Noir City DC: The 2013 Film Noir Festival
October 19-30

Noir City DC returns! This year's edition includes canonical titles THE BIG CLOCK, SORRY, WRONG NUMBER and THE HITCH-HIKER; many fan favorites from this year's Noir City Film Festival (noircity.com) at the historic Castro Theatre in San Francisco, including HELL DRIVERS, THE CHASE and THE SNIPER; plus the newest restorations funded by the Film Noir Foundation's efforts: HIGH TIDE, REPEAT PERFORMANCE and TRY AND GET ME! This year's program also includes the Library of Congress's new restoration of the uncut version of Richard Wright's NATIVE SON, and with MAN IN THE DARK and INFERNO, two examples of noir in a startling new dimension: 3-D!

Film Noir Foundation founder Eddie Muller and noted film noir scholars Foster Hirsch and Alan K. Rode will introduce selected shows and lead post-screening discussions.

The Film Noir Foundation, created by writer and film historian Eddie Muller, is committed to rescuing and restoring America's noir heritage. All FNF proceeds from Noir City festivals go to finding and restoring films in danger of being lost or permanently damaged. For information on how to join the FNF's campaign and receive its bimonthly magazine, visit FilmNoirFoundation.org.

Special thanks to the Film Noir Foundation board, including Eddie Muller, Foster Hirsch and Alan K. Rode, for their invaluable work.

Additional thanks to Todd Weiner and Steven Hill, UCLA Film & Television Archive; Mike Mashon, Library of Congress; and Film Noir Foundation member Katherine Majeed.

HE WALKED BY NIGHT
65th Anniversary!

*Introduction by Foster Hirsch Oct. 19

In this landmark noir, a psychotic loner (Richard Basehart) uses his genius for electronics to commit robberies while evading the police. When he graduates to murder, L.A.'s finest, including tough Scott Brady and methodical Jack Webb (who was immediately inspired to create DRAGNET), pull out a few modern techniques of their own. The cops launch an all-out manhunt to snare the clever crook, tracking him through–and beneath–cityscapes stunningly photographed by the greatest of all noir cinematographers, John Alton. Directed by Alfred Werker (SHOCK), with uncredited assistance from Anthony Mann (RAW DEAL, T-MEN). "Basehart is excellent as the strange, lone wolf electronics expert/killer, an enigmatic threat haunting the paranoid dreams of the witch-hunting era." –Time Out (UK). (Note courtesy of Noir City.)

DIR Alfred L. Werker; SCR John C. Higgins, Crane Wilbur; PROD Bryan Foy, Robert Kane. US, 1948, b&w, 79 min, 35mm. NOT RATED

INTRUDER IN THE DUST

*Introduction by Foster Hirsch Oct. 19

Nobel Prize winner William Faulkner's 1948 novel is a high-minded piece of crime fiction, written as atonement for the mistreatment of blacks in his native South. Proud African American farmer Lucas Beauchamp (Juano Hernandez, in a memorable portrayal) is a defiant Mississippi landowner accused of murdering a white man. When the county's most prominent lawyer (David Brian) refuses to defend him, it's up to a young boy (Claude Jarman, Jr.) to stand up to the vigilantes and help solve the crime. (Note courtesy of Noir City.)

DIR/PROD Clarence Brown; SCR Ben Maddow, from the novel by William Faulkner. US, 1949, b&w, 87 min, 35mm. NOT RATED

THE SNIPER

*Introduction by Foster Hirsch at both shows

San Francisco is the backdrop for one of the first movies about a modern serial killer. Decades before such stories became commonplace, husband and wife writers Edna and Edward Anhalt researched dozens of actual cases to create this psychological "exposé" of a murderous misfit who wants to be caught, but finds it too easy to slip into the margins of a bustling post-WWII metropolis. Arthur Franz gives an edgy performance as the psychologically scarred sniper, whose murderous trail leads viewers on a fascinating tour of mid-century San Francisco, from Pacific Heights through the back alleys of North Beach to the once-industrial China Basin. (Note courtesy of Noir City.)

DIR Edward Dmytryk; SCR Harry Brown, story by Edna Anhalt, Edward Anhalt; PROD Stanley Kramer. US, 1952, b&w, 88 min, 35mm. NOT RATED

THE BIG CLOCK
65th Anniversary!

