The books that became film noir this is a compilation of novels, short story collection and the occasional play that were adapted for the screen in hollywood during the 1940s and 1950s and created the style later coined by french critics as film noir. The black book 1949 anthony mann directs this historical adventure photographed in stunning black and white by the master of light and shadow, john alton. Films released after 1959 should generally only be listed in the list of neo noir titles. Its the black book or reign of terror a 1949 historical noir directed by anthony mann, photographed by john alton, script contributions by. Reign of terror reissued as the black book is a 1949 american film noir directed by anthony mann and starring robert cummings, richard basehart and. The movie marks the second film to feature a young actor named rock hudson and the first in which he received a film credit for his work. Reign of terror aka the black book 1949 film noir of.
Best known for his noir work often referred to as painting with light alton demonstrates his skill for creating atmosphere and suspense. Plotters seek to bring down maximilien robespierre and. The black book 1949 i finally got around to this one, and i was rather surprised just how much i enjoyed it. Anthony manns the black book aka reign of terror is one of its finest examples, a costume thriller set in the french revolution, and somehow managing to create the visual style and emotional mood of true film noir in a completely atypical setting. Robert cummings, richard basehart, richard hart history, romance, thriller. The black book 1949 robespierre, a powerful figure in the french revolution and the subsequent reign of terror, is desperately looking for his black book, a death list of those marked by him for the guillotine and a key to help him eventually emerge as the countrys dictator. It is a term coined in french, meaning literally black film that is used to define a genre, or possibly just a subset of the genre of the thriller. Its the black book or reign of terror a 1949 historical noir directed by anthony mann, photographed by john alton, script contributions by philip yordan and production design. The film s original working title was the black book.
The black book aka reign of terror 1949 approved 1h 29min history, romance, thriller 24 february 1950 finland robespierrre, a powerful figure in the french revolution, is desperately looking for his black book, a death list of those marked for the guillotine. The black book, dvd, manufactured on demand, ntsc format, science fiction, 889290872579. The black book reign of terror reissued as the black book is a 1949 american film noir directed by anthony mann and starring robert cummings, richard basehart and. Classic film noir developed during and after world war ii, taking advantage of the postwar ambience of anxiety, pessimism, and suspicion. The black book 1949, which was quickly retitled reign of terror, is surely one of the most stylized narrative films of the 1940s. They are often an ignored aspect of films, although they reflect the time period or era of the film, the mood or design of the film, and much more. He walked by night 1948 film noir thriller duration. Sep 19, 2017 film noir itself was an important genre for legitimizing cinema as an artform the use of shadows for terror, the seductive placement of limbs, glances, and the way someone smoked a cigarette.
The black book reign of terror may not be historically accurate, but its a visual triumph thanks to the expressionistic shadowplay of the great cinematographer john alton. It was released as reign of terror, but when it played new york later that year it was renamed the black book. Film noir movies, and norish, crime, detectivedrama tv shows. Feel free to post your the black book 1949 1080p bluray x264bipolar download, torrent, subtitles, free download, quality, nfo, uploaded, mediafire, rapidgator.
These films were offbeat dramas in which dark and light, good and evil, were touched by the finger of fate and switched roles. It uses much of the typical lighting and camerawork of noir, and the protagonist is also in many ways your typical cynical and streetwise guy. Drama, film noir, thriller richard basehart, scott brady and roy. Turner classic movies presents the greatest motion pictures of all time from one of the largest film libraries in the world. The black book aka reign of terror 1949 approved 1h 29min history.
Century fox and shot in beautiful black and white by preminger. It is based on the robert penn warren novel of the same name. The cinematography was seen as unconventional by the then modern standards, such as using unbalanced compositions. Anthony mann, william cameron menzies, and john alton team up for one of the most. Reign of terror reissued as the black book is a 1949 american film noir drama film directed by anthony mann and starring robert cummings. Jun 20, 2016 the black book was made at the height of the film noir movement. Plotters seek to bring down maximilien robespierre and end his bloodthirsty reign of terror. Title screens are the initial titles, usually projected at the beginning of a film, and following the logos of the film studio.
