I suppose this all depends on whether or not you admit filmmakers who aren’t directors into the “auteur” club. I could point to any film shot by John Alton—even the ones he shot for Anthony Mann—and claim that Alton was the prime mover behind them. Oh, and Anthony Mann made a few pretty good films noir, even when he was making Westerns.
For what it’s worth, whenever I think of French film noir, I think of Rififi before I think of any of Melville’s films. I like it better. I also like Jacques Becker’s films about as much. I also tend to like the less reputable noir films. I mean, I love Out of the Past and The Postman Always Rings Twice as much as the next girl, but that’s not as much fun as diving into films like Hollow Triumph or The Big Combo. Are there French B-movie equivalents? I know that there are Japanese equivalents.
I’ll throw out Allan Dwan’s Simply Scarlett as a color noir, and I’ll further make the argument that, alone among films noir, it tries to find a cinematic equivalent of the pulp fiction paperback cover. Hence the saturated reds and greens and the red-headed actresses. I think it largely succeeds. John Alton strikes again.
Greg X: thanks for the tip. I’ll have to check that out.
The Master of the Crime Genre? over 2 years ago
I suppose this all depends on whether or not you admit filmmakers who aren’t directors into the “auteur” club. I could point to any film shot by John Alton—even the ones he shot for Anthony Mann—and claim that Alton was the prime mover behind them. Oh, and Anthony Mann made a few pretty good films noir, even when he was making Westerns.
For what it’s worth, whenever I think of French film noir, I think of Rififi before I think of any of Melville’s films. I like it better. I also like Jacques Becker’s films about as much. I also tend to like the less reputable noir films. I mean, I love Out of the Past and The Postman Always Rings Twice as much as the next girl, but that’s not as much fun as diving into films like Hollow Triumph or The Big Combo. Are there French B-movie equivalents? I know that there are Japanese equivalents.
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The Master of the Crime Genre? over 2 years ago
I’ll throw out Allan Dwan’s Simply Scarlett as a color noir, and I’ll further make the argument that, alone among films noir, it tries to find a cinematic equivalent of the pulp fiction paperback cover. Hence the saturated reds and greens and the red-headed actresses. I think it largely succeeds. John Alton strikes again.
Greg X: thanks for the tip. I’ll have to check that out.
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The Master of the Crime Genre? over 2 years ago
Whoops. Meant to say “Slightly Scarlet”. I type too fast sometimes. Sheesh.
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