NOIRVEMBER 2024
Curated by local film critic and podcaster Matthew Turner, this mini season of film noir classics runs exclusively at Chiswick Cinema throughout November 2024.
Broadly speaking, the term film noir (coined by French film critics) refers to Hollywood thrillers and dramas from the 1940s and ’50s that were perceived to have a degree of darkness and cynicism, reflecting post-WWII attitudes at the time. Film noir stories frequently revolve around crime, corruption, greed, illicit sex and murder, exposing the dark heart beating beneath the American Dream.
Join us for five film noir classics, all of which showcase key elements of the genre, from hard-boiled dialogue (derived from the detective novels that were often adapted into thrillers), voiceover narration and shadowy lighting to femme fatales, murder plots and decidely unhappy endings.
Broadly speaking, the term film noir (coined by French film critics) refers to Hollywood thrillers and dramas from the 1940s and ’50s that were perceived to have a degree of darkness and cynicism, reflecting post-WWII attitudes at the time. Film noir stories frequently revolve around crime, corruption, greed, illicit sex and murder, exposing the dark heart beating beneath the American Dream.
Join us for five film noir classics, all of which showcase key elements of the genre, from hard-boiled dialogue (derived from the detective novels that were often adapted into thrillers), voiceover narration and shadowy lighting to femme fatales, murder plots and decidely unhappy endings.
About Matthew Turner
Each film will be introduced by Matthew Turner, a lifelong film noir enthusiast, who will also be around in the bar after each screening. In addition, audiences are invited to post about the films online, using the hashtag #Noirvember, a great source of other film noir recommendations.
Opening Night:
Double Indemnity
“I killed Dietrichson. Me, Walter Neff, insurance salesman, 35 years old, unmarried, no visible scars. Until a while ago that is.” That’s the perfect opening of Billy Wilder’s film noir classic, co-written by Raymond Chandler and based on a novel by James M. Cain, in which Fred MacMurray’s fall guy is seduced into murder and insurance fraud by Barbara Stanwyck’s Phyllis Dietrichson, perhaps the genre’s greatest femme fatale.
Nightmare Alley
Recently remade by Guillermo del Toro, this is a rare chance to see this gloriously dark thriller on the big screen. Based on a 1946 novel by William Lindsay Gresham, it stars Tyrone Power as a scheming carnival barker who sows the seeds of his downfall when he begins a fraudulent mind-reading act, aimed at defrauding wealthy clients.
Sunset Boulevard
Film noir openings don’t get much darker than Billy Wilder’s other noir classic, which is narrated by a corpse floating in a swimming pool. The corpse in question is Joe Gillis (William Holden), a screenwriter seduced by faded silent movie star Norma Desmond (former silent movie star Gloria Swanson), who’s determined to make a comeback.
Dead Reckoning
Released the same year as The Big Sleep (see below), this lesser-known noir thriller is ripe for rediscovery. Told in flashback, it stars Humprey Bogart as war hero “Rip” Murdock, who investigates the death of a fellow soldier and becomes entangled with smokey-voiced femme fatale Coral Chandler (Lizabeth Scott), who was his friend’s mistress.
The Big Sleep
Based on the acclaimed novel by Raymond Chandler, Howard Hawks’ thriller stars Humphrey Bogart as private detective Philip Marlowe, who’s hired by a wealthy family to investigate a blackmail plot and soon finds himself knee deep in murder. Originally produced in 1944, the film famously underwent reshoots to capitalise on the public’s fascination with the real-life relationship between Bogart and co-star Lauren Bacall.
