This Mortal Coil

Millvina Dean, in June of this year, passed away, at the age of 97 in a nursing home in Southampton, England. She was the last survivor of the RMS Titanic. An era did not pass with her. That era, the era in which people crossed the ocean in ships, before commercial passenger airlines (and luggage charges), before the New Deal, when all decent men wore hats outside and removed them at the table, and where indecent men were doing the kinds of things that Tiger Woods has been accused (some things never change) -- that era had passed long ago. It faded slowly, with each new technical invention, with each new political invention, with each new atrocity and triumph. If you live long enough, you will see the world change and the people who defined your world will, inexorably, go the way of all flesh. Cynics believe each change, in some way degenerates us. Children, with hand-held calculators and digital clocks never learned to perform arithmetic or how to read a clock (the big hand is on the ...). Latin is not taught in schools, and children text their friends at all (mostly inappropriate) times. Optimists, we've all met one, inform us that Latin was boring, clocks no longer require hands, and calculators have freed our minds with the minutiae of multiplication tables so that young folk could master differential calculus.

As film noir fans, we are familiar with the passing of our favorite actors. Every year, there are fewer and fewer. Today, Jennifer Jones died. She was 90. Jones was not really a noir actress, although she did co-star in Beat the Devil, along with Bogart, Peter Lorre, Gina Lollobrigida and which was directed by John Huston and co-scripted by Truman Capote. Based on that alone, you'd want to rush out to the store (or send your request to Netfl*x) and get what, on paper, sounds like a masterpiece. Life can disappoint us when it comes to such expectations.

Ms. Jones was married to David O. Selznick. When they met, the role of Mrs. Selznick was occupied by Irene, daughter of Louis Mayer, but Hollywood never allowed one's current marital status to interfere with what might potentially follow -- that glittery new future of greener pastures on the other side of that proverbial fence.

Jennifer Jones had a long life. In casual conversation, I recently mentioned that Humphrey Bogart died at the age of 57 (forty years short of Millvina). But, the retort was, he really lived. I was thinking the same thing. There is a pseudo-spiritualist who believes that we must capture each moment and live in the now, not in a carpe diem, sense, but in some deeper, non-defined sense that only a spiritualist can evoke (and which tends to keep them in limos and mistresses as long as they can keep a place on the Times Best Seller list). But a physicist will put lie to the "now" concept. There is no now. Time, like the calculus of space under a curve, is a description, not an absolute value. We tend to think that the past grows and the future becomes shorter. Indeed, it does. For us. That, however, is not a natural absolute. Time does not pass. We do. But before we pass, assuming we live to a certain age, we will witness the passing of Bogart, Huston, and Peter Lorre. The movies and the stories of their lives will continue until such a time as described by physicists and spiritualists when all that is will be no longer. Until then, we can relive a past (not necessarily our own) through the magic of DVDs and retro houses.

Winter Noir

If you see just one Sherlock Holmes movie this year, it should be ... Sherlock Jr. and The Goat, directed by and starring Buster Keaton. It plays at 7 pm, on December 12th at the Castro Theatre in San Francisco (for you out of towners) as part of their Silent Film Festival. There looks to be some interesting movies in this batch, including a Tod (Freaks) Browning directed movie starring Lon Chaney and Lionel Barrymore called West of Zanzibar.

Also playing at the Castro, from December 16th to the 23rd, is the Alfred Hitchcock festival. The Castro will be showing 13 of Hitchcock's films. Most will be shown as double features. See http://www.castrotheatre.com/p-list.html for all the gory details.

And as if that weren't enough, brace yourself for the New Year, as January rings in the Noir Festival with special guests, special speakers, special projectors, special popcorn and lots of other special things. It will be special. More on that later.

But, you've been wondering, how can I be in a noir? Good question. Joseph Lim, has been forging ahead with his film project and needs extras this Sunday, Dec. 6th. Please send Joseph an email first (Reply by email to jozeph.lim@lycos.com, with subject line "noir character") if you intend on participating. Details follow:

Location: House of Shields, 39 New Montgomery, btwn Market St. & Mission St.
DATE & TIME: SUNDAY - 6 DEC. 2009, 4 PM to 8pm.

We seek:
LADIES & GENTLEMEN (many) attired in their own evening wear, 1940s vintage era suits or tuxedos, ladies' evening dresses or suits - all having a good time, while our characters meet. This would be a jazz club setting: suits with ties, handkerchief in pockets, optional hats on.

Extras to portray MUSICIANS also in own PERIOD CLOTHES (SUITS & TIES) with INSTRUMENTS, such as an upright bass, vintage electric guitar.

We will have a hair and makeup department standing by, and a wardrobe department for last minute touches and review.
But all noir characters attending, must be in their own period clothes.

Noirvember

Welcome to Noirvember. Noirvember is the month in which all the long lost promise and premise of, arguably, John Huston's greatest movie, based on, arguably, the greatest short story in the English language, and a long, long wait for this to be released on DVD and we have ... The Dead.

