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normasshearer · 1 year

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FAVORITE CLASSIC FILM PERFORMANCES

JOAN CRAWFORD as Anna Holm in A WOMAN’S FACE (1941) dir. George Cukor

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sci-firenegade · 3 months

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It is 100% official: I get the hype behind A Woman's Face.

The attic scene aaaaaah

(Rubbish ending though)

#a woman's face #just mesmerising performances #conrad veidt #joan crawford #sci's musings

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filmnoirfoundation · 6 months

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FNF prez Eddie Muller responds to film noir fan questions fielded by the Foundation's Director of Communications Anne Hockens. In this episode, we discuss, A WOMAN’S FACE, DECEPTION, CRY VENGEANCE, proto-noirs, the prevalence of the amnesia trope in film noir, and more. We wind with a discussion of film noir posters. Sorry folks, no cats this week.

Want your question answered in a future episode? We solicit questions from our email subscribers in our monthly newsletters. Sign up for free at https://www.filmnoirfoundation.org/signup.html

Everyone who signs up on our email list and contributes $20 or more to the Film Noir Foundation receives the digital version of NOIR CITY Magazine for a year. Donate here: https://www.filmnoirfoundation.org/contribute.html

This week’s questions:

When you do Grand Lake intro and outro shoots, what kind of crew do you have or is it self-inflicted? Jay and Connie, Ann Arbor

I have heard you mention several times on your show that were plans to make a film version of Dashiell Hammett's book RED HARVEST. But you also added that this film was never made for various reasons. Does a screenplay of that film exist and can it be purchased? Loren, Chicago

Can you think of an actor/actress with a noir performance that surprised you given the films or TV you had seen them in before? Ryan from Rhode Island

It seems that many classic noir actors and actresses were able to parlay their fame into popular TV series in the 1950s and '60's. Do either of you have a favorite TV show in that regard? Joe, Redondo Beach CA

Before film noir became a thing in the 1940s, there were other films that had strong noir elements, either in style or content or both. What are some of the best and/or most influential proto-noirs? Kathleen from Chicago

I just recently saw A WOMAN'S FACE. I thought it was excellent and Ms. Crawford was superb in the role of Anna Holm. Eddie, would you consider it a film noir and if so, would you consider showing it on NOIR ALLEY? Richard, New York

I just watched DECEPTION (1946) for the first time. What an amazing film with the main performances by Bette Davis, Paul Henreid, but especially from Claude Rains. I wanted to know your thoughts on the film, but especially the ending. For me, it was a total letdown. Marty, Fond du Lac, WI

What are your favorite noir movies that use amnesia as a major plot device? Why did it become so popular? Ciao, Andy

After reading Sharon Knolle's article "Hard Luck Dogs: How Animals Reveal The Tender Heart of Noir" in Noir City issue 17. One of my favorite dog cameos is a dachshund that wanders into a shot and appears to be begging the camera operator for a snack in CRY VENGEANCE. I was wondering if you might have some insights or thoughts on this fun noir film. Any info would be greatly appreciated. James in Atlanta

Film noir movie posters are great to look at. All the ones I’ve come across seem to have pulp influences. What started that? Was it pulp paperbacks or magazines? We’re all noir movie posters of the time (40’s and 50’s) generally the same in this regard or were there any more subtle styles? Eddie: I remember you mentioning that you purchased a bunch of old movie posters. Which turned out to be your favorite? Steve in Exeter New Hampshire

#noirvember #film noir #film noir foundation #noir city #eddie muller #anne hockens #red harvest #proto-noir #a woman's face #deception 1946 #cry vengeance #film noir posters #livestream

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texaschainsawmascara · 2 years

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Scenes from a Marriage / The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath / Carmilla - Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu / A Woman’s Face (x) / Selected Essays of Virginia Woolf / Neon Genesis Evangelion / Fire: From “A Journal of Love”: The Unexpurgated Diary of Anaïs Nin, 1934–1937 / Invasion of the Body Snatchers / F. Scott Fitzgerald

