Paula's Movie Page - paulasmoviepage

Er, Happy Valentine's Day... I think! Because today is the beginning of the For the Love of Film Noir blogathon, and hearts and flowers and true love undying and all that sweet stuff is usually not the purview of noir.

And yet I didn't want to let Valentine's Day pass unremarked, and thus a movie that could be called noir romance immediately came to mind for screencapping purposes.

[Sidebar: Also for noir fans, we also have Nightmare Alley screencapped and you can find those albums in the Noir section.]

But first...more about the blogathon. This is the second (hopefully not the last!) blogathon to raise money to preserve our precious film heritage. Last year the funds went to the National Film Preservation Foundation; this year they will go to The Film Noir Foundation to help preserve Cy Endfield's The Sound of Fury (a.k.a. Try and Get Me).

So please pull out your wallet or your money clip or your purse, empty your pockets, and hunt under the couch cushions and check vending machines and pay phones (if you can find any) for loose change, and send what you can to the Film Noir Foundation. Here's the donation link again.

Now back to our screencap entertainment. The lights dim, the curtains part, you can hear that beloved familiar clicking sound of the projector, and the column of magical light beams through the theater onto the screen. In our Screencaps Theater, the audience knows there is NO TALKING allowed and they obey the rule.

Our show tonight (and for the next two weeks of the Blogathon) is On Dangerous Ground, directed by Nicholas Ray, a movie that starts out as pure film noir and ends up somewhere else. The protagonist is tormented big city police detective Jim Wilson (Robert Ryan), a former sports champion and all-American boy who still keeps a cross on his dresser.

Jim's faith, though, has been lost along the way. He has become so burnt out by the thieves, prostitutes, cheats, bums, pimps and all around slimeballs he deals with every day that he is becoming completely unraveled. All he wants to do is punch out their lights.

And punch them out he does. His partners usually exit the room, then come back and act all surprised to find their suspect is in bad shape. But one time he goes too far and beats up a thief and woman-abuser so badly the man has to be hospitalized.

Jim's boss (Ed Begley) needs him to cool down, so he sends Jim off to assist in a murder case in the wintry countryside.

This change in location, from urban space to the open country, doesn't mean that noir is left behind entirely; even in daytime the overall tone is gray, and not just because this is a black and white movie. Everything seems cold and drab and dim and muffled by the snow.

Jim and Walter Brent (Ward Bond), father of the murdered girl, trace the suspected killer to the house of Mary Malden (Ida Lupino), who at first says she lives alone, but it doesn't take long for Jim and Walter to figure out she is the suspect's sister.

Even in Mary's house, there are lots of shadows, ominous looming ceilings and and shots from noirish angles, and, of course, a staircase (isn't there always a staircase?) with incriminating men's clothing in a bedroom up on the second floor.

But despite the snow and cold outside, something thaws inside Jim when Mary makes him promise that her brother won't be hurt when and if he's caught. Mary is gentle and soft-spoken and her blindness brings out a hidden protective side of Jim. Blunt, aggressive Walter, and low-key Mary seem like two different aspects of Jim, who is struggling to maintain his humanity.

In case you didn't get the point...but it's not about religion, or even spirituality, it's about love, compassion and healing.

By the end, there are still a lot of shadows, but they're soft and there's a backlit glow around everything. The darkness isn't entirely gone but now it feels more comforting.

Glenn Erickson in his commentary on the DVD states that Nicholas Ray didn't like the "miracle ending" imposed by the studio, but you'd never know it, he shot it so beautifully. In other, less gifted hands, this ending -- Jim's return to the country and to Mary -- would seem like unbearable treacle, but Ray, with the sensitive performances of Robert Ryan and Ida Lupino, and the transcendent lighting of George E. Diskant, makes even fans of noir cynicism into believers of the healing power of love.

See all the screencaps in four albums HERE (or click on the "Noir" section at the top of the page.)

Pictures

TCM 2010 Festival Guide

TCM Programming Guide 2010-Cover_BackR.jpg
TCM Programming Guide 2010-Cover_BackR.jpg 2010-05-31

TCM Programming Guide 2010-pp. 2-3R.jpg
TCM Programming Guide 2010-pp. 2-3R.jpg 2010-05-31

TCM Programming Guide 2010-pp. 4-5R.jpg
TCM Programming Guide 2010-pp. 4-5R.jpg 2010-05-31

TCM Programming Guide 2010-pp. 6-7R.jpg
TCM Programming Guide 2010-pp. 6-7R.jpg 2010-05-31

TCM Programming Guide 2010-pp. 8-9R.jpg
TCM Programming Guide 2010-pp. 8-9R.jpg 2010-05-31

TCM Programming Guide 2010-pp. 10-11R.jpg
TCM Programming Guide 2010-pp. 10-11R.jpg 2010-05-31

TCM Programming Guide 2010-pp. 12-13R.jpg
TCM Programming Guide 2010-pp. 12-13R.jpg 2010-05-31

