The Dark Corner (1946)

I've truly been enjoying the discovery of Lucille Ball films that pre-date her more famous comedienne years.  I stumbled upon an early Douglas Sirk melo-noir called Lured that has somehow slipped through the cracks (my review here).  Where that was decidedly dark and broody, The Dark Corner is a classic private detective noir.  It isn't the fast-talking slapstick of a Thin Man, it is more fast-paced and light than, say, The Big Sleep.  And very well-written.

Private Eye Bradford Galt (Mark Stevens) is being followed by a ghost form his past.  When a hooligan turns up dead, the police look to him for answers.  When they find no other suspects, their attentions turn to Galt -- but his witty secretary (Ball) takes his side and helps him find the real killer.  

Ball plays her character with a combination of sassy yet vulnerable that other famous noir bombshells didn't manage to achieve.  Perhaps it was the exacting director, Henry Hathaway, that brought out the best in her, and the rest of the cast, including post-war regular William Bendix.  Hathaway (himself underrated) has a list of noir thrillers that stand out above the genre, including 14 Hours and Niagara.  This film revels in deep-focus photography (see above) making the entire city and its inhabitants a part of the unfolding mystery.  Passersby by are part of the scene, not movement in the background.  These extra layers make The Dark Corner gritty, lively and more realistic.  

Lured (1947)

This fascinating, well-paced and superbly-acted film has somehow managed to slip away unnoticed in the annals of classic film. It stars a young and cheeky Lucille Ball as an American chorus girl/hoofer in 1940s London. Her best friend disappears after answering an ad in the personal section. While questioning the spunky Sandra, Scotland Yard enlists her help to find the poetic killer who lures young girls with his unusual writing. She answers the ads, under the watchful eye of the detectives, and tries to ferret out the murderer. Her adventures lead her to meetings both frightful and funny.

Along the way, she bumps into the ever-charming George Sanders, man-about-town. They find romance but as the net closes in around the culprit, she begins to suspect her fiance may be out to get her.
Ball is gorgeous, stunning and is wielding her own brand of sass in this film. It is a brilliant example of what she could do, without the pratfalls and slapstick of 1950s television. Sanders is as devastatingly suave as ever. He gleefully combines the sophistication of his role in Dorian Gray, the stoic mind of his doctor in Village of the Damned and his slightly sleazy charm from Rebecca to create his most well-rounded character to date. Charles Coburn is delightful as the reliable chief inspector at Scotland Yard. There is a lovely, funny and slightly off-balance small role for Boris Karloff, as a mad fashion designer. He seems to be thoroughly enjoying the chance to be completely off-the-wall. Also enjoyable is the slow character arc displayed by Cedric Hardwicke as Sander's secretary. This cast is perhaps so vibrant due to the even-handed direction by Douglas Sirk.
Fans of Sirk may feel a bit uneasy about seeing a film of his in black and white, and a suspenseful noir to boot. But only his touch could have made this what it is. It is beautifully shot, taking full advantage of light and shadow, black and white, and all the greys inbetween. The dark, sinister London nights are crooked and winding, to be sure, but we are led there by a shining, innocent (but hardly naive) red-head. There we meet interesting characters and almost forget we are on the trail of a killer.
Luckily, this film was recently released on DVD by Kino Video - no excuse in waiting until it comes on TCM again to check it out.

The Dark Knight as Neo-Noir **Spoiler Alert**

THIS REVIEW IS NOT A SUMMARY BUT DETAILS ABOUT THE FILM ARE DISCUSSED.

Of all the styles in film history, film noir is one of the most far-reaching and and hard to pin down.  A few of the things critics and historians have agreed on are these:

1. Abject social degeneration which forces those who still believe in "the good" to grapple with their own alienation.

2. A tragic protagonist who must delve into the dark side to bring light back to the world - to the detriment of his own happiness.