All the kings men is a 1949 american film noir written, produced, and directed by robert rossen. Black book makes full use of its title object during a scene involving an elderly grandmother, three kids, and the dictator close to reclaiming his. Film noir movies, late 1930s through the 1950s, plus noirish tv detective shows. Turner classic movies is saluting the june 30 birthday of director anthony mann with day of his films including 1949 s the black book aka reign of terror an austrohungarian expressionist film noir take on the french revolution, photographed by one of manns frequent early collaborators and one of the noirest of black andwhite cinematographers, john alton. Face it, you have always wished that someone, somewhere would make a straightup film noir about the french revolution. Address unknown 1944, escape in the fog 1945, the guilt of janet ames 1947, the black book the reign of terror 1949, johnny allegro 1949, 711 ocean drive 1950, the killer that stalked new york 1950, assignment paris 1952, the miami story 1954 in their original aspect ratios. Along with james whales the great garrick, this 1949 melodrama about the french revolution, also known as the black book, is one of the few period pictures that qualify as film noir. If you are new here, read the posting guidelines please direct all comments about the operations of this board to board administrator.
For almost a decade, gregory and i have maintained, updated and altered the dvdbeaver complete list of generically labeled film noir titles now located here. Supplied inside a plastic wallet on a printed dvd as shown above. Associates programme, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to. Anthony mann and his cinematographer, john alton, took all the trappings of film noir and made a period piece about the reign of terror during the french. To minimize dispute the films included here should preferably feature a footnote linking to a reliable, published source which states that the mentioned film is considered to be a film noir by an expert in this field, e. Film noir literally black film or black 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 during and following world. Robespierrre, a powerful figure in the french revolution, is desperately looking for his black book, a death list of. It is vastly superior to any other copy of this film i have viewed. An exact definition of what makes a film noir is still debated today, but several key points can be pulled from those films considered to be within the classic era of film noir 19401950.
Dangerous dames, sharp, ratatat dialogue and danger lurking in the deep shadows as maximilien robespierres henchmen stalk the streets of paris looking for his stolen death book. Therefore, the composition of this list may be controversial. There is not a misstep in the entire movie and im surprised the black book aka reign of terror does not appear in greatest movies lists but, as i said, its an undiscovered gem. Mar 03, 2016 take a trip back to a golden age of filmmaking with these film noir releases all available on streaming services. One of the great unacknowledged forms of noir is costume drama. Undertow is a 1949 american film noir crime film directed by william castle and starring scott brady, john russell, dorothy hart and peggy dow.
Robespierrre, a powerful figure in the french revolution, is desperately looking for his black book, a death list of those marked for the guillotine. Dvd compare is a participant in the amazon services llc associates program and the amazon europe s. The 15 best noir films of the 1940s the 15 best noir films of the 1940s. The black book manufactured on demand, ntsc format on tcm. He appears to be a similar height to other male characters but we know he was very small in real life. The best film noir movies tend to draw on that, but the third man has a noteworthy lens on that era since it was made in the uk rather than america. If you appreciate film noir and, in particular, the distinctive camera work of john alton, for me this was an undiscovered gem. The black book reign of terror 1949 film robert cummings. Its unquestionably film noir, even though the urban location here is paris in the eighteenth century, the time of the french revolution. The black book is a bold effort by director anthony mann to film a.
Robert cummings, richard basehart, richard hart director. Reign of terror reissued as the black book is a 1949 american film noir drama film directed by anthony mann and starring robert cummings, richard basehart and arlene dahl. In the great gatsby 1949 did alan ladd wear lifts or stand on raised platforms to increase his height. Some scenes are as dark as the events in this story. Film noir was a style that registered a certain social discontent before and after world war ii. Dec 29, 2016 the black book 1949 robert cummings, richard basehart, richard hart feature thriller, romance. The film is a mixture of violence two characters are shot in the face in closeup and humor after one of the shootings, a character. Cross vincent price, who is treating janet stewart anabel shaw, a young woman who is in a catatonic state. The black book 1949 dvd film robert cummings, history. He walked by night 1948 crime, drama, filmnoir, thriller. The spe transfer is the only version of this film worth buying. Film noir did much to change the way black characters were depicted in american cinema. During the 1930s, a narrow range of racial stereotypes had been imposed upon hollywood directors by a combination of the production code and the commercial concerns of studio heads reluctant to offend southern white audiences with affirmational african americans. See more ideas about movies, old movies and classic movies.
