Chinatown Review

        This month has been interesting with showcasing this brand of films. I always feel of moment of reflection whenever I do these retrospectives since it really showcases how far a genre, or style has come. Now, this whole month hasn’t been chronologically accurate since I jumped around the movies that I was shown first. To me, I always like showing things with a new angle or just exposing people to movies that they’re completely unaware of. Having said all that, let’s wrap up my look into Noir with Chinatown. 

1. Neo-Noir

        Now when watching this film, you may be shocked to see that there’s technicolor. I can’t read minds, but I can at least guess that some people are glad that’s in color or just surprised. I feel that it’s intentional seeing how the Paramount logo starts in a brown sepia tone, then the movie begins with a spectrum of color. At least adjust the brightness when doing a marathon of noir films. 

        With this film, this is a representative of the sub-genre known as neo-noir. What that means is that it has the hallmarks of noir but places it in a contemporary style. Gone are the days where there’s witty banter in place of genuine cussing. There’s that in the movie. More so that there’s blood spilled and gun fights where it isn’t hastily telegraphed. This movie feels as genuine of a noir movie while being in full color. 

        One last thing is that I feel that this movie might be the first noir movie to have some historical significance. I’ll elaborate that further but just to pepper it in here. The film is loosely based on a water controversy that happened in Los Angeles in the 1930s. Which is when the film takes place. It wouldn’t be the last noir film to tackle, since I already talked about it with my review of Who Framed Roger Rabbit?

        So, we follow the private investigator Jake as he gets a call to investigate a cheating husband. What turns from a standard surveillance morph into a grand scheme of corruption involving real estate. I always maintain that the best antagonist plan doesn’t involve taking over the world or snapping half of life out of existence. Instead, it’s exploiting land for real estate purposes with water. 

        This movie has a lot going for it since we see how much Jake evolves from a usual private investigator to someone who’s trying to save a life. As we see throughout the movie, Jake takes matters into his own hands by seeing and dealing with the aftermath of water that is dried out and pumped in. He manages to climb his way into a closed area, while also being harmed in the process. 

        In one way, I feel that this movie does show more with what the protagonist does to further get entangled in a web of deceit. I like the moments where he snoops around and even sell his way into a retirement home just to get some info. Jake is the one who can’t be bought or turn the other way. 

        Which is saying a lot for the supporting cast of the movie. Evelyn is a perfect fit for Jake since she manages to be shady and slowly reveal the tidbits of info that Jake uncovers. There’s one great scene involving them both but it’s way too good to talk about it here. As I was saying, the supporting cast including the police give this idea that for as much as they represent justice, they’re part of the problem.

        With me, the whole film represents this idea that not everything is as it appears. Everything that Jake sees is either not true or something that can be manipulated. Such as when he sees a dried riverbed, and then returns and sees a small stream. It’s things like this where we know as the audience that the problem is way bigger than he thinks.  And to me it’s such a downer movie as it progresses, when we’re expecting a win for Jake that doesn’t come up. It’s warranted with what the film’s going for and it works by it selling that hopelessness. 

2. A Bad Way with Water

        As I mentioned before, the film was partly inspired by an actual event that happened in Los Angeles. To sum it up, the city was diverting water from their farmlands in order to move it to the city itself. So much so that it dried up whatever produce was left growing. The way the film uses water as a symbol is great. 

        For one thing, we see just how much it’s referenced since the time of the film indicates that it’s a very hot season and it’s a tough commodity to get. More so that whenever we do see the element, it usually involves people in power or a where a dead body is involved. Things like that show how this one resource that is supposed to provide nourishment can be manipulated for one’s personal gain. 

        And to have it tie it with the farmers, since there are moments where they are involved with the film. It feels like it’s supposed to comment on this idea of the Dream. Of making it and having a home, and how this one-man Noah Cross manages to create new plats of land with the money he has when he diverts the water. I feel that even beyond that, it creates this sense of hopelessness that I talked about. 

        Additionally, with everything cultivating to the actual section in Los Angeles. Jake tries to explain to his lieutenant friend of what’s happening but is just met with reluctance. That idea of futility is felt across that scene since the aftermath is just treated as a regular occurrence. Not really focusing on the very plain as day obvious con job anyone can spot. 

3. Overall

        This is a great film and reflective of the time it came out. Chinatown is a perfect face of what Neo-Noir is. 