As mentioned in earlier posts, Huston's last movie, based on the last story in James Joyce's Dubliners was more than a cinematic masterpiece. It was a transcendent work of genius. It is a story of deep despair, of love and youth -- lost dramatically and romantically (the death of Michael Fury), lives just wasted away, and the protagonist, poor Gabriel Conroy who is the debased messenger of man's unrealized desires. All this, in a single work of fiction, transcribed to screen by the very same man who brought us Treasure of the Sierra Madre in which his father co-starred, and who cast his daughter (Anjelica Huston) as Gretta (Gabriel's wife) all while he himself was dying. Finally, this movie is available on DVD! Was it released by Criterion? They would seem the likely candidate, but after I wrote them on the subject, they were kind enough to respond with some worthless pabulum that indicated they had no idea of the value of the movie. Oddly enough, Lionsgate has released it. Go figure. In any event, if you have not read Dubliners, then you must. Then watch the DVD. Buy one for yourself; your loved one; me (kidding -- I've already ordered mine).

Ok ... Noirvember also brings us "Film Noir Classics: Volume 1". Now, for those of us who've gone out and purchased other noir collections, you have probably been somewhat disappointed. Like the movies of old, you got some gems packaged with some stuff that gave B movies a bad name. Ok, let's be blunt ... studios were maximizing their profits on movies that were made 50 years ago. The people who put the packages together didn't know shit about noir or film and no one cared. But we bought them anyways because there was always some good stuff in there. Well, this package is different. There are five movies, from Columbia (smells of the Roxie show) which include The Lineup and The Sniper (both recently shown at the Roxie). 5 Against the House (1955), directed by Phil Karlson is the rarity of the bunch. Karlson, who also directed Phenix City Story, and Kansas City Confidential, directed this movie starring Kim (Miss Deepfreeze -- she was once a refrigerator spokesperson) Novak. Oh yeah Brian (Uncle Bill Davis) Keith also stars. Ummm ... Murder by Contract and Fritz Lang's The Big Heat are also included in this package. So, if you don't already have these (and I don't see how you can) -- get them while they are still available.

What else is new? You can buy North by Northwest on Blu-ray if you are so inclined. That's hardly worth mentioning since it brings absolutely nothing to the table except for some profits for studio heads who can't figure out how to make a movie as good as North by Northwest anymore.

Oh, and The Prisoner, perhaps the only existentialist spy television series, which originally was conceived by and starred Patrick McGoohan, is coming to television (AMC). This time around Ian McKellan plays Number Two. James Caviezel, will be playing Number Six. He seems to lack the sheer forcefulness and conviction of McGoohan. Can it equal or surpass the original?

Things that are just Ok

September is over. And with it, the conclusion of another Roxie noir series. The weather is beginning to cool down a bit. The days are beginning to grow shorter. Someday it may even rain, but that is in the distant future when the noir series comes to the Castro. A lot of things happened over the summer, and, in general, it was a good time.

October is that middle month. It is not the celebratory end-of-the-year Christmas, Channukah, New Year's Eve party-fest of December, or the preparatory Thanksgiving gourmandism. Sure, there is Halloween. What of it? Well, there is Shocktoberfest. Or, Schlocktoberfest, if you will. You decide. I may stay home.

So, for now, it is time to reflect on things that were less than great, things that were just ok, and things that just plain sucked.

The Roxie Noir series was good, but not great. As one poster mentioned, she walked out on a film, and in my own estimation, there were some very good films, but others that I view as more of a curiosity. A noir curiosity perhaps, and while not necessarily deserving the high accolades we enjoy heaping on some of our favorite noirs (In a Lonely Place, High Sierra, DOA, Dark Passages, etc...), some were just ok. I put Screaming Mimi in that category. And there are things that I would have done better if I were running the show. At least, that's what I claim (not having to prove myself). At least there was a show. What about the Danger & Despair's shows? Where have they been? The complete absence of any D&D screenings, during the summer, quite honestly falls under the "sucks" category of things that never happened for no good reason. Grab your pen or keyboard and complain. Complaining never helped me, but maybe I'm not very good at it.

I recently finished reading "Night Has a Thousand Eyes," by Cornell Woolrich. That was just ok. Sure, it was a page turner -- most of the time. But at other times, I just wondered what the hell was going on and what was it that I did not understand. Should I flip back to the beginning of the chapter? Is it me? No. Some additional editing would not have hurt. The movie, which starred Edward G. Robinson, was purported to also have been just ok (according to the New York Times review). We want Cornell Woolrich and Edward G. Robinson to be excellent -- at least I do.

I went to the movies last night and saw Pandorum -- a sci-fi/horror thriller. It was ok. Maybe it was a 2.5 out of 5. It was not great. It was not bad. It firmly held the middle ground.

There is, however, a bright and shiny future awaiting all of us. But even that has a less-than-silver lining. What is with Sony and the US movie going crowd? It is hardly fair to call Broken Embraces (Los abrzosos rotos) a new movie. The "latest" Pedro Almodovar movie (this one with a noir flair) has been seen everywhere in the world. Except in the United States. (People, grab your Bitchforks and Torches and march upon the Sony HQ). The film will open in November in New York City and in December in LA. Eventually, it will open in the San Francisco Bay Area, and it may never get to Canton, Ohio. People: the movie has Penelope Cruz in it. Isn't that worth something?

