Comments on: The October Man - BritNoir http://filmjournal.net/livius/2007/12/02/the-october-man-britnoir/ Mainly Western and Noir reviews Sat, 22 Nov 2008 07:23:08 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=wordpress-mu-1.0 by: clydefro http://filmjournal.net/livius/2007/12/02/the-october-man-britnoir/#comment-1144 Wed, 09 Apr 2008 20:56:14 +0000 http://filmjournal.net/livius/2007/12/02/the-october-man-britnoir/#comment-1144 I caught this off TCM here and thought it was decent enough, but, yeah, the main problem is that the audience never really doubts Mills. The film doesn't spend a lot of time exploring whether he was the murderer, either from the audience's point of view or the character's. So I'm definitely in agreement with you here for the most part. The noir cinematography was definitely present though. Fog, fog, and more fog! I caught this off TCM here and thought it was decent enough, but, yeah, the main problem is that the audience never really doubts Mills. The film doesn’t spend a lot of time exploring whether he was the murderer, either from the audience’s point of view or the character’s. So I’m definitely in agreement with you here for the most part. The noir cinematography was definitely present though. Fog, fog, and more fog!

]]> by: John Hodson http://filmjournal.net/livius/2007/12/02/the-october-man-britnoir/#comment-37 Sun, 02 Dec 2007 23:02:50 +0000 http://filmjournal.net/livius/2007/12/02/the-october-man-britnoir/#comment-37 While the others most certainly tick most if not all of the ‘noir’ boxes, for me ‘The Fallen Idol’ fails in one of the essentials; the ending is altogether too upbeat - I need an ending where our hero ends either dead or with a look on his face like someone just kicked his guts out. It’s a personal view, and I see where you’re coming from, but it’s ‘noirish’ for me, rather than true noir. And you're right; it is most certainly an indefinite term, but we still try to define it anyway! :) While the others most certainly tick most if not all of the ‘noir’ boxes, for me ‘The Fallen Idol’ fails in one of the essentials; the ending is altogether too upbeat - I need an ending where our hero ends either dead or with a look on his face like someone just kicked his guts out.

It’s a personal view, and I see where you’re coming from, but it’s ‘noirish’ for me, rather than true noir.

And you’re right; it is most certainly an indefinite term, but we still try to define it anyway! :)

]]> by: livius http://filmjournal.net/livius/2007/12/02/the-october-man-britnoir/#comment-35 Sun, 02 Dec 2007 22:24:01 +0000 http://filmjournal.net/livius/2007/12/02/the-october-man-britnoir/#comment-35 When it comes to noir I tend to be a bit of an expansionist (is that the right term?). If a movie has some of the elements, i.e. crime, moody photography, downbeat atmosphere, skewed angles, then I usually lump it in there. It's a bit of an indefinite term anyway, don't you think? Also, I'm not sure if I'm right in doing so, I regard all of Carol Reed's movies of this period - Odd Man Out, Fallen Idol, Third Man and The Man Between - as noir. When it comes to noir I tend to be a bit of an expansionist (is that the right term?). If a movie has some of the elements, i.e. crime, moody photography, downbeat atmosphere, skewed angles, then I usually lump it in there. It’s a bit of an indefinite term anyway, don’t you think?
Also, I’m not sure if I’m right in doing so, I regard all of Carol Reed’s movies of this period - Odd Man Out, Fallen Idol, Third Man and The Man Between - as noir.

]]> by: John Hodson http://filmjournal.net/livius/2007/12/02/the-october-man-britnoir/#comment-34 Sun, 02 Dec 2007 22:03:44 +0000 http://filmjournal.net/livius/2007/12/02/the-october-man-britnoir/#comment-34 I'm a sucker for most anything, these days, with John Mills and this is no exception. BTW, I'm a little more conservative than some in my own definition of noir, but even so 'The Fallen Idol' a noir film? Do you think? I’m a sucker for most anything, these days, with John Mills and this is no exception. BTW, I’m a little more conservative than some in my own definition of noir, but even so ‘The Fallen Idol’ a noir film? Do you think?

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