Stranger on the third floor film noir

This extremely weird b movie has been hailed as the first true film noir, and it certainly has all the noir elements, both visual and thematic. 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. An exact definition of what makes a film noir is still debated today, but several key points can be pulled from those films considered to be within the classic era of film noir 19401950. Written by frank partos and nathanael west uncredited. It is the first example of a truly indigenous american film style now called film noir a designation that wasnt coined until 1946. Once you watch it, you soon realize why they say this is often categorized as the first noir. The cinematography was seen as unconventional by the then modern standards, such as using unbalanced compositions. Stranger on the third floor 1940 classic film freak. Stranger on the third floor 1940 film noir of the week.

Movie titles and typography from of film noir films and their trailers, from stranger on the third floor to touch of evil killers kiss 1955 dir. 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 third floor, 1940. Long ignored or trivialized by film historians, this 7reel quickie has in recent years graduated to classic status. Not that one should spend a lot of time on this debate, but still its discussed. Stranger on the third floor is a 1940 film noir, starring peter lorre and released by rko radio pictures. Film event in everett, wa by everett public library on wednesday, january 29 2020. And if its not completely successful, one has only to look at the obvious effort involved and give it high marks for trying.

Peter lorre gets top billing in an underplayed, but brilliant supporting role as the stranger. By the late 1940s, film noir was pulling in two ways towards stylised abstraction on the one hand, and towards a new streetlevel realism on the other. 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. Stranger on the third floor 1940 boris ingster allmovie. Alguns historiadores do cinema consideram stranger on the third floor 1940 como o primeiro film noir genuino. Stranger on the third floor is considered the first filmnoir of the cinema history. Eddie robson, who is one of the worlds most thoroughgoing experts on film noir, is determined that stranger on the third floor is the worlds first film noir. Boris ingsters stranger on the third floor 1940, 64 min here is the little b picture that launched one of the greatest movements in cinema history. Stranger on the third floor is the little b picture that launched one of the greatest movements in cinema history. 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. Stranger on the third floor has made the rounds on home video and tv in a similar pattern as its more famous rko brethren. Approved 1h 4min crime, drama, filmnoir 16 august 1940 usa.

Film noir historians trace the roots back to the silent era and the full flowering to the war. Sneaking out in 1940 was a sleeper films sleeper film, a riveting little creepshow called stranger on the third floor. 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. 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. Widely considered to be the first true american studio noir film, this brilliantly realized b picture is a veritable catalog of nearly every noir convention that would follow. Bob porfirio author of film noir reader stranger on the third floor was released on august 16, 1940. 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. Knowing a good con when he sees one, he learns the tricks of a mindreading act from zeena joan blondell, then tosses her aside. The contrarian position often argueserroneouslythat the 1939 film blind alley should hold that distinction.

Peter lorre plays the eerie title role in this gem about a reporter john mcguire whose testimony sentences a smalltime loser elisha cook jr. In stranger on the third floor, cinematographer nicholas musuraca weaves cages, webs, fractured mazes and looming silhouettes out of nothing but light and shadean embrace of german expressionism that led firsttime director boris ingsters radically stylish bthriller to be anointed the first american film noir. Stranger on the third floor is considered the first film noir of the cinema history. Stranger on the third floor 1940 approved 1h 4min crime, drama, filmnoir 16 august 1940 usa 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 was the second feature on the opening night double bill of seattle 2011 noir city festival and is available on the warner archive collection of dvdr discs in a remastered edition and it looks superb. Periodstyle trailer for stranger on the third floor. Stranger on the third floor is a classic example of noir, with its unsettling urbanism, diagonal compositions, lowcamera angles and multistorey staircases. Aug 17, 2011 bob porfirio author of film noir reader stranger on the third floor was released on august 16, 1940. 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 reporters search for a.

Stranger on the third floor blind alley harvard film archive. Today it is often credited by most film critics, film historians, and film buffs as being the first film noir. Film noir series stranger on the third floor evergreen public hosted by everett public library. Film noir series stranger on the third floor evergreen. Joe briggs it seems as if a consensus has been reached among film noir buffs that if elisha cook jr. Film noir literally black film or black cinema was coined by french film critics first by nino frank in 1946 who noticed the trend of how dark, downbeat and black the looks and themes were of many american crime and detective films released in france to theatres during and following world.

