Tag: Identity

Noir City DC 2024

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Introduction

Hey y’all, how is this Winter going (so far)? It’s NOT fun for me; I’m recovering from a bad cough/cold (after Thanksgiving). I’m also way behind on blog posts. As DC area noir-istas know, my local (AFI) theater had a festival in OCT; Eddie Muller (TCM) came to introduce the movies during the opening wknd. This yr, the festival had double features (2 movies) which revolved around the same themes; 5 out of the 6 noirs I saw were new to me.

Thanks for reading!

-EMMA

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Union Station (1950) starring William Holden, Nancy Olsen, & Barry Fitzgerald

A secretary traveling from Connecticut to NYC, Joyce Willecombe (Nancy Olsen), grows suspicious of 2 men boarding her train. She is referred to Bill Calhoun (William Holden), head of the Union Station police; the no-nonsense Calhoun is initially skeptical, BUT the men (who escape) prove to be involved in a kidnapping case. Calhoun calls in his boss/mentor, Inspector Donnelly (Barry Fitzgerald), BUT the ruthless kidnappers stay one step ahead of them. Most of the action centers around busy/fast-paced Union Station.

Holden and Olson also co-starred in Sunset Boulevard in the same year- 1950. Joyce plays Calhoun’s conscience, concerned that the interests of the victim don’t get overlooked in the hunt for the criminals. This is a (lesser-known/low budget) film noir; Holden was on the cusp of stardom. This was Lyle Bettger’s 3rd film; he played a LOT of baddies in his career. The platinum-blonde/wide-eyed Jan Sterling has a small role as his (TOO loyal) gf. Fitzgerald (who always played Irish cops or priests) brings in the humor. You can find this noir on streaming services (or rent on YT).

Cairo Station (1958)

Qinawi (Youssef Chahine), a physically-challenged peddler who makes his living selling newspapers in the central Cairo train station, is obsessed w/ Hanuma (Hind Rustum), a curvy/pretty young woman who sells drinks. Hanuma treats Qinawi kindly and flirts w/ him re: a possible relationship. However, she’s already engaged to Abu Siri, a burly/macho porter struggling to unionize his fellow workers to combat their boss’ exploitative treatment. The movie has a large cast (portraying Egyptians of disparate classes) and does NOT fall easily into one genre. Some viewers commented that the climactic scenes reminded them of Hitchcock! Chahine (an Egyptian of Christian heritage) also wrote the story and served as director. If you’re familiar w/ the characterization, visual style, and themes often seen in Bollywood, you should check it out.

[1] The work sometimes recalls Jean Renoir’s “La Bete Humaine,” but with more attention to detail. […]

Let’s underline the importance of the wide screen, which makes the director look like an entomologist watching an ant hill with a magnifying glass…

[2] It’s not hard to see why “Cairo Station” was banned for 20 years in Egypt. It gained much recognition in Berlin, being nominated for the Golden Bear…

-Excerpts from IMDb reviews

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Le Samourai (1967)

In Paris, Jef Costello (Alain Delon) is a solitary hit man who works under contract. He’s hired to kill the owner of a club, and soon becomes the prime suspect of that murder. His gf (Jane), one of her clients (Wiener), and the Black singer of the club (Valerie) are questioned by the police. Jef is chased by henchmen (sent by the same man who hired him) and by cops. He seeks out who has hired him to get revenge. There is NOT much of a plot, characters have little development, and there isn’t much dialogue. I heard of this film yrs. ago, BUT this was my 1st time seeing it. As Gen Z may say, this movie is “all about vibes.” Sorry IF you’re a fan of thing kind of stuff, BUT I didn’t connect w/ it.

This Gun for Hire (1942)

Hit man Philip Raven (Alan Ladd), is kind to kids and feeds stray cats. He kills a blackmailer and is paid off by Willard Gates (Laird Cregar) in “hot” (marked) money. Meanwhile, a young/blonde entertainer, Ellen Graham (Veronica Lake), gf of police Lt. Michael Crane (Robert Preston) is enlisted by a Senator to help investigate Gates. Raven, while seeking Gates, meets Ellen on a train. Their relationship gradually evolves from that of killer and (potential) victim to an uneasy alliance against a common enemy. This is a well-known/low budget noir which I’ve seen before (on the small screen); it’s a quick/well-paced watch.

