Wow! Two great unknown (to me) noirs at the 11th annual Film Noir Festival at the American Cinematheque (Egyptian Theater Branch). First up Alias Nick Beal a supernatural Noir Morality play that features a career best performance by Ray Milland and is cited by it’s director ( John Farrow, dad of Mia) as his best film! It is great, beautifully art directed and shot with a great Franz Waxman score, a terrific Audrey Totter turning in a wonderful portrayal as a washed up actress, now semi-hustler bar crawling, drink stealing lush, fighting other chicks in waterfront dives. Seduced by devilish Ray Milland in a part (to quote Eddie Mueller) he was born to play. This movie is rife with an ahead of it’s time savagery especially as directed at Audrey Totter! There is a scene of Milland coaching her for a romantic encounter with Good Guy Thomas Mitchell that has to be seen to be believed, it’s that good! Fog, waterfront dives, a Salvador Dali inspired apartment, all add up to an eerie ,unsettling atmosphere that works like gangbusters. Check this one out.
The second half of the double bill was the 75 minute Fly By Night. This B movie has a 1930’s serial plot, involving spies, an insane asylum, a mad scientist, mistaken identity, a super weapon that the spies are after, etc. But it is so funny in such a natural unforced way, it rises way above the subject matter. Richard Carlson was never better and Nancy Kelly is super, a beautiful funny performance. Robert Siodmak’s talent is evident from the first frame to the last, this movie oozes a charm and sophistication that will seduce anyone and make them a fan. There is a car stunt, where the two on the run protagonists drive a car in reverse off a car carrier truck as it’s barreling down a highway ,it rocks! Also the finale involving the scientist and chief spy had the audience cheering. And kudos to the programmers for putting this fast paced funny film as the second half of a double bill,it made what could have been a long night extremely enjoyable.
Here’s a preview of one of tonight’s films screening at the Egyptian theater in Hollywood as part of the 11th annual Film Noir Fest, it’s from Alias Nick Beale directed by John Farrow.
It screens with a rarity directed by super noir sytlist Robert Siodmak, called Fly By Night. Check out this article on the maestro Siodmak, Here.
The great composer, Maurice Jarre, has died. A giant on the landscape of film music, his scores enhanced every film they accompanied. Legendary producer Sam Spiegel saw the film Sundays and Cybele and was so impressed by the score that he hired the young composer to write for his epic production Lawrence Of Arabia, and created a historic director/composer association by introducing Jarre to David Lean. Jarre also scored Franju’s incredible Yeux sans Visage (USA Eyes Without A Face), Frankenheimer’s The Train and many, many more films in all genres, Westerns, Adventures, Dramas, etc. I edited a film that was scored by maestro Jarre, Michael Cimino’s The Sunchaser. He was a pleasure to work with, a good natured, passionate genius, loved by all the musicians in the orchestra. A great artist and a wonderful man. Cinema is missing a true creator, an irreplaceable force, darken all the marquees tonight. We will never see another like him.
The Egyptian Theater in Hollywood is hosting the 11th annual Film Noir Festival starting on Thursday April 2nd with OUT OF THE PAST (arguably the best film noir of all time) and the ultra-rare COMPANY SHE KEEPS. Here’s the link to the schedule. Be there!
This is a beautiful film, a model of economy and feeling, with an amazing score by the great Maurice Jarre, a few years before he did Lawrence Of Arabia. I had the great good fortune to work on a film Mr. Jarre scored, Michael Cimino’s The Sunchaser. He was a pleasure to work with. But check out Sundays and Cybele, winner of he 1962 Academy Award for Best Foreign Film . You can watch it on YouTube, here’s the first part.
Here’s a short film about MGM’s new star Sharon Tate. It was made to publicize her during the making of her first film Eye Of The Devil. In spite of the idiotic narration there are some great moments, Sharon getting vocal instruction, Sharon go-going in swinging London with co-star David Hemmings. Every shot of her is beautiful. I recently saw some behind the scenes footage from Fearless Vampire Killers, the film where she met her husband Roman Polanski. If I find it I’ll post it as well.
Here’s the opening sequence from the seminal 60’s TV show The Prisoner. It starred Patrick McGoohan as Number 6. One of the most surreal things ever to appear on the small screen. Check it out, I still don’t know what the final episode means!
Here’s the trailer for Antonioni’s Blow Up. I’ve been thinking about this film a lot lately, the ambiguity, the way it doesn’t explain anything, the tension created by you not knowing what will happen next, something sorely missed in contemporary films where you know everything that will occur. Great Art Direction, Great Camera Work, some of the best driving footage since Touch Of Evil. Maybe I’ll write an in depth piece on it soon. It deserves it.
Here’s an interview with Franco De Gemini, he played the harmonica on the soundtrack of Sergio Leone’s masterpiece Once Upon A Time In The West. It’s in italian but even if you don’t speak Italian you’ll get a lot out of it. What an incredible movie and what a magnificent score. I went to a screening of a restored version of this film last year, my friends at Triage Motion Picture Services did the restoration and it was beautiful. You can really see the attention to detail Leone put into making this film when you watch it on a big screen. But check out Franco and dig his playing of two notes that clash and how he bends notes and how he gave a voice to The Man With The Harmonica.
Here’s some of Planet Patrol. I used to watch this and drink chocolate milk after I got home from Sacred Heart School. It was made in England in some guy’s garage and there it was called Space Patrol. I love the sets, futuristic cities made of plastic and the music is outstanding. Electronic tonalities reminiscent of Forbidden Planet. Check it out!
Here’s some footage shot during the making of Fellini’s Satyricon. Thanks to Jeff Gent for pointing this out. Oddly enough a guy I worked with many years ago told me he shot a lot of documentary footage on the set of this film, his name is John Taylor, we worked on a PBS kids film with Morgan Freeman. This was just before Freeman’s breakthrough role as a pimp in Street Smart. He had just finished working on Electric Company as The Count and the first thing he told us was ” I ain’t putting on that fucking cape!” So here’s to John Taylor, maybe this is some of his film.