Charles mudede has written, if you love film noir, then you must love the noir city festival, which will feature a number of known and less known movies in this genre that has lots of spiderlike women, lots of long knives, lots of rooms with dark curtains, lots of faces of the fallen, and lots of existential twists and turns. It was directed by a man named boris ingster, and one reason the film hasnt been as widely embraced as noirs starting point by some critics and historians is because ingster wasnt a great director. Many critics feel that stranger on the third floor marks the inception of the film noir genre and it is true that it does incorporate many elements of that slightly later genre. Edmund gouldings nightmare alley 1947, 110 min stan carlisle tyrone power is a lowlife working in a carnival. Then a nearly identical murder occurs and the reporter is now the prime suspect. Hardly a encyclopedic source for example i could start my own film criticism web site and counter that argument and cite my web site as a source. It was directed by a man named boris ingster, and one reason the film hasnt been as widely embraced as noirs starting point by some critics and historians is because ingster wasnt a. 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 letterboxd your life in film. The film now most commonly cited as the first true film noir is stranger on the third floor 1940, directed by latvianborn, soviettrained boris ingster. If we look at this movie as an early entry in the american film noir genre the ending seems perfectly normal with bizarre.

Sneaking out in 1940 was a sleeper film s sleeper film, a riveting little creepshow called stranger on the third floor. The stranger on the third floor evoke the brooding, nocturnal fears of the protagonists. A newspaper reporters testimony is key to sending a man to the electric chair, the trial based entirely on circumstantial evidence. Stranger on the third floor ist ein usamerikanischer kriminalfilm aus dem jahr 1940. This lowbudget b film is thought by many to be the first true film noir.

Movie titles and typography from of film noir films and their trailers, from stranger on the third floor 1940 to touch of evil 1958 the movie title stills collection a collection of screen shots and captured images of movie title stills from feature films and trailers. Shadows come cheap, so lowbudget movies can afford to use them lavishly. Peter lorre the stranger, john mcguire micheal ward, margaret tallichet jane, elisha cook jr. Stranger on the third floor was a film noir long prior to the genesis of that cinematic movement. Most reference books peg this swift, tightlyplotted little rko programmer as the first real film noir. Oct, 2017 the dark beauty of film noir in 50 shots. It presses the envelope between a film and a docudrama at a tight runtime of a mere 65 minutes. Please, even as the clean noir and movies with the sweet, beautiful story, become silly and boring to some, let those of us who love and appreciate stories with a, dare i say, a true moral, continue to enjoy them. Click here to find it on the warner archive website. Stranger on the third floor blind alley harvard film. Nicholas musuraca, a italian who also worked with jaques tourneur in his masterpiece out of the past. Even though at the time of release wasnt considered the first film noir but just a minor lowbudget b film. How to make a good movie with 64mins, a humble cast and a nice idea.

Eddie robson, who is one of the worlds most thoroughgoing experts on film noir, is determined that stranger on the third floor is the worlds first noir. Jul 23, 2012 stranger on the third floor is the epitome of the b movie. Film noir series stranger on the third floor evergreen public. According to some film critics the films blind alley, rio, and. In this scene below from rko radios the stranger on the third floor. Charles mudede has written, if you love film noir, then you must love the noir city festival, which will feature a number of known and less known movies in this genre that has lots of spiderlike.

Hardly a encyclopedic source for example i could start my own film. Boris ingster, in his directing debut, makes quite an impression, and one wishes he had directed more movies subsequently. And if you love film noir, then you must love the noir city festival, which comes to seattle this week and will feature a number of known and less. Stranger on the third floor is a 1940 film noir about an aspiring reporter who is the key witness at the murder trial of a young man accused of cutting a cafe owners throat but who is soon accused of a similar crime himself. The stranger on the third floor the american society. Starring john mcguire, margaret tallichet, elisha cook, jr. Stranger on the third floor is sometimes cited as the first film noir, and it certainly is the first film i know of to combine that sense of bleak oppression and german expressionism in a contemporary crime film. Hungarian emigre peter lorrewho had starred in langs mwas topbilled, although he did not play the primary lead. Posted by a true noiraholic rko pictures, inc present, original running time 64min. The story is engaging, supported by magnificent cinematography, and the sequence of mikes nightmare is fantastic. The film that gave birth to the style called film noir. Scarcely more than an hour long, this movie directed by boris ingster is a masterpiece in miniature.

His noir vision dominates cat people, curse of the cat people, the fallen sparrow, ghost ship, the seventh victim, bedlam, deadline at dawn, the spiral staircase, out. Peter lorre is creepy and the conclusion is naive on the present days. Other ways people have described the general mood of noir films includes strange, smoky, cruel, and ambivalent but it is notable that a film noir need not adhere. Modern research has shown that nathanael west wrote the final version of the screenplay, but was uncredited. A more likely candidate, however, is a little 63minute rko film from 1940 called stranger on the third floor. Wellproduced and acted bmovie which rises above its station. 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. Chandu the magician and stranger on the third floor. All who see stranger on the third floor remember it.