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They Made Me a Fugitive (1947)

In this British noir (from Brazilian director Alberto Cavalcanti), a frustrated/cynical former RAF pilot, Clem Morgan (Trevor Howard), joins a criminal gang led by a nasty character nicknamed Narcy (Griffith Jones). On his 1st break-in job, the getaway car crashes and ends up killing a cop. Quickly, Clem is framed as the driver and sent to jail. Seeking revenge, he escapes prison and heads for London. Along the way, he breaks into a suburban home; a housewife named Mrs. Fenshaw (Veda Hope) helps him out, then asks him to murder her husband. Upon reaching London, Clem is sheltered by a blonde/petite dancer named Sally Connor (Sally Gray), who falls for him. He confronts Narcy and the gang in an abandoned warehouse.

[1] There is more attention to sound and camera-work than I’ve noticed in most British movies from the end of the war until about 1956 or so. Warner Brothers gets a huge credit at the start… So, it’s British, but it has American and continental style. […]

It’s scarier than the American gangster movies of the late forties.

[2] The general gloominess (a mainstay of thrillers emanating from the post-war era) is leavened somewhat by its constant flurry of hard-boiled dialogue courtesy of screenwriter Noel Langley. […]

Still, perhaps my favorite scene in the entire film is Howard’s surreal encounter with the zombie-like Vida Hope – in whose household he stumbles while on the run; she turns out to be deranged, and even tries to talk our hero into murdering her alcoholic husband (Maurice Denham)!

-Excerpts from IMDb reviews

Aimless Bullet (1961)

A couple of yrs. after the war in Seoul, a 30-something accountant’s salary is TOO small for him to even get his cavity fixed. He must somehow provide for his PTSD-affected mother, his pregnant wife, a younger brother (who can’t get work after serving in the army), a younger sister (who sneaks out at night to sell herself to American GIs), and 2 young children. This movie was banned in Korea b/c it was so realistically stark in it’s post- war depiction. You could tell that the locations were real; we see urban offices, outdoor cafes (for tea and drinking away sorrows), slums (located on the hilly areas near the city). The character development was V good, though the pacing felt a bit slow at times.

This film is depressing and it drives slowly towards its conclusion. On the other hand, compared to the often over-the-top melodrama present in other films I’ve seen from the era, Obaltan is a stark contrast. Owing more to Italian Neorealism than Hollywood, the film has many moments of mundaneness and potentially existentialist commentary. That Obaltan means “the aimless bullet” should give that away from the start.

-Excerpt from IMDb review

“Port Authority” (2019): From Executive Producer Martin Scorsese

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Port Authority is a love story set in New York’s ballroom scene, and follows Paul, a 20 y.o. from Pittsburgh, who arrives at the central bus station and quickly catches eyes w/ Wye, a 22 y.o. voguing on the sidewalk. After Paul seeks her out in secret, an intense love btwn them blossoms. But when Paul discovers Wye is trans, he is forced to confront his own identity and what it means to belong. -Synopsis (Variety)

Here is a brief description of Ball culture (via Wikipedia): The Ballroom scene (AKA Ballroom community, Ballroom culture, or just Ballroom) is an African-American and Latino underground LGBTQ+ subculture. Its origins can be found in drag balls of the mid-19th C. US, such as those hosted by William Dorsey Swann, a formerly enslaved Black man in D.C. By the early 20th C, integrated drag balls were popular in cities such as New York, Chicago, New Orleans, Baltimore, and Philadelphia. In the mid-20th C, as a response to racism in integrated drag spaces, the balls evolved into house ballroom, where Black and Latino attendees could “walk” in a variety of categories for trophies and cash prizes. Most participants in ballroom belong to groups known as “houses”, where chosen families of friends form relationships and communities separate from their families of origin, from which they may be estranged.

This coming-of-age drama is the directorial debut of Danielle Lessovitz; she made the movie w/ grants from the Torino Film Lab, CNC Cinema du Monde (France), and New York Council of the Arts. Paul is played by Fionn Whitehead, a dark-haired/brown-eyed Brit who was cast (at just 19 y.o.) in Dunkirk (2017) directed by Christopher Nolan. Whitehead began acting at 13 in youth theaters in his native London; he hails from a family of creatives. He is also the lead in Black Mirror: Bandersnatch; I haven’t seen this movie yet (though do like the Black Mirror streaming series). Wye is played by Leyna Bloom (a trans model/actress) who appeared in the FX series Pose; I’ve seen S1 (so far). Bloom hails from Chicago; she has a Black American father and Filipina mother. She trained in various styles of dance since 6th grade; at only 14 y.o. – she performed at the American Ballet Theater w/ Misty Copeland.

