COLCOA French fest opens and Noir City Hollywood closes

April 20, 2015 by

It’s a busy time for film buffs in Los Angeles.

The COLCOA French Film Festival opens tonight, Monday, April 20, with an elegant reception and the opening night film, a thriller called “A Perfect Man,” directed and co-written by Yann Gozlan and starring Pierre Niney and Ana Girardot.

Pierre Niney plays the wily writer in “A Perfect Man.”

Pierre Niney plays the wily writer in “A Perfect Man.”

It’s a story of shifting identities as a struggling author stumbles upon a wildly unethical way to make the best-seller list.

With echoes of Patricia Highsmith’s Mr. Ripley, “A Perfect Man” strikes us as a divinely decadent way to kick off this wonderful festival, now in its 19th year.

There is much to see this year (check the COLCOA site for info on free screenings and cool events) and we are counting the days until Friday’s Film Noir Series.

The fest takes place at the Directors Guild of America, 7920 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, 90046.

Sunday was the closing day of an essential film fest, for noiristas and others: Noir City Hollywood, presented by the American Cinematheque in collaboration with the Film Noir Foundation. The foundation’s urbane noirphiles Eddie Muller and Alan K. Rode were on hand throughout the fest to introduce the movies. This year, they brought another excellent selection (heavy on adaptations of the great master of pulp suspense Cornell Woolrich).

The lineup included a real find: the American debut of three almost unknown but brilliantly done and stunningly visualized film noirs from Argentina: “The Black Vampire” (Roman Vinoly Barreto, 1953), a remake of Fritz Lang’s “M,” and superb adaptations of Woolrich stories in “Never Open That Door” (Carlos Hugo Christensen, 1952) and “If I Should Die Before I Wake” (Christensen, 1952).

Dorothy MacKaill lights up the screen in “Safe in Hell” (1931, William Wellman).

Dorothy MacKaill lights up the screen in “Safe in Hell” (1931, William Wellman).

The fest wrapped up with a four-movie proto-noir marathon:

“The Ninth Guest” (1934, Roy William Neill) a mystery with a generous dollop of Deco glam.

“Let Us Live” (1939, John Brahm) featuring the great Henry Fonda as a wrongly identified killer and a riveting performance from Maureen O’Sullivan as his girlfriend.

“Heat Lightning” (1934, Mervyn LeRoy) a pre-Code delight about two sisters (Aline MacMahon and Ann Dvorak) running a garage and car-repair shop in the desert and ridding the place of rats, such as fleeing criminal and old flame (Preston Foster).

“Safe in Hell” (1931, William Wellman) Dorothy MacKaill is unforgettable as a sparkling blonde siren who spends the entire movie fighting off men as she waits in vain on a Caribbean island to be with the guy she truly loves (Donald Cook).

Don Castle was a Clark Gable lookalike.

Don Castle was a Clark Gable lookalike.

My attendance was spotty this year because I had to leave town unexpectedly (such is life for a femme fatale) but my colleague Mike Wilmington caught quite a few.

Other highlights from this year’s fest were: “Woman on the Run,” “The Underworld Story,” “Abandoned,” “Circle of Danger,” “Berlin Express,” “Ride the Pink Horse,” “The Fallen Sparrow,” and “The Guilty” as well as that triple bill of Argentinian film noir.

The closing-weekend party was loads of fun, especially since I won a nifty raffle prize! I definitely needed my drink tickets that night. Why? By the small but mighty curveball in “The Guilty” when the lead character (Don Castle) reveals that he is studying “commercial geography” to land a good job.

What??? Education and hard work to get ahead? Was the movie going to start preaching about the virtues of a work ethic? Aaargh! Thankfully, this was, in fact, a temporary glitch and the character turned out to be crazy-bad.

Phew! I was freaked out there for a moment but everything was just as it should be in Noirville.

Filed Under: Classic Noir Reviews, Noir Style, Out of the Shadows Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Film noir makes a fascinating chapter in TCM’s film fest

April 5, 2015 by

Too Late for Tears poster

There’s nothing quite like a history lesson from the TCM Classic Film Festival. No dull tomes or dreary lectures here. The fest, which chose history as its theme, instead connected us with the past through first-rate storytelling, movie craft and visual splendor.

We at Film Noir Blonde are very pleased that film noir’s popularity continues to grow and so our favorite genre was well represented at the fest, which ran March 26-29 in Hollywood.

It was a treat to see “Too Late for Tears” (1949, Byron Haskin), starring Lizabeth Scott, Arthur Kennedy and Dan Duryea. The film has been newly restored by the Film Noir Foundation. Scott and Duryea did not disappoint.

Nor did the rest of the slate.

“Reign of Terror” (1949, Anthony Mann) took us back to the French Revolution in a perfect melding of history and noir.

