Best Old Film Noir & Mysteries (1920s-1960s)
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- DirectorTod BrowningStarsLon ChaneyMae BuschMatt MooreA sideshow ventriloquist, a midget, and a strongman form a conspiracy known as "The Unholy Three" and commit a series of robberies.This is a crime thriller.
Studio: MGM - DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsJune TrippIvor NovelloMarie AultA landlady suspects that her new lodger is the madman killing women in London.This is an Expressionist thriller.
Studio: indie movie - DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsAnny OndraJohn LongdenSara AllgoodAfter killing a man in self-defense, a young woman is blackmailed by a witness to the killing.An adaption of Blackmail by Charles Bennett.
No one can say what the first film nor was, because it's subjective. But it was probably this one.
It's such an early talkie that the crew didn't anticipate Anny Ondra's Polish accent, so they used a voice actress to do her lines.
Warning: Attempted sexual assault
Studio: indie movie - DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsHerbert MarshallNorah BaringPhyllis KonstamA juror in a murder trial, after voting to convict, has second thoughts and begins to investigate on his own before the execution.An adaption of Enter Sir John by Helen Simpson and Clemence Dane.
This is a mix of a film noir and an Expressionist thriller.
Studio: indie movie - DirectorMichael CurtizStarsLionel AtwillFay WrayLee TracyA wisecracking New York reporter intrudes on a research scientist's quest to unmask The Moon Killer.This is a mix of a film nor and a monster movie.
Studio: WB - DirectorRoy Del RuthStarsWarren WilliamConstance CummingsAllen JenkinsCon-man Chandler and his partner Frank decide to start a clairvoyant act. Chandler falls for Sylvia, one of their marks, but their relationship is challenged when his deception impacts others' lives and Sylvia urges him to reform.Studio: WB
- DirectorMichael CurtizStarsLionel AtwillFay WrayGlenda FarrellThe disappearance of people and corpses leads a reporter to a wax museum and a sinister sculptor.This is a mix of a film nor and a monster movie.
Studio: WB - DirectorW.S. Van DykeStarsWilliam PowellMyrna LoyMaureen O'SullivanFormer detective Nick Charles and his wealthy wife Nora investigate a murder case, mostly for the fun of it.An adaption of The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett.
This is a film noir comedy that takes place during Christmas.
One of the main characters is played by Hispanic film star Cesar Romero (playing a white character).
Studio: MGM - DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsRobert DonatMadeleine CarrollLucie MannheimA man in London tries to help a counter-espionage agent, but when the agent is killed and the man stands accused, he must go on the run to save himself and stop a spy ring that is trying to steal top-secret information.An adaption of The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan.
This is a mix of film noir and an Expressionist thriller.
Studio: indie movie - DirectorW.S. Van DykeStarsWilliam PowellMyrna LoyJames StewartPrivate detective Nick Charles and his wealthy wife Nora are back home at last and hoping for a quiet New Year when there is a murder. The obvious suspect is his wife, Nora's cousin, Selma.This is the sequel to The Thin Man (1934).
Studio: MGM - DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsMargaret LockwoodMichael RedgravePaul LukasWhile travelling in continental Europe, a rich young playgirl realizes that an elderly lady seems to have disappeared from the train.An adaption of The Wheel Spins by Ethel Lina White.
This is a mix of mystery movies, film noir, and Expressionist thrillers.
Studio: MGM - DirectorMichael CurtizStarsClaude RainsJohn GarfieldJeffrey LynnA musician is blessed with four musical prodigies, all girls, and cursed when a troubled young composer enters the lives of his Four Daughters.An adaption of Sister Act by Fannie Hurst.
It's a film noir that takes place during the holiday season.
Warning: Suicidal themes
Studio: WB - DirectorWilliam WylerStarsBette DavisHerbert MarshallJames StephensonThe wife of a rubber plantation administrator shoots a man to death and claims it was self-defense, but a letter written in her own hand may prove her undoing.Studio: WB
- DirectorMitchell LeisenStarsBarbara StanwyckFred MacMurrayBeulah BondiLove blooms between a sympathetic attorney and the comely shoplifter he has taken home for the Christmas holiday.This is kind of a film noir comedy, and it takes place during the holiday season. It's pretty bonkers but also pretty funny.