Martin Scorsese served as one of the executive producers; I learned this while listening to a Screen Drafts podcast ep on his work. Why would Scorsese be interested in this particular story, some may wonder? Well, this film is set in NYC and delves into group dynamics, power, violence, and masculinity (common in his directorial work). The group of young/white men that Paul comes to live/work w/ is led by Lee (McCaul Lombardi), who is handsome, street-smart, and a bit older (mid-20s) than the others. Late one night on the subway, Lee helps Paul out after the newcomer beaten up by thugs. Lombardi hails from Baltimore, is of Italian-American heritage, and appeared in American Honey (2016) directed by Andrea Arnold (a Cannes selection).

Our early 20s can be a challenging time; perhaps we go away from parents/home, attend college, enter the “adult”/work world, make new friends, etc. The characters here are facing poverty, housing insecurity, and violence on the streets (incl. for things they can’t control- race and physical presentation). Lee and his followers at the shelter hustle to make money by procuring/ selling furniture, electronics, etc, using their race privilege against poor POC/immigrants. Paul goes along w/ them, BUT gets more and more uncomfortable w/ their pushy tactics. On the other hand, Wye and her ball community are focused on self-expression, acceptance, and supporting each other.

Some critics liked the movie, BUT were disappointed that it was told from the POV of the cis/white man. Paul doesn’t feel like he has power over his life; we explains to Wye that he was in foster care and has “anger issues.” Falling in love opens Paul’s eyes up to a wider world; he’s in awe of his new feelings (and the filmmakers depict that well). Unlike him, Wye is comfortable in her own skin, moves gracefully, and has a found family in her “house” (where the young men are her “brothers”). I wanted to see more of the house “mother” (who had 2 good scenes). If you like gritty/realistic and intimate character stories, you can check this out on streaming (for free).

[1] The choice of close-up which make majority of the movie, makes it personal. You feel what the characters are feeling. Watch this movie if you like character driven dramas.

[2] I had the extraordinary opportunity to meet the director back in late 2019, in a Q&A that took place in the Official Language School right after the screening in Gijon’s Film Festival where I first saw the movie. She was so kind and committed to direct the film with heart and mind in the right place, taking a complex thematic involving the identity (in more ways than one) and staying true to the roots.

-Excerpts from IMDb reviews

“Frantic” (1988) starring Harrison Ford, Betty Buckley, & Emmanuelle Seignier

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In a hotel room in Paris, a doctor comes out of the shower and finds that his wife has disappeared. He soon finds himself caught up in a world of intrigue, espionage, gangsters, drugs and murder. -Synopsis

Are y’all fans of (iconic/American) actor Harrison Ford? I’m sure a LOT of you are, esp. IF growing up in the late ’70s to early ’90s. I learned re: this (lesser-known) film of Ford’s from a past ep of the Screen Drafts podcast. An American/middle-aged surgeon, Dr. Richard Walker (Ford) goes to Paris for a medical conference w/ his wife of many yrs, Sondra (Betty Buckley). They can’t open one of their bags, as Sondra picked up the wrong suitcase at the airport. While her husband is in the shower, Sondra gets a call; then (when he gets out) she has disappeared! Richard begins a search for his wife, though he speaks no French, and has V little to go on for clues. Along the way, Richard has to deal w/ the local police, the U.S. Embassy, and a beautiful/exciting young woman hustling to make money, Michelle (Emmanuelle Seignier- just 21 y.o. at the time of filming). This was Seignier’s 1st movie; she has been married to the director (Roman Polanski) since 1989.

Hotel Detective Le Grand Hotel: Have you and your wife been to Paris before?

Richard Walker: Yes, on our honeymoon.

Hotel Detective Le Grand Hotel: Is it possible she met someone here? Someone she has been thinking about?

Richard Walker: Since June 15th, 1968?

The original ending was shown to a small test audience and subsequently changed to the (happy) one in the final cut. Some audience members reported that Sondra was a spy in the original ending! The studio made Polanski cut the run time, too. Now, this is NOT a great movie (crime drama/mystery/thriller), yet it’s tense and will keep the audience entertained. Aside from a few scenes, I thought the film was well-paced. Some viewers compared it to Hitchcock, BUT transported to Paris in the ’80s. Ford carries the movie V well; this is a role that calls for a protagonist who is relatable, trustworthy, and capable. As an added bonus, Ford is looking esp. fit (and the French don’t shy away from showing that)!