The Maltese Falcon Review

            The Maltese Falcon is sometimes considered the best noir film and the one to kick off this style of filmmaking. It’s hotly debated if the film really is noir in essence or just a great detective story. That’s what makes the film so great since the whole story has like several layers where it could go in any direction. I’m getting ahead of myself with this one. Let’s talk about this one. 

1. Sam Spade

            Whenever you’re talking classic Warner Bros. movies, you can’t start one without talking about this guy. Humphrey Bogart, or Bogie as he was nicknamed at the time was The definitive star that absolutely steals this movie. His overall approach in this movie is often imitated for parodic reasons but this guy truly nails being a detective. 

        With that, the whole film centers around him coming across three people. You see, he runs a private investigation firm when he gets word that a client’s sister is missing. As Spade’s partner investigates, he’s shot by a mysterious assailant. Sam is questioned by the police, but soon comes across the aforementioned people who have been attempting to get the stolen treasure known as the Maltese Falcon. 

        You go into this movie following Sam as he maneuvers against the antagonists. Most of the action comes from him basically dressing people down, by his way of words. Bogart’s straight faced delivery sells when he’s displaying his no nonsense idea of getting the facts. Whenever he’s confronted by the antagonists, he usually bluffs his way as a way to work around them. All the while making compromises to secure the statuette. What makes him a great protagonist is that he’s not one to lose his principle. His integrity is his thing that sets him on a straight path. 

        Additionally, he can sift through the façade that the people are portraying. The best moments is when Brigid has this innocence portrayed when she talks to Sam. Spade basically drops her by telling her to drop the act. He’s ruthless but the way it works is justified since he gets embroiled with the figurine. There’s never a clear-cut way whenever the bird statue is discussed since people are being duplicitously deceiving. 

        One last thing is that he's the only one to not be corrupted by anything. It’s hard to believe at first, but it sort of works when he puts up with two authority figures. They accuse him of killing his partner and try to get a rise out of him to find a way to arrest him. In the midst of finding the statuette, he doesn’t see the intrinsic value into having it, but to see if there was a connection between it and the killing of his partner. 

2. The Statuette 

        With a film called The Maltese Falcon, we would expect to see it for a good chunk. We even have a opening crawl briefly explaining how the statue came to be. There are only a few minutes of when we see it. But before I get into that, I think that the best thing about not having the statue show itself is that it builds this mysticism about it. For instance, when Spade meets the real villain Gutman, he tells him about the history of the statuette. It’s been stolen and had an exchange of hands throughout its existence. 

        It's the thing that makes people go crazy since people want it as a trophy. The way its used as a storytelling device is that people are willing to go through any distance to get it, by any means. More so that Gutman has an assistant named Cairo who initially thinks that Spade has it. And from there is when its revealed that Brigid also works for the main man. All three of them want it due to how unique it is. All of it leads to the best moment of the film. Well, one of two best moments in the film. I don’t want to spoil that part but, Spade practically laughs at the statue when he sees. 

        I think that the statuette is the perfect dichotomy of Sam Spade. Even when he’s told and shown the figurine, he’s not overall captivated by it at all. His personal beliefs shield him from that level of envy that is presented. Right down to calling the police when two of the antagonists escape. I think it shows that he sees the level of manipulation that is shown when he’s confronted with either Cairo or Gutman on the level that they’re willing to go through any lengths to get the statue. 

3. Legacy

        This film benefitted Bogart in more ways than one. While the film was a success, it catapulted him into that level of stardom where he’s recognizable in that era of classic Hollywood. He went on to star in more beloved movies like Casablanca and The Treasure of the Sierra Madre to name a few. His style as a detective as I mentioned has been imitated to an extent. 

        When I watched the movie again, I felt it was more of an inspiration to an Indiana Jones movie. Think about it, we see the main character be involved with finding an elusive treasure. Getting involved with others who want it for vanity and the main character doing everything to get it, but ending up biting the main antagonist. While there are more examples that led to the creation of Indy. This film is one of them. 

4. Overall 

        The Maltese Falcon is a classic 1940s movie. Humphrey Bogart solidifies his role, and shows that somethings are stuff that dreams are made of.  

Touch of Evil Review

        My look into Film Noir continues. Touch of Evil is an interesting one in my opinion, it’s got a lot of things going for it. Both good and bad, the last part I’ll elaborate further. To me, it’s representative of doing a different kind of noir film that spices things up since it doesn’t have the usual hallmarks. Instead of it taking place in a big city, we’re now in a border town of all places. Where the seediness is intrenched in either side of the border. With all those superlatives out of the way, here’s what I think of Touch of Evil. 