*Introduction by Foster Hirsch Oct. 19

The editor of America's most popular true-crime magazine (Ray Milland) finds himself framed for murder after tangling with his tyrannical Rupert Murdoch-like publisher, played with sinister relish by Charles Laughton. One of the greatest suspense films of all time, based on the famed novel by Kenneth Fearing. (Note courtesy of Noir City.)

DIR/PROD John Farrow; SCR Jonathan Latimer, from the novel by Kenneth Fearing; PROD Richard Maibaum. US, 1948, b&w, 95 min, 35mm. NOT RATED

SORRY, WRONG NUMBER
65th Anniversary!

*Introduction by Foster Hirsch Oct. 20

Confined to a bed in her Manhattan penthouse, invalid heiress Barbara Stanwyck busies herself calling around town keeping tabs on wandering husband Burt Lancaster. When a crossed wire results in her overhearing someone else's conversation–the plotting of a murder–the already tightly wound Stanwyck goes hysterical, calling frantically in search of someone who will believe her. Adapted from a radio play, the twist-ridden finale will please film noir fans. Stanwyck's fourth Oscar nomination.

DIR/PROD Anatole Litvak; SCR Lucille Fletcher; PROD Hal B. Wallis. US, 1948, b&w, 89 min, 35mm. NOT RATED

THE WINDOW
Restored 35mm Print, Courtesy of The Film Noir Foundation

*Introduction by Foster Hirsch Oct. 20

A young boy in a New York tenement witnesses a murder, but no one, not even his own parents, believes him, except his upstairs neighbors...the killers! A fantastic cast helps make this the best adaptation ever of a Woolrich story, and one of the greatest suspense films of all time. (Note courtesy of Noir City.)

DIR Ted Tetzlaff; SCR Mel Dinelli, story by Cornell Woolrich; PROD Frederic Ullman, Jr., Dore Schary. US, 1949, b&w, 73 min, 35mm. NOT RATED

THE HITCH-HIKER
60th Anniversary!

*Introduction by Foster Hirsch Oct. 20

When was the last time you invited death into your car? Brilliantly directed by Ida Lupino, this is a taut, tense, nightmarish vision of innocents abroad, with their weaknesses exposed and survival instincts desperately kicking in. Two American pals (Edmond O'Brien and Frank Lovejoy) head down Mexico way for some fishing and R&R. There, they run afoul of a most ugly fellow American, hitch-hiker-from-hell William Talman, a psychopathic serial killer who commandeers their vehicle and toys with their lives. The black-and-white cinematography by Nicholas Musuraca (OUT OF THE PAST, CAT PEOPLE), all stark desert compositions under the light of an unforgiving sun, greatly enhances this most psychologically frazzling of noirs.

DIR/SCR Ida Lupino; SCR/PROD Collier Young. US, 1953, b&w, 71 min, Blu-ray. NOT RATED

MAN IN THE DARK
In 3-D!
60th Anniversary!
4K Digital Restoration

*Introduction by Eddie Muller Oct. 25

Strap yourselves in as Noir City presents the first screening in decades of this long-lost noir, in fully restored 3-D and glorious black-and-white! Pinched by the cops after pulling off a big heist, crook Steve Rawley (Edmond O'Brien) undergoes an experimental operation to eliminate his criminal urges. It also makes him forget where he hid the loot, much to the consternation of his old gang and his itchy-fingered girlfriend (Audrey Totter). Fortunately, clues pop up (literally!) in Rawley's dreams, and soon he's leading the crooks and cops on a careening hunt for the money, culminating in a spectacular chase through Santa Monica's creepy old Pacific Ocean Park. Not on DVD! (Note courtesy of Noir City.)

DIR Lew Landers; SCR George Bricker, Jack Leonard, William Sackheim, story by Tom Van Dycke, Henry Altimus; PROD Wallace MacDonald. US, 1953, b&w, 70 min, DCP. NOT RATED

INFERNO
In 3-D!
60th Anniversary!