[1] Polanski tells us the story with great suspense involving the city of Paris like a character of the film. All movie spends time on the Parisian places and rooftops. The music of Ennio Morricone also is a great element of the film success that gives us a great mood. The characters as Harrison Ford and Emmanuel Seignier are superb in their roles too. I think a must see movie if you love great oeuvres of Hitchcock and you love Paris.

[2] The cast are good but it is Ford’s film and he leads it really well. He convinces as the man becoming increasingly “frantic” and he manages to involve humour as his character becomes savvier about what is happening and also appears to be seedier and less professional as a result!

[3] The film would truly live up to a degree of tension if his interactions with Parisians were realistic. They all seem willing to help, none of them annoyed by an American archetype anxiously babbling English at them in their native country. I’ve heard many stories from friends and writers who’ve been to Paris. They do not bless Paris with a reputation for being nice and accommodating to English-speaking Americans. One friend told me that he was not allowed to have his passport back unless he asked for it in French. Another told me that when he tried to order a meal at a restaurant in English, the clerk slammed her hand on the table and ordered that he speak French. My own experience in Paris might be vastly different, and it is no doubt a beautiful and culturally rich city, but there would inevitably be at least a blemish of resistance against Ford’s conventionally American character.

-Excerpts from IMDb reviews

Two Films of Luca Guadagnino: “I Am Love” (2009) & “A Bigger Splash” (2015)

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I Am Love (2009) starring Tilda Swinton, Flavio Parenti, & Edoardo Gabbriellini

Emma (Tilda Swinton) left Russia to live with her husband in Italy. Now a member of a powerful industrial family, she is the respected mother of three, but feels unfulfilled. One day, Antonio (Edoardo Gabbriellini), a talented chef and her son’s friend, makes her senses kindle. -Synopsis

After watching Challengers this Spring, I decided to look up films that Luca Guadagnino directed in the past. For most (American) viewers, he became one to watch w/ I Am Love; Swinton has worked w/ him on many projects. This is a domestic drama w/ fine food, timeless fashion, and romance. The story is set in (modern-day) Milan, yet the visual style reminded me of a bygone era. The title is taken from the aria La mamma morta, part of the 1896 opera Andrea Chénier by Umberto Giordano; music is a major element here. Swinton learned both Italian and Russian for the part- wow! Swinton’s IRL daughter (Honor Swinton Byrne) played Emma as a child. As the idealistic heir of the biz, Flavio Parenti does a fine job (and looks gorgeous). Fans of Adam Driver (like me) will recognize Italian actress Alba Rohrwacher; they acted together in Hungry Hearts (2014). Here she plays Elisabetta, the artistic daughter of the (buttoned-up) Recchi family.

[1] Who is Mr. Guadagnino, the director? Where does he come from? He seems incredibly sure of himself. Costumes, interiors, landscapes are a visual feast. The score is also a very bold touch.

[2] While I was moved by much of the visual beauty of the film and the idea of breaking with tradition and listening to the voices within, I was infrequently emotionally involved with the characters and I Am Love felt distant and often contrived.

[3] Throughout the movie, it seemed that the food acted as a metaphor: Emma was starting to taste a whole side of her existence about which she’d never known.

-Excerpts from IMDb reviews

A Bigger Splash (2015) starring Ralph Fiennes, Dakota Johnson, Matthias Schoenaerts, & Tilda Swinton

The lives of a high-profile couple, a famous rock star (Tilda Swinton) and a filmmaker (Matthias Schoenaerts), vacationing and recovering on the idyllic sun-drenched and remote Italian island of Pantelleria, are disrupted by the unexpected visit of an old friend (Ralph Fiennes) and his daughter (Dakota Johnson), creating a whirlwind of jealousy, passion, and- ultimately- danger for everyone involved. —Synopsis (Fox Searchlight)

Swinton plays Marianne Lane, a British rock star (similar to Bowie) on an extended vacay on an island of Italy. Paul De Smedt (Matthias Schoenaerts) is her quiet/chill bf of several yrs. The happy couple is forced to host Marianne’s music producer/ex-bf, Harry Hawkes (Ralph Fiennes), when he drops in w/o warning. Adding to the disruption, Harry brought along a much younger/American woman, Penelope (Dakota Johnson), who turns out to be his daughter! As Marianne has recently injured her vocal cords, she speaks V little (and almost in a whisper). Harry (never at a loss for words) takes over the villa’s kitchen, invites his friends over, and does a (hilarious) dance! We start to wonder: What is his motivation to be here?

