 |
Get out your trenchcoat.
San
Francisco’s first film noir festival, is coming to the Castro
Theatre January 17–26, presented in association with the Film
Society. The series, titled Noir City, will be programmed and hosted
by noted film noir expert and local native Eddie Muller. It is composed
entirely of feature films from the classic era set in the city by
the Bay.
“Hollywood
regularly exploited the city’s reputation as a place of mystery
and intrigue,” says Muller. “But this exclusive focus
on San Francisco–based movies is a first for a film festival.
It’ll be as close as local residents can get to actually having
lived in the Bay Area during the classic film noir era.” Along
with familiar noir classics, such as John Huston’s THE MALTESE
FALCON and Orson Welles’s THE LADY FROM SHANGHAI, are many
rare titles not seen in 35mm exhibition since their original theatrical
runs more than 50 years ago.
In
addition to a great roster of films, special celebrity guests will
make an appearance with their films and be interviewed onstage.
Muller
appeared at the 2001 San Francisco International Film Festival to
discuss his then newly published book, DARK CITY DAMES: THE WICKED
WOMEN OF FILM NOIR. His latest book, THE ART OF NOIR: THE POSTERS
AND GRAPHICS OF THE CLASSIC ERA OF FILM NOIR, is due for publication
in December 2002.
Read
related articles: San Francisco: Birthplace
of Noir? by Don Herron and Bagged,
Dad, by the Bay by Miguel Pendás.
 |
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. Directed by Robert
Wise. With Lawrence Tierney, Claire Trevor, Walter Slezak,
Elisha Cook Jr. (1947, 92 min.)
Wednesday,
January 22: 3:20, 7:05
|
|
 |
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 the focus on the city itself.
At least until Bacall shows up. Directed by Delmer Daves.
With Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Agnes Moorehead, Bruce
Bennett. (1947, 106 min.)
Friday,
January 17: 9:10
|
|
 |
A woman is forced to assist a daring robbery when an unseen
mastermind takes her daughter hostage. Director Blake 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. With Lee Remick, Glenn Ford, Ross Martin,
Stephanie Powers. (1962, 123 min.)
Sunday,
January 26: 2:45, 7:10
|
|
 |
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. Directed by Robert Wise. With Valentina
Cortese, Richard Basehart, William Lundigan. (1951, 92 min.)
Wednesday,
January 22: 1:30, 5:15, 9:00
|
|
 |
Orson Welles’s 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.
Directed by Orson Welles. With Welles, Rita Hayworth, Everett
Sloane. (1948, 86 min.)
Saturday,
January 18: 3:40, 7:10
|
|
 |
A pair of professional killers wreak havoc as they track down
a missing shipment of heroin. Probably the best look you’ll
ever have at 1950s San Francisco, as the camera zips from
the waterfront to the Cliff House and everywhere in between.
Directed by Don Siegel. With Eli Wallach, Robert Keith, Richard
Jaeckel. (1958, 85 min.)
Sunday,
January 26: 1:00, 5:15, 9:30
|
|
 |
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. Directed by John Huston. With Humphrey
Bogart, Mary Astor, Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre, Elisha
Cook Jr. (1941, 100 min.)
Friday, January 17: 7:00
|
|
 |
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. Directed by Joe Pevney.
With Gilbert Roland, Marisa Pavan, Ted de Corsia. (1957, 89
min.)
Saturday,
January 25: 1:40, 5:20, 9:00
|
|
 |
“A mouth like hers was for kissing, not telling!”
Ann Sheridan is 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. Directed
by Vincent Sherman. With Kent Smith, Bruce Bennett, Robert
Alda, Rosemary DeCamp. (1948, 111 min.)
Thursday,
January 23: 7:00
|
|
 |
The apotheosis of film noir style. A detective hunting 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.
Directed by Jacques Tourneur. With Robert Mitchum, Jane Greer,
Kirk Douglas, Virginia Huston. (1947, 94 min.)
Monday,
January 20: 7:00
|
|
|
George Raft is a tight-lipped, wisecracking San Francisco
bookie, fighting 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.” Directed by Edward L.
Marin. With William Bendix, Marilyn Maxwell, Harry Morgan.
(1948, 79 min.)
Tuesday,
January 21: 7:20
.
|
|
|
The redoubtable Richard Conte is 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. Directed by George Sherman. With Shelley
Winters, Steven McNally, Charles Bickford. (1951, 93 min.)
Friday,
January 24: 9:00
|
|
|
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. Directed by Joseph Santley. With
Andrea King, Helmut Dantine. (1946, 78 min.)
Sunday,
January 19: 1:30, 5:20, 9:10
|
|
 |
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 doublecrosses and an appropriately
dark conclusion. Directed by Joe Pevney. With Howard Duff,
Brian Donlevy, Peggy Dow, Lawrence Tierney. (1950, 80 min.)
Friday,
January 24: 7:20
|
|
 |
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.
Directed by Edward Dmytryk. With Arthur Franz, Adolphe Menjou,
Richard Kiley, Marie Windsor. (1952, 87 min.)
Saturday,
January 25: 3:30, 7:10
|
|
 |
Joan 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. Directed by David Miller.
With Jack Palance, Gloria Grahame, Bruce Bennett. (1952, 110
min.)
Sunday,
January 19: 3:10, 7:00
|
|
 |
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. Directed by Jules Dassin. With Richard Conte,
Valentina Cortese, Lee J. Cobb, Joe Pevney. (1949, 94 min.)
Tuesday,
January 21: 9:00
|
|
 |
Robert Mitchum 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. Directed by John Farrow. With
Faith Domergue, Claude Rains, Maureen O’Sullivan. (1950,
84 min.)
Monday,
January 20: 9:00
|
|
|
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. Directed by Robert Stevenson. With
Robert Ryan, Laraine Day, Janis Carter. (1949, 73 min.)
Thursday,
January 23: 9:10
|
|
 |
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. Directed by Norman Foster.
With Ann Sheridan, Dennis O’Keefe. (1950, 78 min.)
Saturday,
January 18: 2:00, 5:30, 9:10
|
|
|
