Directed by Paul Henreid Dead Ringer is one of those old 40s-era films noir where a character makes a bad decision and must watch the walls slowly push in for the rest of the film. These are stories about morality and how even just a single decision is enough to doom you and, I suppose, … Continue reading Dead Ringer (1964)
double indemnity
The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946)
Directed by Tay Garnett It seems there were a lot of unhappy marriages in postwar America, one in which the woman married too young to an older man who could promise financial security and little more. It's these types of marriages, at least cinematically-speaking, that lead to the Double Indemnity-esque murder plots, where the conspirators finally … Continue reading The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946)
Drunken Angel (1948)
Directed by Akira Kurosawa Drunken Angel has more heart than you typically see in a film noir. It starts with a late night meeting between two alcoholics, one a doctor and the other a member of the yakuza (mafia). When the doctor reveals that the gang member has tuberculosis, his prognosis doesn't seem good. By … Continue reading Drunken Angel (1948)
Stalag 17 (1953)
Directed by Billy Wilder [EDIT: This is a long, rambling review as I try to figure out what Stalag 17 is really about. By the end I decide it's about the postwar conditions of the 1950s, specifically the red scare. It takes me a while to get there, and I still might be completely missing the … Continue reading Stalag 17 (1953)