TCM Programming Guide 2010-pp. 14-15R.jpg
TCM Programming Guide 2010-pp. 14-15R.jpg 2010-05-31

TCM Programming Guide 2010-pp. 16-17R.jpg
TCM Programming Guide 2010-pp. 16-17R.jpg 2010-05-31

TCM Programming Guide 2010-pp. 18-19R.jpg
TCM Programming Guide 2010-pp. 18-19R.jpg 2010-05-31

TCM Programming Guide 2010-pp. 20-21R.jpg
TCM Programming Guide 2010-pp. 20-21R.jpg 2010-05-31

TCM Programming Guide 2010-pp. 22-23R.jpg
TCM Programming Guide 2010-pp. 22-23R.jpg 2010-05-31

TCM Programming Guide 2010-pp. 24-25R.jpg
TCM Programming Guide 2010-pp. 24-25R.jpg 2010-05-31

TCM Programming Guide 2010-pp. 26-27R.jpg
TCM Programming Guide 2010-pp. 26-27R.jpg 2010-05-31

TCM Programming Guide 2010-pp. 28-29R.jpg
TCM Programming Guide 2010-pp. 28-29R.jpg 2010-05-31

TCM Programming Guide 2010-pp. 30-31R.jpg
TCM Programming Guide 2010-pp. 30-31R.jpg 2010-05-31

TCM Programming Guide 2010-pp. 32-33R.jpg
TCM Programming Guide 2010-pp. 32-33R.jpg 2010-05-31

TCM Programming Guide 2010-pp. 34-35R.jpg
TCM Programming Guide 2010-pp. 34-35R.jpg 2010-05-31

TCM Programming Guide 2010-pp. 36-37R.jpg
TCM Programming Guide 2010-pp. 36-37R.jpg 2010-05-31

TCM Programming Guide 2010-pp. 38-39R.jpg
TCM Programming Guide 2010-pp. 38-39R.jpg 2010-05-31

TCM Programming Guide 2010-pp. 40-41R.jpg
TCM Programming Guide 2010-pp. 40-41R.jpg 2010-05-31

TCM Programming Guide 2010-pp. 42-43R.jpg
TCM Programming Guide 2010-pp. 42-43R.jpg 2010-05-31

TCM Programming Guide 2010-pp. 44-45R.jpg
TCM Programming Guide 2010-pp. 44-45R.jpg 2010-05-31

TCM Programming Guide 2010-pp. 46-47R.jpg
TCM Programming Guide 2010-pp. 46-47R.jpg 2010-05-31

Favorite Leading Men

Charlie Chaplin
Charlie Chaplin

Buster Keaton
Buster Keaton

Harold Lloyd
Harold Lloyd

William S. Hart
William S. Hart

Rudolph Valentino
Rudolph Valentino

Douglas Fairbanks, Sr.
Douglas Fairbanks, Sr.

Richard Barthelmess
Richard Barthelmess

Ramon Novarro
Ramon Novarro

Sessue Hayakawa
Sessue Hayakawa

John Gilbert
John Gilbert

Ronald Colman 041132.jpg
Ronald Colman 041132.jpg 2010-01-15

Charles Farrell
Charles Farrell

Conrad Veidt
Conrad Veidt

Fredric March
Fredric March

The Marx Brothers
(Clockwise from upper left: Zeppo, Groucho, Harpo, Chico Marx)

James Cagney
James Cagney

Fred Astaire
Fred Astaire

Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.
Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.

Claude Rains
Claude Rains

Paul Robeson
Paul Robeson

Dick Powell
DickPowell

John Wayne
John Wayne (in Stagecoach, 1939)

Cary Grant
Cary Grant

Charles Boyer
Charles Boyer

Humphrey Bogart
Humphrey Bogart

John Payne
John Payne

Tyrone Power
Tyrone Power

Joel McCrea
Joel McCrea

James Stewart
James Stewart

Errol Flynn
Errol Flynn

Anton Walbrook
Anton Walbrook

Roger Livesey
Roger Livesey in The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943)

Gene Kelly
Gene Kelly

Ben Johnson
Publicity picture, Wagon Master (1950)