Studio: Paramount - DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsJoel McCreaLaraine DayHerbert MarshallOn the eve of World War II, a young American reporter tries to expose enemy agents in London.Studio: United Artists
- DirectorCharles ChaplinStarsCharles ChaplinPaulette GoddardJack OakieDictator Adenoid Hynkel tries to expand his empire while a poor Jewish barber tries to avoid persecution from Hynkel's regime.This is rightfully considered to be one of the greatest movies of all time.
Charlie Chaplin plays both Hitler (portrayed as a bumbling idiot) and a Jewish hero standing up for justice. It's obviously quite serious at times, but it's also weirdly funny.
Studio: United Artists - DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsLaurence OlivierJoan FontaineGeorge SandersA self-conscious woman juggles adjusting to her new role as an aristocrat's wife and avoiding being intimidated by his first wife's spectral presence.An adaption of Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier.
Notably, it's implied that the housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers, may have been in love with Rebecca. She's obsessed with her. The biggest eyebrow-raising moment from the novel/the movie is when Mrs. Danvers mentions loving Rebecca's see-through nightgown.
Studio: United Artists - DirectorEugene FordeStarsLloyd NolanMary Beth HughesSheila RyanDetective Michael Shayne and his girlfriend Joanne are on their way to be married when a scream from a nearby hotel room draws his attention to a pair of theatrical murders.Studio: 20th Century Fox
- DirectorArthur LubinStarsBud AbbottLou CostelloRichard CarlsonAfter inheriting a fortune from a gangster, two dim-witted service station attendants find themselves stranded in a haunted house.This is a parody of film noir and haunted house movies.
Studio: Universal - DirectorH. Bruce HumberstoneStarsCesar RomeroVirginia GilmoreMilton BerleRobin Hoodish gangster in 1929 Chicago is an object of affection, kind to New York hood and bad to a bad crook.A film noir comedy that takes place during the holiday season. It stars Hispanic film star Cesar Romero (playing a white character).
Warnings:- There's a racist joke in it.
- Brown face: A Ukrainian guy plays a Hispanic character.
Studio: 20th Century Fox - DirectorOrson WellesStarsOrson WellesJoseph CottenDorothy ComingoreFollowing the death of publishing tycoon Charles Foster Kane, reporters scramble to uncover the meaning of his final utterance: 'Rosebud.'This is usually considered to be THE greatest movie of all time.
Studio: RKO - DirectorJohn HustonStarsHumphrey BogartMary AstorGladys GeorgeSan Francisco private detective Sam Spade takes on a case that involves him with three eccentric criminals, a gorgeous liar and their quest for a priceless statuette, with the stakes rising after his partner is murdered.An adaption of The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett.
This is rightfully considered to be one of the greatest movies of all time.
Studio: WB - DirectorGeorge CukorStarsSpencer TracyKatharine HepburnRichard WhorfJournalist Steve O'Malley (Spencer Tracy) wants to write a biography of a national hero who died when his car ran off a bridge. Steve receives conflicting reports and tales that make him question what the truth about the hero is.Studio: MGM
- DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsPriscilla LaneRobert CummingsOtto KrugerA young man accused of sabotage goes on the run to prove his innocence.Studio: Universal
- DirectorOrson WellesFred FleckRobert WiseStarsTim HoltJoseph CottenDolores CostelloThe spoiled young heir to the decaying Amberson fortune comes between his widowed mother and the man she has always loved.An adaption of the Pulitzer-winning novel, The Magnificent Ambersons by Booth Tarkington.
This is rightfully considered to be one of the greatest movies of all time.
Studio: RKO - DirectorFrank TuttleStarsAlan LaddVeronica LakeRobert PrestonWhen assassin Philip Raven shoots a blackmailer and his beautiful female companion dead, he is paid off in marked bills by his treasonous employer who is working with foreign spies.This is a loose adaption of This Gun for Hire by Henry Graham Greene. Curiously, some WWII things were added to the plot at the last minute, because the Attack on Pearl Harbor happened when they were making the movie.
Studio: Paramount - DirectorErle C. KentonStarsBud AbbottLou CostelloPatric KnowlesTwo dumb soda jerks dream of writing radio mysteries. When they try to pitch an idea at a radio station, they end up in the middle of a real murder after the station owner is killed during a broadcast.This is a parody of film noir.