Whew. And now for something completely different. Thank you to our man in the field, Peter L. for bringing the following to our attention:
The trailer of “Death Hunt" cue from Bernard Herrmann's score for Nicholas Ray's noir film.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nl1XuCC6xmc

Then, Esa-Pekka Salonen conducts the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DehXokWadu0

I recently purchased a Hadda Brooks double CD, called I've Got News For You. That firmly falls in the not mediocre, most excellent, touching and ephemeral category. If you can find a copy, I highly recommend it. (See my previous posting on Hadda Brooks.)

Also, Joseph Lim, who has written for this blog, is directing a noir. I look forward to the eventual screening.

Noir on the Run

... been really busy, but I've been attending some of the Roxie showings. In general, the attendance looks good. San Francisco really does seem to have a very consistent and dedicated group of noir-philes as I recognize many of the same faces from the Danger & Despair group, as well as attendees at the Pacific Film Archive and the San Francisco Noir Foundation.

So, last night I saw a great lineup. Both movies starred Glenn Ford. Anyways, last night's movies were: Human Desire (1954), and Framed (1947). The Danger & Despair group has shown Framed, and it is a very nice noir with Janis Carter playing the bad girl. Human Desire, however, was directed by Fritz Lang, and co-starred Gloria Grahame as the femme fatale. So it doesn't get much better than that.

While watching Framed, I couldn't help but think that Ford just really did not seem to have the screen presence or charisma, or chemistry with Carter, to succeed in this role. I've seen this film before and I felt the same way the first time. In Human Desire, he seemed more plausible. Could this be because he was older? Or that Fritz Lang was directing?

If you have a chance, do drop by the Roxie. It is conveniently located near the 16th St. Bart Station in San Francisco. Tell 'em Robert sent you. That and a dime won't get you a ride on the Subway.

New Roxie Noirfest Schedule

Once again, the Roxie is showing noir. "THE BEST OF COLUMBIA NOIR: Twenty-two Gems From The Vaults Of Columbia Pictures. All shows in beautiful 35mm archival prints!

Visit the Roxie website for more info: http://www.roxie.com/events/details.cfm?eventID=80E856EB-ACC8-FC5D-A2373DFE6FB28ADB

The Roxie is located in the the sunny downtown Mission District of San Francisco.

Here's the schedule:
Thursday, September 17:
JOHNNY O’CLOCK (1947)
BLIND SPOT (1947)

Friday, Sept, 18:
THE WHISTLER (1944)
THE SOUL OF A MONSTER (1944)

Saturday, Sept 19:
KNOCK ON ANY DOOR (1949)
CONVICTED (1950)

Sunday, Sept. 20:
PUSHOVER (1954)
DRIVE A CROOKED ROAD (1954)

Monday, Sept 21:
SO DARK THE NIGHT (1946)
MY NAME IS JULIA ROSS (1945)

Tuesday, Sept 22:
HUMAN DESIRE (1954)
FRAMED (1947)

Thursday, Sept 24:
THE LINE UP (1958)
THE SNIPER (1952)

Friday, Sept 25:
BETWEEN MIDNIGHT AND DAWN (1950)
THE KILLER THAT STALKED NEW YORK (1950)

Saturday, Sept 26:
THE CRIMSON KIMONO (1959)
SCREAMING MIMI (1958)

Sunday & Monday, Sept 27 & 28:
THE BURGLAR (1957)
NIGHTFALL (1957)

Tuesday & Wednesday, Sept 29 & 30:
MURDER BY CONTRACT (1958)
CITY OF FEAR (1959)

The Hadda Brooks Magnet

I was recently shopping for CDs at Arhoolie Records on San Pablo Ave in El Cerrito, where I picked up two CDs: Hooker N' Heat Live, and Hooker and Canned Heat. I also picked up a DVD documentary on Holwin' Wolf. And while I'm at the counter, I see a refrigerator magnet. This particular magnet featured Hadda Brooks -- Queen of the Boogie Woogie. Where did you get it? Do you have more? I mean how obscure is Hadda Brooks today?

Who was Hadda Brooks? If you love noir, you may recognize the name from the opening credits of "In a Lonely Place." Nicholas Ray gave Brooks (also spelled Brooke) an opening credit despite the fact that she must have had less than five minutes screen time.

Brooks was the first African American woman to host her own television show, in 1957 in Los Angeles, which featured her at piano. She was granted an audience with Pope Pius XII, and sang at the inauguration of Hawaii into statehood in 1959.

In 2007 a documentary "Queen of the Boogie", directed by Austin Young & Barry Pett was introduced to the Los Angeles Silver Lake Film Festival.

Hadda Brooks died in 2002 at the age of 86. She lives today, not only as a historical figure, an icon amongst African American women, not only as the Queen of the Boogie, but as a brave and colorful refrigerator magnet.

