Break out the champagne! It’s National Classic Movie Day on May 16 and we hope you’ll find some time to celebrate.
Rick at Classic Film and TV Café is our host, and he’s asked everyone to bring Four Favourite Noirs to the party. It was extremely difficult to pare down the list to four, but we managed to do it out of love for you, Dear Reader.
You’re familiar with noirs, the thrillers that emerged in the 1940s-50s in the shadow of WWII. They were dark in tone and design, and they leaned heavily on German Expressionism. It was the French who named them films noir.
Our focus today is the Femme Fatale, the woman who hastens the downfall of the morally-compromised protagonist. This isn’t a person we’d ever want to meet in Real Life, but there are some unforgettable portrayals we admire.
Barbara Stanwyck stars as, perhaps, the Greatest Salesman of All Time. When she meets an insurance agent (Fred MacMurray), she persuades him to kill her husband because she’s so Hard Done By. MacMurray’s fatal flaw is thinking he’s the salesman here, and believing he’s smart enough to outwit the System.
–I’m in charge! –No, I’M in charge! Image: Film Forum
Lizabeth Scott is superb as a woman who unexpectedly gains an illegal windfall, and she’s determined to Capitalize on it. (Her character is all Greed and she makes no apologies for it.) Scott soon discovers that a police officer and a criminal are trailing her, and she maneuvers around them to hang onto that moola.
Uh oh – the chickens have Come Home to Roost. Image: Sleeping All Day
Laraine Day is the Queen of Gaslighting, a woman who’s connected to some awfully suspicious deaths. No matter, darling! She smoothly shifts Blame and Responsibility onto others, while convincing men she’s an Unfortunate Victim. The Locket has flashbacks within flashbacks, and you won’t believe the slick audacity of Day’s character.
Femmes fatales are controlling and manipulative, and an excellent example is Ann Savage’s character in Detour. Savage is as hard as cement, and she doesn’t even blink when she blackmails Tom Neal for an accidental murder. But when she learns about an inheritance that may be up for Grabs, she pushes them both to the Breaking Point.
Now that we’ve shared some of our faves, which films noir do you enjoy?
This post is part of the FOUR FAVOURITE NOIRS Blogathon, hosted by The Classic Film & TV Café.
You picked 4 winners, my friend. Great minds do think alike – I picked “Too Late for Tears,” too. As for “Double Indemnity,” anyone who doesn’t like that film must have a screw loose. It is perfection. Happy National Classic Movie Day!
Ooh, I’d like to see The Locket! I just looked up modern noir films and there was quite a list of ones I liked, but I don’t know if they actually qualify when compared to the traditional film noir genre:-)
Some wonderful choices here! I was thrilled to see Vera (Ann Savage) from Detour on your list. Detour is one of the finest “B” noirs and I don’t know why it’s not shown more often. Honestly, I think Vera could take on Phyllis from Double Indemnity and come out the winner. BTW, the scene with the telephone cord made me catch my breath!
I’m glad we shared The Locket in common on our lists! I was blown away by that film and Day’s performance. I also need to rewatch Too Late for Tears as it’s been awhile. I feel like the Scott/Duryea combination is too good to pass up.
Thanks for this great post, Ruth! From your list I’ve only seen Double Indemnity but the other three sound spectacular. I’m particularly intrigued by The Locket. Happy National Classic Movie Day!
Cool choices! I already dig Double Indemnity, but you’ve got me adding Too Late for Tears to my want-to-watch list, for sure, and I’ll keep an eye out for the other two as well.
Stanwyck as Phyllis is the quintessential femme fatale of film noir. The ones from Too Late for Tears and Detour are also amazing choices. I have yet to see The Locket – thanks fr bringign this noir to my attention!
Cheers!
I love Detour and Vera. Sooo brutal. And with regards to Double Indemnity, I have never thought of it that way, that Phyllis the ‘salesman’. Brilliant.
Silver Screenings 
Thanks for bringing three of these films to my attention. I’d never heard of them before. (Double Indemnity is the only one I knew about).
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I hope you get the chance to see these films. You’ve got some great viewing ahead!
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Random 4, as it’s impossible to choose just that number: The Bad Sleep Well, Odds Against Tomorrow, Kiss Me Deadly and The Big Heat.