Studio: Universal - DirectorMichael CurtizStarsHumphrey BogartIngrid BergmanPaul HenreidA cynical expatriate American cafe owner struggles to decide whether or not to help his former lover and her fugitive husband escape the Nazis in French Morocco.This is rightfully considered to be one of the greatest movies of all time.
Studio: WB - DirectorMark RobsonStarsKim HunterTom ConwayJean BrooksA woman in search of her missing sister uncovers a Satanic cult in New York's Greenwich Village and finds that they could have something to do with her sibling's random disappearance.There are two ways you can watch this movie.
One is just take it completely literally and enjoy it. That's what I like to do. Jacqueline is a lesbian who has been dabbling in witchcraft, but witchcraft is very habit-forming.
The other way to watch it is by reading in-between the lines and seeing the anti-LGBTQ message. It's not fun, but it's notable for historical purposes. Jacqueline is a lesbian and she needs to become abstinent now before it's too late to save her soul.
Warning: Suicidal themes
Studio: RKO - DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsTeresa WrightJoseph CottenMacdonald CareyA teenage girl, overjoyed when her favorite uncle comes to visit the family in their quiet California town, slowly begins to suspect that he is in fact the "Merry Widow" killer sought by the authorities.This was Hitchcock's favorite film of his.
Studio: Universal - DirectorReginald Le BorgStarsLon Chaney Jr.Jean ParkerPaul KellyWhen an artist is blinded, his fiancée's father offers an operation to restore his sight. When the benefactor suddenly dies, the artist becomes a suspect.Studio: Universal
- DirectorWilliam DieterleGeorge CukorStarsGinger RogersJoseph CottenShirley TempleA soldier suffering from combat fatigue meets a young woman on Christmas furlough from prison and their mutual loneliness blossoms into romance.A film noir that takes place during the holiday season.
Warning: A woman gets r**** by her boss. You can tell it's about to happen and then the rest isn't shown. She somewhat blames herself for it.
Studio: United Artists - DirectorGeorge CukorStarsCharles BoyerIngrid BergmanJoseph CottenTen years after her aunt was murdered in their London home, a woman returns from Italy in the 1880s to resume residence with her new husband. His obsessive interest in the home rises from a secret that may require driving his wife insane.An adaption of Gas Light by Patrick Hamilton.
Studio: MGM - DirectorEdward DmytrykStarsDick PowellClaire TrevorAnne ShirleyAfter being hired to find an ex-con's former girlfriend, Philip Marlowe is drawn into a deeply complex web of mystery and deceit.This is an adaption of Farewell, My Lovely by Raymond Chandler.
Studio: RKO - DirectorRobert SiodmakStarsDeanna DurbinGene KellyRichard WhorfA young femme fatale-type woman realizes that the man she married is an incorrigible wastrel.An adaption of Christmas Holiday by W. Somerset Maugham.
This is a film noir that takes place during the holiday season.
Studio: Universal - DirectorOtto PremingerRouben MamoulianStarsGene TierneyDana AndrewsClifton WebbA police detective falls in love with the woman whose murder he is investigating.An adaption of Laura by Vera Caspary.
Studio: 20th Century Fox - DirectorJohn BrahmStarsLaird CregarMerle OberonGeorge SandersA landlady suspects that her new lodger is Jack the Ripper.This is a talkie remake of the silent film The Lodger (1927).
Studio: 20th Century Fox - DirectorLewis AllenStarsRay MillandRuth HusseyDonald CrispA composer and his sister discover that the reason they are able to purchase a beautiful gothic seacoast mansion very cheaply is the house's unsavory past.This is an adaption of The Uninvited by Dorothy Macardle.
Notably, it's implied that Mrs. Holloway might have been in love with, or dating, Meredith. She's obsessed with her. What we know about Meredith is that she was in a loveless marriage and had a close friendship, or more, with Mrs. Holloway.
Studio: Paramount - DirectorBilly WilderStarsFred MacMurrayBarbara StanwyckEdward G. RobinsonA Los Angeles insurance representative lets an alluring housewife seduce him into a scheme of insurance fraud and murder that arouses the suspicion of his colleague, an insurance investigator.An adaption of the novel Double Indemnity by James Cain. Author Raymond Chandler wrote the screenplay (with Billy Wilder).
