With the much publicised visit of French existentialists (Jean-Paul Sartre, Albert Camus, Simone de Beauvoir, Maurice Merleau-Ponty etc) to New York City after World War 2, a specific form of existentialism was popularised in the United States. Some of these philosophers also brought with them a series of books (Nausea, The Stanger, Journey to the End of Night, No Exit, The Irrational Man), most of which now read like film noir tales, complete with stark noir titles.
The noir genre is itself deeply existential. Pessimistic, fatalistic, nihilistic, morbid and with themes of alienation, anxiety, indeterminism and the absurd, your typical noir plot sees an ordinary, working class guy pushed around by seemingly conspiratorial forces. Some noir heroes try to carve their way out of this web, but most succumb.
By now many know all the great noir classics. One that tends to slip through the cracks is Jacques Tourneur's "Nightfall", an excellent film released in 1957, toward the end of the noir cycle. Today some of Tourneur's films are still well regarded - "Cat People", "Wichita", "I Walked With a Zombie", "Night of the Demon", the latter oft praised by Martin Scorsese – but "Nightfall" is typically overlooked in favour of Tourneur's other noir, "Out of the Past".
"Nightfall" opens with a strong first act. Here Tourneur treats us to some wonderfully atmospheric locations (sidewalks, bus stops, bars – the transitory spaces of noir), in which world weary strangers meet, rub shoulders and trade witty ripostes.
Our noir hero? James Vanning, a commercial artist played by Aldo Ray. Vanning's one of noir's strangest saps. He's a bear of a man, broad shouldered and tough looking. But Ray's voice and mannerisms don't quite fit Vanning's body; he's gentle, his acting is far more naturalistic than was customary for the era, and his voice is quiet and raspy. A gentle guy with the body of an ox, Vanning's ungainliness is epitomised by the awkward strands of hair which keep popping up on the crown of his head. He just can't quite keep things together. The rest of the film sees Vanning trapped in another of noir's overly elaborate plots, the poor guy hunted by both the cops and a series of crooks.
Unusual for a noir, "Nightfall" slowly trades concrete and cityscapes for vast, snow-capped Wyoming landscapes. In this way it resembles Nicholas Ray's "On Dangerous Group". Its plot, meanwhile, anticipates "Charley Varrick" and the Coen Brothers' "No Country For Old Men". Anne Bancroft plays a femme fatale turned sympathetic accomplice.
8/10 – Underrated, but can't live up to its strong first act. See "Out of the Past" and Joseph Losey's "The Prowler".
The noir genre is itself deeply existential. Pessimistic, fatalistic, nihilistic, morbid and with themes of alienation, anxiety, indeterminism and the absurd, your typical noir plot sees an ordinary, working class guy pushed around by seemingly conspiratorial forces. Some noir heroes try to carve their way out of this web, but most succumb.
By now many know all the great noir classics. One that tends to slip through the cracks is Jacques Tourneur's "Nightfall", an excellent film released in 1957, toward the end of the noir cycle. Today some of Tourneur's films are still well regarded - "Cat People", "Wichita", "I Walked With a Zombie", "Night of the Demon", the latter oft praised by Martin Scorsese – but "Nightfall" is typically overlooked in favour of Tourneur's other noir, "Out of the Past".
"Nightfall" opens with a strong first act. Here Tourneur treats us to some wonderfully atmospheric locations (sidewalks, bus stops, bars – the transitory spaces of noir), in which world weary strangers meet, rub shoulders and trade witty ripostes.
Our noir hero? James Vanning, a commercial artist played by Aldo Ray. Vanning's one of noir's strangest saps. He's a bear of a man, broad shouldered and tough looking. But Ray's voice and mannerisms don't quite fit Vanning's body; he's gentle, his acting is far more naturalistic than was customary for the era, and his voice is quiet and raspy. A gentle guy with the body of an ox, Vanning's ungainliness is epitomised by the awkward strands of hair which keep popping up on the crown of his head. He just can't quite keep things together. The rest of the film sees Vanning trapped in another of noir's overly elaborate plots, the poor guy hunted by both the cops and a series of crooks.
Unusual for a noir, "Nightfall" slowly trades concrete and cityscapes for vast, snow-capped Wyoming landscapes. In this way it resembles Nicholas Ray's "On Dangerous Group". Its plot, meanwhile, anticipates "Charley Varrick" and the Coen Brothers' "No Country For Old Men". Anne Bancroft plays a femme fatale turned sympathetic accomplice.
8/10 – Underrated, but can't live up to its strong first act. See "Out of the Past" and Joseph Losey's "The Prowler".