List of film noir titles

Last updated

Film noir is not a clearly defined genre (see here for details on the characteristics). Therefore, the composition of this list may be controversial. To minimize dispute the films included here should preferably feature a footnote linking to a reliable, published source which states that the mentioned film is considered to be a film noir by an expert in this field, e.g. [a] [b] [c] [d]

Contents

The terms which are used below to subsume various periods and variations of film noir are not definitive and are meant as a navigational aid rather than as critical argument. Because the 1940s and 1950s are universally regarded as the "classic period" of American film noir, films released prior to 1940 are listed under the caption "Precursors / early noir-like films". Films released after 1959 should generally only be listed in the list of neo-noir titles.

Precursors / early noir-like films

Under Cover Man

Classic American noir

1940

1941

1942

1943

1944

1945

1946

1947

1948

1949

1950

1951

1952

1953

1954

1955

1956

1957

1958

1959

American color noir

British noir

International noir

Classic-period crossover films

Noir Westerns

Miscellaneous crossover films

Noir comedies / parodies

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Film noir</span> Cinematic term used to describe stylized feature film crime dramas

Film noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylized Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of American film noir. Film noir of this era is associated with a low-key, black-and-white visual style that has roots in German Expressionist cinematography. Many of the prototypical stories and attitudes expressed in classic noir derive from the hardboiled school of crime fiction that emerged in the United States during the Great Depression.

Robert Florey was a French-American director, screenwriter, film journalist and actor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terence Fisher</span> British film director and film editor

Terence Fisher was a British film director best known for his work for Hammer Films.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joseph H. Lewis</span> American film director

Joseph H. Lewis was an American B-movie film director whose stylish flourishes came to be appreciated by auteur theory-espousing film critics in the years following his retirement in 1966. In a 30-year directorial career, he directed numerous low-budget westerns, action pictures, musicals, adventures, and thrillers. Today he is remembered for mysteries and film noir stories: My Name Is Julia Ross (1945) and So Dark the Night (1946) as well as his most highly regarded features, 1950's Gun Crazy, which spotlighted a desperate young couple who embark on a deadly crime spree, and the 1955 film noir The Big Combo, with its stunning cinematography by John Alton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Alton</span>

John Alton, born Johann Jacob Altmann, in Sopron, Kingdom of Hungary, was an American cinematographer of Hungarian-German origin. Alton photographed some of the most famous films noir of the classic period and won an Academy Award for the cinematography of An American in Paris (1951), becoming the first Hungarian-born person to do so in the cinematography category.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Goodis</span> American novelist

David Loeb Goodis was an American writer of crime fiction noted for his output of short stories and novels in the noir fiction genre. Born in Philadelphia, Goodis alternately resided there and in New York City and Hollywood during his professional years. According to critic Dennis Drabelle, "Despite his [university] education, a combination of ethnicity (Jewish) and temperament allowed him to empathize with outsiders: the working poor, the unjustly accused, fugitives, criminals."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Gilling</span> 1912-1984; English film director and screenwriter

John Gilling was an English film director and screenwriter, born in London. He was known for his horror movies, especially those he made for Hammer Films, for whom he directed The Shadow of the Cat (1961), The Plague of the Zombies (1966), The Reptile (1966) and The Mummy's Shroud (1967), Cross of the Devil (1975), among others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nicholas Musuraca</span> Italian cinematographer

Nicholas Musuraca, A.S.C. was a motion-picture cinematographer best remembered for his work at RKO Pictures in the 1940s, including many of Val Lewton's series of B-picture horror films.

Paul Sawtell was a Polish-born film score composer in the United States.