*Introduction by Alan K. Rode Oct. 25

It's the essential Noir City plot: illicit lovers hatch a "foolproof" scheme to bump off the woman's rich, domineering husband. But what if the husband, left for dead in the scorching desert, doesn't die? What if that husband, crippled but hell-bent on revenge, is played by the indomitable Robert Ryan? Watch as unmerciful nature takes on unbreakable man in amazing 3-D and stereophonic sound! Toss in titanic, titian-tressed Rhonda Fleming as the deceitful, voluptuous vixen, and you've got perhaps the best 3-D movie of the original Hollywood stereo-optic craze! Not on DVD! (Note courtesy of Noir City.)

DIR Roy Ward Baker; SCR Francis M. Cockrell; PROD William Bloom. US, 1953, color, 83 min, DCP. NOT RATED

STREET OF CHANCE

*Introduction by Alan K. Rode Oct. 26

Finally! The very first adaptation of a Woolrich suspense novel returns to the big screen in a brand-new 35mm print! A man loses his memory after being struck by a falling beam, and as he struggles to piece his life together he realizes he's lived the preceding year as another person. Is it all a tortured twist of fate or a sinister, calculated plot? Not on DVD! (Note courtesy of Noir City.)

DIR Jack Hively; SCR Garrett Fort, from the novel "The Black Curtain" by Cornell Woolrich; PROD Sol C. Siegel. US, 1942, b&w, 74 min, 35mm. NOT RATED

HELL DRIVERS

*Introduction by Alan K. Rode Oct. 26 and Eddie Muller Oct. 27

An ex-con (Stanley Baker) trying to go straight takes a job driving for a corrupt trucking company, where the bosses pit the drivers against each other in a dangerous competition that leads to higher profits and–death! Peggy Cummins (GUN CRAZY) is the saucy secretary who flirts her way through an array of up-and-coming stars. A gear-grinding masterpiece! Not on DVD! (Note courtesy of Noir City.)

DIR/SCR Cy Endfield; SCR John Kruse; PROD Benjamin Fisz. UK, 1957, b&w, 108 min, 35mm. NOT RATED

THE HOODLUM
Restored 35mm Print, Courtesy of The Film Noir Foundation

*Introduction by Eddie Muller Oct. 26

Playing alone and as part of a Triple Feature (with STRANGE IMPERSONATION and HIGH TIDE)!

An unrelentingly bleak and nasty B programmer (mercifully, it's only 61 minutes) that stands as a backhanded tribute to its ornery star, the irascible Lawrence Tierney, aka The Meanest Man in the Movies. Six years after making a huge splash as the star of the Oscar-nominated DILLINGER, Tierney's meteoric career was in a nosedive as a result of his notoriously drunken, belligerent behavior. The producers of this no-budget wonder reunited the volatile actor with Dillinger director Max Nossek for an even darker plunge into the sordid life of an unrepentant criminal. Not on DVD! (Note courtesy of Noir City.)

DIR Max Nosseck; SCR Sam Neuman, Nat Tanchuck; PROD Maurice Kosloff. US, 1951, b&w, 61 min, 35mm. NOT RATED

STRANGE IMPERSONATION

*Introduction by Eddie Muller Oct. 27

Playing alone and as part of a Triple Feature (with THE HOODLUM and HIGH TIDE)!

There's no point in trying to summarize the plot. More craziness is stuffed into these 68 minutes than would fit in a dozen features. Scientists in love. Sexy extortionists. Laboratory explosions. Plastic surgery. Confused identities. Hysteria. Sunglasses. B-movie insanity marshaled crisply and evocatively by director Anthony Mann. (Note courtesy of Noir City.)

DIR Anthony Mann; SCR Mindret Lord, story by Lewis Herman, Anne Wigton; PROD W. Lee Wilder. US, 1946, b&w, 68 min, 35mm. NOT RATED

HIGH TIDE
Restored 35mm Print, Courtesy of The Film Noir Foundation

*Introduction by Eddie Muller Oct. 27

Playing alone and as part of a Triple Feature (with THE HOODLUM and STRANGE IMPERSONATION)!