If you enjoyed The White Lotus, I think you may also like this film (which is a blend of comedy, drama, and mystery). The (natural) way that Guadagnino deals w/ nudity, sensuality, and intimate relationships is rare (esp. for those who don’t see a LOT of European films)! As one viewer wrote: “Guadagnino is a remarkable filmmaker with a retro eye and a futuristic sensibility.” There is a small side plot involving young men (refugees from North Africa); this felt superfluous to some viewers. At a Q&A session for this film, Guadagnino (now 52 y.o.) explained that his mother is Algerian (raised in Morocco) and a Muslim! However, when she married the director’s father, she was estranged from her family.

[1] The quartet core together concocts a palpable interplay between each of them, Ralph Fiennes is the MVP simply because he is all over the place and wondrous to behold under a fully liberated context, and at the same time his performance knowingly triggers a tint of abstruseness which belies the nature of every human soul…

[2] A Bigger Splash is a character development masterclass by Guadagnino. Over the first hour, the film gives everything to build up the intricacies of each character’s attributes so that every subsequent variation and elaboration feels exhilarating. This is a film about people and relationships; how different associations can sometimes coalesce, yet at other times grate, how secrets and history must awkwardly co-exist with the fantasies of perfection.

-Excerpts from IMDb reviews

“Poor Things” (2023) starring Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo, Willem Dafoe, Rami Youssef, Christopher Abbott, & Jerrod Carmichael

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SPOILER ALERT: Don’t read this post if you haven’t seen, or don’t want to know, details from the movie Poor Things.

From filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos and producer Emma Stone comes the incredible tale and fantastical evolution of Bella Baxter (Stone), a young woman brought back to life by the brilliant and unorthodox scientist Dr. Godwin Baxter (Willem Dafoe). Under Baxter’s protection, Bella is eager to learn. Hungry for the worldliness she is lacking, Bella runs off with Duncan Wedderburn (Mark Ruffalo), a slick and debauched lawyer, on a whirlwind adventure across the continents. Free from the prejudices of her times, Bella grows steadfast in her purpose to stand for equality and liberation. -Synopsis from Searchlight Pictures)

Wow, what to say re: this movie!? It seems like viewers either loved it, hated it, or were simply confused! I saw it (on streaming) several mos. after it was released in theaters. Being always online (& a listener of movie pods) I learned a LOT about this before watching. I think there are some scenes that you can enjoy, IF you considered this an alternate universe (AU), a BIT like Bridgerton (Netflix). Well, it’s NOT always pretty like that Regency era show. The visual style is unique and eye-catching, as are the costumes and sets (part of production design). Now, Poor Things is NOT for those of y’all who are sensitive re: cursing, nudity, sex, and body horror (reminiscent at times of Canadian auteur David Cronenberg). The run time is TOO long, BUT that is not rare for recent films.

This is mostly a character study centered on Bella (Stone); she “grows up” from a toddler (as she has the brain of a child) to an adult young woman (capable of making her own choices). Do you think that Stone (who also produced this film) deserved that Oscar for Best Actress? Bella decides to to leaver her “father”- Dr. Godwin Baxter AKA “God” (Dafoe)- and start a romance w/ his lawyer, Duncan (Ruffalo). Sorry to say, Ruffalo is NOT working for me here; I’m a fan of his acting usually. Sometimes actors need to be pulled back by their directors, though I doubt Lanthimos asked for that. In the 2nd act, we meet a young American played by Carmichael; he’s a funny/smart stand-up, comedy writer, producer, etc. However, his style of acting/manner of speaking doesn’t fit w/in this world; it just took me out of the story. I thought that Dafoe and Youssef were quire good w/ all that they were given. Many weren’t amused by the way that sex work is handled in this movie; however, the filmmakers aren’t reflecting the real world. Feminism is NOT just about traveling or reading books- of course. No one can say that Lanthimos is risk-averse, that’s for sure! I was disappointed- that’s the conclusion.

[1] I do recommend this if you like the unusual art film. But I can see it as not being everyone’s idea of a fun time at the movies.

I might almost pair it up with “Barbie” as a thematic double feature as both films explore feminism in 2 very different ways.

[2] Completely over the top, mind boggling romp through the imagination of the main character on a journey of self-discovery and a relentless degree of self-indulgence.

[3] It’s a very very very specific type of weird, that won’t be for everyone. […] It’s like a fever dream on the strangest cocktail of psychedelics. If it happens to be your kind of weird, you will love it.

-Excerpts from IMDb reviews