sovay | Watch the drunks and the lovers appear to take turns as the stars of the Sovereign Light Café

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Watch the drunks and the lovers appear to take turns as the stars of the Sovereign Light Café

theseatheseatheopensea invited me to make one, so here is a list of a hundred films noirs. It is non-completist. It is non-proscriptive. I had intended it to start with proto-noir and end with neo-noir, but it turned out I had far more than a hundred noirs of the classically defined period to winnow down from and any number of solid citizens and weird little ornaments had already been left by the side of the meme. Like all of the other lists, it will be different tomorrow. Anything on this one that I haven't written about, rest assured that I want to. I would, however, need to sleep more than an hour, which is how the last couple of nights have been going.

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What an excellent list, it being chronological makes it very satisfying! I think I clicked on everything I've seen (other than probably some confusing translated titles), and we match on 52 out of 100! If I made my own list, it would also be different each day, but it would always include Blues In The Night, so I absolutely loved seeing it in yours--Character is one of my favourite characters in noir! <3 And you included a lot of Don Siegel and I heartily approve! Have you seen The Line-up? I'd always include it my list too.

This list was such a treat and I could probably be here all day, but I'll just say that I approve of seeing Dassin, and a Gassman noir (to which I'd probably add "Cry of the hunted"), and of course Repeat Performance and The Big Combo! And ohh, Don't bother to knock, which I think is so underrated!

thank you for sharing your list! I hope you manage to sleep more and better soon, and not just because I'd love to read your thoughts about any of these movies! <3

What an excellent list, it being chronological makes it very satisfying! I think I clicked on everything I've seen (other than probably some confusing translated titles), and we match on 52 out of 100!

Nice! And thank you. Chronologically seemed the most sensible way to organize them, as opposed to the order in which I had encountered them which I might or might not be able to reconstruct.

And you included a lot of Don Siegel and I heartily approve! Have you seen The Line-up? I'd always include it my list too.

I have not! But it's got Eli Wallach and Robert Keith, so I don't know why not.

This list was such a treat and I could probably be here all day, but I'll just say that I approve of seeing Dassin, and a Gassman noir (to which I'd probably add "Cry of the hunted"

It was under consideration for sheer queer value! I had to lose so many movies I like!

(Big Deal on Madonna Street (1958) is totally not admissible as a noir rather than a commedia all'italiana caper, but I did think about it.)

and of course Repeat Performance and The Big Combo! And ohh, Don't bother to knock, which I think is so underrated!

Yes! I saw that one with

spatch—I'd read the novel, which differs in several signal ways, but I loved the film as its own thing. It's probably fine that Monroe didn't specialize in noir, but she's so good in the ones she was in.

thank you for sharing your list! I hope you manage to sleep more and better soon, and not just because I'd love to read your thoughts about any of these movies!

Thank you!

*hugs*

Edited 2025-04-11 20:42 (UTC)

I have not! But it's got Eli Wallach and Robert Keith, so I don't know why not.

They are both absolutely amazing in it!! The whole thing is incredible. And deranged. And queer. It starts slowly and then it's just a wild, breathless ride, the kind of thing that Siegel does so well. And Eli Wallach's character is an unforgettable villain (in many ways, he's like Tommy Udo, and I hope it's not too spoiler-ish to say that this would make a really nice double bill with "Kiss Of Death") "There's never been a guy like Dancer," is what Roberth Keith's character says about him, and he's *really* not kidding. Also did I mention their ~~toxic~~ queer dynamic? I mean, they write down their victims' last words in a book... which is a nice and romantic gesture if you're in a late noir! But honestly we've all been talking so much about lists these past few days, that it's very fitting!

The whole thing is incredible. And deranged. And queer.

Yeah, look, sold.

I mean, they write down their victims' last words in a book... which is a nice and romantic gesture if you're in a late noir! But honestly we've all been talking so much about lists these past few days, that it's very fitting!

Hee! It looks to be on YouTube which simplifies my life.

Yeah, look, sold.

I thought so! ;D (By the way, I really hope I'm not misremembering that there's an almost campy scene, set in the sauna of a very suggestively named club...)

ETA: I was right!