Royden Denslow Webb was an American film music composer. One of the charter members of ASCAP, Webb has hundreds of film music credits to his name, mainly with RKO Pictures. He is best known for film noir and horror film scores, in particular for the films of Val Lewton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steven Geray</span> Hungarian-American actor (1904–1973)

Steven Geray was a Hungarian-born American film actor who appeared in over 100 films and dozens of television programs. Geray appeared in numerous famed A-pictures, including Alfred Hitchcock's Spellbound (1945) and To Catch a Thief (1955), Joseph L. Mankiewicz's All About Eve (1950), and Howard Hawks' Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953). However, it was in film noir that be became a fixture, being cast in over a dozen pictures in the genre. Among them were The Mask of Dimitrios (1944), Gilda (1946), The Unfaithful (1947), In a Lonely Place (1950), and The House on Telegraph Hill (1951).

Harry J. Wild, A.S.C. was a film and television cinematographer. Wild worked at RKO Pictures studios from 1931 through the 1950s. In total Wild was involved in 91 major film projects and two extended television series.

George Bellairs was the nom de plume of Harold Blundell (1902–1982), a crime writer and bank manager born in Heywood, near Rochdale, Lancashire. He began working for Martins Bank at the age of 15, and stayed there in escalating roles of seniority until his retirement. He then settled in the Isle of Man.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Russell Metty</span> American cinematographer

Russell Metty, A.S.C. was an American cinematographer who won the Academy Award for Best Cinematography, Color, for the 1960 film Spartacus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert L. Lippert</span> American film producer

Robert Lenard Lippert was an American film producer and cinema chain owner. He was president and chief operating officer of Lippert Theatres, Affiliated Theatres and Transcontinental Theatres, all based in San Francisco, and at his height, he owned a chain of 139 movie theaters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frances Crane</span> American journalist

Frances Kirkwood Crane was an American mystery author, who introduced private investigator Pat Abbott and his future wife Jean in her first novel, The Turquoise Shop (1941). The Abbotts investigated crimes in a total of 26 volumes, each with a color in the title.

<i>The Whistler</i> (1944 film) 1944 film by William Castle

The Whistler is a 1944 American mystery film noir directed by William Castle and starring Richard Dix, Gloria Stuart and J. Carrol Naish. Based on the radio drama The Whistler, it was the first of Columbia Pictures' eight "Whistler" films starring Richard Dix produced in the 1940s. The film will be under copyright until 2040 due to renewal.

Ben Lewis (1894–1970) was an American film editor who worked in Hollywood for several decades. He was employed by MGM for many years, beginning his career with them in the silent era. An early credit was for Quality Street (1927) starring Marion Davies.

