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American Classic Movies: Best Film Noir Picks for Your Private Library

What is film noir?

♦ “Film Noir is one of Hollywood’s only organic artistic movements.”

(Source: Film Noir Foundation)

♦ “Film noir is a cycle of mainly American films of the 1940’s and 1950’s exploring the darker aspects of modernity, and usually set in a criminal milieu or exploring the consequences of a criminal act.”

(Source: Films Noir)

Ted Turner, a notable American businessman, lauded for his many successful business endeavors, once said in a televised interview that Turner Classic Movies (TCM) was one of his most unprofitable business endeavors, money-wise. But he’s OK with that. Because this cinema history which he chose to preserve was worth every invested penny he lost.

So happy you feel that way, Mr.Turner because you preserved so many memories for so many people(like me) who will always be grateful.

That being said, do you have a particular film noir that tops your faves list? I have two.  You should add these to your private film library.  They don’t make’em this any more.

 

(1) The Maltese Falcon (1941)

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(2) Double Indemnity (1944)

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FUN FACT:  “Film Noir (literally ‘black film or cinema’) was coined by French film critics (first by Nino Frank in 1946) who noticed the trend of how ‘dark’, downbeat and black the looks and themes were of many American crime and detective films released in France to theatres following the war, such as The Maltese Falcon (1941), …”  (Source: filmsite.org)

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Related Links:

A Guide to Film Noir by Roger Ebert

Richard Brody : “Film Noir”: The Elusive Genre

Infographic explains “film noir” and finds the most noir film of them all

(Image credits: Amazon)

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  • Question of

    Do you like film noir movies?

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  • Question of

    Have you seen the movie “The Maltese Falcon”?

    • Yes
    • No
  • Question of

    “I’m so tired. So tired of lying, making up lies, not knowing what is a lie, and what is the truth.” This is a quote from the film “The Maltese Falcon”.

    • True
    • False

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