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The San Francisco Film Society is pleased to be associated
with author Eddie Muller's first San Francisco Film Noir Festival
presented at the city's atmospheric Castro Theatre, January 17-26,
2003. Twenty films, all set in San Francisco - Noir City - will
screen in magnificent 35 mm over ten days in the first in a series
of annual noir revivals.
"Hollywood regularly exploited the city's reputation as a place
of mystery and intrigue," says Muller, a San Francisco native.
"This exclusive focus on San Francisco-based movies will be
as close as local residents can get to actually having lived in
the Bay Area during the classic film noir era." Amidst familiar
classics, such as THE MALTESE FALCON and THE LADY FROM SHANGHAI,
are many rare titles not seen in 35mm exhibition since their original
theatrical runs more than 50 years ago.
Muller and Castro Theatre programmer Anita Monga have unearthed
several incredibly rare items, including WOMAN ON THE RUN, SHAKEDOWN,
THE RAGING TIDE and THE MIDNIGHT STORY providing what may be a once-in-a-lifetime
chance for both film noir fans and local history aficionados to
view vintage San Francisco through noir-tinted glasses. Says Muller,
"These movies depict a once reckless, vice-ridden seaport transforming
itself into a modern metropolis-precisely the kind of place where
crime and danger, both real and cinematic, thrive."
This depiction of the American city of the mid-20th century is a
compelling aspect of film noir. In its familiar geography of streets,
hotels, penthouses and nightclubs, films such as BORN TO KILL and
THIEVES' HIGHWAY reveal a landscape of temptation and corruption
that borders on the mythological. "The films in this series
are unsurpassed for their moodiness, allure and sarcastic wit,"
says Muller. "They're lustrous reminders of an era when gripping
tales of sex and violence were not yet ironically postmodern or
gruesomely degrading."
Muller's latest film book, The Art of Noir, was published by Overlook
Pass in October. He has also written Dark City: The Lost World of
Film Noir which was nominated for Edgar, Anthony and Macavity Awards
and a followup, Dark City Dames: The Wicked Women of Film Noir which
was Amazon.com's #1 "Editor's Choice" entertainment book
of 2001. He will be on hand to emcee the series. In addition, Muller
writes a series of noir mysteries set in San Francisco, the first
of which, The Distance, was picked by The San Francisco Chronicle
as one of the Best Mystery Novels of 2002. Its sequel, Shadow Boxer,
is being released in January 2003 by Scribner.
Friday, January 17
7:00 THE MALTESE FALCON
Dashiell Hammett's quintessential hardboiled noir is the most famous
film ever set in San Francisco. Sam Spade contends with a rogue's
gallery of grifters grappling for possession of the legendary black
bird. Dir./Scr. John Huston, from the novel by Dashiell Hammett.
With Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, Sidney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre.
Warner Bros., 1941, 100 min.
9:10 DARK PASSAGE
A wrongly accused man busts out of San Quentin on a vengeful quest
through nocturnal San Francisco. Daring use of subjective camerawork
puts much of the focus on the city itself, at least until Bacall
shows up. Dir./Scr. Delmer Daves, from the novel by David Goodis.
With Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Anges Moorehead, Bruce Bennett.
Warner Bros., 1947, 106 min.
Saturday, January 18
2:00, 5:30, 9:10 WOMAN ON THE RUN
A rarely seen film noir classic revived! A fearful wife teams up
with a crusading reporter to locate her husband-the terrified witness
to a murder-before the killer can silence him. Fantastic city locations,
including a spectacular rollercoaster climax at the once-thriving
Playland. Dir. Norman Foster, Scr. Alan Campbell and Norman Foster.
With Ann Sheridan, Dennis O'Keefe, Robert Keith. Universal-International,
1950, 78 min.
3:40, 7:10 THE LADY FROM SHANGHAI
Welles' spin on the classic femme fatale story reaches hallucinatory
levels when it ventures through the Golden Gate, making surrealistic
use of local attractions such as Chinatown, Steinhardt Aquarium
and Playland-at-the-Beach. Dir./Scr. Orson Welles. With Rita Hayworth,
Welles, Everett Sloane, Glenn Anders. Columbia, 1948, 86 min.
