Tomorrow, 11/1 at the New England Conservatory, the Boston-based musical ensemble A Far Cry is presenting a concert of music of classic 'American Noir' by primarily European Jewish immigrant composers. The concert will feature adaptations of works of Korngold, Hermann, Barber and more. What a great way to get in the mood for noir!
The Harvard Film Archive has been running a B-Movie series since mid-September, and I'm looking forward to enjoying a few of these films during the third weekend in November. These are examples of true 'B-movie noir', with their tight storytelling and clever directing -- where truly less is more.
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| Kim Hunter and Robert Mitchum in When Strangers Marry (Photo from the HFA Website) |
Sun 11/24 at Harvard Film Archive. HFA is screening a double feature of short noirs directed in 1944 by William Castle: When Strangers Marry and The Mark of the Whistler. The former is a vehicle for Kim Hunter and Robert Mitchum, and apparently is a murder mystery at its heart, with some melodrama thrown in. The latter features Richard Dix and Janis Carter--I had no idea about the 'Whistler' franchise, spun off from the popular radio series, but Richard Dix and other actors portrayed this fictional character in a few movies in the 1940s, all made at Columbia Pictures.
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| Marsha Hunt, Claire Trevor and Dennis O'Keefe in Raw Deal. (Photo from the HFA Website) |
Mon 11/25 at Harvard Film Archive. The HFA B-movie series continues with a double feature of Raw Deal (1948) and Woman on the Run (1950). Raw Deal is an early entry in the filmography of Anthony Mann, stars Dennis O'Keefe and favorite actresses Claire Trevor and Marsha Hunt. Acclaimed noir cinematographer John Alton is credited in this one. For Woman on the Run, we gat Dennis O'Keefe again, though the film is directed by Norman Foster, a one-time Orson Welles protégé. The leading lady is Ann Sheridan, who is 'on the run'. Assuming I'm not overcommitted in preparing for Thanksgiving, I'll be there!
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Raw Deal and Woman on the Run are definite must-sees, Noirvember or not, but especially this month.
ReplyDeleteI think you will enjoy The Whistler series. It is not a series in the sense we are used to, with a continuing character. Each of the stories is different and Richard Dix is our only constant as an actor, not a character. Each one has a very noir vibe.
They certainly know how to do up fall in your part of the woods.
Yes, I'm very fortunate with offerings here, although I was surprised that there weren't more noir films playing the various cinemas around.
DeleteThank you for the clarification on The Whistler - I will definitely look into that series, although I'm not sure these are easy to access (?).
I believe I saw Woman on the Run once when it was on TCM's Noir Alley, but the others are completely new. It will be fun to indulge in a mini Noir festival that weekend.
Thanks for stopping by.