Tag Archives: film noir

damned be the savior (film: 125, rue Montmartre – Gilles Grangier, 1959)

The year 1959 in which Gilles Grangier‘s ‘125 rue Montmartre‘ was made was not an ordinary year in the history of French cinema. It was the year of the release of films like ‘Les quatre cent coups’ and ‘Hiroshima mon … Continue reading

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an Italian thriller about the Chinese Mafia (film: ‘L’ultima Notte di Amore’ – Andrea Di Stefano, 2023)

‘Last Night of Amore‘ (2023 – original title ‘L’ultima notte di Amore‘) is the title of a very good Italian ‘noir’ thriller, written and directed by Andrea Di Stefano. It’s the actor-turned-director’s first feature film made in Italy, but it … Continue reading

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the killer and the suicidal (film: L’emmerdeur – Édouard Molinaro, 1973)

What a gem is ‘L’emmerdeur‘ (distributed in the Anglophone market as ‘A Pain in the Ass‘), the 85-minute film made in 1973 by Édouard Molinaro. It is a ‘noir’ comedy that catches Lino Ventura at the peak of his popularity … Continue reading

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revenge in the cold (film: Cold Pursuit – Hans Petter Moland, 2019)

‘Cold Pursuit‘ (2019) is an American remake of a European film – Norwegian in this case – which was called ‘Kraftidioten’ or ‘In Order of Disappearance’ in the English version. In 90% of cases, American remakes are resounding cinematic failures, … Continue reading

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a stellar triangle (film: Les félins – René Clément, 1964)

‘Les félins‘, René Clément‘s 1964 film released in the English-language market under the title ‘Joy House‘ – proposes a stellar encounter. Alain Delon was already established as one of the superstars of French cinema and had gained international fame after … Continue reading

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night in the city (film: Un témoin dans la ville – Édouard Molinaro, 1959)

‘Un témoin dans la ville‘, the third feature film made in 1959 by Édouard Molinaro, begins with a scene of a murder on a train that seems taken from an Alfred Hitchcock film and ends with an anthological and original … Continue reading

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an Israeli film noir / rap opera (film: The City / HaYir haZot – Amit Ulman, 2023)

‘The City‘ (the Hebrew title better translates into ‘This City’) has a good chance of being one of the hits of the summer film season in Israel. The film is written and directed by debutant filmmaker Amit Ulman, and was … Continue reading

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crime without punishment (film: Juste avant la nuit – Chaude Chabrol, 1971)

Made in 1971, ‘Juste avant la nuit‘ (translated to English as ‘Just Before Nightfall’) was made towards the end of a very productive period in the career of French director Claude Chabrol. Since 1969 he had directed at least two … Continue reading

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a gem in black and white (film: Hunted – Charles Chrichton, 1952)

The name of the English director Charles Crichton is almost automatically associated by many with ‘A Fish Called Wanda’, the sparkling comedy from 1988. However, that was practically the last fiction film made by the director who was then 78 … Continue reading

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the last Melville (film: Un flic – Jean-Pierre Melville, 1972)

The ‘noir’ films made by Jean-Pierre Melville before ‘Un flic‘ have some visual elements that make them easily recognizable in the landscape of French cinema and many of them share a common theme – friendship. Many of his characters are … Continue reading

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