Dispatches from Noir City D.C. (2023)
Noirvember came early.
SILVER SPRING, MD - For 16 years, the team behind the Film Noir Foundation has curated a lineup of film noir classics and underrated gems for Noir City DC, hosted in collaboration with the American Film Institute in Silver Spring. The 2023 festival is currently in full swing and I had the opportunity to attend the opening weekend, in which all films are hosted by FNF President (and Czar of Noir) Eddie Muller, who fans of the genre know as its biggest supporter and who classic film fans know as the host of Turner Classic Movies' Noir Alley. Eddie introduced all of the screenings, so I've used his words to open each of my reviews.
Below is my diary of my experience, popping in for a few screenings on Saturday and Sunday. A special thanks to the folks at AFI for making it happen.
The Hunted (1948)
A cop investigating a jewel robbery finds that all trails lead to his girlfriend - but she claims she’s being framed.
“No matter what the plot was - she had to skate.” - Eddie
“She” is Belita, the former Olympian ice skater turned actress after an injuries hampered her career. Unfortunately for her, as two-time co-star Barry Sullivan once put it, “…she didn’t know what the fuck she was doing! Acting (was) totally foreign to her.” Fortunately for Belita, she does get to skate in The Hunted and she really is quite elegant. It’s shoe-horned into the plot, but it’s a nice little reprieve from an otherwise slow simmer.
She definitely isn’t the best actress (she’s clunkily trying to cover up a British accent), but she’s distinctly beautiful (a fact that they mention in the movie so many times that it becomes a joke to Preston Foster’s character) and she’s charming enough. Although a mystery is set up in the film’s opening minutes, no developments are made until the climactic chase. Otherwise, it’s just a lot of Belita and Sullivan (some twenty-plus years her elder) doing a will they-won’t they that’s almost slightly believable.
Shown on a nice 35mm print preserved by the Film Noir Foundation. Eddie referred to his commitment to highlighting Belita’s career as one of the things he’s most proud of, and this print is a monument to that work.
Also screening as a part of this year’s festival on Wednesday, October 18 at 9:00pm.
Act of Violence (1948)
A former prisoner of war, Frank Enley is hailed as a hero in his California town. However, Frank has a shameful secret that comes back to haunt him when fellow survivor Joe Parkson emerges, intent on making Frank pay for his past deeds.
“I often oversell movies. There is no way I can oversell this film. It’s a masterpiece.” - Eddie
He’s right, this movie is damn good. Before the screening, Eddie told a quick aside of a screening of The Hunted in Oregon where an audience member shouted at its’ conclusion, “That was not film noir! That was a romantic melodrama!” I felt as though I could’ve done the same thing for Act of Violence, but instead said, “That was not film noir! That was a horror movie!” It truly terrified me and fit right into these typical October viewings.
Cat-and-mouse couldn’t do justice to the tale of a man who needs revenge on his war buddy for the atrocities he committed in a Nazi prison camp - sometimes mice get away. But you know someone’s got to get it in this dark, dark film. At one point, a lawyer roped into the whole thing even says, “He dies or you die. It’s him or you.” The suspense is unbelievable.
Seen on a 35mm print that snapped, crackled, and popped enough - I might as well have been enjoying some Pop Rocks during the show. But who cares! Grateful to see this print, regardless.
Also screening as a part of this year’s festival on Wednesday, October 18 at 7:00pm.
Key Largo (1948)
A hurricane swells outside, but it’s nothing compared to the storm within the hotel at Key Largo. There, sadistic mobster Johnny Rocco holes up - and holds at gunpoint hotel owner James Temple, his widowed daughter-in-law Nora, and ex-GI Frank McCloud.
“This is the way movie stars used to look and act.” - Eddie
Really, what a cast.
Humphrey Bogart (In a Lonely Place) and Lauren Bacall (wow) in their fourth film together.
Edward G. Robinson reprises his iconic gangster persona.
Claire Trevor won the Best Supporting Actress Academy Award for this movie! Lionel Barrymore being Lionel Barrymore. Thomas Gomez. Harry Lewis. Everyone!
Leading them, John Huston directs the hell out of this thing. On top of that, I got dinner before this screening and lost my seat, so I had to sit second row in this packed screening. I could hear someone taking the trash out during the movie and the rolling trash can sounded like rolling thunder. So basically it's a perfect movie with a perfect experience to go with it, making it the perfect way to end my first day of the weekend.
Also screening as a part of this year’s festival on Tuesday, October 17th at 8:45pm and Thursday, October 19th at 12:30pm.
The Amazing Mr. X (1948)
On 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. After more ghostly manifestations, Christine and younger sister Janet become enmeshed in the eerie artifices of Alexis; but he in turn finds himself manipulated into deeper deviltry than he had in mind…
“This is one of the classiest b-movies of the 1940s.” - Eddie
This is largely because, as Eddie pointed out, the film was photographed by John Alton, Noir Hall of Famer who shot classics like He Walked by Night and Raw Deal - also playing as a part of this year’s lineup. So skilled and adept, particularly with lighting schemes, he always did the bulk of the heavy lifting for his directors. As a result, the pictures shot by Alton always seemed to be the best in a nameless director’s career, (sure enough, The Spiritualist is the most popular Bernard Vorhaus film on Letterboxd.) His work elevates this con-man* story to a higher esteem.
When it ended, someone a few rows back from me said, “Wow! That’s my favorite of the whole weekend!” While I can’t quite agree with him (and I’m only covering half the opening weekend’s slate!), a show-of-hands poll before the screening revealed that it was a first-time watch for most folks in the Sunday afternoon audience. I conclude that had something to do with his fascination. It was, at least, worth it to see Alton's cinematography.
*Speaking of cons, this film was released as both The Spiritualist and The Amazing Mr. X (Eddie introduced it as The Spiritualist and our copy said The Amazing Mr. X) without folks at the time knowing it was the same movie. Can you imagine buying a ticket to something called Los Alamos and they were just showing Oppenheimer again?
Also screening as a part of this year’s festival on Thursday, October 19 at 2:45pm.
Road House (1948)
A night club owner becomes infatuated with a torch singer and frames his best friend/manager for embezzlement when the chanteuse falls in love with him.
"I show this movie a lot. This is a crowd-pleaser. It is such a wonderful example of Hollywood high style in this era." - Eddie
Well, sounds like the perfect movie to end my weekend! And it was! It gives you everything you want in great noir: Love quadrangles! Backstabbing! Night clubs! Stolen money! Blackmail! Sultry singing! Crackling dialogue! Ida Lupino! Bowling!
It is a crowdpleaser. The film also showed on the first Friday of the festival and many die-hard fans who sat in the theater all weekend saw it twice. I'm jealous of those people. That's how good it is.
Also screening as a part of this year’s festival on Thursday, October 19 at 6:45pm.
Thanks to all the folks behind Noir City D.C., I had a great time. I’m already looking forward to next year!
Credit: Each plot synopsis comes from Letterboxd via TMDb.