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The 1962 version of Cape Fear is one of the films I cite when the question "Where did film noir go?" comes up. It's close to being film noir, but not quite. The film falls outside of the accepted time frame of American film noir of between 1940 and 1959. The protagonist of the film has his past catch up with him, but in a true film noir, this would happen because of some wrong action by that character. For example, in Act of Violence, Van Heflin betrayed some his fellow POWs in a German prison camp in WWII, and this resulted in the death of some of those POWs, although Heflin had no idea that there would be such a result. For this, he is pursued after returning to life in the US.

In both John Macdonald's novel and James Webb's screenplay for Cape Fear (1962), the protagonist testifies against the crimes of the villain; specifically, rape. The protagonist has done nothing wrong; quite the opposite, actually. He has done the right thing. Well, that's not film noir. The ironic thing is that in Scorsese's 1991 version of Cape Fear, the protagonist is pursued by the villain because he- as the villain's lawyer in a trial many years before- suppressed evidence which might have exonerated the villain, and that is an element of film noir- a guilty past catching up with an otherwise benign character- making Scorsese's version into what's known as neo-noir.

Cape Fear (1962) is more correctly classified as a Thriller. It's close to noir, though, with Mitchum echoing his portrayal of relentless pursuer Reverend Harry Powell in Charles Laugton's unique and nearly unclassifiable Night of the Hunter.
 
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I did watch Blood On the Moon. The lighting and cinematography was excellent, especially the night scenes.
If you do catch Mitchum in Cape Fear, closely watch the scene where Michum confronts Polly Bergen on the boat, breaks eggs and rubs them on her body. Bergen said that Mitchums intensity during the scene scared the crap out of her.
She has a short interview on TCM where she talks about it.


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Notice, near the beginning of the film, it is morning when Mitchum leaves Lofton's camp. He stops by Lofton's ranch to deliver a message, lso in daylight. By the time he reaches town it is well past sunset. Why? Because: film noir. In watching the film, do you get the impression that Lofton's house is that far from town? It certainly doesn't seem that way, not a full day's ride.

Other Westerns would have filmed Mitchum coming into town in full daylight, but the visual iconography of film noir dictates nightime scenes with deep shadows all about so that chiaroscuro can be employed.

The film begins at night and ends at night.
 
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I was very impressed with the back lighting. The way the clouds looked in the sky at night and how the snow glistened and almost glittered as the rode their horses through the Pass. Reminded me of what Ansel Adams could do with his photographs. It was a beautiful print. Enjoyed how their faces came in and out of the light. You seldom see that kind of skill.
 
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quote:
Originally posted by Modern Day Savage:
director Joseph L. Mankiewicz' No Way Out
For those who haven't seen this film, TCM is airing in on 9/3 @ 8:00 pm EST.
 
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I don't know that I will ever understand film noir, but both my wife and I really liked this film.

Preston is one of our favorite actors and I think he really hit it out of the park in this one.

Brennan was darned good playing a serious character rather than a comedic sidekick.

Thank again,Para, for pointing out this film.

Bob
 
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Originally posted by straightshooter1:
I don't know that I will ever understand film noir...
Welcome to the club. I may be closer to a complete understanding of this subject than others here, but I'm still learning. Always a new film noir in the canon that I haven't seen (according to some estimates, there were upwards of 800 films noir made between 1940 and 1959), always new angles, observations, connections, revelations, etc.

And, yes- Walter Brennan was an actor with a broader range than merely a toothless gimp court jester.

After Brennan shoots one of the henchmen, whom he suspects Mitchum of being one, Mitchum asks Brennan "Why'd you do it?", and Brennan, with this barely perceptible smirk says "I always wanted to shoot one of ya."
 
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Well I watched it, and I thought it was great. I have been one of para’s students of film noir for a few years now. I watched many recommended films and have a tenuous grasp on the style. The cinematography was indeed beautiful and the chiaroscuro lighting contrast was brilliant ( thinking in particular of a scene, near the end, in the cabin with Mitchum and Bel Geddes). Ultimately, it just didn’t feel like noir to me. The big thing missing for me was the “femme fatale,” Barbara Bel Geddes was the girl next door. I know there are several elements and not all need to be present, but that’s kind of important to me.

Repeating though, I thought it was a great movie.


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Posts: 13166 | Location: Wyoming | Registered: January 10, 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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The redemptive female appears often in film noir. Usually, the redemptive female is countering the femme fatale, but sometimes, there is only the redemptive female, trying to save the protagonist, not from the femme fatale, but from himself. In the case of Blood on the Moon, Barbara Bel Geddes is the RD for Mitchum.

Out of the Past is a prime example of the femme fatale/redemptive female counterparts.

On the other hand Night and the City, which is just about as noir as noir can get, has no femme fatale, but it does have the redemptive female in the form of Gene Tierney.

They Live by Night- no femme fatale, but it has a redemptive female in the form of Cathy O'Donnell.

In some films noir, neither of these archetypes is present.

Ultimately, though, if it doesn't feel like film noir to you, then, it isn't. It's a style, not a genre, so, saying that you don't consider some particular film to not be film noir is not like denying that, say, Rio Bravo is a Western. No one would let you get away with saying that.

As I've said many times, the subject of film noir is nebulous, and half the fun is chasing the uncatchable clouds of smoke.


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