This lost B-classic features one of the wildest flashback devices ever! A crusading newspaper editor (Lee Tracy) gets more than he bargained for when he hires a private dick (Don Castle) to protect him from riled-up gangsters. As witty and moody as any B-noir of the era, now finally back in circulation in glorious 35mm thanks to the Film Noir Foundation! (Note courtesy of Noir City.)

DIR John Reinhardt; SCR Robert Presnell, Sr., from the story "Inside Job" by Raoul Whitfield; PROD Jack Wrather. US, 1947, b&w, 72 min, 35mm. NOT RATED

TRY AND GET ME! aka THE SOUND OF FURY
Restored 35mm Print, Courtesy of The Film Noir Foundation

*Introduction by Alan K. Rode Oct. 26

The true story of a shocking 1934 kidnapping and murder in San Jose provided the inspiration for one of the most compelling and unjustly neglected masterpieces of film noir. Ex-GI Howard Tyler (Frank Lovejoy), struggling to support his family, meets flashy hoodlum Jerry Slocum (Lloyd Bridges), who eases the gullible Howard into a lucrative life of crime. Their escapade turns dark and desperate when Jerry takes hostage the son of a wealthy local businessman. One of the last films made in the U.S. by blacklisted writer/director Cy Endfield before he relocated to England, this film (originally released as THE SOUND OF FURY) has been restored by the Film Noir Foundation so that it may be experienced in its original form by future generations and assume its rightful status as one of the great films of its era. Not on DVD! (Note courtesy of Noir City.)

DIR Cy Endfield; SCR Jo Pagano; PROD Robert Stillman. US, 1950, b&w, 85 min, 35mm. NOT RATED

REPEAT PERFORMANCE
Restored 35mm Print, Courtesy of The Film Noir Foundation and UCLA

*Introduction by Alan K. Rode Oct. 27

Consider it the noir version of IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE. Broadway actress Sheila Page (Joan Leslie) rings in the New Year by shooting her husband to death. She blurts out a confession to her friend, the poet William Williams (Richard Basehart), but as she leads him to the crime scene...the preceding year begins again! Will Sheila be able to correct what went so dreadfully wrong, or will Fate demand a...repeat performance? Back-stabbing backstage melodrama is crossed with THE TWILIGHT ZONE. This rare fantasy-noir hybrid will be screened from a new 35mm restoration, funded in part by the Film Noir Foundation. Not on DVD! (Note courtesy of Noir City.)

DIR Alfred L. Werker; SCR Walter Bullock, from the novel by William O'Farrell; PROD Aubrey Schenck. US, 1947, b&w, 91 min, 35mm. NOT RATED

The uncut version of
NATIVE SON
Restored 35mm preservation print courtesy of the Library of Congress.

DIR/SCR Pierre Chenal; SCR Richard Wright; PROD James Prades. US/Argentina, 1951, b&w, 104 min, 35mm. NOT RATED

Special thanks to Edgar Krebs (Smithsonian Institution) and Fernando Martin Peña (Malba Museo de Arte Latinoamerico de Buenos Aires), who teamed to recover the film and research its complicated history.

THE CHASE

*Introduction by Alan K. Rode Oct. 27

One of the strangest films of the 1940s is at long last restored to its original bizarre glory! Drifter Chuck Scott (Robert Cummings) is hired as a chauffeur by shady operator Eddie Roman (Steve Cochran), but soon realizes that his boss is a crazy crook. What's an honest guy to do? Obviously: fall in love with the boss's sexy French wife (Michèle Morgan) and help her escape to Havana! That's the set-up for a dreamily hypnotic noir, in which nothing is quite what it seems–even the supposed rules of conventional storytelling. As close as any Hollywood film of the era came to presaging the dark and dreamy world of David Lynch. Not on DVD! (Note courtesy of Noir City.)

DIR Arthur Ripley; SCR Philip Yordan, from the novel "The Black Path of Fear" by Cornell Woolrich; PROD Seymour Nebenzal. US, 1946, b&w, 86 min, 35mm. NOT RATED

35mm restored print courtesy of the UCLA Film & Television Archive. Funding provided by the Film Foundation and the Franco-American Cultural Fund, a unique partnership between the Directors Guild of America (DGA); the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA); the Société des Auteurs, Compositeurs et Editeurs de Musique (SACEM); and the Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW).