Oh, and though I can't really think of a Sunset Boulevard poster I
really like (or Double Indemnity unfortunately), the swimming pool
card evokes the spirit very well.
On 10 Jun 2010, at 07:49, steve olson wrote:
Hello,
I don’t post much but after reading Dark City (thanks to whomever
suggested the book) I wanted an opinion of what noir posters
MOPO’ers thought best evoked the spirit of noir’s. No, not
necessarily the most beautiful (e.g. This Gun For Hire 1sh) nor the
best images of the stars (e.g. Gilda) but the posters that capture
the fatalism, grim streets, desperation, duplicity, temptation, and
broken hopes which inhabit Dark City.
Now to start the abused and discarded, deflated, never quite
reaching the top of the hill before rolling into oblivion noir ball
rolling-
1. Cry of the City (20th Century Fox, 1948). Half sheet or
insert- best image of noir photographic style?
2. The killing. half sheet- luridly colored corpses make for
the meanest of noir posters
3. Stranger on the Third Floor (RKO, 1940). One Sheet- 1st noir
also has the 1st great noir poster
4. D.O.A. 3 sheet (1 sheet and half are also great, w/ the half
having a toe tag around his body)
5. Nightmare alley. insert- meaner Powers face than the 1 sheet.
6. Night Has a Thousand Eyes (Paramount, 1948). One sheet- with
all the eyes
7. The Big Combo (Allied Artists, 1955). Half Sheet – fatalism,
femme fatale, dark streets
8. Mystery Street (MGM, 1950). One Sheet- great noir art for an
inexpensive poster
9. Kiss of death. 1 sheet- at least one great poster is in black
and white
10. Raw Deal (Eagle Lion, 1948). One sheet- very raw
11. I Walk Alone (Paramount, 1948). One sheet- vivid
12. T-Men. One sheet- kitchen sink of noir posters
13. Killer’s Kiss. 1sheet- cold as you would expect from Kubrick
and an ax (Here’s Johnny!!)
14. The Devil Thumbs a Ride (RKO, 1947). 1 sheet- is Lawrence
Tierney Ben Affleck’s evil noir alter-ego?
I stuck to USA posters since noir’s are mostly an American
phenomenon. Otherwise the Italians(The Enforcer 2 folio, High Sierra
(R-1949). 2 Folio, Knock on Any Door (Columbia, 1949) 2 – Folio)
might have had a few well deserved entries. I also didn’t include tc/
lc’s but would love feedback as to some of the best. Two of my
favorite are the lc of Night of the Hunter w/ Mitchum close-up
(love/ hate) and lc of The 3rd Man with Harry Lime (Welles) looking
like the trapped rat he was.
All opinions will be treated civilly except the ones I don’t agree
with.
Steve Olson
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