1. Orson Welles

        Anyone who has a passion about film, either by watching movies or experimenting with making them have heard of this person. I never thought that I’d talk about him, since I haven’t even touched upon Citizen Kane for this initiative. Anyways, Welles was a celebrated actor and director. He was very creative with the way he shot his movies and was always on point as an actor. 

        This film is considered his last, and I think it’s his second-best film just a notch below Kane. With that, we see in the first few minutes that a bomb was planted inside a car. Following a great long take the car explodes. We follow Miguel Vargas who’s a Mexican investigator and his American counterpart Hank Quinlan. And from there, well it’s interesting. One would think the whole film would be about who exactly bombed the car and why.

        The story never really goes that deep into it since the whole film is really about Vargas slowly putting together that Quinlan is a corrupt police captain. There’s also a side plot involving Vargas’ wife staying at a hotel which is overrun by the town’s crime boss. So yeah, it’s made clear that on both sides of the border, they don’t take that much interest in the actual bombing. Although, it just shows that there’s an aura of awful that’s practically shrouding the law enforcement.

        In one way, Orson Welles had a lot of creative liberty when adapting the story since the novel was considered pulpy. He changed the location and the characters, especially the main character’s ethnicity since it gave it an edge given to where the film takes place. The more I think about it, Welle’s directing style gives the town a distinct look. It’s covered in used newspapers and it’s open since we see people coming and going. 

More so that I believe that he was poking fun at film noir in general. With the ensuing plot point that doesn’t really go anywhere. Right down to the Mexican crime boss who’s like an archetype for these movies. The main thing I think with what Welles was going for was that since there’s little development for depth, it’s positioned as a way for people to be used as pawns. 

        One recurring camera aesthetic that I noticed is the way that characters are staged in. Specifically, in the scene involving Quinlan interrogating a suspect at a hotel room. When you watch it, the whole moment feels cramped and uncomfortable. Given how Quinlan and his associates don’t let the suspect off the hook. It really captures Hank’s size, to show that he’s the boss. Never mind the fact that Welles was a big person but that’s not the point. As well as show us from Vargas’ point of view that the evidence was planted ahead of time. 

        What makes the film work is that in some way, we get to see just how justice is presented in a town where justice is just tossed aside. Vargas as a character is an idealistic man who is mostly by the books while Quinlan is celebrated but he has questionable motives in order to get great public standing. It all comes together when he makes a deal with the crime boss Grandi, who double crosses him when he’s of no use. 

        One thing that I found interesting character wise was of Menzies. He’s the only close associate to Vargas as Miguel doesn’t entirely trust Hank or his guys. Menzies tries to balance his kinship to the main authority heads that it honestly feels like a balancing act between helping Vargas and being in Hank’s good graces. He shows just how a person who’s doing a balancing act, slowly reveals who he really is. 

2. The Elephant in The Room

        Just by judging the poster on the very top, you know full well that Charlton Heston isn’t a Mexican or Hispanic in anyway. In one way, I can understand that this film is also a problem film, something where its presentation was okay at the time but not okay presently. Context is really needed when talking about these films since some things get lost in the shuffle or people are willingly want to “cancel” something without doing any due diligence. 

        The only reason Heston was casted in the film was that he was a hot commodity at the time. This was right after he performed as Moses in The Ten Commandments. And just before he reached that apex of excellence with Ben-Hur. Heston joined the movie since Welles was also attached to the movie. He even wanted Orson to direct the movie, which the studio abided by. The only catch is that Welles wasn’t paid as a director. 

        So, this is really a tough one to examine since it has that glaring aspect to it. It works in a narrative sense since it showcases the racism that happens. It juxtaposes Vargas being the good cop and Hank being the corrupt cop who sneers and belittles anyone who isn’t his skin color. Right down by stating that ‘border towns bring the worst in people.’. The movie isn’t progressive in the least bit but has the thing it has going for it. Which is having the element of showing how one place can show people who they really are. 

3. Overall

        Touch of Evil is considered the last of the black and white film noir movies. It’s a classic from Orson Welles and a product of its time. 

Double Indemnity Review

        We’re in March now, and I’ve decided to spice it up this time around. Years prior I talked about the movies that I’ve seen that were generally well liked. Not a specific overarching theme, but just quality movies and what I thought about them. This time, I’ve decided to talk about a certain style of film. If you remember way back around three years ago, I only ever talked about one film noir movie. Sunset Boulevard is my favorite, but I’ve decided to look at more and that’s what I’ll be talking about. Specifically, the movie that is considered the definitive example of film noir, Double Indemnity. 