“Rififi” by Jules Dassin influenced countless other films.

“Rififi” by Jules Dassin influenced countless other films.

The unforgettable “Rififi” (1955, Jules Dassin) thoroughly captivated its audience. We loved this union of an American noir director and a French setting. François Truffaut named “Rififi” as the best film noir of all time.

One of the finest films of the 1950’s was also part of the program. “Rebel Without a Cause” (1955, Nicholas Ray), starring James Dean, is both a daring neo-noir and a visual poem.

It was exciting to see “Nightmare Alley” (1947, Edmund Goulding) get its due. The film is truly a masterpiece that should have more recognition.

Tyrone Power and Coleen Gray star in “Nightmare Alley.”

Tyrone Power and Coleen Gray star in “Nightmare Alley.”

“Psycho” (1960, Alfred Hitchcock) retained its power to chill us and while watching Hitchcock’s plushly romantic “Rebecca” (1940) we were reminded of the impressive tradition of British noir.

No matter how many times we’ve seen “The Apartment” (1960, Billy Wilder), it’s still fresh, darkly funny and heartbreaking. Who else but a noir master like Wilder could rattle the cage of Corporate America so adroitly? And screen legend Shirley MacLaine shared memories before the screening at the TCL Chinese Theatre.

“Out of Sight” (2001, Steven Soderbergh)is a top-notch contemporary noir, adapted from Elmore Leonard’s novel and starring George Clooney and Jennifer Lopez.

Also memorable was the groundbreaking cop thriller “The French Connection” and Q&A with director William Friedkin and Alec Baldwin at the TCL Chinese Theatre.

Friedkin is great with an audience and Baldwin came out of his shell just a bit. 😉

Filed Under: Classic Noir Reviews, Noir Style, Out of the Shadows Tagged With: , ,

Noir City Hollywood kicks off with Ann Sheridan double bill

April 2, 2015 by

Woman on the Run posterNoir City Hollywood starts Friday at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood. The famed fest, now in its 17th year, kicks off with an Ann Sheridan double feature: “Woman on the Run” (1950, Norman Foster) and “The Unfaithful” (1947, Vincent Sherman).

In “Woman on the Run,” police believe Sheridan can lead them to a key witness in a San Francisco gangland killing. The snag is she doesn’t want to feed them info. The witness is her husband (Ross Elliott), but she’s done with him. To hell with helping out! Dennis O’Keefe plays an enterprising (is there any other kind?) newspaperman.

In “The Unfaithful,” Sheridan has a dalliance that leads to death. Not hers, natch. David Goodis and James Gunn wrote the script (based on W. Somerset Maugham’s “The Letter”) and set the story in Los Angeles. Featuring Zachary Scott, Lew Ayres and the always-delightful Eve Arden.

The Unfaithful posterNoir City Hollywood will screen 26 films over 12 nights! The fest, which is presented by the American Cinematheque in collaboration with the Film Noir Foundation, runs through April 19. Eddie Muller and Alan K. Rode of the Film Noir Foundation will introduce the movies.

“Woman on the Run” was restored in 2014 by the Film Noir Foundation in conjunction with the UCLA Film & Television Archive. Restoration funding for “Woman on the Run” was provided by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s Charitable Trust through the Film Noir Foundation. “The Unfaithful” screens in a 35mm print.

Filed Under: Noir Style, Out of the Shadows Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Film Noir Series at COLCOA celebrates 10th anniversary with Jean Dujardin’s new film

April 1, 2015 by

The Connection posterThe Franco-American Cultural Fund Tuesday night announced the lineup for this year’s COLCOA French Film Festival. The fest, now in its 19th year, runs April 20-28 at the Directors Guild of America in Los Angeles.

Speaking at the Consul General of France in Beverly Hills, COLCOA’s executive producer and artistic director François Truffart revealed that 68 films (including three world premieres and 14 U.S. premieres) will be shown over nine days. Additionally, COLCOA will introduce a new competition dedicated to films and series produced for television.

The festival will open with the North American premiere of “A Perfect Man,” a thriller co-written and directed by Yann Gozlant. It stars Pierre Niney and Ana Girardot.

COLCOA will celebrate the 10th anniversary of its Film Noir Series with Academy Award winner Jean Dujardin’s new film “The Connection,” co-written and directed by Cédric Jimenez. The other two films in the series are: “SK1,” co-written and directed by Frédéric Tellier, and “Next Time, I’ll Aim For the Heart,” written and directed by Cédric Anger.

La Chienne posterAs part of the COLCOA Classics Series, an exclusive program of digitally restored premieres, master director Jean Renoir’s first-rate pre-noir from 1931 “La Chienne” will screen. This was remade in the U.S. in 1945 by Fritz Lang as “Scarlet Street.”

All other series are back as well: the After 10 Series (April 21-25); the Happy Hour Talk Panel Series in association with Variety (April 21-25); the French NeWave 2.0 Series presented in association with IndieWire (Saturday, April 25); the Short Film Competition (Sunday, April 26); the Focus on a Filmmaker (Michel Hazanavicius) (Thursday, April 23) and the Focus on Two Producers: Maxime Delauney and Romain Rousseau (Saturday, April 25).

Filed Under: Noir Style, Out of the Shadows Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Eva Marie Saint will appear at the Laemmle Royal tonight

March 31, 2015 by

Academy Award winner Eva Marie Saint will appear at the Laemmle Royal tonight for a Q&A and screening of “Exodus” (1960), directed by noir great Otto Preminger.

Filed Under: Out of the Shadows Tagged With: , , ,

Another outstanding TCM Classic Film Fest!

March 30, 2015 by

A huge thank you to everyone at the TCM Classic Film Fest for another great event. TCM staff outdid themselves in terms of top-notch programming and events, and volunteers went out their way to be pleasant, helpful and polite.

We had a great time binge-watching! One of many highlights was “The French Connection” and Q&A with director William Friedkin and Alec Baldwin at the TCL Chinese Theatre.

I will run a more detailed roundup story at a later date.

Filed Under: Noir Style, Out of the Shadows Tagged With: , , , ,

What to see, what to see: TCM Classic Film Fest starts today

March 26, 2015 by

The TCM Classic Film Festival is in full swing today and runs through Sunday in Hollywood. “There’s nothing like watching a movie on a screen with a big audience,” said head programmer Charlie Tabesh at yesterday’s press conference. This year’s theme is history and Tabesh added that he is particularly looking forward to the film “1776,” directed by Peter H. Hunt, who will be in attendance along with stars William Daniels and Ken Howard.

Last night, I stopped by the Formosa Café to mingle with fellow scribes. Several people shared my view that it’s tough to decide what to see and to strike a balance between longtime favorites and exciting new discoveries. I know, I know – what a good problem to have!

One thing’s for sure: I will attend the opening party and will see the newly restored film noir “Too Late for Tears” (1949, Byron Haskin), starring Lizabeth Scott, Arthur Kennedy and Dan Duryea.

For now, I will leave you with this shot from one of last year’s poolside screenings at the Hollywood Roosevelt. (Photo courtesy of TCM.) Life is good!

Poolside screenings at the Hollywood Roosevelt are a special treat.

Poolside screenings at the Hollywood Roosevelt are a special treat.

Filed Under: Noir Style, Out of the Shadows Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Miss Crawford would have been pleased … I think

March 24, 2015 by

A fun time was had by all Monday night at the Joan Crawford birthday party and screening at Laemmle NoHo 7 in North Hollywood! Thanks to Greg Laemmle and his staff, Warner Archive and Shakar Bakery. And of course everyone who attended!

In case you missed it, here are some vids, pix and a trivia fix.

We showed “Possessed” (1947, Curtis Bernhardt):

and “What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?” (1962, Robert Aldrich):

Trivia Questions

1. What was Joan’s given name and where was she born?

2. The name Joan Crawford was the second-place winner from a contest held by MGM to rename their new star. The top choice was rejected because it already belonged to another actress. What was it?

3. Joan won the Best Actress Oscar for her 1945 performance in “Mildred Pierce.” That was the only time she won but she was nominated for Best Actress two other times. Name the movies.

4. What did Joan’s professional resume have in common with Bette Davis’s as young women?

5. Joan starred with Clark Gable in eight films. Name the first one.

The Laemmle NoHo 7 at night

The Laemmle NoHo 7 at night

Film Noir Blonde gushing re: JC

Film Noir Blonde gushing re: JC

Rat cake anyone?

Rat cake, anyone?

Eek! Greg Laemmle reacts to the cake, a superb creation by Shakar Bakery. The cake references an unforgettably gross moment in “Baby Jane.”

Eek! Greg Laemmle reacts to the cake, a superb creation by Shakar Bakery. The cake references an unforgettably gross moment in “Baby Jane.”

Trivia Answers

1. Lucille Fay LeSueur, San Antonio, Texas.

2. Joan Arden.

3. “Possessed” 1947 and “Sudden Fear” 1952

4. They were both dancers – Joan was a Broadway showgirl who came to Hollywood to play flappers (“Our Dancing Daughters” 1928 was a breakout film). She was Fred Astaire’s first on-screen dance partner. Bette Davis studied dance with Martha Graham.

5. “Dance, Fools, Dance” 1931. Their last was “Strange Cargo” 1940. Both married, their affair was called: “the affair that nearly burned Hollywood down.”

