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