3. Low-key lighting, and droll dialogue rife with double-entendre and life philosophies.

4. Gangster/criminal/seedy character (with a troubled past, perhaps even sympathetic) who corrupts a dark, claustrophobic cityscape.

5. Femme fatale character, with varying degrees of self-reliance and/or sexual magnetism.

Christopher Nolan's latest installment of the Batman saga, The Dark Knight, employs all of these with a new, modern layer.  Since we left him standing in the embers of Wayne Manor  at the end of Batman Begins, Bruce Wayne/Batman (Christian Bale) has had relative success cleaning up the streets of Gotham.  He now has the backing of hard-nosed D.A. Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) and the under-the-table trust of Lieutenant Gordon (Gary Oldman).  The criminal element is finding it harder to do business and they are forced to take bigger risks and seek the help of others.  Gotham's most heavyweight cri

me bosses find themselves in cahoots with The Joker (Heath Ledger), someone just crazy enough to get the job done.  

So, Points #1 & 2.  This gets moved forward to the 21st century by the fact that the social degeneration has been contained, albeit concentrated, into Batman's arch-nemesis.  And it seems that that Joker is targeting Batman alone, by threatening those he cares about.  Batman is forced to see himself as apart from the public (and apart from Bruce Wayne) and try to determine whether he should hang up his bat-cape and let Dent continue the work above-board.  In the end, Batman/Wayne gives up reputation and happiness for the betterment of Gotham.

#3. It is nearly always nighttime wen the characters are outside.  The only daytime exterior scene is an overcast afternoon.  Otherwise, it is inside with few windows or outside at night, lit by street lamps, apartment windows, and the bat signal.  Characters make witty remarks and deep observations.  The Joker's entrance scene features such a line ("Would you like to see a magic trick?") - ironic and disingenuous.  Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman) and Alfred (Michael Caine) are ever the voices of reason, levity and wisdom.

#4. In this episode, The Joker is the villain of the hour but he is complimented by a crew 

of unsavory characters - both in henchmen and cohorts.  They are like-minded ne'er-do-wells that are inspired by the Joker's ability to get things done.  And Joker's stories of mutilation are tragic.  Even if they cannot be believed, for moment, the hearer feels sorry - horrifies that a human could go so low. After all, that is the heart and soul of Gotham's struggle.  Gotham City itself is represented by Chicago, used for its Art Deco architecture - angular, linear, chrome, glass, steel.  Cold. There is no softness, or comfort here.

#5.  This femme fatale would normally be someone like Catwoman but she is not present in The Dark Knight.  It might seem then that the task is left to A.D.A Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal), as the only major female character in the film.  She does display a few of the traits.  She is quite beautiful.  She is sassy, with a mind of her own.  She is the object of affection for more than one man and her association with them puts her in harm's way.  But, unlike the femme fatale, she does not use her influence to affect the hero.  Not on purpose,  anyway.  

Instead, the Joker picks up many of the negative characteristics of the femme fatale.  He goads Batman, forces his hand and gets under his skin.  He manipulates people by finding their weaknesses, by poking and twisting.  He hides behind makeup and costuming.  He does it all in style, with something that keeps you from looking away.  Nolan pushes this fatale type even further by putting The Joker in woman's clothing for the scene in which he pushes the pure, chaste hero to the other side.  Exactly the job for the femme fatale.

This telling of the Batman tale is extraordinary.  All these fantastical themes, characters and situations are made entirely plausible.  It is taken seriously, and from there the filmmakers stitch it into a flashing reality that resembles our own.  

The very object of film noir.

The Dark Knight is well-done all around.  The acting is superb - from everyone.  It was great to see the drab Katie Holmes replaced with the extremely talented Maggie Gyllenhaal, although she is not really given a chance to show her acting chops.  As expected Heath Ledger is brilliant as the Joker.  He absolutely created a unique character that will be impossible to replace.  Any attempt will only seem to be an impression.  No complaints here.  A thoroughly enjoyable and finely crafted film.