Hits by Hadda Brooks:

• Swingin' the Boogie
  
• That's My Desire
• Romance in the Dark
• Don't Take Your Love From Me
• Say It with a Kiss

Inherent Blog

Inherent Vice is the name of Thomas Pynchon's latest novel. And according to the reviewers (and the publisher Penguin Press), it is a noir novel. Pynchon (72) does the voice over for a promotional video. Check it out here. What's that, you say? You've never read a Pynchon novel, or you've tried, but you couldn't (or wouldn't) finish it? That may not be a problem. According to Joseph Bottum (no, I didn't make up that name), in his Wall Street Journal column: "'Inherent Vice' is the closest to beach reading that Thomas Pynchon has ever produced." And, for Pynchon, the novel weighs in at a very svelte 369 pages.

The story takes place in 1970s Los Angeles and tells the story of Doc Sportello, a hippy PI. Oh, and his business is called LSD Investigations (supposed to stand for Location, Surveillance, Detection -- yeah right). Sounds interesting to me. And, for what it's worth, according to the Wikipedia entry, "inherent vice" is: "a legal tenet referring to a "hidden defect (or the very nature) of a good or property which of itself is the cause of (or contributes to) its deterioration, damage, or wastage." The cover price is $27.95, but you can find it for less on Amazon. At the moment, Amazon appears to be selling it for $16.77 plus shipping.

In other noir news, thank you Mr. Johnson for reminding me of the Pacific Film Archive noir showings in Berkeley. Having a problem understanding their website? Stephen Johnson to the rescue (but God help you find parking).

According to Mr. Johnson: This Friday August 14 they are showing Anthony Mann's "Raw Deal" and also "No Man of Her Own" with Barbara Stanwyck in the great but little shown Cornell Woolrich movie based on his I Married a Dead Man novel. Saturday the 15th they show the Italian noir political thriller "Investigation of a Citizen above Suspicion" (1970) about a super arrogant, authoritarian top police investigator who happens to be also a psycho murderer in the paranoiac days of the Red Brigades. On Sunday August 30, they show "Point of Order," the documentary about McCarthy, and also the noir drama "The Prowler" directed by Joseph Losey who was soon afterward driven out of Hollywood by McCarthyism. In September/October they will show the early noir movies of Otto Preminger including "Laura", "Fallen Angel", "Whirlpool", "Where the Sidewalk Ends", and "Angel Face" Wow! what a slambang series!

And as a brief follow-up, yes, GI Joe was a box office hit. As I mentioned in an earlier entry, there were no critics screening for GI Joe because ... well, it sucked. But Paramount figured the summer crowd wouldn't care, and they were right. Some critics, nonetheless, did what critics do. Geoff Berkshire of the Chicago Tribune wrote: "That G.I. Joe is completely ridiculous should come as a surprise to no one. That it's not an outright disaster might be a different story." My work is done here.

More Hammett Please

[I'd like to thank Joseph Lim of the SF Academy of Arts Film club and a previous speaker at the Danger & Despair Knitting Circle for contributing the following piece on Dashiell Hammett's Murphy bed. Stay tuned for news regarding the latest Thomas Pynchon novel, and the Pacific Film Archive series. - Robert]

Saving Dashiell Hammett's San Francisco apartment, no doubt, would be a worthy cause - a treasured artifact in this city's literary history. But how to do it? Immediately, declaration of the residence as a historical monument of historical and monumental proportions would be a start.

This, and what I hope to call a "burgeoning noir history city tour" - might also help. It can't hurt. There ought to be film noir guides, dressed in period attire, who show visitors many key and interesting film noir, crime (true crime or fictional), pertinent locations - where noir was shot or a dark story took place. Perhaps there may be stops at a "speak" - short for speakeasy - so to speak (and easy for you to say?). Even after Prohibition, a place where one speaks easily on covert locations - existed into the noir epoch and to this day. Fictional and sometimes occasionally nonfiction gangsters frequented these gin joints. And of all of them, she had to walk into mine. She could have, just as easily, walked into yours. She was easy that way. But surely, I digress.

One such noir city tour stop must be Samuel Dashiell Hammett's former apartment. Photos must be snapped - with maybe a shot of someone's girlfriend briefly reclined on his murphy bed? Proceeds go to preservation of this and/or other hardboiled literary historical sites (and other murphy beds). Paid for by the committee to save Hammett's murphy bed.

Perhaps an idea or dream only. But it came to me, as I tapped away on my updated typewriter (called a computer), my cigarette dangling devilishly out of a mouth corner, the ashes piling up on my cheap hotel carpet. I poured another gin into a glass, then coughed - due to tuberculosis - while my hardboiled detective (based on my life's experiences as an ex-Pinkerton detective) was being born. This isn't my life, but Dashiell Hammett's, and in that apartment, during business hours, before using that murphy bed.

