| DVD Roundup August 2004
 Film Noir
The term film noir was coined
by French movie critics in 1958, when they took a serious look at some American films that
US audiences had viewed only as simple entertainment. These critics were able to show
that, far from mere entertainment, these films were explorations of important themes
placed within, and sometimes overshadowed by, entertaining crime milieux. Perhaps the two
most important themes that films noirs have in common is their examinations of the limits
of morality, and their portraits of the existential crisis of 20th-century humankind.
Common morality tells us that it is right to tell the truth
and help our fellow human beings. But what happens if those we encounter are known to be
liars, or have betrayed us in the past? What if we know that the man asking for our help
is a murderer or is likely to betray us? The films collected under the film noir banner
often deal with such questions by placing an otherwise moral person in the position of
needing to answer them.
The French existentialists talk of the existential crisis
of modern man as the individual’s need to determine for himself what actions he will
take and what will define him in his dealings with the world. The protagonists in these
films also share an existential crisis: with moral decay all around them, they must
determine how they will define themselves. Will their self-interest trump the collective
good? Will emotional attachments lead to betrayal by those they hold dear? These men (and
it usually is men, not women, in these films) have to decide what will define their
existence, and what their legacy will be, without the reassurance of society or God.
Classic films
 There are many examples of
classic film noir, but the two best examples for beginners may be The Third Man and
The Maltese Falcon. Both films had literary beginnings. The Third Man is
based on a novel by Graham Greene, The Maltese Falcon on Dashiell Hammett’s
novel of the same title. A third classic, Touch of Evil, shows off Orson
Welles’s skills as director, writer, and actor.
The Maltese Falcon (Warner Home Video, ****),
directed in 1941 by John Huston, is generally considered to be the first film noir,
although some like to push the beginning back to Fritz Lang’s M. Whichever
historical starting point you prefer, The Maltese Falcon is a great introduction to
the genre. The movie stars Humphrey Bogart as Sam Spade, a San Francisco private eye who
gets caught up in an international chase for a priceless artifact. Forced into making
decisions outside the law, Spade must determine for himself whom he will trust. The whole
cast delivers fine performances, but three -- by Bogart, Sidney Greenstreet, and Peter
Lorre -- provide iconic characterizations that are immediately recognizable, if only
because of decades of imitation. The main special feature on this disc is a short
documentary, "Becoming Attractions: The Trailers of Humphrey Bogart," hosted by
Robert Osborne. While not directly noir-related, it amounts to a short overview of
Bogart’s career. There are two trailers: one each for The Maltese Falcon and Satan
Met a Lady. There is also an uncredited essay, "A History of Mystery," that,
while giving a basic overview of the mystery genre throughout the 20th century, is
annoying because of the need to scroll through several screens while reading it.
 In The Third Man (1949, The
Criterion Collection, ****), written by Graham Greene and directed by Carol Reed, Joseph
Cotten plays Holly Martins, who is searching for his friend Harry Lime (Orson Welles) in
postwar Vienna. When he discovers that Lime might be responsible for some shady dealings,
Martins must decide how he will deal with his old friend. This disc is an example of the
superb job that Criterion does on the vast majority of their releases. Along with a
gorgeous black-and-white print, the disc is full of meaningful extras. There is a video
introduction by Peter Bogdanovich, an abridged recording by Richard Clarke of
Greene’s original treatment, two radio shows (including an episode of The Lives of
Harry Lime, the Lux Radio Theatre’s adaptation of The Third Man, also
starring Welles), film footage of composer Anton Karas, both original and re-release
trailers, and Joseph Cotten’s alternate opening voiceover narration, originally made
for the US version. There is also a demonstration of the restoration process used by
Criterion for the film. If nothing else, this demonstration should justify the premium
price Criterion asks for their discs.
Orson Welles’s Touch of Evil (1958, Universal,
****) stars Welles, Janet Leigh, and Charlton Heston. It is beautifully shot -- the
famous opening sequence alone is worth the price of the disc -- and Welles’s
performance is a good counterpoint to the one he delivers in The Third Man. Welles
plays Capt. Hank Quinlan, a corrupt police chief who clashes with Mike Vargas (Heston), an
honorable Mexican narcotics officer. Vargas finds himself thrust into situations where he
must respond to the corrupt dealings all around him. The movie is presented as Welles
intended and not in the version originally released, which was cut by the studio. There
are the usual extras of a trailer and notes on the production, cast, and crew, but the
highlight is a copy of the 58-page memo Welles wrote after seeing the studio’s cut of
his film (to put it mildly, the director wasn’t happy). This is significant for
Welles fans and film historians, though casual viewers may be less interested.
Some modern examples
 Several recent examples prove that
film noir remains a living genre. A good example is Liliana Cavani’s Ripley’s
Game (New Line Home Entertainment, ***1/2), a 2002 film starring John Malkovich as Tom
Ripley, the amoral protagonist of Patricia Highsmith’s Ripley novels and the same
character played by Matt Damon in Anthony Minghella’s better-known The Talented
Mr. Ripley (1999). In Ripley’s Game we find Ripley retired in Italy, but
he soon becomes embroiled in murders related to organized crime in Berlin. The protagonist
in this film is not Ripley, but Jonathan Trevanny (Dougray Scott), the proprietor of a
local framing shop, whom Ripley tricks into taking part in the murders. Trevanny acts as
Ripley’s foil: a seemingly moral man who allows himself to perform immoral acts in
order to help his family. Ripley is an interesting character because he lacks any moral
sense beyond a self-assured egoism. For him, there are no psychological consequences to
actions beyond what he imposes on himself. The picture and soundtrack are good, but this
DVD’s only features are the original trailer and a collection of trailers for other
Lion’s Gate movies.
Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner: Director’s Cut
(1982, Warner Home Video, ***) shows us that the concerns of noir can be set in the future
as well. Harrison Ford plays Rick Deckard, a cop charged with running down a group of
replicants (androids) led by Roy Batty (Rutger Hauer). The future Los Angeles of this film
is a bleak place of endless rain, and Deckard, in his search for the renegade replicants,
ends up grappling with his own identity -- might, he, too be a replicant? -- and facing
questions of morality and existence; e.g., do replicants deserve the same rights as human
beings? The disc contains a widescreen version on one side, pan and scan on the other.
There are production notes, but no extras of note; a much-delayed special edition seems
lost in limbo.
Conclusion
Film noir has become a classic genre comprising some of the
most memorable films of the last 60 years. Once you watch these classics, you’ll see
how influential they’ve been and you will keep coming back for more. If so,
you’ll want to check out the just-released boxed set from Warner Bros.: Shadows,
Lies, and Private Eyes: The Film Noir Collection, Vol.1. This set includes five three-
and four-star classic films noirs: The Asphalt Jungle (1950), Gun Crazy (also
known as Deadly Is the Female, 1949), Murder, My Sweet (1944), Out of the
Past (1947), and The Set-Up (1949).
…Eric Hetherington
erich@hometheatersound.com |