Studio: Paramount - DirectorRobert StevensonStarsOrson WellesJoan FontaineMargaret O'BrienAfter a harsh childhood, orphan Jane Eyre is hired by Edward Rochester, the brooding lord of a mysterious manor house, to care for his young daughter.An adaption of Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte.
Studio: 20th Century Fox - DirectorHoward HawksStarsHumphrey BogartLauren BacallWalter BrennanDuring World War II, American expatriate Harry Morgan helps transport a French Resistance leader and his beautiful wife to Martinique while romancing a sensuous lounge singer.An adaption of To Have and Have Not by Ernest Hemingway.
Studio: WB - DirectorWilliam C. ThomasStarsWilliam GarganAnn SavageLeo GorceyA gem heist gone wrong leaves a wanted man dead. A female reporter finds his body and, to claim the reward, hides the body in a wax museum. When the body vanishes, the hunt is on.This is a parody of film noir.
Studio: Paramount - DirectorMichael CurtizStarsJoan CrawfordJack CarsonZachary ScottA hard-working mother inches towards disaster as she divorces her husband and starts a successful restaurant business to support her spoiled daughter.An adaption of Mildred Pierce by James Cain.
Studio: WB - DirectorCharles DavidStarsDeanna DurbinRalph BellamyDavid BruceIn New York, a woman who partially witnesses a killing from a train window seeks the aid of a crime novelist to solve the murder.This is a film noir comedy that takes place during the holiday season.
Chinese author Leslie Charteris wrote the screenplay and also wrote the official novelization of the movie, which is called Lady on a Train.
Studio: Universal - DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsIngrid BergmanGregory PeckMichael ChekhovA psychiatrist protects the identity of an amnesia patient accused of murder while attempting to recover his memory.An adaption of The House of Dr. Edwardes by Hilary Saint George Saunders and John Palmer.
Studio: United Artists - DirectorLéonide MoguyStarsGeorge RaftAva GardnerVictor McLaglenWhen beautiful Mary returns home to her "whistle stop" home town, long-standing feelings of animosity between two of her old boyfriends leads to robbery and murder.An adaption of The Whistle Stop by Maritta Wolff.
This movie is just ok, but it's often referenced in pop culture. People only watch it because Ava Gardner looks so badass.
Studio: United Artists - DirectorCharles VidorStarsRita HayworthGlenn FordGeorge MacreadyA small-time gambler hired to work in a Buenos Aires casino discovers his employer's new wife is his former lover.This movie is just ok, but it's often referenced in pop culture. Hispanic film star Rita Hayworth is at her Rita Hayworth-iest in this movie and she single-handedly carries the whole film.
Rita's character, Gilda, is so iconic that she's been the inspiration for characters like Jessica Rabbit and Poison Ivy (the Batman the Animated Series version), and Jessie parodied her in Pokémon (in "A Diamond in the Rough!").
Studio: Columbia - DirectorRobert SiodmakStarsBurt LancasterAva GardnerEdmond O'BrienHit men kill an unresisting victim, and investigator Reardon uncovers his past involvement with beautiful, deadly Kitty Collins.An adaption of the short story The Killers by Ernest Hemingway. Hemingway felt it was a good adaption of his work.
Studio: Universal - DirectorHenry HathawayStarsLucille BallClifton WebbWilliam BendixA secretary tries to help her boss who's been framed for murder.Lucy Ball as a femme fatale!
Studio: 20th Century Fox - DirectorFrank TuttleStarsBelitaBarry SullivanBonita GranvilleFrank Leonard, the proprietor of an ice-skating revue promotes Joe Morgan, a peanut vendor at the show, to a management position based on suggestions he made to improve the act of the show's star Roberta, who also happens to be the owner's wife. However, he soon begins to notice that Joe is paying more attention to his wife than he believes is appropriate, and begins to suspect that he has designs not only on his wife but on his business. Meanwhile, someone from Joe's past shows up with information that could wreck his plans.What's unique about this noir is that Belita Jepson-Turner, who plays Roberta, was an Olympian. It's really her figure skating in the movie.
