Your Favorite Noir Film(s) of All ...

Your Favorite Noir Film(s) of All ... Jul 1, 2017 6:38:01 GMT london777 and Staccato like this

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Post by joekiddlouischama on Jul 1, 2017 6:38:01 GMT

Jun 28, 2017 3:39:14 GMT london777 said:

Jun 27, 2017 5:38:36 GMT joekiddlouischama said:

The intriguing thing about Kiss Me Deadly is that it represents one of the last classic films noir while also anticipating the James Bond era.

Cannot see any connection between Kiss Me Deadly and James Bond films. The James Bond novels were like Richard Hannay and Bulldog Drummond seen through a noir mirror, more cynical and ruthless, but this was largely smoothed over for the movies. Mike Hammer is not motivated by patriotism or wish to foil a grand conspiracy. His concerns are personal revenge for his wounded pride and for his murdered and injured friends.

What would your argument be against Touch of Evil constituting the final "pure noir"? I can see what you mean (if you meant it), but I am curious as to your articulation. Too inherently parodic? Too self-conscious?

Touch of Evil is certainly later and a noir. Despite some wonderful scenes I am not an uncritical admirer and it seems to me to be a bit of medley of elements. The kidnap scene with the teen gang belongs in another film and was an attempt to include what had become trendy since the Wild One (1953) and Rebel Without a Cause (1955). Similarly the excellent Marlene Dietrich scenes were totally unnecessary to the plot and were there to add a little international sophistication. Heston's boot-polish complexion is absurd, and the climax where he is creeping along below the jetty is so contrived and unrealistic as to make him look like Inspector Clouseau.

The reason I do not think it is "pure" noir is that Heston, the protagonist, is not a conflicted or ambiguous character. He has a difficult and dangerous job but there is no sense that he is trapped by fate or has made bad choices. Quinlan could have been a typical noir protagonist. Pete Menzies and Tana both tell us he once once a great cop even if his method were dubious, but by the time we see him he is just a corrupt wreck. Quinlan was doomed by bad choices but this was not central to the movie and his decline was complete before the action starts.

I have never considered it parodic, but a bit self-conscious maybe:
Pure noir = we have a minimal budget and half the crew start on another movie in two weeks. Let us do this thing and no retakes.
Touch of Evil = I am a genius and I am going to make a noir which is a work of art (except that he would not have thought of it as "noir" that early).

I do like the film but it is a long way from the central noir canon.

A Touch of Evil does offer a compendium of elements; after all, Charlton Heston seems poorly suited to the noir genre in its "pure" form. Expressing either irony or guilt, two central aspects of noir, was not part of his natural range, nor was conveying cynicism. Genre expectations aside, John Wayne might have fit more comfortably as a noir protagonist than Charlton Heston.

Possible points of connection between Kiss Me Deadly and James Bond might include the perversely twisted nature of the villains, the concern with nuclear annihilation, the showcasing of technological elements such as a sleek car and a stereo, and the modernistic nature of the protagonist. But Kiss Me Deadly is much darker than any 007 film.