Film noir
see all genres ›Fallen men, femmes fatale, fatal attractions, dead ends, greed, botched crimes and sexual betrayal: sex and violence are basic to the appeal of films noir. First used by French critics in the late 1940s to describe the disillusioned, stylish mood of many Hollywood crime pictures and melodramas produced during World War II, the term refers to an era ranging from the early 1940s through the late 1950s (though "neo noir" films continued to be made ever after). The noir style owes to both expressionism and realism: night scenarios, strong shadows, low-key lighting, dynamic compositions, hardboiled dialogue, flashbacks, fragmented narratives and fluid camera movements.
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Genres / Film noir
SUB-GENRES · 1950s noir · 1940s noir · Neo-noir · International noir
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The Stranger
Having directed two undisputed masterpieces, CITIZEN KANE and THE MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS, Orson Welles delved into the suspense film, crafting a baroque postwar thriller that drew upon the style of his previous work, while laying the groundwork for his later film noir classics THE LADY FROM...Watch Movie
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Private Property
Two homicidal Southern California drifters (played to creepy perfection by Warren Oates and Corey Allen) wander off the beach and into the seemingly-perfect Beverly Hills home of unhappy housewife Kate Manx, in this long-lost film noir gem written and directed by THE OUTER...Watch Movie
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Elena
Winner of Cannes' Un Certain Regard Special Jury Prize, ELENA is a gripping, modern twist on the classic noir thriller. Sixty-ish spouses Vladimir and Elena uneasily share his palatial Moscow apartment (he's a still-virile, wealthy businessman; she's his dowdy former nurse who has clearly...Watch Movie
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Sun Don't Shine
Written and directed by actress/filmmaker Amy Seimetz , SUN DON'T SHINE follows Crystal (Kate Lyn Sheil) and her boyfriend Leo (Kentucker Audley) on a tense and mysterious road trip through the desolate yet hauntingly beautiful landscape of central Florida. From the outset, the purpose of their...Watch Movie
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Trans-Europ-Express
TRANS-EUROP-EXPRESS is a self-referential, neo-noir thriller, with heavy doses of sado-masochism, from the mind of Alain Robbe-Grillet. On the train from Paris to Antwerp, a director and his production team hash-out the plot of a crime movie. Their story is enacted by Jean...Watch Movie
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The Big Combo
A gripping gangster movie starring Cornel Wilde as the tenacious cop determined to bring down a ruthless and sadistic mobster played by Richard Conte. Often overlooked, this movie is a fine example of the evocative film noir style that became so popular during the 40s and 50s. John Alton's...Watch Movie
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Jerichow
In a small desolate town in northeastern Germany, a handsome ex-soldier, a Turkish businessman and his beautiful, restless wife find themselves in a desperate love triangle in this suspenseful reworking of the James M. Cain's novel THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE from acclaimed director Christian...Watch Movie
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Suddenly
In the tranquil small town of Suddenly, peace and quiet is disrupted one day by the news that the President's train will be arriving and that there might also be a possible assassination attempt. Frank Sinatra gives and electrifying performance as the psychotic killer hired to do the job. [Please...Watch Movie
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The Bigamist
This is the story of Harry Graham and his wife Eve who want to adopt a child. At the adoption agency they are interviewed by Mr. Jordan, who at first sight believes that they might be a perfect couple but he becomes concerned when Harry appears uneasy at the mention of background checks into...Watch Movie
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Le petit lieutenant
A gripping police noir, LE PETIT LIEUTENANT tells the story of Antoine, an ambitious young cop from the provinces who joins a plainclothes crime unit in Paris. Antoine spends his days eagerly awaiting his first assignment, drinking with his fellow detectives and developing an...Watch Movie
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Blonde Ice
A beautiful blonde high-steps her way up the society ladder (and over one dead body at a time) in this fast, cheap and deadly film noir, thought lost for many years but rediscovered. Claire Cummings, a former "$18-a-week steno from a hick town" turned society newspaperwoman, finds herself...Watch Movie
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Tread Softly Stranger
Diana Dors plays Calico, the sexy vamp (or tramp?) and Terence Morgan, the staid little officer worker and "love interest" of Calico. Things heat up when the shady but handsome brother arrives from London. Instant attraction strikes between Calico and the brother, making her...Watch Movie
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The Naked Kiss
Sam Fuller's most notorious film, unleashed on an unsuspecting public in 1964, begins with a bang that sets the tone for the madness of what's coming: a prostitute looms over the camera while beating a pimp senseless with her stiletto'd shoe, all while screaming that she's about to take back...Watch Movie
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Story of a Love Affair
STORY OF A LOVE AFFAIR is the legendary Michelangelo Antonioni's debut feature, a powerful statement on the delusions and violence sparked by a passionate love. This deeply tragic romance already exhibits the astonishing formal control and penetrating insights into the human...Watch Movie
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The Grand Inquisitor
Legendary blacklisted Hollywood actress Marsha Hunt, 90, makes a stunning return to the screen in this haunting short film that writer-director Eddie Muller describes as "a noir fairy tale, based on actual events." A young woman (Leah Dashe) discovers a cache of used books...Watch Movie
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The Sin of Nora Moran
A weird and wonderful slab of homegrown surrealism, THE SIN OF NORA MORAN’s surprisingly complex narration and florid montage editing makes it well-deserving of the UCLA Festival of Preservation’s accolades as “haunting, hallucinatory, artistic, exploitative…maybe the best...Watch Movie
