It's Time Foir the Bestavorite Noir

[melwalton]

Miss G
I was curious. 'The Wrong Box' is a British comedy with a good cast, Peter Sellers, Michael Caine, Nanette Newman, Peter Cook, Dudley Moore, John Mills and Ralph Richardson. I thought it was funny ... mel

I don't mind my stomach talking back to me but I wish it would speak English

[Ann Harding]

After a bit of thinking, in alphabetical order (I kept my list within the very strict limits of post-war American noir):

1. Angel Face
2. Double Idemnity
3. A Double Life
4. Farewell, My Lovely (1944)
5. He Ran All the Way
6. The Killers (1946)
7. Kiss of Death
8. Leave Her to Heaven
9. The Maltese Falcon (1941)
10. Night and the City
11. The Night of the Hunter
12. Party Girl
13. The Reckless Moment
14. Shadow of a Doubt
15. White Heat

[cinemalover]

Ann,

Thanks for participating, you're list is very welcome. I assume you want Bogie's 1941 Maltese Falcon?

[MissGoddess]

Miss G
I was curious. 'The Wrong Box' is a British comedy with a good cast, Peter Sellers, Michael Caine, Nanette Newman, Peter Cook, Dudley Moore, John Mills and Ralph Richardson. I thought it was funny ... mel

I don't mind my stomach talking back to me but I wish it would speak English

Hi Mel!

OK, in that case I have NOT seen it. I would definitely recall that cast.

[Hollis]

Good morning,

To paraphrase a line I've heard oftentimes, "I may not know a lot about film, but I know what I like." I'm certain there are far more film noir classics that I've yet to see than those I have, but from my limited database, these are the fifteen that I think I like the best. They're listed in no particular order.

The Postman Always Rings Twice
The Letter
The Maltese Falcon
Double Indemnity
Mildred Pierce
The Big Sleep
The Killers
Out of the Past
Casablanca
Key Largo
The Asphalt Jungle
The Narrow Margin
Touch of Evil
Notorious
Sorry, Wrong Number.

That being said, I promise not to edit the list. If I start, it'll be just too difficult to stop.

As always,

Hollis

[Ann Harding]

Ann,

Thanks for participating, you're list is very welcome. I assume you want Bogie's 1941 Maltese Falcon?

Yes, of course! I'll amend the list.

[Hollis]

Good morning Chris,

I'm wondering if you (or anyone else) would confirm something for me. Looking back over my list, I'm not entirely certain that two of my choices are true film noirs. If they're not, then I can replace them with two other entries. The movies in question are "Mildred Pierce" and "Key Largo." I'm not nearly as well versed as others with respect to these things so I could use the assist. In the same vein, I didn't make "Casablanca" part of the list because I wasn't sure if it qualified either. If it does, then I'll most definitely have to add it to my list, as it's easily my favorite film of any year and of any genre. Thanks to anyone who can clear this up for me.

As always,

Hollis

[Hollis]

Thank you Dear John (where have I heard that before?)

Given your response, I'm going to amend my list to include "Casablanca." It may not be fair to whatever it replaces, but it is my
"Bestavorite!" movie. The Flyers game is on "Versus (VS)" tonight at 7 EST, unless of course you get Comcast SportsNet where you are. How about that Martin Biron? He may exceed Ron Hextall and be the "Second Coming" of one Mr Bernie Parent! He's been simply spectacular this postseason!

LET'S GO FLYERS!!!!!

As always,

Hollis

[charliechaplinfan]

I'm not sure I'll get to 15 but here goes

The Big Sleep
The Maltese Falcon
Build My Gallows High (Out Of The Past)
Double Indemnity
The Postman Always Rings Twice
The Killers
White Heat
Notorious
In A Lonely Place
Casablanca
Night of the Hunter
The Asphalt Jungle
Shadow of a Doubt
Farewell My Lovely
The Blue Dahlia

I managed it

[cinemalover]

Hi ccfan,
Nice list. I'll also assume you and evyone else are picking the 1941 version of the Maltese Falcon unless otherwise noted. Thanks for playing our game!!!!

Hollis,
It looks like your question was answered but I'll reiterate, as far as this competition is concerned each particapant can define NOIR anyway they view it in their own world. The more diverse the lists the more interesting the competition becomes. There will be some on my list that will defintiely not be considered traditional noir. Noir is also a term that is being used to sell a lot of DVD sets these days, with little or no consideration as to whether the refered to films have any noir elements in them.

We've got a dozen or so lists already (thanks, everyone!), I hope we have many more lists on the way. All you other newcomers to the site we would love to hear (read) your opinions. There are no right or wrong answers, and we almost never point and giggle!

[Hollis]

Hi Chris (and everyone else,)

I've never come across a version of "The Maltese Falcon" other than the 1941 Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor film. I couldn't find any mention of another version at IMDb. Enlighten me if you would please. If it's the same story, I'd be interested in seeing it. Thanks.

As always,

Hollis

[cinemalover]

Hi Hollis,
The Maltese Falcon was made in 1931 starring Ricardo Cortez and Bebe Daniels. It sometimes gets lost because when it was sold to television in the early 50's they renamed it Dangerous Female to avoid confusion with the Bogie version. It's actually a very good movie that has been shown on TCM in the past. The story is very similar and I've known a few who preferred it to its more famous cousin.

[mahlerii]

Ok, here we go-but I don't think I can name 15! Perhaps some of these might not be film noir in some eyes!

1. Ace in the Hole
2. Kiss Me Deadly
3. Angel Face
4. Laura
5. Thunder Road
6. Brute Force
7. Something Wild
8. Suddenly
9. Whirlpool
10. Sweet Smell of Success
11. Manchurian Candidate
12. Big Combo


I can't finish watching "He Ran All The Way" which is now showing on TCM, but so far this film could easily make this list!