References

  1. 1 2 Vernet, Marc "Film Noir on the Edge of Doom", in Copjec, Joan, ed. (1993). Shades of Noir. London and New York: Verso. ISBN   978-0-86091-625-3
  2. Johnny Apollo
  3. Biesen, Sheri Chinen (2005). Blackout: World War II and the Origins of Film Noir Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN   978-0-8018-8217-3, p. 207.
  4. Naremore, James (2008). More Than Night: Film Noir in Its Contexts, 2d ed. Berkeley, Los Angeles, and London: University of California Press. ISBN   978-0-520-25402-2, pp. 13–14.
  5. Sanders, Skoble, Aeon G., Steven (2008). The Philosophy of TV Noir. Lexington, Kentucky: United States: University of Kentucky Press. p. 49. ISBN   9780813172620 . Retrieved 14 August 2019.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. Keaney, Michael F. (2003). Film Noir Guide: 745 Films of the Classic Era, 1940-1959. McFarland. p. 538. ISBN   978-0-7864-6366-4.
  7. "Down Three Dark Streets (1954)". 25 October 2014.
  8. The Scarlet Hour
  9. Park, William (16 September 2011). What is Film Noir?. Bucknell University Press. p. 141. ISBN   978-1611483628.
  10. 1 2 per Hirsch, Foster. The Dark Side of the Screen: Film Noir, 2008 (1981). New York: Da Capo. ISBN   978-0-306-81772-4.
  11. Keaney, Michael F. (2008). British Film Noir Guide . McFarland. p.  15. ISBN   978-0-7864-3805-1.
  12. D'Ambra, Tony (2009-09-06). "Sexual Imagery in Film Noir: Tread Softly Stranger (1958) –". Filmsnoir.net. Retrieved 2022-04-11.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 6 cite web|url=https://bampfa.org/program/mexican-film-noir |title = Mexican Film Noir.|date = 29 March 2024}}
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 6 cite web|url=https://www.filmnoirfoundation.org/noircitymag/Hot-Shadows.pdf |title = Hot Shadows: A Sampling of Mexican Noir|date = 29 March 2024}}
  15. "In Cold Blood - A sangre fría". 28 March 2024.
  16. "Native Son is a darkly satiric noir". 29 March 2024.
  17. "The Resurrection of Native Son" (PDF). 29 March 2024.
  18. "Stolen Identity (1953)". 27 February 2016.
  19. "Dos au Mur, Le (1958)". 13 July 2022.
  20. Colorado Territory review at TV Guide
  21. The Night Editor
  22. 1 2 Western Noir - February 19 - Turner Classic Movies
  23. Coroner Creek film article at TCM Movie Database
  24. Roughshod at AllMovie
  25. Film Noir of the Week
  26. Bright Lights Film Journal
  27. Jeff Arnold blog
  28. 1 2 3 The 10 Best Noir Westerns – Taste of Cinema
  29. 1 2 Cowboy noir: The darker side of the genre - Los Angeles Times
  30. MARCH MIDNIGHTS — Spectacle Theater
  31. per Hogan, David J. (2013). Film Noir FAQ. Milwaukee, WI: Hal Leonard. ISBN   978-1-55783-855-1
  32. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Film Noir Cartoons at the Academy|Cartoon Brew
  33. Postwar Donald|Cartoon Research
  34. Disney's "Duck Pimples"|Cartoon Research
  1. Lyons, Arthur (2000). Death on the Cheap: The Lost B Movies of Film Noir!. New York: Da Capo Press. ISBN   978-0-306-80996-5.
  2. Selby, Spencer (1984). Dark City: The Film Noir. Jefferson, N.C. & London: McFarland Publishing. ISBN   0899501036.
  3. Ward, Elizabeth; Silver, Alain, eds. (1992). Film Noir: An Encyclopedic Reference to the American Style (3rd ed.). Woodstock, New York: The Overlook Press. ISBN   0879514795.
  4. Silver, Alain; Ward, Elizabeth; Ursini, James; Porfirio, Robert, eds. (2010). Film Noir: The Encyclopedia. New York & London: Overlook / Duckworth. ISBN   9781590201442.
  5. Alexander Ballinger und Danny Graydon. The Rough Guide to Film Noir, 2007. London & New York: Rough Guides. ISBN   978-1-84353-474-7.
  6. Spicer, Andrew. Film Noir, 2002. Harlow, UK: Longman/Pearson Education. ISBN   978-0-582-43712-8.
  7. Spicer, Andrew (19 March 2010). Historical Dictionary of Film Noir. Scarecrow Press. ISBN   978-0-8108-7378-0.
  8. Geoff Mayer and Brian McDonnell. Encyclopedia of Film Noir, 2007. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. ISBN   978-0-313-33306-4.
  9. Paul Duncan. Film Noir: The Maltese Falcon, Double Indemnity and More, 2006. Harpenden, UK: Oldcastle Books. ISBN   978-1904048671.
  10. Gene Blottner. Columbia Noir: A Complete Filmography, 1940-1962, 2015. Jefferson, N.C. & London: Mcfarland & Co Inc . ISBN   978-0786470143
  11. John Grant. A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Film Noir: The Essential Reference Guide, 2013. Applause Books. ISBN   978-1557838315
  12. David George and Gizella Meneses. Argentine Cinema: From Noir to Neo-Noir, 2017. Lexington Books. ISBN   978-1498511872
  13. Eddie Muller. Dark City: The Lost World of Film Noir, 2021. Running Press. ISBN   978-0762498963
  14. Deborah Walker-Morrison. Classic French Noir: Gender and the Cinema of Fatal Desire, 2018. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN   978-1786725189