Plot Details: This opinion reveals major details about the movie's plot.

Film Noir - The Dark Side of Hollywood

Kino Video has made a niche out of finding and publishing classic movies that have somehow fallen through the cracks. Such a set of films are those contained in Kino's five Disk set Film Noir - The Dark Side of Hollywood. These are films that Kino classifies as film noir at its most exemplary, although I have some reservations about that, but the movies are all worth watching and are in a great state of preservation for their age - over fifty years, on the average.

OK, I will get this out of the way first: Are these film noir "at its most exemplary," as Kino states on the box? If I take my personal druthers out and view film noir as a range of possibilities that includes incisive direction, stylish dark cinematography, drama, and dramatic scoring - I will have to concede that the collection is "film noir," since it covers a fairly broad spectrum of dark video; however, since I can't separate my personal druthers from my opinion, I need that fatalistic story to really feel I'm getting my best bang for the buck - add a dash or two of irony and a sharp looking femme fatale and I am happier than a pig in a mud puddle as far as film noir goes. Now you know.

I’m listing the movies rank order in accordance with my rating, starting from better to worse. Like I've done on some box sets before, I'll give you a capsule review here and link it to a more comprehensive review if you desire to learn more about a particular title.

SUDDEN FEAR (1952)
The best of the bunch, this stars Joan Crawford as a playwright/heiress who is stalked by a lothario played by the reptilian Jack Palance. Her plotting skills help her in real life when she realizes Palance and girlfriend Gloria Grahame mean to murder her for her money. Directed by David Miller, scored by Elmer Bernstein, and cinematography worthy of a Hitchcock, by Charles Lang. Highly emotional and highly recommended. 4 solid stars.

THE LONG NIGHT (1947)
Also highly watchable, starring Henry Fonda in the surprising role of a despondent man who barricades himself in after shooting a rival in love. Told in flashbacks a long time before Kubrick or Tarrantino "discovered" them, it has a European sensibility based on the great French cinema of the 1930s, courtesy of director Anatole Litvak and crew. Cinematography is by the best there is Sol Polito - MGM’s chief photographer for many years. Dimitri Tiomkin's score is a bit ham-handed but not enough to take much away from this solid 4 star movie.

BEHIND LOCKED DOORS (1948)
Budd Boetticher directs this story of a private eye who goes undercover in a mental institution to try to smoke out a corrupt judge he believes is hiding out there. While in there his identity is exposed and they subject him to some real duress. Worth seeing for the wisecracking performance of Richard Carlson, femme fatale Lucille Bremer, and bit performance by the incredible Hulk-like Tor Johnson. Nice dark, foreboding cinematography by Guy Roe and incidental music by Irving Friedman. Worth a look. 3 stars.

HANGMEN ALSO DIE (1943)
Produced and Directed by the immortal Fritz Lang, this is a melodrama that concerns the assassination of a high Nazi official, but really shows the resistance movement the Czech people put up to shield the killer. Based on true events - Reinhard Heydrich was assassinated, but fancifully Hollywoodized otherwise, it was intended to provoke sympathy for the Eastern Europeans under the heel of Nazism, which unfortunately dates it. Stars Brian Donlevy and Anna Lee, with Walter Brennan in a rare straight role. Cinematography by the award winning James Wong Howe. Solidly watchable. 3 stars.

RAILROADED
This one I had the hardest time with - I mean would you believe Hugh Beaumont (Leave it to Beaver) as a square-jawed flatfoot? Anyway, Anthony Mann - the noir meister directed this one and cast John Ireland - another ho-hum sidekick type in the lead. Not much of a script either, but in between winding your watch you can peep at the screen from time to time to notice femme fatale Jane Randolph slink around or good girl Sheila Ryan purposefully stride about trying to clear her brother, the guy who is being railroaded for murder, per the title. He otherwise hardly matters to the tepid storyline. Guy Roe shot this one too, and it's good cinematography but wasted on this subpar effort. 2 stars.

These are "B" movies in the best sense of the term. While none of them will replace the real seminal noirs like Double Indemnity, The Third Man, or Born to Kill, for the noirophile who really wants to plumb the depths of the genre, this is an essential collection to view.

Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good for a Rainy Day