Its pure noir, obsessed with gorgeous shadows, tight closeups, and scenes of driving tension. Blazing introduction of historical characters richard basehart, jess barker, arnold moss, wade crosby, richard hart, norman lloyd then fictional daubigny robert cummings meeting lafayette wilton graff, opening anthony manns the black book a. The historical setting, however, makes this a sort of genre blend, and it is not always classified as a true noir. Yordan was brought in to punch up the script, now retitled reign of terror, to become a relentless blend of film noir and gangster film conventions that equate the heroes with the villains at every turn. Who says film noir has to be confined to metropolitan streets. Anthony mann directed it with sumptuously arty chiaroscuro cinematography by john alton. The 15 best noir films of the 1940s taste of cinema movie. Its a french revolutionary drama made like one of manns film noirs. The picture premiered in new orleans, louisiana, on june 16, 1949. The black book 1949 robert cummings, richard basehart.
Richard brody recommends historical dramas available to stream on amazon, filmstruck, and other services, including 12. Stalwart noir directors and casts highlight these hard to find features. The black book reign of terror 1949 film robert cummings free movies full movies. Because the 1940s and 1950s are universally regarded as the classic period of american film noir, films released prior to 1940 are listed under the caption precursors early noir like films. Its the black book or reign of terror a 1949 historical noir directed by anthony mann, photographed by john alton, script contributions by philip yordan and production design overseen by william cameron menzies. Reign of terror reissued as the black book is a 1949 american film noir directed by anthony mann and starring robert cummings, richard basehart and arlene dahl. The black book reign of terror reissued as the black book is a 1949 american film noir directed by anthony mann and starring robert cummings, richard basehart and arlene dahl. The coma was brought on when she heard loud arguing, went to her window, and saw a man strike his wife with a candlestick and kill her. Overrated noir film noirgangster tcm message boards. The 15 best noir films of the 1940s taste of cinema.
The black book 1949 film noir with images robert cummings. Mann and alton shot the film in twentyeight days during the summer of 1948. The film stars broderick crawford, john ireland, mercedes mccambridge, and joanne dru. John alton robespierrre, a powerful figure in the french revolution, is desperately looking for his. Anthony mann directs this historical adventure photographed in stunning black and white by the master of light and shadow, john alton. The black book robespierrre, a powerful figure in the french revolution, is desperately looking for his black book, a death list of those marked for the guillotine. Also known as reign of terror, the black book is a bold effort by director anthony mann to film a french revolution epic on a b detective picture budget. Classic film noir the man who cheated himself the hitchhiker detour d. Movie title screens classic film noir the 1940s and 1950s. May 23, 2018 the black book 1949 by lightning at may 23, 2018 0 robespierre, a powerful figure in the french revolution and the subsequent reign of terror, is desperately looking for his black book, a death list of those marked by him for the guillotine and a key to help him eventually emerge as the countrys dictator. With robert cummings, richard basehart, richard hart, arlene dahl. Even though im a fan of the director, and director of photography, the french revolution just never grabbed me as a possible venue for a noir, so i avoided this one for years. Arlene dahl, daubigny goes in search of robespierres enemies list, written in a small black book that has vanished. Film noir populated theaters at a significant time in history.
Find video, photos, forums, blogs and shop for some of. Apr 12, 2019 inspiring to a population in 1949, still recovering from war, and black book does it all with style. Film noir is not a clearly defined genre see here for details on the characteristics. This dvd can be played on a dvdbluray player or pc. It was a style of black and white american films that first evolved in the 1940s, became prominent in the postwar era, and lasted in a.
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