This was also visualised in the 1982 Francis Coppola produced film, Hammett, based on the novel of the same title. However, in my film critic's opinion, while the movie was occasionally noirish in quality, and Frederic Forrest's portrayal was fantastic, the rest of the picture could have been better. It theorises scenes and characters from The Maltese Falcon inspired by Hammett's detective work (i.e., this one last job, just when he thought he was out of it for good).

Another interesting portrayal of Hammett was performed by Jason Robards in the 1977 film, "Julia" - a supporting role as Hammett the writer who was having an affair with the playwright Lillian Hellman. Multi-layered and complex, this was the portrayal which showed all the experience, ruggedness, and "hardboiled-ness" of the man in a few scenes. This I recommend.

Until the next blog entry, this is Joseph Lim, of the Academy of Art Film Club - blog correspondent - signing off - for now. - Jospeph Lim

Roxie Redux, Brit Noir, the First Doctor, Summer Blockbusters and the Demise of the Critics

The first noir screenings were so popular (i.e., an actual audience showed up), that the Roxie has, wisely, decided on running a second show in September. Elliot Lavine will once again be hosting. From the Roxie webpage: "Now, in answer to the huge demand from noir enthusiasts all over the Bay Area, Elliot Lavine has programmed a stupendous ten day fest of noir classics and curios from the famed vaults of Columbia Pictures. A total of twenty great films - all presented in beautiful 35mm studio vault prints---and none currently available on DVD." For more info, see: http://roxie.com/events/details.cfm?eventid=80E856EB-ACC8-FC5D-A2373DFE6FB28ADB

Thanks to Ned D. for informing me of the NYC Brit Noir showings. Yes, that's William Hartnell with Richard Attenborough in the photo in the 1947 film "Brighton Rock". Extra points if you know what television show for which Hartnell is most famous. Hartnell also appeared in one of the popular "Carry On" episodes. Here's a hint: Hartnell is instantly recognizable by leagues of Brit Sci Fi fans. "Brighton Rock" was based on the Graham Greene novel of the same title (published in 1938). Greene, of course, also wrote the screenplay for that most famous of all Brit noirs: "The Third Man" (the novella was published afterwards). See http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2009/07/30/arts/20090802_NOIR_index.html?emc=eta3 for more info.

Speaking of the Brits, Cahiers du Cinéma has changed hands. And, yes, it was purchased by a British publisher -- Phaidon. Phaidon is "the world's leading publisher of books on the visual arts" (if they don't mind saying so themselves). Cahiers du Cinéma was founded in 1951 and has become an icon of the cinephile world. You can blame Cahiers for lionizing Jerry Lewis, but you can credit them for recognizing the artistry of Hollywood noir (when we thought those films were just "crime dramas"). Editors and writers included: Andre Bazin, François Truffaut, and Jean-Luc Godard. After Cahiers published a list of the 100 most important movies, according to their readers, oddly enough (wink) not a single one of those movies were from across the channel. Well, now's a chance to even the score.

Speaking of critics, has this summer's wide-appeal movies been less than appealing? Consider the fact that Harry Potter has lost a bit of his magic (at the box office, but not with the critics) and that the Transformers sequel has shown just how unimportant film criticism is with respect to the summer box office. The critics hated it. Audiences flocked to the film. Next up is the G.I. Joe film, which appears to have nothing at all to do with the G.I. Joe of our youth (assuming it was part of your youth at all). G.I. Joe, like Transformers, is based on the action figure toys. Then came the comic book series. Inevitably, the mass-market movies followed. Paramount figures why risk the bad reviews. Audiences will flock to the movie anyways.

There were some good movies this summer. Public Enemies (with Johnny Depp) was better than expected and really enjoyable (is it noir?). Soul Power, which appeared on very few screens, was interesting. It was really less of a documentary as opposed to concert footage of the 1974 concert in Zaire (now the Republic of Congo). A great opportunity to see B.B. King, Mohamed Ali, James Brown and many others. Getting back to movies based on comic books, the star of the summer was The Watchmen. The Watchmen was penned by British comic book writer Alan Moore over 20 years ago. And no one, especially Moore, thought it could be turned into a decent movie. But it was. Another comic book inspired movie, Wolverine, was a dud, according to the critics (this time, the fans seemed to agree). Star Trek returned to the big screen and this time it was done right. Moon was the small distribution hit of the summer, and if it is still lingering in some theaters, I suggest seeing it.

Opera Noir

The, largely inactive, Danger & Despair film group has had a number of reels stolen from our Market St storage area. If you happen to see any of these on EBay, Craigslist, or wherever fine stolen items can be found, please send me an email.

Speaking of being inactive, I am frequently asked when will we have another screening. The answer, I don't know. And I sincerely wish I had a better answer for you. During this hiatus, I will do my best to feed your need for noir by posting as many noir activities that I can find.

It is not too late to catch Opera Noir. What is Opera Noir? Well, it's just like film noir, only it's opera :-) Actually, I think a great deal of opera has noir-like plots, but in this particular case, Terry Teachout (yes, the Wall Street Journal performance critic) and composer Paul Moravec teamed up to adapt The Letter to the stage. According to Teachout, "'It looks like a movie, sounds like an opera and plays like a play." Costumes by Tom Ford. Performances are scheduled for July 25 and 29 and Aug. 3, 7, 15 and 18. See http://www.santafeopera.org for tickets and times. Oh yeah, you will have to go to Santa Fe, New Mexico to see it.

