A Thread for all things Noir!

Film Noir is often debated as in standard histories goes that originated in America in the 40's. Most of it comes from emerging hard-boiled fictions and greater influence in German Expressionism of the 20's. The term also associated with visual narrative traits from low-key photography, wet city streets, Freudian characterizations, and romantic fascination with femme fatale. The term itself later reference the trend of "burgeoning genre" of Hollywood films described as above imported to Europe in 1946. Many critics used that a***ogy called "serie noire". Noir sometimes have themes of fatalism, hopelessness, and moral corruption.

Film Noir is broad in terms how times changed since its inception. Classic Noir films started in the 1940's to 1960's while the genre revitalize itself to color called Neo-Noir started in 1970's to today.

Essential Classic Noir Films 1940 - 1960

• The Maltese Falcon (1941) dir. John Huston
• Double Indemnity (1944) dir. BIlly Wilder
• Out of the Past (1947) dir. Jacques Tourneur
• The Big Sleep (1946) dir. Howard Hawks
• Sunset Boulevard (1950) dir. Billy Wilder
• The Asphalt Jungle (1950) dir. John Huston
• The Lady from Shanghai (1948) dir. Orson Welles
• Touch of Evil (1958) dir. Orson Welles
• The Stranger (1946) dir Orson Welles
• Kiss Me Deadly (1955) dir. Robert Aldrich
• The Big Heat (1953) dir. Fritz Lang
• In a Lonely Place (1950) dir. Nicholas Ray
• Detour (1945) dir. Edgar G. Ulmer
• The Night of the Hunter (1955) dir. Charles Laughton
• Gilda (1946) dir. Charles Vidor

Essential Neo-Noir Films 1970 -onwards

• The Long Goodbye (1973) dir. Robert Altman
• Cutter's Way (1981) dir. Ivan Passer
• Hardcore (1979) dir. Paul Schrader
• Chinatown (1974) dir. Roman Polanski
• Thief (1981) dir. Michael Mann
• Blue Velvet (1986) dir. David Lynch
• To Live and Die in L.A. (1985) dir. William Friedkin
• Blade Runner (1982) dir. Ridley Scott
• Blood Simple (1984) dir. Coen Bros
• The Big Lebowski (1998) dir. Coen Bros
• Point Blank (1967) dir. John Boorman
• Atlantic City (1980) dir. Louis Malle
• The French Connection (1971) dir. William Friedkin

International Noir

France

• Breathless (1960) dir. Jean-Luc Godard
• Band of Outsiders (1964) dir. Jean-Luc Godard
• Alphaville (1965) dir. Jean-Luc Godard
• Shoot the Piano Player (1960) dir. Fracois Truffaut
• Bob Flambeur (1957) dir. Jean-Pierre Melville
• Le Doulos (1963) dir. Jean-Pierre Melville
• Le Samourai (1967) dir. Jean-Pierre Melville
• Le Cercle Rouge (1970) dir. Jean-Pierre Melville
• Un Flic (1972) dir. Jean-Pierre Melville
• Le Deuxième Souffle (1966) dir. Jean-Pierre Melville
• Elevator to the Gallows (1958) dir. Louis Malle
• Rififi (1955) dir. Jules Dassin

Germany

• M (1931) dir. Fritz Lang
• The American Friend (1977) dir. Wim Wenders

Japan

• Stray Dog (1949) dir. Akira Kurosawa
• The Bad Sleep Well (1960) dir. Akira Kurosawa
• Drunken Angel (1948) dir. Akira Kurosawa
• High and Low (1963) dir. Akira Kurosawa
• A Colt Is My Passport (1967) dir. Takashi Nomura
• Cruel Gun Story (1964) dir. Takumi Furukawa
• Pale Flower (1964) dir. Masahiro Shinoda
• Branded to Kill (1967) dir. Seijun Suzuki
• Tokyo Drifter (1966) dir. Seijun Suzuki

United Kingdom

• The Third Man (1949) dir. Carol Reed
• Brighton Rock (1947) dir. Richard Boulting
• Odd Man Out (1947) dir. Carol Reed

Noteworthy Noir Films:

USA

• The Killers (1946) dir. Robert Siodmak
• Criss Cross (1949) dir. Robert Siodmak
• The Killing (1956) dir. Stanley Kubrick
• Killer's Kiss (1955) dir. Stanley Kubrick
• Nightfall (1956) dir. Jacques Tourneur
• Laura (1944) dir. Otto Preminger
• He Walked By Night (1948) dir. Anthony Mann
• T-Men (1947) dir. Anthony Mann
• Raw Deal (1948) dir. Anthony Mann
• I Walk Alone (1947) dir. Byron Haskin
• Born to Kill (1947) dir. Robert Wise
• Odds Against Tomorrow (1959) dir. Robert Wise
• Berlin Express (1948) dir. Jacques Tourneur
• Key Largo (1948) dir John Huston
• They Live By Night (1948) dir. Nicholas Ray
• The Breaking Point (1950) dir. Michael Curtiz
• The Hitch-Hiker (1953) dir. Ida Lupino
• The Woman In the Window (1944) dir. Fritz Lang
• Scarlet Street (1945) dir. Fritz Lang
• Human Desire (1954) dir. Fritz Lang
• The Big Combo (1955) dir. Joseph H. Lewis
• Mr. Arkadin (1955) dir. Orson Welles
• The Man With the Golden Arm (1955) dir. Otto Preminger
• Brute Force (1947) dir. Jules Dassin
• Thieves' Highway (1949) dir. Jules Dassin
• The Naked City (1948) dir. Jules Dassin
• Night and the City 1950) dir. Jules Dassin
• D.O.A. (1949) dir. Rudolph Mate
• Gun Crazy (1950) dir. Joseph H. Lewis
• Force of Evil (1948) dir. Abraham Polonsky
• Mildred Pierce (1945) dir. Michael Curtiz
• Pickup On South Street (1953) dir. Samuel Fuller
• The Set-Up (1949) dir. Robert Wise
• Dark Passage (1947) dir. Delmer Daves
• Night Moves (1975) dir. Arthur Penn
• The Killing of the Chinese Bookie (1976) dir. John Cassavetes
• On Dangerous Ground (1951) dir. Nicholas Ray
• Kiss of Death (1947) dir. Henry Hathaway
• The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946) dir. Tay Garnett
• High Sierra (1941) dir. Raoul Walsh
• Leave Her to Heaven (1945) dir. John M. Stahl
• Somewhere in the Night (1946) dir. Joseph L. Mankiewicz
• Nightmare Alley (1947) dir. Edmund Goulding
• Body and Soul (1947) dir. Robert Rossen
• Moonrise (1948) dir. Frank Borzage
• Angel Face (1953) dir. Otto Preminger
• Where the Sidewalk Ends (1950) dir. Otto Preminger
• My Name is Julia Ross (1945) dir. Joseph H. Lewis
• Murder, My Sweet (1944) dir. Edward Dmytryk
• Whirlpool (1949) dir. Otto Preminger
• No Way Out (1950) dir. Joseph L. Mankiewicz
• This Gun for Hire (1942) dir. Frank Tuttle
• The Glass Key (1942) dir. Stuart Heisler
• The Blue Dahlia (1946) dir. George Marshall

France

• Tête d'un homme (1933) dir. Julien Duvivier
• Pépé le Moko (1937) dir. Julien Duvivier
• L'assassin habite au 21 (1942) dir. Henri-Georges Clouzot
• Quai des Orfèvres (1947) dir. Henri-Georges Clouzot
• Touchez Pas au Grisbi (1954) dir. Jacques Becker
• Classe tous risques (1960) dir. Claude Sautet
• Mélodie en sous-sol (1963) dir. Henri Verneuil
• Deadlier Than the Male (1956) dir. Julien Duvivier

Japan

• Intimidation (1960) dir. Koreyoshi Kurahara
• Take Aim at the Police Van (1960) dir. Seijun Suzuki
• Stakeout (1958) dir. Yoshitaro Nomura
• Rusty Knife (1958) dir. Toshio Masuda
• PIgs and Battleships (1962) dir. Shohei Imamura
• Youth of the Beast (1963) dir. Seijun Suzuki

Lists:
letterboxd.com/pileofcrowns/list/1000-noir-films-they-shot-dark-pictures-didnt
www2.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion/news-bfi/lists/10-great-american-film-noirs
eddiemuller.com/top25noir.html

discuss Noir films and recommend them.

Nice job OP!

watched Detour recently and it was one of the most nihilistic movies I’ve ever seen, highly recommend that and T-Men

adding to the noteworthy section

Sunset Blvd

Dope @sace I’ve been sleeping on my Film Noirs, nice reminder chief just re/watched some of Godard & Wilder’s the other day. Imma add some to my list now for sure

will add

big luv homie

veronica lake

The Long Goodbye's soundtrack is fire.

night of the hunter

French noirs/policiers

La Tête d'un homme (1933) dir. Julien Duvivier
Pépé le Moko (1937) dir. Julien Duvivier
L'assassin habite au 21 (1942) dir. Henri-Georges Clouzot
Quai des Orfèvres (1947) dir. Henri-Georges Clouzot
Touchez Pas au Grisbi (1954) dir. Jacques Becker
Classe tous risques (1960) dir. Claude Sautet
Mélodie en sous-sol (1963) dir. Henri Verneuil

some others that I probably forgot or not sure if they really fit

Korean noir

the goat vdub

Le Doulos

sin city is the best modern film that catches the film noir feeling

in

@Elric

OP still missing bogie the big sleep

Gonna watch Sunset Boulevard soon