Do you like the film-noir genre?

Lost Weekend wasn’t noir. And most people wouldn’t include Sunset Boulevard either.

The Big Sleep was a great movie.

Many peple consider Noir to have evoolved from The Maltese Falcn, and also include Casablanca.

Lost Weekend and Sunset Boulevard are widely viewed as Noir, especially because of the style and themes. Casablanca isn’t considered noir, more of a romance film with crime-drama elements.

The Big Sleep was heavily censored so a lot of plot threads were taken out, making the movie nearly incomprehensible. I probably would’ve loved the uncut version.

I love Noir, and all those you mentioned (even the dislikes).
The first Noir was probably Fritz Lang’s “M”, which is magnificent. Eddie Muller, the host of Noir Alley, says Casablanca isn’t Noir. I disagree.
I would add Laura, Blade Runner (oh yes it is!), and Who Framed Roger Rabbit.

I do, when done well or to my taste.

I’ve seen many more than I can remember titles without doing research. I’m not sure what definition to use, either.

I liked:

Classics:
The Maltese Falcon
The Big Sleep (not sure which cuts I’ve seen)
Touch of Evil
Casablanca
The 39 Steps
Le Samouraï
Elevator to the Gallows

Would The Third Man be considered film noir?
The Lavender Hill Mob (1951)?
The Thin Man films?
Dial M for Murder?
North By Northwest?
The Ladykillers (1955)?
The Lady Vanishes (1938)?

@Bttrfl

No idea what you’re trying to say with your first few comments. But I completely forgot about Key Largo, love that film. As for Roger Rabbit, it’s a comedy movie, but heavily inspired by film noir.

Did someone say film noir? :D

@rockfan A film noir can be amusing. Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid is very funny, but fills every column for Noir credentials.

Oh! This Gun For Higher and The Bribe!

Touch of Evil

I think I’ve only ever seen modern noirs like “Dark City” and “Blade Runner” or noir homage episodes in TV shows that usually don’t take themselves seriously and are tongue-and-cheek. I’m familiar with the aesthetic, and the general idea, but it’s weird that I couldn’t name a single prototypical classic noir film until I read the list.

Out of the Past, and for those great British comedies of the late 4os early 50s, nothing tops Kind Hearts and Coronets. But for this one, beware the copies with footage chopped for time.

I haven’t seen many, but I like what I’ve seen (“Double Indemnity” was the most recent one I saw, also have seen “Sunset Blvd.”, “The Maltese Falcon”, various Hitchcock films that may or may not be considered noir, and “Chinatown”, which is neo-noir).

Not a big fan, no. The only ones I really like are Bogart films, Casablanca, The Maltese Falcon, and a lesser known Bogart film, Across the Pacific. Not sure if the latter film qualifies as Noir though.

@Nomore_Tantrums Across The Pacific has a remarkable storytelling complexity: a flashback inside a flashback inside a flashback inside a flashback. That’s five layers of time!

@filmfann But is it considered film noir?

I thing the film noir defies pinpoint definition. Like, the fog, mist or drizzle characteristic in many of the films assigned to the genre, you can’t nail down an ironclad definition. Like beauty or evil, you know it when you see it.

@Nomore_Tantrums I would say no.

The Man Who Wasn’t There
Double Indenmnity