#parallels #web weaving #comparatives #scenes from a marriage #liv ullmann #ingmar bergman #the unabridged journals of sylvia plath #sylvia plath #carmilla #joseph sheridan le fanu #a woman's face #a woman’s face #joan crawford #virginia woolf #neon genesis evangelion #invasion of the body snatchers #anaïs nin #anais nin #f scott fitzgerald

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ladybegood · 1 year

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Joan Crawford in A Woman’s Face (1941)

#Joan Crawford #A Woman's Face #vintage #old hollywood #ladybegoodscan

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suchamiracle-does-exist · 1 year

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pygartheangel · 1 month

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#joan crawford #a woman's face

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technicolorfamiliar · 5 months

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Technicolor Familiar Watches Too Many Conrad Veidt Movies Part 1 of ?

Apropos of nothing, I find myself wading around waist deep in Conrad Veidt's filmography, at least the titles I can easily find online.

I've been writing down my mostly brief impressions after each movie, mainly for my own entertainment since I know exactly zero other people who would care lol. I actually created a Mastodon account especially for this purpose, since my primary socials aren't really for this sort of thing. But the character limit on Mastodon is seriously cramping my style, so I'm going to be annoying about this on Tumblr, my self-imposed blog expectations be damned.

I'm not doing plot summaries, but there are spoilers. I'm not watching these movies in any particular order other than what I'm in the mood for on any given day. I'm half trying to keep the thirst levels to a minimum, but no promises; all bets were off after watching A Woman's Face. And tbh, this whole thing has turned into an Emotional Support / Coping Mechanism / Escapism Tactic because hoo boy is my brain bad these days. But be forewarned, I'm not a writer, I'm not a film critic. I just like movies and turns out I like Conrad Veidt a lot too. I'd probably have more and better things to say about a lot of these upon a second or third watch.

So as of late November, I'm 15 films deep with a lot more to go. I'm thinking about splitting this up into multiple posts, maybe like 5ish films/post. Originally I was going to see how many of these movies can I watch before the end of 2023. But I'm just going to keep going until I run out of available titles or I get sick of Connie's face (unlikely).

The Man Who Laughs, 1928 Dir. Paul Leni ⭐4.5/5 Watched mid-Oct, Archive.org Nothing could have prepared me for this. Of course I was aware of TMWL, but more vaguely than I guess I realized. It's really ahead of its time. The production quality is astounding, it's an absolutely beautiful film. The whole cast is pretty great, too. The Duchess? Total smoke show. Homo the Dog? Queer icon. And Connie really swings for the fences emotionally and physically as Gwynplaine. Bear in mind, this is literally only the third Conrad Veidt movie I've ever seen (other than the basic, intro level Cabinet of Dr Caligari and Casablanca), so I was really floored by what he's able to do in this role with the use of really only half his face. There are several wonderfully haunting and heartbreaking visuals and moments throughout the nearly 2 hour runtime that will stay with me long after watching. Half a star got knocked off because the score was a little bombastic and there were one too many clowns for me personally. But those are small complaints for what may otherwise be a pretty perfect film.

Unheimliche Geschichten (Eerie Tales), 1919 Dir. Richard Oswald ⭐3/5 Watched mid-Oct, Archive.org A romp. The version I watched had no soundtrack at all, making for a totally silent viewing experience. The vignette structure and old school effects are fun. I enjoyed seeing Anita Berber in action although maybe I was expecting more because of all the hype surrounding her/her image. But Connie, Anita, and Reinhold Schünzel seem like they had a good time working on this project. "The Black Cat" and "The Suicide Club" were my favorite sections (and I actually watched this when I was in the middle of Netflix's The Fall of the House of Usher, so yay for extra Poe content in the spookiest month). As for Connie Content, what can I say, he's stunning.

The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari, 1920 Dir. Robert Wiene ⭐3.5/5 Watched Oct 17, Archive.org I went hard with the silent era when I started this journey. Caligari was my intro to Conrad Veidt almost 15 years ago, and as a lapsed goth art student, I remember being bewitched by his strange and off-putting presence on screen. My rating for this one is kind of low compared to how undoubtedly iconic and important of a film it is. It could have been my mood but upon rewatching, but the story fell a little flat for me. I did like the updated score in the version I watched, and I would love to see this one on the big screen maybe with a live orchestra some day.