Sunday, January 19
1:30, 5:20, 9:10 SHADOW OF A WOMAN
In this oddball B movie, a woman on the verge of a nervous breakdown
hopes to stave off depression by marrying a rich doctor. Only he
isn't your average doctor-he practices holistic medicine! Plenty
of local references add a special kick to the loopy script. Dir.
Joseph Santley, Scr. Whitman Chambers and Graham Baker. With Andrea
King, Helmut Dantine, John Alvin. Warner Bros., 1946, 78 min.
3:10, 7:00 SUDDEN FEAR
Dir. David Miller, Scr. Lenore Coffee and Robert Smith. With Joan
Crawford, Jack Palance, Gloria Grahame, Bruce Bennett.
Crawford gives an Oscar-nominated performance as a San Francisco
playwright who marries a virile actor that she'd rejected for one
of her plays. Little does she know that he plans to drop the final
curtain on her. Stylish and suspenseful, this is one of Crawford's
best. RKO Radio Pictures, 1952, 110 min.
Monday, January 20
7:00 OUT OF THE PAST
The apotheosis of film noir style. A detective hunting for a missing
moll forgets the bounty when he falls for the dame. No matter where
the lovelorn sap goes-including a backlot version of San Francisco-murder,
deceit and betrayal follow. Dir. Jacques Tourneur, Scr. Daniel Mainwaring
(as Geoffrey Homes). With Robert Mitchum, Jane Greer, Kirk Douglas,
Rhonda Fleming. RKO Radio Pictures, 1947, 94 min.
9:00 WHERE DANGER LIVES
A man falls for a Sea Cliff femme fatale looking to be rescued from
a domineering father. He realizes too late things aren't what they
seem. Suddenly he's at the mercy of his sexy, screw-loose lover,
spiraling into a nightmarish version of matrimonial hell. Dir. John
Farrow, Scr. Charles Bennett. With Robert Mitchum, Faith Domergue,
Claude Rains, Maureen O'Sullivan. RKO Radio Pictures, 1950, 84 min.
Tuesday, January 21
7:20 RACE STREET
A tight-lipped, wisecracking San Francisco bookie fights off mob
incursion into his territory. Lots of late '40s local color, including
trips to Bay Meadows racetrack, the Golden Gate Theater and a showstopping
musical number at the Turf Club. Dir. Edward L. Marin, Scr. Martin
Rakin. With George Raft, William Bendix, Marilyn Maxwell, Henry
Morgan. RKO Radio Pictures, 1948, 79 min.
9:00 THIEVES' HIGHWAY
Most of the action in this rarely screened gem takes place in the
dead of night, when San Francisco's old Produce Market (now the
Embarcadero Center) was at its busiest. A vengeful trucker arrives
to settle a family score with a crooked fruit broker. Dir. Jules
Dassin, Scr. A.I. Bezzerides, from his novel, Thieves' Market. With
Richard Conte, Valentina Cortese, Lee J. Cobb, Joe Pevney. 20th
Century Fox, 1949, 94 min.
Wednesday, January 22
1:30, 5:15, 9:00 THE HOUSE ON TELEGRAPH HILL
A war refugee steals the identity of a dead friend so she can escape
to an affluent life in San Francisco. Suspicions soon mount, and
things turn dark and dreadful in the mansion overlooking the Bay.
Dir. Robert Wise, Scr. Elick Moll and Frank Partos. With Valentina
Cortese, Richard Basehart, William Lundigan. 20th Century-Fox, 1951,
92 min.
3:20, 7:05 BORN TO KILL
A San Francisco socialite has a torrid affair with a sociopathic
killer who's married to her sister. The heavy-breathing cast leaves
fingerprints from Nob Hill to the Ferry Building to Ocean Beach.
One of the most perverse films to emerge from Hollywood in the '40s.
Maybe ever. Dir. Robert Wise, Scr. Eve Greene and Richard Macaulay.
With Lawrence Tierney, Claire Trevor, Walter Slezak, Elisha Cook,
Jr. RKO Radio Pictures, 1947, 92 min.
Thursday, January 23
7:00 NORA PRENTISS
"A mouth like hers was for kissing, not telling!" Ann
Sheridan plays a San Francisco chanteuse who, through no fault of
her own, has a knack for destroying the men who fall in love with
her. Hollywood soap with a bitter edge. Dir. Vincent Sherman, Scr.