1. Film Noir

        So you may be wondering what exactly is film noir? Well, to be exact since it was taught to me back in my college years that film noir isn’t a sub-genre. More so that it’s a style of filmmaking that was pushing the envelope of what it could get away with back in the early 20th century. Typically these stories include a person getting roped into a plan by a woman. And just seeing the after effects spill out as the main character gets into more trouble. While some films follow the basic outlines, others diversified by focusing on the corruption on institutions that were considered polished. 

        Double Indemnity at the time, broke the mold of what the style of film noir could be. Mind you film noir was already in vogue prior to this film coming out. Just the way it handled the characters and the story really changed everything. To begin with, we follow the insurance salesman Walter as he walks into his office to record a confession. He recounts how he wound up in the mess by meeting a woman named Phyllis. They flirt, and they devised a plan to trigger an insurance claim to get rich. 

        Sounds simple enough, except for the fact that Walter’s co-worker and friend Keyes starts to sniff out the obvious fraud that is being presented. Where to begin with this one. Well, it’s one of those rare films to have a non-linear way of storytelling. Everything that we’re being shown is narrated by Walter, even in the moments where he explains to his accomplice about the necessary steps to execute their plan. 

        I think this film works on multiple levels, but I’ll focus on two. For one thing, this film is sort of like an anti-romance film. Since it has that angle where the two main characters flirt, but all that is peeled off when we realize that they’re cold and greedy. It’s ironic in a way since Walter was just there to sell some insurance. Then gets smitten by Phyllis and the rabbit hole of easy money gets to them as they plot the insurance claim.

        Additionally, Walter presents himself as intelligent, but his weakness is Phyllis. I’ll talk about her since she is the show stealer in the film. Anyways, while Walter is smart enough to elaborately plan out his next steps, he’s green. Moments upend him when his coworker starts to realize that the new claim that they’re assigned to is easily a crime. 

        This is where I consider this film to also be a proto-thriller in a sense. We’re watching two bad people commit this crime and having this anxiety that Keyes is almost close to pinning the whole thing on Walter. While the anxiety part doesn’t mostly involve him, but when Walter gets spotted by a witness when he’s interrogated. Like it’s been a while that I’ve seen the film, but that moment where Walter is spotted gives me that feeling where he’s a goner. It’s those moments that really lay out that Walter is practically playing a delicate role of being an innocent and just being coy about the whole thing.

2. Femme Fatale

        With any film noir movie, you got to have a femme fatale. That’s the official title for the female character who’s mostly the antagonist. And of course, she looks like a bombshell. That first moment when she’s wrapped around in a towel practically laid a trap on Walter. It’s one of those things where you wouldn’t think much of her. Until she asks about the different insurance claims involving death, is when we see who she really is. 

        Phyllis remains the key example of being the femme fatale, just by her being attractive and using Walter for her own needs really makes her into a conniving villain. Not moustache twirling in any sense, but how she practically plays into Walter’s wants and is willing to kill a man for the sake of lust and greed. The moment when Walter can’t get the smell of her perfume from her mind, really makes her into a black widow of sorts. 

        Overall, her character arc is interesting to see as we see or hear more into who she is as a character. It’s not revealed until later that she was responsible for another death that Walter was not aware of. The whole action makes her calculating and a hustler for sure. One last thing is that she can sell a performance. This comes as she is questioned by Keyes about the insurance claim that she gets emotional and accuses them of claiming her to be a criminal.  

3. Legacy

        The film was a massive success when it came out and was nominated heavily during the Oscars, which won none. It was surprising to me that it was loosely based on a book, which was loosely based on an actual crime that was committed. Aside from that, many imitators tried to cash in on the success of Double Indemnity. Not until other films that were film noir became their own things such as Gilda or The Lady from Shanghai to name a few.

        It only made sense that Sunset Boulevard is sort of like a spiritual successor to this film. That film had the basic tenets of noir down but went in a different direction in terms of story. Since the narrator was already dead, albeit elaborating on his own death as it happened. Other than that, Double Indemnity laid the groundwork for the director to go into a different angle with the film noir aesthetic. 

4. Overall 

        Double Indemnity is an absolute classic from the 40s. Its black and white look gives it that unique take that can’t be imitated in its time or after.