Classic Film Noir
Here be those darkly vexing offerings one should include in their diet periodically. Film Noir (literally 'black film or cinema') was coined by French film critics (first by Frank Nino in 1946) who noticed the trend of how 'dark' and black the looks and themes were of many American crime and detective films released in France following the war. It was a style of black and white American films that first evolved in the 1940s, became prominent in the post-war era, and lasted in a classic "Golden Age" period until about 1965.
With the list below Alice has included many "Contempory Noirs", making browsing that much more "coloured".....
Right: Orson Wells stars and directs "A Touch Of Evil".
M (Fritz Lang) (1931)
8.4/10
Director: Fritz Lang
Starring: Peter Lorre, Inge Landgut, Ellen Widmann
Uncut for the first time. Harrowing images, shadows and symbolism permeate Fritz Lang's first sound film, an internationally heralded German cinematic... Read more
Madeleine (1950)
7/10
Director: David Lean
Starring: Ann Todd, Ivan Desny, Leslie Banks
"Madeleine" was inspired by a true story that rocked the English legal system to its foundations in the mid-19th century. Told in flashback, the film... Read more
Married Life (2007)
6.3/10
Director: Ira Sachs
Starring: Chris Cooper, Patricia Clarkson, Pierce Brosnan, Rachel McAdams, David Wenham
Set in 1949, Chris Cooper is Harry, a middle-aged businessman agonising over how best to leave his wife, Pat (Patricia Clarkson), so he can marry Kay... Read more
Max and the Junkmen (1971)
7.4/10
Director: Claude Sautet
Starring: Romy Schneider, Michel Piccoli, Bernard Fresson
A classic French noir with Michel Piccoli as Max, a former judge who joins the police force in an obsessive attempt to bring criminals to justice. He... Read more
Mildred Pierce (1945)
8/10
Director: Michael Curtiz
Starring: Joan Crawford, Jack Carson, Zachary Scott
Superb Hollywood thriller with Joan Crawford (in her Oscar-winning role) as the waitress-turned-businesswoman who struggles to provide a good life for... Read more
Ministry of Fear (1944)
7.2/10
Director: Fritz Lang
Starring: Ray Milland, Marjorie Reynolds, Carl Esmond, Hillary Brooke
A dense, yet quirky espionage thriller with Ray Milland as a recently released patient from a mental asylum who unwittingly gets caught up in Nazi spy... Read more
Mr Moto's Last Warning (1939)
6.6/10
Director: Norman Foster
Starring: George Sanders, John Carradine, Peter Lorre
Japanese detective Mr. Moto (Peter Lorre) finds himself hip-deep in international espionage in this adventure tale... It's a warning the folks running... Read more
Mr Wong - Doomed to Die (1940)
Director: William Nigh
Starring: Boris Karloff
In his final "Mr. Wong" mystery, Boris Karloff solves the case of who killed shipping magnate Cyrus P. Wentworth (Melvin Lang). A mysterious fire dest... Read more
Mr Wong, Detective (1938)
6.2/10
Director: William Nigh
Starring: Boris Karloff, Grant Withers, Evelyn Brent
Following in the inscrutable footsteps of Charlie Chan and Mr. Moto, Boris Karloff portrayed Chinese-born crimefighter Mr Wong in a series of classic... Read more
Night and the City (1950)
8/10
Director: Jules Dassin
Starring: Richard Widmark, Gene Tierney, Googie Withers, Hugh Marlowe, Francis L Sullivan
Two-bit hustler Harry Fabian (Richard Widmark) longs for the easy life. Trailed by an inglorious history of go-nowhere schemes, he stumbles on a chanc... Read more