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

[sovay]

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.

Comments

[gullyfoyle]

I was surprised to not see In a Lonely Place and The Big Heat on your estimable list. But, as I once heard Nick Lowe reply to a shouted song request, "So many songs, so little time." So many noirs, so little time.... Both those films feature Gloria Grahame. I'm sure she's represented in the list.

I have to admit I have a little trouble classifying Glenda as a noir. Its characters, mood, and plot are so weird and fucked up (not a criticism!) that it defies typical classification for me. My invented classification for it is "proto-David-Lynchian."

[sovay]

Both those films feature Gloria Grahame. I'm sure she's represented in the list.

I love Gloria Grahame. She's represented here by Crossfire and The Glass Wall, although she was also a close run for Naked Alibi (1954), which she steals so hard, it owed her a better ending. I've seen The Big Heat, but would not class it among my favorite noirs. I actually have not seen In a Lonely Place, although I have read the novel.

I have to admit I have a little trouble classifying Glenda as a noir. Its characters, mood, and plot are so weird and fucked up (not a criticism!) that it defies typical classification for me. My invented classification for it is "proto-David-Lynchian."

Huh. I've seen noirs I would give that classification, but Gilda does not fall outside of operating parameters of fucked up (also positive!) for noir for me! Mostly skygiants and I were confused by it having any kind of happy ending at all.