TSPDT

Quai des Orfèvres

● FRENCH NOIR
1947, France, 102m, BW, Drama-Crime-Police Detective Film
Screenplay Henri-Georges Clouzot, Jean Ferry (based on the novel Légitime Défense by Stanislas-André Steeman) Producer Roger De Venloo Photography Armand Thirard Editor Charles Bretoneiche Music Francis Lopez Cast Louis Jouvet, Suzy Delair, Bernard Blier, Simone Renant, Jean Daurand, Pierre Larquey, Rene Blancard, Robert Dalban, Charles Dullin, Henri Arius.

"After sifting through the clutter of suspects, alibis, witnesses, and leads that form a wayward path to the truth, detective Louis Jouvet–the jaded conscience of H.G. Clouzot's unearthed 1947 masterpiece Quai Des Orfèvres–wryly admits that his case "boils down to the usual: diddly squat…” At once a murder mystery, a comedy of manners, and an unforgettable character piece, Quai Des Orfèvres is the rare genre film that shrugs off the plot as a driving force and instead examines the latter part of "crimes of passion." In spite of Clouzot's reputation as a bully and a cynic, the film evolves into a surprisingly humane and moving portrait of friendship and marriage, bursting with revelations about loyalty, trust, fidelity, and the things people do for love. All of which amounts to considerably more than "diddly squat." - Scott Tobias (A.V. Club)

IMDB / 50 International Film Noir Classics That Everyone Should See (Flavorwire)

Queen Bee

1955, USA, 95m, BW, Drama-Romance
Screenplay Ranald MacDougall (based on the novel The Queen Bee by Edna Lee) Producer Jerry Wald Photography Charles Lang Editor Viola Lawrence Music George Duning Cast Joan Crawford, Barry Sullivan, Betsy Palmer, John Ireland, Lucy Marlow, William Leslie, Fay Wray, Katharine Anderson, Tim Hovey, Linda Bennett.

"Deliciously overripe meller, thanks to some cruel, snappy wit and Joan Crawford's otherworldly, hypnotic turn… Glossily produced by Jerry Wald and written and directed by Ranald MacDougall, Queen Bee may not be terribly original in terms of its plotting, nor is it as subtextually rewarding as Crawford's earlier, similar drama, Harriet Craig. However, Queen Bee packs an entertaining wallop due to its humorously bitchy tone, its smooth, assured pacing, and the superlatively menacing performance from its lead, Joan Crawford. A must-see for fans of the star and of the genre." - Paul Mavis (DVD Talk)

IMDB / American Film Noir Cycle (Spencer Selby)

Quicksand

1950, USA, 79m, BW, Crime-Drama
Screenplay Robert Smith Producer Mort Briskin Photography Lionel Lindon Editor Walter Thompson Music Louis Gruenberg Cast Mickey Rooney, Jeanne Cagney, Barbara Bates, Peter Lorre, Taylor Holmes, Art Smith, Wally Cassell, Richard Lane, Patsy O'Connor, Jimmie Dodd.

"Quicksand is a pretty nifty little picture. In the 1950s Mickey Rooney seemed to be trying to cast himself against his goody-goody Andy Hardy image, and thus chose a lot of tense crime-oriented roles. In Quicksand Dan's ordinary world quickly becomes a film noir nightmare, where foolish indiscretions can't be cleared up by a heart-to-heart with a kindly Louis B. Mayer - Judge Hardy paternal authority figure. It is interesting to see a 1950 movie that is actually interested in looking at the realities of life for the lower middle class, where finding a way to stretch a measly salary to the next payday means pinching pennies." - Glenn Erickson (DVD Savant)

IMDB / American Noir Canon 250 (Spencer Selby)