Of course, the movie (1940), directed by William Wyler, starred Bette Davis, Herbert Marshall and James Stephenson, was itself an adaptation of the story by W. Somerset Maugham. Howard Koch wrote the screenplay. Koch (one of the writers for Casablanca) was a victim of the House UnAmerican Activities Committee and was blacklisted. Koch had been ordered, by studio mogul Jack Warner, to write Mission to Moscow, which painted Stalin as a friend of the US during a time in which Stalin was pitted against Hitler. In the book Hollywood on Trial -- McCarthyism's War against the Movies, by Michael Freedland, Freedland wrote: "... under protest, Howard [Koch] wrote the script which portrayed Stalin as a friend of the US. Later on, Koch was interviewed by HUAC. A piece of evidence used to prove his anti-Americanism was this portrait of Stalin ... He told them, 'but Mr. Warner ordered me to do it.' Warner would not defend Howard."

Nonetheless, Koch and his wife moved to England, where he resumed his writing career under a pseudonym. Koch was also famous for having written the adaptation of "War of the Worlds," for Orson Welles' Mercury Theatre radio broadcast, which sent America into a panic.

You may have noticed that I have a habit of posting things, well, a bit late. Mea culpa. BUT if you find yourself in Chicago between July 31 - August 6, you should definitely check out Noir City Chicago, with special guest Harry Belafonte (August 1st only). Mr. Belafonte will be present for the screening of Odds Against Tomorrow. Other films being shown are: Framed, The Lady from Shanghai, Double Indemnity, The Prowler, The Killers (hmmm ...), The Breaking Point, Chicago Syndicate, and Call Northside 777. For more information, see http://www.musicboxtheatre.com/collections/noir-city-chicago/.

And hats off to our mystery man in the field (Peter L) for letting me know about the following:
Excelsior Meeting Room at 4400 Mission St.(at Cotter)
Monday, 8/3/09: 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Clash by Night - Barbara Stanwyck and Robert Ryan

Finally, I need your help. It was never my intention to write this blog myself, but to be a forum for contributors who have an interest in writing about noir, publishing noir events, and discussing noir in general. So, if you would like to write a blog entry, tell me about an event, ask a question, etc ... please do.

Help

The following 16 mm prints were stolen from the Danger & Despair Knitting Circle's collection:
The Killers, Roadblock, The Cruel Tower, Journey Into Fear, Loophole, most of the Charles McGraw stuff.

If you see any of these prints for sale, please let me know.

It's Hammett Time

Dashiell Hammett, who died in 1961, lived at 891 Post Street during the years in which he penned Red Harvest, The Dain Curse, and The Maltese Falcon. The building, which boasts a plaque from the
"Friends of Libraries" places the apartment building on the "Literary Landmarks Register." The Literary Landmarks Associate was founded in 1986 and apparently guarantees you may get a plaque, but not much more. Not that we can hold this against them. Find out more about the Friends of Libraries here.

However, our man in the field (Peter L, who should be writing this), has recently brought the following to my attention: the apartment in which Hammett was believed to occupy was #401, which is occupied by Hammett aficionado Bill Arney. Mr. Arney, due to financial reasons, may have to give up the residence. He has performed a good deal of research, restoration work, and has opened his home to other fans of the late Hammett. Amongst some of Mr. Arney's reputed work involved keeping the original Murphy bed, tile restoration, and even family photos by Hammett.

I hope to speak to Mr. Arney in the near future and get the dope on the situation. It would be a shame if the apartment's 1920s decor were replaced by -- well, whatever it is that landlord's in rent controlled San Francisco tend to view as efficient.

For more information on Hammet in San Francisco, check this out and this.

Hammett fun fact: Dashiell Hammett was called before the House Un-American Activities Committee for his subversive leftist views. Hammett never named names and was jailed for five months.

To be continued ...

Summer Noir

The noir summer schedule seems to be slowing down a bit, but there are two interesting festivals, one in Vancouver, Canada (a great place to visit), and the other in New York City (home of the Mets!)

Film Noir (August 6 to 31 at Pacific Cinémathèque, www.cinematheque.bc.ca ) A perennial Vancouver favorite. This year’s month-long festival features 18 vintage titles, including Howard Hawk’s The Big Sleep, starring Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall; The Blue Dahlia, written by Raymond Chandler; Gilda, featuring femme fatale Rita Hayworth; and Robert Aldrich’s classic Kiss Me Deadly.

It seems the French New Wave is hitting New York City again for the next few weeks. The Museum of the Moving Image and the Museum of Arts and Design are teaming up to screen the "French New Wave Essentials" from July 11 to August 30, with showings on Saturday and Sunday afternoons at the MAD basement theater at Columbus Circle. For more information, see http://www.madmuseum.org/DO/film%20series.aspx

San Francisco will be holding the 14th Annual Silent Film Festival. July 10-12, 2009. You really don't want to miss Aelita, Queen of Mars, do you? For more information, see http://www.silentfilm.org/event-home.html.