N. Richard Nash, story by Paul Wenster and Jack Sobell. With Sheridan,
Kent Smith, Bruce Bennett, Robert Alda, Rosemary DeCamp. Warner
Bros., 1947, 111 min.
9:10 THE WOMAN ON PIER 13
Originally titled I MARRIED A COMMUNIST, this notorious Howard Hughes-produced
film is a time capsule of witchhunt hysteria, portraying San Francisco
labor organizers as Chicago-style gangsters. Thomas Gomez is a thinly
veiled caricature of waterfront firebrand Harry Bridges. Dir. Robert
Stevenson, Scr. Robert Hardy Andrews. With Laraine Day, Robert Ryan,
Janis Carter, Thomas Gomez. RKO Radio Pictures, 1949, 73 min.
Friday, January 24
7:20 SHAKEDOWN
An ambitious shutterbug becomes the star photographer for a San
Francisco newspaper, thanks to a nose for news and no discernible
ethics. One of the most rarely screened of all films noirs, featuring
nonstop double-crosses and an appropriately dark conclusion. Dir.
Joe Pevney, Scr. Alfred Lewis Levitt and Martin Goldsmith. With
Howard Duff, Brian Donlevy, Peggy Dow, Lawrence Tierney, Anne Vernon.
Universal-International, 1950, 80 min.
9:00 THE RAGING TIDE
The redoubtable Richard Conte plays a gangster wanted for murder.
He hides out with a fishing crew plying the waters outside the Golden
Gate. Terrific location photography by Russell Metty (TOUCH OF EVIL)
captures old North Beach before the tourist explosion. Dir. George
Sherman, Scr. Ernest K. Gann, from his novel Fiddler's Green. With
Conte, Shelley Winters, Stephen McNally, Charles Bickford. Universal-International,
1951, 93 min.
Saturday, January 25
1:40, 5:20, 9:00 THE MIDNIGHT STORY
An S.F. traffic cop (Tony Curtis) becomes obsessed with solving
the murder of a North Beach priest. Not allowed to pursue his suspicions,
he tosses his badge and goes freelance. Big problem - the prime
suspect ends up loving him like a son. CinemaScope views of old
North Beach. Dir. Joe Pevney, Scr. Edwin Blum and John Robinson.
With Marisa Pavan, Gilbert Roland, Ted de Corsia. Universal, 1957,
89 min.
3:30, 7:10 THE SNIPER
This groundbreaking film, shot entirely in San Francisco, is a fascinating
early treatment of the serial killer theme. It's truly the first
of its kind and features inspired use of local backdrops. Nominated
for Best Original Screenplay Academy Award. Dir. Edward Dmytryk,
Scr. Edna and Edward Anhalt. With Arthur Franz, Adolphe Menjou,
Richard Kiley, Marie Windsor. Columbia, 1952, 87 min.
Sunday, January 26
1:00, 5:15, 9:30 THE LINEUP
A pair of professional killers wreak havoc as they track down a
missing shipment of heroin. Probably the best look ever at 1950s
San Francisco, as the camera zips from the waterfront to the Cliff
House and everywhere in between. Dir. Don Siegel, Scr. Sterling
Silliphant. With Eli Wallach, Robert Keith, Richard Jaeckel, Emile
Meyer. Columbia, 1958, 85 min.
2:45, 7:10 EXPERIMENT IN TERROR
A woman is forced to assist a daring robbery when an unseen mastermind
takes her daughter hostage. Director Edwards displays a Hitchcock-like
hand as he ratchets up the suspense, culminating in a stunning climax
during a Giants-Dodgers game at Candlestick Park. Dir. Blake Edwards,
Scr. Gordon & Mildred Gordon. With Lee Remick, Glenn Ford, Ross
Martin, Stephanie Powers. Columbia, 1962, 123 min.
Ticket prices are $8 general admission, $7 Film Society members
and $5 matinees, students, seniors and person with disabilities.
If you would like to arrange an interview with Edie Muller, need
a photo or would like a screener tape, please contact Hilary Hart
at 415.561.5022 or publicity@sffs.org.
Eddie Muller's website is www.noircity.com.
The 46th San Francisco International Film Festival (April 17-May
1, 2003) is presented by the San Francisco Film Society, a nonprofit
organization whose goal is to lead in expanding the knowledge and
appreciation of international film art and its artists by showcasing
the most compelling, thought-provoking international films, special
tributes, major restorations and today's brightest stars.
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