Newspaper reporter john mcguire plunges into a nightmare of guilt, fearing that his evidence has sentenced the wrong man to death. A poster for boris ingsters 1940 crime film stranger on the third floor starring. The plotline is carried by john mcguire, playing ward, a newspaper reporter whose courtroom testimony sends the hapless briggs elisha cook jr. Stranger on the third floor 1940 movie clip what a. Slides from stranger on the third floor 1940 youtube. A stunning example of cinematic expressionism, cited by many as the first studio film shot in a completely noir style. The films memorable highlight is mcguires expressionist nightmare, with all elements of his recent existence showing up in stylized fashion to literally haunt his dreams and spur him to do the right thing. A gay man of a certain age and a certain sensibility searching for meaning in the flickering images. Reissued on bluray by kino lorber, it concerns the adventures of the benign adventurer frank. Click here to find it on the warner archive website. Over time, the idea of a genre or cycle of noir films that contain a set of. Confession from the dark city is a podcast devoted to the exploration of film noir. I had thought this was about a guy who lived on the third floor, but he really is a stranger who appears on the third floor.
As scholars of the genre have attempted to determine what films quality as noir, they almost always agree that the onehour rko b programmer stranger on the third floor 1940 is the first of its kind. The stranger on the third floor by boris ingster boris. As to the claim that its the first film noir, thats pretty questionable. Watched both midnight saturday and 10am sunday,plus whatevers. Sneaking out in 1940 was a sleeper films sleeper film, a riveting little creepshow called stranger on the third floor. Boris ingster, in his directing debut, makes quite an impression, and one wishes he had directed more movies subsequently. If she was considered for gone with the wind,probably wouldve been less full of backstage drama due to miss fiddledeedee and old sour breath gable. Others cite 1941s the maltese falcon by john huston and some film historians maintain that double indemnity 1944, billy wilder holds the title. If this movie doesnt glamorize the life of black market profiteers in immediate postww ii vienna, then no movie ever did. Often though debatably classified as the first true film noir, the stranger on the third floor is an uneven but fascinating example of that fascinating genre. Stranger on the third floor is the little b picture that. Stranger on the third floor 1940 is often considered the first filmnoir, and that classification totally makes sense to me, as it combines a german expressionist approach to cinematography with later noir tropes like dream sequences, voiceovers and elisha cook jr.
Peter lorre plays the eerie title role in this onceneglected gem about a reporter john mcguire whose testimony sentences a smalltime loser elisha cook jr. Certains critiques lont considere comme le 1er film noir americain. Title screens are the initial titles, usually projected at the beginning of a film, and following the logos of the film studio. Theres no definitive answer to the question of which movie is the first film noir but some experts make a case for stranger on the third floor 1940, boris ingster and its a pretty good argument. Chandu the magician and stranger on the third floor. On each episode, host steve vincent furness explores a particular movie from the noir cycle, providing critical analysis and general information and discussion about the films cast and crew.
When upstart journalist michael ward john mcguire testifies that he saw joe briggs elisha cook jr. Stranger on the third floor is a 1940 american film noir directed by boris ingster and starring peter lorre, john mcguire, and margaret tallichet, and featuring elisha cook jr it was written by frank partos. The so called surrealism of the film is a triumph of turning lowbudget necessity into an effective style. Stranger on the third floor 1940 boris ingster, peter lorre, john mcguire, margaret tallichet april 18, 2015 rising reporter michael ward is a key witness in the murder trial of young joe briggs, who is convicted on circumstantial evidence while swearing innocence. Peter lorre virtually reprises the eerily convincing persona he.
