This Week: Film Noir
The Blue Dahlia (1946)Directed by George MarshallScreenplay by Raymond Chandler
The whole screenplay was written by “detective fiction” author Raymond Chandler at his home, while drunk – all of it. Alan Ladd plays a World War II veteran who comes back with his army buddies, one of them a shell-shocked head case, only to find that civilian life is about as crappy as the army: Ladd’s wife has become a drunken party-slut since he went off to war, and jobs aren’t easy to find. That, and someone gets murdered and Ladd is wanted by the police. Obviously, he’s innocent, so he goes on the lamb to find the real killer, and meets a hot girl (Veronica Lake) in the process.
Cape Fear (1962)Screenplay by James R. WebbAdapted from the novel by John D. MacDonald
Banned in Finland until 1969, it’s the story of bad guy Max Cady (Robert Mitchum) who gets released from prison and threatens the judge who put him there (Gregory Peck), as well as the judge’s wife and daughter. But, legally, the judge can’t do very much to stop Cady until he actually commits a crime so he takes matters into his own hands. It’s basically an hour and forty minutes of Robert Mitchum scheming to commit child-rape for revenge purposes, but presented in a suspenseful, tasteful, and classy manner. Martin Scorcese did a remake of it in color, but it’s crap, so don’t cheat: watch the original.
The Third Man (1949)Directed by Carol ReedScreenplay by Graham Greene
It seems like many great writers would sell out and write for the pictures, and thank Krsna they did. Celebrated English author Graham Greene penned this brilliant screenplay (with a little help from his friends) about a hack dime novelist, Holly Martins (Joseph Cotten), going to post-war Vienna to live and work for his old friend Harry Lime (Orson Welles). But, when he gets there Harry Lime is dead, leaving behind a reputation tarnished by accusatory police and a lithesome girlfriend. So, Holly Martins sets off to try and clear the name of his old friend (the “wrong man” theme) and sleep with his girl – and find the mysterious “third man” who witnessed Harry’s death.
Touch of Evil (1958)Directed by Orson WellesScreenplay by Orson WellesAdapted from the novel Badge of Evil by Whit Masterson
Orson Welles’ greatest work, in my opinion. It’s got it all: drugs, illicit sex, corrupt authority figures, explosions, acid (the bad kind), vengeance, doped-up greasers, kidnapping, drugs, Charlton Heston playing a Mexican police officer – what more could you want from a movie? A plot? Oh, it’s got that too. Good acting? You bet! It’s the story of vice cop Miguel Vargas (Charlton Heston) on his honeymoon who becomes involved in a murder investigation with American policemen, led by the bigoted Captain Hank Quinlan (Orson Welles), and ends up in way over his head. For its original theatrical
Release, Touch of Evil was re-cut by the studio behind Orson Welles’ back, to which he responded with a 50-page memo telling the studio that they were bastards for doing so. Fortunately, most DVD and VHS copies are “restored” versions that recapture Welles’ original cut of the film.