IF MAKING MOVIES IS A CRIME, THEN CRIME IS MY BUSINESSBlogger Templates

Σάββατο 31 Δεκεμβρίου 2011

Οι Ηλίθιοι Είναι Ανίκητοι

Οι Ηλίθιοι Είναι Ανίκητοι

Η Μαγεία στην Αρχαία Ελλάδα

Η Μαγεία στην Αρχαία Ελλάδα, Εθνικό Ίδρυμα Ερευνών, 2008

Πέμπτη 22 Δεκεμβρίου 2011

Σάββατο 10 Δεκεμβρίου 2011

Hollywood Bloodshed Violence in 1980s american cinema - James Kendrick

Hollywood Bloodshed Violence in 1980s american cinema - James Kendrick

Winston Dixon - Film Noir and the Cinema of Paranoia

Wheeler Winston Dixon - Film Noir and the Cinema of Paranoia

Writer s Digest Books How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy

Writer s Digest Books How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy

Crime Films

Crime Films

Παρασκευή 9 Δεκεμβρίου 2011

The Stranger-1946 (Orson Welles)



The Stranger (1946) is an American film noir directed by Orson Welles and starring Welles, Edward G. Robinson, and Loretta Young. The film was based on an Oscar-nominated screenplay written by Victor Trivas. Sam Spiegel was the film's producer, and the film's musical score is by Bronisław Kaper. It is believed that this is the first film released after World War II that showed footage of concentration camps. "Prior to the production of The Stranger, Welles had shown an interest in the nature of Fascism and, especially, the documentary footage of the liberation of the concentration camps; writing in his column for The New York Post, Welles stated that this documentary footage 'must be seen' as an index of the 'putrefaction of the soul, a perfect spiritual garbage' associated with what 'we have been calling [...] Fascism. The stench is unendurable'' (Welles, quoted in Heylin, 2005: 163; emphasis in original). Welles managed to work some of these preoccupations into the film: the film openly engages with the fallout of Fascism, and in one striking scene Mr Wilson shows Mary Longstreet some filmed footage of the concentration camps. Mary sits in stunned silence, and Welles holds the camera on a close-up of Loretta Young as the light from the projector flickers across her face". In the scene Wilson says that Kindler "conceived the theory of genocide--mass de-population of conquered countries". In his New York Post columns, Welles openly declared that he felt the social reforms taking place in post-war Germany would not eradicate the spectre of Fascism: he stated that those subscribing to Nazi ideology were 'laying the fuel for another conflagration'...During one of the film's strongest scenes, Mr Wilson and Kindler (as Rankin) join the Longstreets for dinner. The topic of conversation turns to an article about the social reforms that are taking place in post-war Germany...In this sequence, the film offers a direct critique of complacency and the notion of social reform that echoes the sentiment of Welles' New York Post columns on the topic of Fascism. (From Wikipedia) The Stranger (1946) is an American film noir directed by Orson Welles and starring Welles, Edward G. Robinson, and Loretta Young. The film was based on an Oscar-nominated screenplay written by Victor Trivas. Sam Spiegel was the film's producer, and the film's musical score is by Bronisław Kaper. It is believed that this is the first film released after World War II that showed footage of concentration camps.

"Prior to the production of The Stranger, Welles had shown an interest in the nature of Fascism and, especially, the documentary footage of the liberation of the concentration camps; writing in his column for The New York Post, Welles stated that this documentary footage 'must be seen' as an index of the 'putrefaction of the soul, a perfect spiritual garbage' associated with what 'we have been calling [...] Fascism. The stench is unendurable'' (Welles, quoted in Heylin, 2005: 163; emphasis in original). Welles managed to work some of these preoccupations into the film: the film openly engages with the fallout of Fascism, and in one striking scene Mr Wilson shows Mary Longstreet some filmed footage of the concentration camps. Mary sits in stunned silence, and Welles holds the camera on a close-up of Loretta Young as the light from the projector flickers across her face". In the scene Wilson says that Kindler "conceived the theory of genocide--mass de-population of conquered countries".

In his New York Post columns, Welles openly declared that he felt the social reforms taking place in post-war Germany would not eradicate the spectre of Fascism: he stated that those subscribing to Nazi ideology were 'laying the fuel for another conflagration'...During one of the film's strongest scenes, Mr Wilson and Kindler (as Rankin) join the Longstreets for dinner. The topic of conversation turns to an article about the social reforms that are taking place in post-war Germany...In this sequence, the film offers a direct critique of complacency and the notion of social reform th
at echoes the sentiment of Welles' New York Post columns on the topic of Fascism. (From Wikipedia)

American Cinema - Film Noir [1995]


Quicksand (1950)



Quicksand (1950) is a United Artists film noir starring Mickey Rooney and Peter Lorre in a story about a garage mechanic's descent into crime. The film has been described as "film noir in a teacup... a pretty nifty little picture" in which Rooney "cast himself against his Andy Hardy goody goody image."

Rooney co-financed Quicksand with Peter Lorre but their shares of the profits were reportedly left unpaid by a third partner. Most of the film was shot on location in Santa Monica, California, with a few exterior scenes at Santa Monica Pier. Swing era bandleader Red Nichols and His Five Pennies are seen and heard in a nightclub scene. A display box of Bit-O-Honey candy shown by a cash register soon after the film begins is an early example of product placement.

Bruce Eder of Allmovie wrote Rooney "...gives what many consider to be the best performance of his career" and characterized Quicksand as "one of the more fascinating social documents of its era."

Directed by Irving Pichel; Produced by Mort Briskin/Samuel H. Stiefel; Written by Robert Smith
Starring: Mickey Rooney; Jeanne Cagney; Barbara Bates; Peter Lorre

Nordic Noir: The Story of Scandinavian Crime Fiction