Feasting on British Noir
Film Forum in New York City has a new repertory schedule online and the highlight seems to be four weeks of British films in the noir vein. We’re still over a month away from the start, but it’s never too early to consider what shouldn’t be missed. Only a few of these have I seen, with several being completely unfamiliar. For now, here’s a list of the impressive and extensive schedule, including asterisks beside titles I have already seen. A two-week run of Odd Man Out commences on September 4th. Any recommendations would be entirely welcomed.
Aug. 7 & 8
The Third Man (Carol Reed, 1949) *
Aug. 9
The Small Back Room (Powell & Pressburger, 1949) *
Seven Days to Noon (Boulting, 1950) [Not on R1 DVD]
Aug. 10
They Drive by Night (Arthur B. Woods, 1938) [Not on R1 DVD]
On the Night of the Fire (Brian Desmond Hurst, 1939) [Not on R1 DVD]
Aug. 11
Blanche Fury (Marc Allegret, 1948) [Not on R1 DVD]
Footsteps in the Fog (Arthur Lubin, 1955) [Not on R1 DVD]
Aug. 12
Hell Is a City (Val Guest, 1960) [R1 DVD Out of Print]
Aug. 13
So Evil My Love (Lewis Allen, 1948) [Not on R1 DVD]
The Brothers (David MacDonald, 1947) [Not on R1 DVD]
Aug. 14 & 15
Night and the City (Dassin, 1950) *
It Always Rains on Sunday (Hamer, 1947) * [Not on R1 DVD]
Aug. 16 & 17
Victim (Basil Dearden, 1961)
Tiger Bay (J. Lee Thompson, 1959) [R1 DVD Out of Print]
Aug. 17
I Met a Murderer (Roy Kellino, 1939) [Not on R1 DVD]
The Seventh Veil (Compton Bennett, 1945) [Not on R1 DVD]
Aug. 18
So Long at the Fair (Antony Darnborough & Terence Fisher, 1950) [Not on R1 DVD]
The Clouded Yellow (Ralph Thomas, 1950) [Not on R1 DVD]
Aug. 19 & 20
The October Man (Roy Ward Baker, 1947) * [Not on R1 DVD]
The Green Cockatoo (Menzies, 1937) [Not on R1 DVD]
Aug. 21 & 22
Hell Drivers (Cy Endfield, 1957) [Not on R1 DVD]
Never Let Go (John Guillermin, 1960)
Aug. 23 & 24
Gaslight (Thorold Dickinson, 1940)
Hatter’s Castle (Lance Comfort, 1942) [Not on R1 DVD]
Aug. 24
The Upturned Glass (Lawrence Huntington, 1947)
(separate admission)
Obsession (Dmytryk, 1948)
Aug. 25
Appointment with Crime (John Harlow, 1946) [Not on R1 DVD]
Good Time Girl (David MacDonald, 1948) [Not on R1 DVD]
Aug. 26
The Long Haul (Ken Hughes, 1957) [Not on R1 DVD]
The Good Die Young (Lewis Gilbert, 1954) * [Not on R1 DVD] {Review}
Aug. 27
Corridor of Mirrors (Terence Young, 1948) [Not on R1 DVD]
Wanted for Murder (Lawrence Huntington, 1946)
Aug. 28 & 29
Brighton Rock (Boulting, 1947) * [Not on R1 DVD] {Review}
The Fallen Idol (Carol Reed, 1948) *
Aug. 30 & 31
The Criminal (Joseph Losey, 1960) [R1 DVD Out of Print]
Yield to the Night (J. Lee Thompson, 1956) [Not on R1 DVD]
Aug. 31
The Man Between (Carol Reed, 1953) [Not on R1 DVD]
Sept. 1
The Snorkel (Guy Green, 1958) [Not on R1 DVD]
She Played with Fire a.k.a Fortune Is a Woman (Sidney Gilliat, 1957) [Not on R1 DVD]
Sept. 2 & 3
Peeping Tom (Michael Powell, 1960) *
Sept. 3
No Orchids for Miss Blandish (St. John Legh Clowes, 1948) [Not on R1 DVD]
(separate admission)
Noose (Edmond T. Greville, 1948) [Not on R1 DVD]
Well a lot of these don’t actually qualify as noir, but I guess you’ve worked that out yourself. Still, regardless of how one would categorise these, there are a lot of excellent films included.
I’d certainly recommend SEVEN DAYS TO NOON - it’s not noir but it’s very suspenseful and the premise of the story is a fascinating one. It’s out in the UK, but on a compromised disc.
FOOTSTEPS IN THE FOG is a very atmospheric Victorian melodrama and is a film I have a bit of a soft spot for. It’s out in the UK as a Sony exclusive from MovieMail.
HELL IS A CITY is a lot closer to noir and is probably Hammer’s finest crime picture. Stanley Baker’s great in it. Watch it. there’s a very nice and very cheap UK DVD available.
THE SEVENTH VEIL has the noir look but it’s more melodrama again. Worth seeing for James Mason. There’s a pretty good DVD just out in the UK.
SO LONG AT THE FAIR is a great mystery and shouldn’t be missed.
THE CLOUDED YELLOW is another fine suspense yarn with an excellent cast.
HELL DRIVERS is just all round great. A cast that’s full up of instantly recognisable British actors and the story is relentlessly tough and oozing machismo. Stanley Baker again and a tough as nails Patrick McGoohan. Network’s UK DVD is as wonderful as the film itself.
OBSESSION is an interesting little noir with Robert Newton, I liked it. A so-so DVD out in the UK.
THE CRIMINAL is a top rate prison movie and Stanley Baker gives one of his best performances. In the UK the DVD is only available in a Losey box but it can be picked up as a single in Continental Europe easily enough.
THE MAN BETWEEN is a retread of THE THIRD MAN in post war Berlin. Not as good as Reed’s earlier effort but it’s still a very good movie and James Mason is very enjoyable in one of his trademark “ambiguous hero” roles. Out in the UK in a Mason box (widescreen transfer) but the German edition is academy ratio, as I’m pretty sure the film should be.
Those would be my recommendations.
Thanks Livius. I knew you’d be the one to go to for recommendations.
I’m looking at the double feature of The Criminal and Yield to the Night for sure. Beyond that, I’ll have to look at some cast lists and plots. Most of these seem like real rarities and I can’t remember a program in the last couple of years with so few films available on DVD.
Your worst blog post so far (-:
I thought these were coming on TCM next month. Was I psyched. I haven’t heard of half the titles and looking forward to viewing them. Bring out IMDb. Hell Drivers and So Long at the Fair should not be missed.
BTW, I see you have THE UPTURNED GLASS listed as unavailable in R1. It came out recently in R1 via MPI as part of a triple feature, known as CLASSIC BRITISH THRILLERS, with two early Michael Powell’s THE RED ENSIGN & THE PHANTOM LIGHT.
Explain the fascination with “Peeping Tom”; and I think Powell is as good or better than Lean.