Stranger on the third floor subtitles 20 subtitles. A reporter is torn by guilt and doubt about his testimony that put a man on death row. On imdb tv, you can catch hollywood hits and popular tv series at no cost. This film is one of the two contenders for first film noir ever. The scene, which begins about halfway through the film, gives ingster free reign. Lorre may have owed 2 days or whatever on his contract,but he was scary. The film, which is released by paramount pictures, was slated to roll out internationally on march 18. All royaltyfree licenses include global use rights, comprehensive protection. They are often an ignored aspect of films, although they reflect the time period or era. The contrarian position often argueserroneouslythat the 1939 film blind alley should hold that distinction. Film noir really was born in france in the late 30s theres a reason why the term is french. Its a crime and drama movie with a high rotten tomatoes critics score of 83% and a. Stranger on the third floor not available on your favorite video service. Modern research has shown that nathanael west wrote the final version of.
Stranger on the third floor 1940, directed by boris ingster, written by frank partos and nathaniel west. Stranger on the third floor warner archive collection remastered edition a compact 63 minute noir thriller that features a surreal nightmare sequence that justifies its place in your film collection. Warner archive film noir dvd release 17 august 2016 cinemaretro. Stranger on the third floor 1940 where to watch it streaming. Laut hbo wurde dieser film im jahre 1940 freigegeben. Account profile download center microsoft store support returns order. And who is that buggedeyed stranger on the third floor. Siskoid widely considered the first american film noir, stranger on the third floor is nevertheless a minor work in the genre, but an efficient one that doesnt waste time getting to the point. Select any poster below to play the movie, totally free. Stranger on the third floor streaming online justwatch. Stranger on the third floor is the little b picture that launched one of the greatest movements in cinema history.
These are some of the questions that were waiting to be answered when the film that is considered the first film noir stranger on the third floor was released in theatres on august 16, 1940. I remember him imploring rick to help him in casablanca. Liked the leads,john mcguire and beautiful ms tallichet. Even though at the time of release this little sleeper wasnt considered the first film.
Stranger on the third floor 1940 starring peter lorre. Joseph cotten plays holly martins, a scribbler with too much drink. The american film institute is grateful to sir paul getty kbe and the sir paul getty kbe estate for their dedication to the art of the moving image and their support for the afi catalog of feature films and without whose support afi would not have been able to achieve this historical landmark in this epic scholarly endeavor. Stranger on the third floor 1940 im not guilty the stranger killed him.
Ce film, dune duree dune heure, a ete realise par boris ingster en 1940. What separates stranger on the third floor from the rest of the field. Movie title screens classic film noir the 1940s and 1950s. This lowbudget b film is thought by many to be the first true film noir. This small, interesting, film which is generally considered the first film noir, the stranger on the third floor, directed by boris ingster, is the story of the story of a. Stranger on the third floor 1940 directed by boris. Released 1940, stranger on the third floor stars peter lorre, john mcguire, margaret tallichet, charles waldron the movie has a runtime of about 1 hr 4 min, and received a score of out of 100. She was an actress, known for stranger on the third floor 1940, it started with eve 1941 and a desperate adventure 1938. Made in 1940 by german refugees with peter lorre in the main role. A poster for boris ingsters 1940 crime film stranger on the third. These are some of the questions that were waiting to be answered when the film that is.
Peter lorre gets top billing in an underplayed, but brilliant supporting role as the stranger. Stranger on the third floor is a 1940 american film noir directed by boris ingster and starring peter lorre, john mcguire, and margaret tallichet, and featuring. Stranger on the third floor boris ingster, 1940 film. With peter lorre, john mcguire, margaret tallichet, charles waldron. The rko secondfeature often considered the first film noir takes a dark turn, as we begin the internal monologue of michael john mcguire, whose testimony just clinched a maybeunjust murder conviction, and he meets the title character peter lorre in stranger on the.
An aspiring reporter is the key witness at the murder trial of a young man accused of cutting a cafe owners throat and is soon accused of a similar crime himself. Stranger on the third floor dvdr 1940 warner archive. Buy stranger on the third floor microsoft store enca. This account has reached the download cap, additional downloads subject to. Stranger on the third floor movie 1940 tv passport.
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