Finally, The Danger and Despair Knitting Circle has a special series in the works. This time, we will be showing detective television shows from the 50s and 60s, including: Peter Gunn, The Falcon, Manhunt, and more. Keep your eye on this blog and http://www.noirfilm.com/Screenings.htm for updates.

And our man in the field (Peter L) gives us this bit on Raymond Chandler and Double Indemnity: http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2009/jun/05/raymond-chandler-double-indemnity-cameo. Thank you Peter.

Noir in June? And more on The Dead?

May was an eventful month -- with both the excellent Roxie series and the Arthur Lyons' Film Festival in Palm Springs. Unfortunately, I was unable to attend the Palm Springs festival. Would anyone like to comment?

Thanks to Peter L (our mystery man in the field) for making me aware of the following film events at the Alliance Française in San Francisco. They are showing a lot of great films. Some of them are noir, and some are noir-related or have elements of noir, and some aren't. But it is a really cool line-up. I've been to events at the Alliance Française, in the past, and it is a very nice crowd. Some of the films being shown in June: Saturday, June 13, 12pm, A Bout de Souffle and Monday, June 22, 5pm, Ascenseur Pour l’Échafaud. They are subtitled in English. Also, I believe they are free, but check with the AF first.

Actually, we have to thank Peter twice, for bringing this bit regarding James Dean to our attention: http://inmotion.magnumphotos.com/essay/james-dean-0

And speaking of The Dead (both the short story by James Joyce, and John Huston's final film, The Dead), I would be remiss if I weren't to mention that June 16th is Bloomsday. Bloomsday is the international celebration of James Joyce's work Ulysses, of which all of the action takes place on June 16th, 1904 in Dublin. Bloomsday celebrations occur all over the world. My favorite place to celebrate is New York City, at the annual Bloomsday On Broadway event, held at Symphony Space on upper Broadway. In the past, I have seen Fionnula Flanagan, Frank (author of Angela's Ashes) and Malachy McCourt and Barbara Feldon (Agent 99!). This year, if you can believe it, Stephen Colbert will be performing -- so you may want to get tickets soon.

San Francisco will hold a Bloomsday event at the Mechanics Institute, but having suffered this once, I won't recommend it.

Repeat Performance

The Noir film fest at the Roxie has been extended an additional week. It appears that the show has been quite a success. This is a great opportunity to catch some of the shows you've missed, or to re-watch some of them. Since many of these films are rare, this may be your last chance. See the Roxie's website for their extended schedule.

And the Arthur Lyon's Film Noir Festival is almost upon us. It runs from May 28th to May 31st. Some of the films being shown are: Armored Car Robbery (1950), Woman on the Run (1950), The Garment Jungle (1975), Criss Cross (1949) and others.

The festival will also show The Bad Seed (1956). Does that qualify as noir? The short answer is no. The longer answer is also no. The Bad Seed was a horror/thriller film based upon William March's 1954 novel of the same name. The novel was first adapted for the stage and later for film. More on this later ...

A Coffin for Dimitrios

Today's (May 23rd, 2009) Wall St. Journal has an article by Sarah Weinman entitled: "Startling Spy Story -- Ambler's A Coffin for Dimitrios' was postmodern in 1939". For more information on Ms. Weinman and her article, see http://www.sarahweinman.com/.

In other noir news, Pedro Almodovar's latest film, Los Abrazos Rotos (Broken Embraces), opened at Cannes, recently. Almodovar, the darling of Spanish film, and possibly European film, is largely ignored in the United States. Maybe because he prefers sex to violence and his films are always stamped with the kiss-of-death R rating in the US. According to the Bloomberg review: Almodovar delivers a film noir with few loopy moments and a conventional plot: Two older men in the movie business fight over a sultry starlet born on the wrong side of the tracks. Is it really noir? Probably not, as journalists and critics love to abuse the noir appellation, but given Almodovar's track record for making quirky and insightful films -- noir or not -- look for it when it finally hits our theaters.

Showings at the Roxie today: The Burglar (with Dan Duryea and Jayne Mansfield), and Witness to Murder (with Barbara Stanwyck, George Sanders, and camera work by John Alton).

Dr. McCoy and The Dead

I noticed, in the credits to Canon City, the venerable, iconic, DeForest Kelley -- best known as Dr. McCoy of Star Trek fame. Yes, before Star Trek, Kelley had a career, and appeared in a number of B noirs, and westerns. His first film was Fear in the Night (1947), a noir which starred Kelley and was based on the Cornell Woolrich story "Nightmare".

Fear in the Night appears to be available on DVD by Synergy Entertainment as part of the Synergy Archive Series. On visiting their website (http://synergyent.com/), I noticed some very neat stuff, and some stuff which maybe it would be better if time were to forget.

Canon City, however, appears to be unavailable on DVD -- but you had the opportunity to see it at the Roxie (see previous posting). This series continues until next week, so I highly recommend checking it out.

Maybe DeForest Kelley sticks to the brain because another Star Trek movie has hit the summer blockbuster screen. That's a bad thing, right? Well, maybe not. I've seen it twice already and it brings another Star Trek icon to the screen -- Leonard Nimoy (who appears in the new film). To the best of my knowledge, Nimoy has not played a role in noir.

Speaking of things that are not available on DVD, John Huston's last film, and a brilliant film it is, The Dead (1987) is not in print. It is based on the final story of James Joyce's "Dubliners". In the film, Huston's daughter, Anjelica, plays Mrs. Conroy. This brings the Huston cycle full circle, as The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948) let John Huston direct his father, Walter Huston. And speaking of The Dead, Christopher Walken once played the lead role of Gabriel Conroy, in an off-broadway production, which I was fortunate enough to see.

Getting back to Cañon City, Cañon City is not just a movie -- it's also a town in Colorado. And maybe if you aren't going to be attending the Arthur Lyon's Film Festival in Palm Springs (also mentioned in a previous post), you may wish to attend "Western Heritage Days" (May 29th - May 31st) in (you guessed it) Cañon City, Colorado. See http://www.canoncity.com/index.php for more info.

And the Arthur Lyons Film Noir Festival

May turns out to be a great month for noir.

Thank you to Michele M for reminding me of the Arthur Lyons’ Film Noir Festival in Palm Springs. The festival was renamed to commemorate the late Arthur Lyons, who died last year.

The Palm Springs Cultural Center will present The Arthur Lyons’ Film Noir Festival at the Camelot Theatres on May 28-31 2009. More on the festival and Arthur Lyons later. But, for now, the official website is: http://arthurlyonsfilmnoir.ning.com/

It begins tomorrow

The noir festival at the Roxie Theater begins tomorrow and has a great lineup. This is your opportunity, not only to see some great (and rare) movies, but to support a fantastic theater. Theaters, like the Roxie, are closing on a regular basis. The Parkway Speakeasy, in Oakland, no longer exists. I have nothing against the megaplexes -- they work hard to get our business. But it is nice to have choice, and there are some movies that I just don't want to watch on DVD. One of my favorite movies is High Sierra, and I just don't believe it translates well to the small screen. It needs to be watched in a theater.

And it is one thing to appreciate a theater, but quite another to get off your keister and keep it going.

Thursday, May 14
Special Pre-Opening Night Shindig!
ALL NIGHT LONG

Friday May 15:
THE DEVIL THUMBS A RIDE (1947)
THE GUILTY (1947)

Saturday May 16:
RAW DEAL (1948)
RAILROADED (1947)

Sunday May 17:
CANON CITY (1948)
FRAMED (1947)

Monday May 18:
THE SPECTER OF THE ROSE (1946)
THE MADONNA'S SECRET (1946)

Tuesday May 19:
THE STORY OF MOLLY X (1949)
PORT OF FORTY THIEVES (1944)

Wednesday May 20:
THE LAST CROOKED MILE (1946)
VIOLENCE (1947)

Thursday May 21:
PRIVATE HELL 36 (1954)
NO MAN'S WOMAN (1955)

WEEK TWO:

Friday May 22:
NEW YORK CONFIDENTIAL (1955)
THE HOODLUM (1951)

Saturday May 23:
THE BURGLAR (1957)
WITNESS TO MURDER (1954)

Sunday May 24:
REPEAT PERFORMANCE (1946)
HOLLOW TRIUMPH (1948)

Monday May 25:
WOMEN IN THE NIGHT (1948)
UNDER AGE (1941)

Tuesday May 26:
SUSPENSE (1946)
THE PRETENDER (1947)

Wednesday, May 27:
ALLOTMENT WIVES (1945)
WIFE WANTED (1946)

Thursday May 28:
CITY OF FEAR (1959)
SHACK OUT ON 101 (1955)

The Roxie Cinema is located in the heart of San Francisco's Mission District, at 3117 16th Street between Valencia and Guerrero. Local Muni are the 22 and 53 (both at 16th & Valencia), 33 (18th & Valencia), 14 (16th & Mission), 49 (16th & Mission). Bart stops one block east at 16th & Mission.

Noir at the Roxie

Welcome to the first installment (would that be the correct word?) of our film noir blog. By "our", I mean yours and mine, as this is a community blog -- just as the Danger & Despair Knitting Circle screenings are community events (http://www.noirfilm.com).

Look here for upcoming screenings, events, noir news, discussions and current film musings.

Check 0ut the upcoming screenings at the Roxie, in San Francisco:
Film noir returns in May to the Roxie where it once enjoyed its greatest renaissance! Two weeks — from May 15 through May 28th (with a focus on B noirs). Most are not available on DVD and many not seen in theaters for decades! For more info, see: http://www.roxie.com/events/details.cfm?eventID=FCAC11E7-0DC0-741A-D041284EDF775428
And http://www.sf360.org/features/elliot-lavine-revisiting-the-old-haunts

Yours,
Robert