Studio: indie movie - DirectorRobert SiodmakStarsOlivia de HavillandLew AyresThomas MitchellA man is found murdered, and witnesses are sure about the woman they saw leaving his apartment. However, it becomes apparent that the woman has a twin, and finding out which one is the killer seems impossible.Studio: Universal
- DirectorRobert MontgomeryStarsRobert MontgomeryAudrey TotterLloyd NolanThe lady editor of a crime magazine hires Phillip Marlowe to find the wife of her boss. The private detective soon finds himself involved in murder.An adaption of The Lady in the Lake by Raymond Chandler.
This is the first movie to be shot from a first-person perspective, so you actually see things through the eyes of the detective. For instance, when he nods, the camera tilts up and down.
Another unique thing about it is the femme fatale has a most unladylike job - she's a horror comic editor (old horror comics like Tales from the Crypt).
Studio: MGM - DirectorOrson WellesStarsOrson WellesEdward G. RobinsonLoretta YoungAn investigator from the War Crimes Commission travels to Connecticut to find an infamous Nazi.Studio: RKO
- DirectorTay GarnettStarsLana TurnerJohn GarfieldCecil KellawayA married woman and a drifter fall in love and then plot to murder her husband.An adaption of The Postman Always Rings Twice by James Cain.
Studio: MGM - DirectorLewis MilestoneStarsBarbara StanwyckVan HeflinLizabeth ScottA man is reunited with his childhood friend and her husband who believes he knows the truth about the death of her rich aunt years earlier.An adaption of the short story Love Lies Bleeding by John Patrick.
Studio: Paramount - DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsCary GrantIngrid BergmanClaude RainsThe daughter of a convicted German spy is asked by American agents to gather information on a ring of German scientists in South America. How far will she have to go to ingratiate herself with them?Studio: RKO
- DirectorHoward HawksStarsHumphrey BogartLauren BacallJohn RidgelyPrivate detective Philip Marlowe is hired by a wealthy family. Before the complex case is over, he's seen murder, blackmail and what might be love.An adaption of The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler.
Studio: WB - DirectorFrank CapraStarsJames StewartDonna ReedLionel BarrymoreAn angel is sent from Heaven to help a desperately frustrated businessman by showing him what life would have been like if he had never existed.This is rightfully considered to be one of the greatest movies of all time.
It's a film noir that takes place during the holiday season.
Studio: RKO - DirectorPeter GodfreyStarsErrol FlynnBarbara StanwyckGeraldine BrooksRecently widowed Sandra Demarest arrives at the isolated home of her late husband for his wake, but his uncle will not allow her to view the corpse.Studio: WB
- DirectorEdmund GouldingStarsTyrone PowerJoan BlondellColeen GrayThe rise and fall of Stanton Carlisle, a mentalist whose lies and deceit prove to be his downfall.An adaption of Nightmare Alley by William Lindsay Gresham.
Studio: 20th Century Fox - DirectorDelmer DavesStarsHumphrey BogartLauren BacallBruce BennettA man convicted of murdering his wife escapes from prison and works with a woman to try to prove his innocence.An adaption of Dark Passage by David Goodis.
In the style of Lady in the Lake (1946), you see through the eyes of the main character. Except, in this case, it's only until he can take off his plastic surgery bandages. Then the camera's perspective changes so you can see his new face.
Studio: WB - DirectorOrson WellesStarsRita HayworthOrson WellesEverett SloaneFascinated by gorgeous Mrs. Bannister, seaman Michael O'Hara joins a bizarre yachting cruise, and ends up mired in a complex murder plot.This noir stars Hispanic film star Rita Hayworth.
Studio: Columbia - DirectorNicholas RayStarsCathy O'DonnellFarley GrangerHoward Da SilvaAn escaped convict injured during a robbery falls in love with the woman who nurses him back to health, but their relationship seems doomed from the beginning.A film noir that takes place during the holiday season.
Studio: RKO - DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsJames StewartJohn DallFarley GrangerTwo men attempt to prove they committed the perfect crime by hosting a dinner party after strangling their former classmate to death.An adaption of Rope by Patrick Hamilton.
Notably, the main characters, Brandon and Phillip, seem to be a gay couple who live together. The guy who wrote the play was gay. (He was outed and admitted it.) The guy who played Brandon, John Dall, was gay. (Never married but lied about being divorced. Clearly as a way to dodge questions about why he wasn't dating anyone publicly. There's no need to make up a lie like that if you're straight.) The guy who played Phillip, Farley Granger, was openly bisexual.
Studio: WB - DirectorBernard VorhausStarsTurhan BeyLynn BariCathy O'DonnellOn the beach one night, Christine Faber, two years a widow, thinks she hears her late husband Paul calling out of the surf; then meets a tall dark man Alexis, who seems to know all about such things.Studio: indie movie
- DirectorJohn HustonStarsHumphrey BogartEdward G. RobinsonLauren BacallA man visits his war buddy's family hotel and finds a gangster running things. As a hurricane approaches, the two end up confronting each other.A loose adaption of Key Largo by James Maxwell Anderson.
Studio: WB - DirectorMax OphülsStarsJames MasonJoan BennettGeraldine BrooksAfter discovering the dead body of her teenage daughter's lover, a housewife takes desperate measures to protect her family from scandal.An adaption of The Blank Wall by Elisabeth Sanxay Holding.
This is a noir that takes place during the holiday season. Lucia should be spending the holidays with her family, but she does quite the opposite.
Studio: Columbia - DirectorGordon DouglasHenry LevinStarsGlenn FordEvelyn KeyesJohn IrelandWhen he learns that a gangster has taken over his nightclub and murdered his partner, returning WW2 hero Joe Miracle steals the money from the club's safe and hides in a settlement home, while the mob is on his tail.A noir that takes place during the holiday season.
This is a real mixed-bag. Overall, it's a good movie. But, boy, does it gloss over physical abuse. At the beginning of the movie, Joe pretends to be a physically abusive guy, in order to cover for a friend. He's very convincing when he describes being abusive, and it really makes your skin crawl. What's worse is that Jenny falls in love with him anyway, thinking he's abusive. Joe is pretending to be a violent alcoholic, so Jenny says that happens when a man doesn't have the dignity of a job and the means to pay the bills, and she gets him a temp job.
If you can get past THAT, the rest of the movie is really sweet.
Warning: A lot of discussion about domestic violence
Studio: Columbia - DirectorAlfred E. GreenStarsWilliam BendixDennis O'KeefeBarbara BrittonAn insurance company investigator goes to a small town to probe into a case of supposed suicide. The natives are not very cooperative and some turn hostile, leading to suspicion of foul play.A film noir that takes place during the holiday season.
Studio: United Artists - DirectorCharles BartonStarsBud AbbottLou CostelloBoris KarloffTwo employees of a secluded hotel investigate a murder on the premises in which the goofy bellboy is the prime suspect.This is a parody of film noir.
Studio: Universal - DirectorJoseph L. MankiewiczStarsEdward G. RobinsonSusan HaywardRichard ConteAfter years in prison, Max promises revenge on his brothers for their betrayal. His lover Irene and memories of his past yield him a broader perspective.An adaption of I'll Never Go There Anymore by Jerome Weldman.
I feel like this movie laid the groundwork for mafia movies/shows like The Godfather and Goodfellas.
Studio: 20th Century Fox - DirectorCarol ReedStarsOrson WellesJoseph CottenAlida ValliPulp novelist Holly Martins travels to shadowy, postwar Vienna, only to find himself investigating the mysterious death of an old friend, Harry Lime.This is rightfully considered to be one of the greatest movies of all time.
Author Henry Graham Greene wrote the screenplay and the official novelization of the movie, which is called The Third Man.
Studio: indie movie - DirectorVincent ShermanStarsJoan CrawfordDavid BrianSteve CochranA New York socialite climbs the ladder of success man by man until a life among rich gangsters gives her what she thought she always wanted.This movie is just ok. It doesn't have much of a plot and Ethel's only marketable skill seems to be seduction. They say she's smart, but they never show her being smart. Joan Crawford's great acting singlehandedly carries the movie.
Studio: WB - DirectorVincent ShermanStarsViveca LindforsDane ClarkVirginia MayoWhile recuperating from wartime back injuries at a hospital, veteran Bob Corey is visited on Christmas Eve by a beautiful stranger with an even stranger message.Studio: WB
- DirectorJulio SalvadorStarsConrado San MartínElena EspejoTomás BlancoBarcelona, 1950. A man is killed in front of a Police station. The case is given to two agents, a skilled veteran and an eager young one, who team to solve it while bit by bit their efforts unveil the truth. We follow them in their progress with ups and downs, to a thrilling climax in a local amusement park. Filmed on location, so many views of Barcelona at the time.A film noir from Spain! The best part of the movie is the climax, in which the good guy and the bad guy face off in a funhouse.
Studio: indie movie - DirectorJohn HustonStarsSterling HaydenLouis CalhernJean HagenA major heist goes off as planned, but then double crosses, bad luck and solid police work cause everything to unravel.An adaption of The Asphalt Jungle by W. R. Burnett.
Studio: MGM - DirectorMichael CurtizStarsJohn GarfieldPatricia NealPhyllis ThaxterAn otherwise moral captain of a charter boat becomes financially strapped and is drawn into illegal activities in order to keep up payments on his boat.An adaption of To Have and Have Not by Ernest Hemingway.
Studio: WB - DirectorRobert StevensonStarsJoseph CottenAlida ValliSpring ByingtonAn ex-hood hopes to start a new life under an assumed name in a small town but his past catches up with him when an old crime-buddy asks him to help with a casino heist.A noir that takes place during the holiday season.
Studio: RKO - DirectorNorman FosterStarsAnn SheridanDennis O'KeefeRobert KeithFrank Johnson becomes an eyewitness to a murder. He's pursued around San Francisco by his wife, the police, and the killer.Studio: Universal
- DirectorBilly WilderStarsWilliam HoldenGloria SwansonErich von StroheimA screenwriter develops a dangerous relationship with a faded film star determined to make a triumphant return.People take away the wrong message from this movie. People seem to love Norma because they think she's funny. She's not. She's abusive.
She hires a guy named Joe and forces him to live in her mansion, so that he develops Stockholm syndrome. Thus, their sexual relationship is non-consensual.
It's a good movie, but this is one instance where you should not root for the villain.
Warning: Sexual abuse
Studio: Paramount - DirectorNicholas RayStarsHumphrey BogartGloria GrahameFrank LovejoyA potentially violent screenwriter is a murder suspect until his lovely neighbor clears him. However, she soon starts to have her doubts.An adaption of In a Lonely Place by Dorothy Hughes.
Studio: Columbia - DirectorJoseph L. MankiewiczStarsBette DavisAnne BaxterGeorge SandersA seemingly timid but secretly ruthless ingénue insinuates herself into the lives of an aging Broadway star and her circle of theater friends.An adaption of the short story The Wisdom of Eve by Mary Orr.
Something unique about this movie is that the villainess, Eve, is bisexual. She flirts with men and she also takes a woman up to her room while holding her hand.
Studio: 20th Century Fox - DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsMarlene DietrichJane WymanRichard ToddA struggling actress tries to help a friend prove his innocence after he's accused of murdering the husband of a high-society entertainer.An adaption of Man Running by Selwyn Jepson.
What's unique about it is that most of the characters are women and, instead of being pitted against each other, they contribute things that help solve the case.
Studio: WB - DirectorJoseph H. LewisStarsJohn DallPeggy CumminsBerry KroegerTwo disturbed young people release their fascination with guns through a crime spree.An adaption of the short story Gun Crazy by MacKinlay Kantor. Kantor himself wrote the screenplay (with Dalton Trumbo).
Studio: United Artists - DirectorTay GarnettStarsLoretta YoungBarry SullivanBruce CowlingAn invalid husband (Barry Sullivan) wrongly believes his wife (Loretta Young) and doctor (Bruce Cowling) are conspiring to kill him and outlines that suspicion in a letter, which causes a serious concern when he ends up dying anyway.Studio: MGM
- DirectorNicholas RayIda LupinoStarsIda LupinoRobert RyanWard BondRough city cop Jim Wilson is disciplined by his captain and is sent upstate, to a snowy mountain town, to help the local sheriff solve a murder case.An adaption of Mad with Much Heart by Gerald Butler.
Studio: RKO - DirectorSidney LanfieldFrank TashlinStarsBob HopeMarilyn MaxwellLloyd NolanA New York City swindler has until Christmas to come up with the $10,000 he owes a gangster, prompting him to go into scamming overdrive.An adaption of the short story The Lemon Drop Kid by Damon Runyon.
This is a film noir comedy that takes place during the holiday season.
One of the gangsters is played by William Frawley (Fred from I Love Lucy).
Studio: Paramount - DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsFarley GrangerRobert WalkerRuth RomanA psychopathic man tries to forcibly persuade a tennis star to agree to his theory that two strangers can get away with murder by submitting to his plan to kill the other's most-hated person.An adaption of Strangers on a Train by Patricia Highsmith.
It's often assumed by viewers that this movie is a queer love story. I don't agree. I think people just assume that this is a queer romance because Guy was played by Farley Granger, who was openly bisexual.
Guy definitely hates Bruno. Guy isn't gay, since he's in love with a woman, so if he's queer, then he's bisexual.
Bruno could possibly be in love with Guy, but he has a clear motive for spending so much time with Guy - Bruno is a social-climber who wants to become friends with all the local high-society folks. Moreover, Guy is a celebrity, so Bruno might be a little star-struck.
Studio: WB - DirectorIrving RapperStarsBette DavisGary MerrillEmlyn WilliamsA mystery writer becomes involved in a tangled web of murderous deception not unlike the plots of her novels.An adaption of Deadlock by Leslie Sands.
Studio: indie movie - DirectorFred ZinnemannStarsGary CooperGrace KellyThomas MitchellA town Marshal, despite the disagreements of his newlywed bride and the townspeople around him, must face a gang of deadly killers alone at "high noon" when the gang leader, an outlaw he "sent up" years ago, arrives on the noon train.This is a curious combination of a film noir and a Western.
The first Golden Globe won by a Hispanic woman went to Mexican actress Katy Jurado, for this role. The award was Best Supporting Actress.
Studio: United Artists - DirectorDavid MillerStarsJoan CrawfordJack PalanceGloria GrahameAfter an ambitious actor insinuates himself into the life of a wealthy middle-aged playwright and marries her, he plots with his mistress to murder her.Studio: RKO
- DirectorVincent ShermanStarsRita HayworthGlenn FordAlexander ScourbyNightclub singer and her brother-in-law try to find her husband's killer.This noir stars Hispanic film star Rita Hayworth.
Studio: Columbia - DirectorHenry KosterStarsOlivia de HavillandRichard BurtonAudrey DaltonA young man plots revenge against the woman he believes murdered his cousin, but his plans are shaken when he comes face to face with the enigmatic beauty.An adaption of My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier.
Studio: 20th Century Fox - DirectorHarry EssexStarsBiff ElliotPreston FosterPeggie CastleDectective Mike Hammer is determined to catch and kill the person who shot his close friend dead, so he follows clues that lead to a beautiful, seductive woman.An adaption of I, the Jury by Mickey Spillane.
Studio: United Artists - DirectorCy EndfieldStarsLloyd BridgesMoira ListerAlan WheatleyAn American WWII veteran goes back to England after the war only to discover that his wartime sweetheart has got mixed up with a dangerous spy ring.Studio: indie movie
- DirectorPhil KarlsonStarsJohn PayneEvelyn KeyesBrad DexterA former boxer turned cab driver has to hide from the police when his badgering wife is murdered by the jewel thief she was having an affair with.Studio: United Artists
- DirectorJohn HustonStarsHumphrey BogartJennifer JonesGina LollobrigidaOn their way to Africa are a group of rogues who hope to get rich there, and a seemingly innocent British couple. They meet and things happen...This is a parody of film noir. Author Truman Capote and John Huston (director of The Maltese Falcon) wrote the screenplay.
Studio: indie movie - DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsMontgomery CliftAnne BaxterKarl MaldenA priest, who comes under suspicion for murder, cannot clear his name without breaking the seal of the confessional.An adaption of Our Two Consciences by Paul Anthelme.
This noir has a deliciously gothic aesthetic.
Studio: WB - DirectorHenry HathawayStarsMarilyn MonroeJoseph CottenJean PetersAs two couples are visiting Niagara Falls, tensions between one wife and her husband reach the level of murder.This noir isn't perfect, but Marilyn Monroe is mesmerizing in it.
Studio: 20th Century Fox - DirectorOtto PremingerStarsRobert MitchumJean SimmonsMona FreemanAmbulance driver Frank Jessup is ensnared in the schemes of the sensuous but dangerous Diane Tremayne.Studio: RKO