Orlacs Hände (The Hands of Orlac), 1924 Dir. Robert Wiene ⭐4/5 Watched Oct 17, Archive.org Loved. It's so horny and bizarre (the scene with the maid crawling on the floor? same, girl, same). And visually the most pre-David Lynch Lynchian-looking movie I've ever seen. The shots that linger on highly stylized, cavernous, empty rooms before a character enters? So David Lynch. I'm also a big fan of the psychological body horror and crime thriller genre mashup. It's got twists, it's got turns. Conrad Veidt's your man if you ever needed a Hand Actor. Like the handsiest Hand Actor who ever had a pair of hands. Someone who could really work those mitts.

A Woman's Face, 1941 Dir. George Cukor ⭐4.5/5 Watched Oct 18, Vudu & TCM Jumping way forward in Connie's career. This movie did things to me. This was, I think, the point of no return. It's extremely underrated, I'm legitimately surprised I'd not heard of it before diving down this rabbit hole. That said, it is strange and pretty spicy for a Hays Code era picture. It's so good, I actually watched it twice (it aired on TCM as a part of their creepy cinema series). Visually beautiful and narratively interesting, if maybe a little long despite the rushed ending. Shout out to Joan Crawford for giving what's probably the best performance of hers, at least that I've seen (Mildred Pierce who?). And then there's nasty, nasty Conrad Veidt. He very nearly steals the movie from Joan, I couldn’t take my eyes off him. He's beautiful, he's TALL, he's scary. Genuinely shocked he doesn't have second billing. But what else can I say about his Torsten Barring that hasn't already been said more eloquently by others? It's such a great character, and I believe he said it was one of his favorites during his entire 100+ film career. A Woman's Face is the only title on this list so far where immediately after watching I wanted to buy the dvd. Ugh, we deserved several more decades of Connie in roles like this.

I'll probably post the next few one day soon, where I finally get into some titles from the 1930s.

#my writing #conrad veidt #the man who laughs #eerie tales #the cabinet of doctor caligari #the hands of orlac #a woman's face

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jakeperalta · 3 months

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the taylor swift ai porn issue is such a bleak reminder of how inescapable the horrors of misogyny are. like obviously there's the talk of sort of "celebrity problems" like treatment by the tabloids etc, but beyond that there's just the constant heinous shit that women seemingly cannot escape no matter what. it doesn't matter that she (as well as other female celebrities) is extremely rich and famous and successful and has basically as much privilege and power as it is possible for any person to have, ultimately that's still not enough to escape the revenge porn and sexual assault and stalking and harassment. like there is literally no level of power a woman can have that puts her out of reach of all the men who hate women and want to control and humiliate and subjugate us in any way they can.

#with the obvious addition that if you do not hold these privileges of being rich/white/able bodied/straight/cis etc etc then it's even worse #(which is why even someone who hates taylor with their entire being should still root for her in situations like this.#because if someone with all of her power and resources and privilege can't fight something like this then what kind of hope is there for #any other random woman or girl who faces the same thing.)#talking

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sci-firenegade · 2 months

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So I listened to the radio version of A Woman's Face (well, the one with Betty Davis, still haven't checked the other one). Basically...

Everything was stacked up against this production, since they had to adapt an almost two-hour long film into a not-even-30-minutes radio programme. The pacing is all wonky as a result; length is always a problem when it comes to adaptations.

But why is everyone so... direct? There's no subtlety.

They fucked up the attic scene! And I liked how in the film, it was Anna that gave Torsten the idea to kill Lars, it's like a lightbulb, erhm, lighted up in his head. None of that here, he's got it all planned.

Sleepy acting is sleepy, but Connie is having fun. Over the top, sure, very different from the film; but having the time of his life. I can't be mad at that. Especially at that cackling bit at the end :P

#a woman's face #conrad veidt #betty davis #sci's musings

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clambuoyance · 6 months

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