Toshiro Mifune
Toshiro Mifune

Alec Guinness
Alec Guinness

Robert Ryan
Robert Ryan

Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra

Rock Hudson
Rock Hudson

Montgomery Clift
Montgomery Clift

Robert Preston
Robert Preston

Peter O'Toole
Peter O'Toole

Dick Van Dyke
Dick Van Dyke

David Carradine
David Carradine

Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan

George Clooney
George Clooney

Stephen Chow
Stephen Chow

Russell Crowe
Russell Crowe

Tony Leung
Tony Leung

Andy Lau
Andy Lau

Hugh Jackman
Hugh Jackman

Clive Owen
Clive Owen

Favorite Leading Ladies

Mary Pickford
Mary Pickford

Lillian Gish
Lillian Gish

Gloria Swanson
Gloria Swanson

Janet Gaynor
Janet Gaynor

Marlene Dietrich
Marlene Dietrich

Anna May Wong
Anna May Wong

Shirley Temple
Shirley Temple

Barbara Stanwyck
Barbara Stanwyck

Joan Blondell
Joan Blondell

Myrna Loy
Myrna Loy

Dorothy Dandridge
Dorothy Dandridge

Ginger Rogers
Ginger Rogers

Kay Francis
Kay Francis

Irene Dunne
Irene Dunne

Deanna Durbin
Deanna Durbin

Alice Faye
Alice Faye

Olivia de Havilland
Olivia de Havilland

Carole Lombard
Carole Lombard

Jean Arthur
Jean Arthur

Claudette Colbert
Claudette Colbert8

Judy Garland
Judy Garland

Betty Grable
Betty Grable

Rosalind Russell
Rosalind Russell

Gloria Grahame
Gloria Grahame

Maureen O'Hara
Maureen O'Hara

Jane Powell
Jane Powell

Janet Leigh
Janet Leigh

Ingrid Bergman
Ingrid Bergman

Rita Hayworth
Rita Hayworth

June Allyson
June Allyson

Doris Day
Doris Day

Elizabeth Taylor
Elizabeth Taylor

Deborah Kerr
Deborah Kerr

Cyd Charisse
Cyd Charisse

Audrey Hepburn
Audrey Hepburn

Eva Marie Saint
Eva Marie Sain

Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe

Grace Kelly
Grace Kelly

Cheng Pei-pei
Cheng Pei-pei

Lee Remick
Lee Remick

Julie Andrews
Julie Andrews

Catherine Deneuve
Catherine Deneuve

Brigitte Lin
Brigitte Lin

Maggie Cheung
Maggie Cheung (in Ashes of Time, directed by Wong Kar-wai)

Michelle Yeoh
Michelle Yeoh

Marion Cotillard
Marion Cotillard

Frances Mcdormand
Frances Mcdormand

Emma Thompson
Emma Thompson

Amy Adams
Amy Adams

Helen Mirren
Helen Mirren

Favorite Movies

Broken Blossoms
Broken Blossoms (1919), directed by D.W. Griffith

Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1919), starring Conrad Veidt

Tol'able David
Tol'able David (1921), starring Richard Barthelmess and directed by Henry King

The Kid Brother
The Kid Brother (1927), starring Harold Lloyd and Jobyna Ralston

The Man Who Laughs
The Man Who Laughs (1928), directed by Paul Leni, starring Conrad Veidt, Mary Philbin and Olga Baclanova

Lucky Star
Lucky Star (1929), directed by Frank Bozage, starring Janet Gaynor and Charles Farrell.

City Lights
City Lights (1931), starring Charles Chaplin and Virginia Cherrill, and directed by Charles Chaplin

The Last Flight
The Last Flight (1931), directed by William Dieterle, starring Helen Chandler, Richard Barthelmess, David Manners, Johnny Mack Brown and Elliott Nugent

Alexander's Ragtime Band
Alexander's Ragtime Band

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

The Roaring Twenties
The Roaring Twenties

Shop Around the Corner
Shop Around the Corner (1940), starring James Stewart and Maureen Sullavan, directed by Ernst Lubitsch

The Lady Eve
The Lady Eve (1941), starring Barbara Stanwyck and Henry Fonda, written and directed by Preston Sturges

Sullivan's Travels
Sullivan's Travels (1941), starring Joel McCrea and Veronica Lake, written and directed by Preston Sturges

Yankee Doodle Dandy
Yankee Doodle Dandy

Random Harvest
Random Harvest

The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp
The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943), starring Roger Livesey, Deborah Kerr and Anton Walbrook, written, produced and directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger

I Know Where I'm Going!
I Know Where I'm Going!

Sentimental Journey
Sentimental Journey (1946), starring John Payne, Maureen O'Hara, William Bendix, Connie Marshall, directed by Walter Lang

La Belle et la bete
La Belle et la bete (1946), directed by Jean Cocteau, starring Josette Day and Jean Marais

Twelve O'Clock High
Twelve O'Clock High

Diary of a Country Priest
Diary of a Country Priest (1951), starring Claude Laydu, directed by Robert Bresson

Singin' in the Rain
Singin' in the Rain

On Dangerous Ground
On Dangerous Ground (1952), starring Robert Ryan and Ida Lupino, directed by Nicholas Ray

The Cruel Sea
The Cruel Sea (1953) (Jack Hawkins and Donald Sinden)

Vertigo
Vertigo

The Apartment
The Apartment (1960), directed by Billy Wilder, starring Jack Lemmon, Shirley Maclaine and Fred MacMurray

Lawrence of Arabia
Lawrence of Arabia (1962), starring Peter O'Toole, Jack Hawkins, Omar Sharif, and Alec Guinness, directed by David Lean

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962), directed by John Ford, starring John Wayne, James Stewart, Vera Miles, Lee Marvin and Edmond O'Brien