Filed Under: Noir Style, Out of the Shadows Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

‘The Long Goodbye’ is a highlight of Altman at the Aero

March 19, 2015 by

On Friday, March 20, the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica will present “The Long Goodbye” (1973, Robert Altman) as part of a weekend tribute to this stellar director. This event is free to all current American Cinematheque members, with regular pricing for non-members. There will be an introduction by Kathryn Altman, who will sign her book Altman in the lobby at 6:30 p.m. The movie is at 7:30 p.m.

The Long Goodbye/1973/United Artists/112 min.

One of the best films of the ’70s or an ugly, boring travesty of a well respected detective novel?

Elliott Gould and Nina Van Pallandt in “The Long Goodbye.”

Decide for yourself as you watch Robert Altman’s 1973 movie of “The Long Goodbye,” by Raymond Chandler. The film, starring Elliott Gould as private investigator Philip Marlowe, divided critics, earning the above-mentioned rave from Time Out and the snooty slam from Leslie Halliwell.

It was primarily Gould’s free-wheeling interpretation of the beloved PI that drew ire. Charles Champlin called him an “untidy, unshaven, semi-literate dimwit slob.”

An entertaining yarn, soaked in ’70s atmosphere, the movie captures the sunny, scruffy, solipsistic mood and look of Malibu, Calif., at the start of the Me Decade. Marlowe’s next door neighbors, for example, are pot-brownie-baking, clothing-optional candlemakers. We only see them from a distance but in a way they are timeless party girls, a ’70s version of “The Girls Next Door.”

And “The Long Goodbye” stretches the vocabulary of film noir. As Foster Hirsch, author of “Detours and Lost Highways: A Map of Neo Noir,” writes: “For all its self-indulgence and contradiction – the film both satirizes and seeks acceptance as a cool, contemporary L.A. mystery story – Altman’s ‘new age’ noir suggested the genre’s elasticity at a time when it was considered passé. Produced before nouveau noir had taken root, ‘The Long Goodbye’ anticipates the full-force genre revival of the 1980s and 1990s.”

We meet Marlowe late one night as he’s trying to round up food for his hungry cat (Morris the Cat in the role that launched him to stardom). The story spices up when Marlowe’s friend Terry Lennox (Jim Bouton) asks him, after a marital spat, to drive him to Tijuana.

Marlowe doesn’t have much else going on (besides cat care, of course) and so they make the trip; Marlowe heads back on his own to find that Lennox’s wife is dead. The police press Marlowe for info on Terry’s whereabouts, hoping that a little jail time will jog his memory (David Carradine plays Marlowe’s cellmate). They ease up after Terry Lennox commits suicide, having first written a letter confessing to the murder.

Marlowe’s not buying the suicide, but turns his attention to a new client. The sun-kissed and sophisticated Eileen Wade (Nina van Pallandt) wants Marlowe to find her missing hubby Roger Wade, a boozy writer, (played by the wonderful Sterling Hayden, a veteran of film noirs like “Asphalt Jungle” and “The Killing”).

Searching for Roger isn’t all that challenging, but Marlowe has his hands full with a visit from psychopathic gangster Marty Augustine (director Mark Rydell) and his hoods (including young Arnold Schwarzenegger). They’re sniffing around for a load of cash that Terry Lennox was supposed to deliver to Mexico. Surprise, surprise, the cash never made it. So the surly, anti-social Marlowe plods on toward the truth, trying not to get any sand on the shag carpets. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Neo Noir Reviews, Noir Style, Out of the Shadows Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Feast your eyes: TCMFF, Noir City and COLCOA

March 18, 2015 by

Over the next several weeks, there will be lots to see on the big screen in Los Angeles.

First, the TCM Classic Film Festival runs March 26-29 in Hollywood. This year’s theme is history as portrayed by Hollywood. Noir treats include: “Too Late for Tears,” “Nightmare Alley” and “Psycho.” More info is here.

The festival takes place at various venues in Hollywood.

Ride the Pink Horse posterTickets are now on sale for Noir City Hollywood. The 17th annual edition of the fest runs April 3-19 at the American Cinematheque’s Egyptian Theatre. There’s so much noir goodness – oops, I mean badness – to choose from. I am particularly looking forward to the Humphrey Bogart programming as well as the Dorothy B. Hughes double feature: “Ride the Pink Horse” and “The Fallen Sparrow.” Criterion just released “Ride the Pink Horse” on Blu-ray and DVD, which is great, but I can’t wait to see this at the Egyptian.

The Egyptian Theater is at 6712 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, CA 90028.

Mais oui! The always-outstanding City of Angels City of Lights (COLCOA) festival runs April 20-28. “The Soft Skin” restored? I’m in! Check the web site for more info starting March 31. This is a first-rate festival and should not be missed!

The COLCOA festival is held at the Directors Guild of America, 7920 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, 90046.

Filed Under: Noir Style, Out of the Shadows Tagged With: , , , , ,
« Previous Page
Next Page »