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Ooh – those are good picks! It’s so hard to pick just four, isn’t it?
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Hmm..not sure if I’ve seen The Locket…will have to check it out 🙂
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Oh yeah, you’ve GOT to see The Locket. I think you, in particular, would really like it.
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I love these great picks! Phyllis is a must on any list, and I’m so glad to see The Locket’s Nancy represented!
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You’re the one who introduced me to The Locket, and it’s as fabulous as you said. Laraine Day’s character is truly unforgettable.
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You picked 4 winners, my friend. Great minds do think alike – I picked “Too Late for Tears,” too. As for “Double Indemnity,” anyone who doesn’t like that film must have a screw loose. It is perfection. Happy National Classic Movie Day!
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I’ll be dropping by your site soon to check out your Fab Four Noirs. It was SO HARD to choose only 4, wasn’t it? So many great films!
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I love noir films and your four picks sound like great movies. The femme fatale theme is a winner most of the times.
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I really like these films. The femmes fatale are cunning and very stylish. The poor men in these movies never see it coming.
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Never watched the Locket
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It’s a really unusual and riveting film. I hope you’ll get the chance to see it!
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Ooh, I’d like to see The Locket! I just looked up modern noir films and there was quite a list of ones I liked, but I don’t know if they actually qualify when compared to the traditional film noir genre:-)
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The Locket is a must see. Laraine Day is a master manipulator, aided by her wholesome looks.
I like modern noir too, but some films seem pale when you compare them to the gritty, cynical fare of the 1940s-50s, in my opinion.
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Some wonderful choices here! I was thrilled to see Vera (Ann Savage) from Detour on your list. Detour is one of the finest “B” noirs and I don’t know why it’s not shown more often. Honestly, I think Vera could take on Phyllis from Double Indemnity and come out the winner. BTW, the scene with the telephone cord made me catch my breath!
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Ha! I think Vera truly would be the winner in a match against Phyllis D. And that scene with the telephone cord! It’s shocking.
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These sound great, really intriguing about the flashbacks via flashbacks tale, really enjoyed this when used in Fedora.
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Still haven’t seen Fedora, but I know it’ll be terrific.
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It’s fantastic, one of my favourites now.
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I’m glad we shared The Locket in common on our lists! I was blown away by that film and Day’s performance. I also need to rewatch Too Late for Tears as it’s been awhile. I feel like the Scott/Duryea combination is too good to pass up.
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Isn’t Laraine Day fabulous in The Locket? Like you, I was so impressed by her performance.
I hope you get the chance for a Too Late for Tears re-watch. Lizabeth Scott and Dan Duryea have a lot of chemistry, don’t they?
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Thanks for this great post, Ruth! From your list I’ve only seen Double Indemnity but the other three sound spectacular. I’m particularly intrigued by The Locket. Happy National Classic Movie Day!
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You must, MUST see The Locket. It’s kind of a mind-bender and a wild ride.
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Cool choices! I already dig Double Indemnity, but you’ve got me adding Too Late for Tears to my want-to-watch list, for sure, and I’ll keep an eye out for the other two as well.
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The other three picks are really enjoyable. I hope you get a chance to see them – you’ve got some great viewing ahead!
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“Double Indemnity” is awesome. And “Detour” and “The Locket” seem popular–I’m really going to have to look for those.
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So many great films in this blogathon, hey? I hope you get the chance to see both Detour and The Locket. They’re well worth it!
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Stanwyck as Phyllis is the quintessential femme fatale of film noir. The ones from Too Late for Tears and Detour are also amazing choices. I have yet to see The Locket – thanks fr bringign this noir to my attention!
Cheers!
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Le, I think you’d really like The Locket. I can’t wait to see what you think about it!
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Shame, I’ve only seen Barbara Stanwick’s, must catch up!
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I think you’d really enjoy these ones. Lots of motive and plot twists.
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I love Detour and Vera. Sooo brutal. And with regards to Double Indemnity, I have never thought of it that way, that Phyllis the ‘salesman’. Brilliant.
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Detour is brilliant, isn’t it? A film that never gets old. Ann Savage alone is worth the price of admission, hey?
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Oh my God, right? I wrote about it a few years ago, it’s such a brilliant noir. Ann Savage should have been way bigger than she was.
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