from Charles McGraw and James Cagney in Loophole and Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye. Sunday brings a great "women's night" with scarce films featuring Gloria Grahame, Maureen O'Hara, Susan Hayward & Jane Greer-- how much more beauty could you squeeze into a double feature?!? They Won't Believe Me is a top notch dramatic thriller produced by the trailblazing Joan Harrison, Hitchcock protege & one of only 3 female contract producers working in Hollywood during the classic noir years. A Woman's Secret is one of Nicholas Ray's most rarely screened films, making this night a must see! Female on the Beach & Hazard continue the focus on the ladies. Joan Cra
wford and Paulette Goddard lead with memorable performances by Jeff Chandler, Jan Sterling, Charles McGraw & Percy Hilton. These films screen on Wednesday.
Thursday provides us with a Robert Ryan double feature. Amongst the most complex players in noir, Ryan's special brand of darkness could liven up even the most hollow of films. The Max Ophuls helmed Caught features Barbara Bel Geddes of Vertigo & Dallas fame while Beware, My Lovely pairs Ryan with Ida Lupino in a taught psycho-sexual thriller. Friday rounds things out with a personal visit from actress Jeanne Cooper and a William Castle double, The Houston Story & New Orleans Uncensored. If I'm not mistaken, not a damn one of these films is available on DVD!!!
It's lucky 13 for us in LA as the Film Noir Foundation is offering quite an unusual batch of films this year. Last night kicked off the festival with newly struck prints of Audrey Totter in High Wall and a recently restored Anthony Mann obscurity Strangers In The Night. Tonight's offering is a prison themed double starting off with Jules Dassin classic Brute Force. Well known for its ensemble cast, it features a particularly stellar performance from Hume Cronyn as the sadistic Capt. Munsey. Paired with Brute Force is Jack Palance vehicle House of Numbers, which features vintage San Quentin locations and Tim
Sunday brings a couple of unearthed gems in Whiplash and The Hunted, neither on DVD. In fact, 6 of the first 10 movies in this year's lineup are not available on DVD! Wednesday offers the murderous combination of Humphrey Bogart as a psychotic artist in the Two Mrs. Carrols & Olivia De Havilland in a dual role as twins accused of murder in The Dark Mirror. Thursday rounds out the first week with Charles McGraw as a murderer on the lam in The Threat & Joan Crawford as a gangster losing her eyesight in This Woman is Dangerous. Promised to be "Joan at her Joaniest," what more could you ask for?!
