Noirvember 2016: 30 Films in 30 Days

I hope everyone had a great Noirvember. I’m looking forward to hearing what you watched last month, so please feel free to use the comments section for that very purpose. I had a great time with Noirvember last year and I think I enjoyed this year even more.

I had originally intended this Noirvember to watch only movies that I’d never seen from the classic film noir period (which I define roughly as the 1940s and 50s), but decided to rewatch a few favorites and films I hadn’t seen in awhile. Some interesting things happened:

Of the 30 films I saw, 17 were on DVD and 10 of those were either from my local library system or interlibrary loan. (If you haven’t checked out getting DVDs from interlibrary loan, I urge you to do so. You might just find some previously unknown treasures.) Eight films were on Blu-ray and five I accessed via streaming services, one each from Amazon and Netflix, three from FilmStruck.

The earliest film I saw was from 1945, the latest from 2002. I saw at least one film from each year from 1945 to 1957 with the year 1947 being the favorite with four films. Five were in color, the rest in glorious black-and-white. Except for Fine Dead Girls (Croatian), all the films were in English.

Several actors appeared twice: Edmond O’Brien, Shelley Winters, Edward G. Robinson, Luther Adler, Richard Conte, Van Heflin, Raymond Burr and Vincent Price. Robert Ryan appeared three times (Caught, On Dangerous Ground, Act of Violence) and to no one’s surprise, Robert Mitchum was the Noirvember 2016 favorite appearing four times (Where Danger Lives, His Kind of Woman, The Friends of Eddie Coyle, Out of the Past). No director emerged as the clear winner, but Fritz Lang, Jacques Tourneur and Orson Welles each contributed two films.

Twelve of the films were rewatches, which seems an awfully high number, but if you can’t revisit some of these great films, what’s the point? Another surprise came as I watched His Kind of Woman. I thought this was a rewatch, but after just a few minutes I realized I’d never seen it before, confusing it with another Robert Mitchum noir title, The Big Steal (1949). I’m glad I saw it; it’s a wild ride!

Other surprises?

I think my biggest surprise was Nightfall (1957), a film I knew little about and almost never hear people discuss. I really enjoyed it and can’t wait to see again. I was so knocked out by Cutter’s Way (1981) that I bought the Twilight Time Blu-ray very next day. I think I also developed an ever greater appreciation for Edmond O’Brien and Richard Conte, actors I’ve always enjoyed, but now look upon with even more respect and admiration.

I also want to champion films that don’t get nearly enough love, such as Where Danger Lives, House of Strangers, Crime Wave and Decoy.

So here’s everything I saw in Noirvember. Feel free to click on the titles to learn more. I hope you’ll find something to watch, but don’t feel like you have to wait until next Noirvember to watch them. Enjoy!

D.O.A. (1950)

Nightfall (1957)

Caught (1949)

The Strange Woman (1946)

Cutter’s Way (1981)

The Blue Gardenia (1953)

Pushover (1954)

House of Strangers (1949)

Mr. Arkadin (1955)

Cry of the City (1948)

Blast of Silence (1961)

Dead Reckoning (1947)

On Dangerous Ground (1952)

While the City Sleeps (1956)

Fine Dead Girls (2002)

A Double Life (1947)

Black Widow (1954)

Call Northside 777 (1948)

Where Danger Lives (1950)

The Stranger (1946)

The House on Telegraph Hill (1951)

The Lady Confesses (1945)

His Kind of Woman (1951)

The Friends of Eddie Coyle (1973)

Out of the Past (1947)

Crime Wave (1954)

Decoy (1946)

Act of Violence (1948)

Pickup on South Street (1953)

Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)