#film restoration

NOIR CITY Seattle starts tonight!

NOIR CITY Seattle returns the historic SIFF Cinema Egyptian, February 11–17. This year’s festival is based on FNF prez Eddie Muller’s recently re-published book Dark City: The Lost World of Film Noir, the 2022 program will include films from all the finer Dark City neighborhoods—Shamus Flats, Knockover Square, Vixenville, Blind Alley and Hate Street, with stops at The City Desk, The Psych Ward, Losers’ Lane, The Big House and other dark alleys.

Eddie will introduce screenings February 11–13. Copies of his book will be available on site for sale and signing. Then, local noir authors and experts Rosemarie and Vince Keenan will take over as hosts February 14–17.

All SIFF venues require proof of vaccination for all ages prior to entry. Negative COVID-19 tests are not accepted at this time. Venues are operating at 50% capacity to allow for social distancing. Read full COVID policy.

The $150 pass admits holder to all NOIR CITY screenings at the Egyptian February 11-17. Pass pickup available beginning February 11 at the Egyptian. All FNF proceeds from Noir City festivals go to finding and restoring films in danger of being lost or permanently damaged. The lineup, tickets for individual screenings as well as passes are available for purchasehere.        

NOIR CITY Returns to Bay Area!

Let’s try this again! The NOIR CITY film festival returns from COVID hiatus for an incisive and inspiring four-day festival at a new venue, Oakland’s historic Grand Lake Theatre, March 24-27. Produced, programmed and hosted by Film Noir Foundation president Eddie Muller, 2022’s edition, subtitled “They Tried to Warn Us!”, showcases 12 movies from mid-20th century Hollywood sure to resonate with contemporary viewers. Included are shockingly prescient films focusing on megalomaniacal politicians, corrupt businessmen, neo-Nazis, racism, anti-Semitism, sexual predators, serial killers, police brutality — even a viral epidemic! This NOIR CITY program could not be more timely or topical.

For the return to in-person screenings, Muller has shifted the event to Oakland after many years at San Francisco’s Castro Theatre. The Grand Lake’s vintage movie palace atmosphere and the care and upkeep of the venue work perfectly for the type of show NOIR CITY loyalists have come to expect. To ensure festival attendees’ safety, proof of vaccination is required and mask protocols will be enforced.

NOIR CITY 19: The Bay Area Film Noir Festival will open Thursday night, March 24, with a double bill. First up, All the King’s Men (1949), the noir-stained 1950 Best Picture Oscar winner, starring Broderick Crawford as Willie Stark, an ambitious Southern politician who doesn’t let ethics interfere with his meteoric political rise. Crawford won a Best Actor Oscar for his performance. It’s paired with the world premiere of the FNF’s latest 35mm restoration — The Argyle Secrets, a 1948 B-picture directed by Cy Endfield, returned to circulation this year through the partnership of the Film Noir Foundation and UCLA Film & Television Archive. The film’s mystery centers around “The Argyle Album” containing the names of U.S. politicians and industrialists who abetted the Nazis in World War II.

Weeknight shows will be presented as double bills, with one $15 admission price for two movies. Saturday and Sunday shows will have separate admissions ($12.50) for each screening. All-access Passports, granting admission to all 12 films, are available for $100, a $30 savings over the purchase price of individual tickets. FNF proceeds from the NOIR CITY festival benefit the foundation’s efforts to rescue and restore noir films in danger of being permanently lost or damaged.

The full schedule, program notes are available atNoirCity.com

Did you know that NOIR CITY magazine dedicated an issue to birthday boy Dan Duryea? You can buy a digital copy here http://noircitymag.com/noir_city_9.html We don’t have print editions of our back issues prior to our 31st issue.

Your dollars go towards the Film Noir Foundation’s restoration efforts.

ASK EDDIE - January 13 2022

FNF prez Eddie Muller​ responds to film noir fan questions fielded by the Foundation’s Director of Communications Anne Hockens​. In this edition, we share our favorite NOIR CITY film festival memories, explain the process behind choosing the films that we restore and whether you can have a true film noir experience with digital presentation. Then we discuss what elements indicate a well-directed film and Eddie describes the process of recording the audiobook of DARK CITY: THE LOST WORLD OF FILM NOIR. On the cat front, Emily naps and Charlotte is her usual opinionated self.
We went longer than expected in this episode, so the second half of this conversation will air on Thursday, January 27, 7:00 PM PT on our Facebook page and will be up on YouTubethe following day.
Want your question answered? We solicit questions from our email subscribers in our monthly newsletters. Sign up for free here.
Note: Eddie will not be able to answer questions posted during the livestream nor ones left on our social media accounts.

And the winner is…

We are proud to announce the winners of the FNF’s NOIR CITY e-magazine #33 donation drive held December 31– January 8, 2022:

✩ The two winners of the Flicker Alley Blu-ray/DVD release of the FNF’s restoration of Too Late for Tears: Andrew Stees, Chicago, IL and Stephen McCallister, Bothell, WA

✩ The winner of original magazine ads for Crossfire (1947) and No Way Out (1950) from the FNF archives: Judy Edelhoff, Washington D.C.

✩ The winner of two recent Flicker Alley Blu-ray/DVD releases of FNF Argentine restorations Los tallos amargos (1956) and La bestia debe morir (1952): Francis J. Turk, Pasadena, CA

✩ The winner of a special-edition DVD of The Murderers are Among Us (Germany 1946) from the DEFA Film Library at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, the two Flicker Alley Argentine FNF restorations Los tallos amargos and La bestia debe morir, PLUS Flicker Alley’s release of Universal’s 4K restoration of the 1929 silent classic mystery The Last Warning,  and two Jacques Tardi works from Fantagraphics Books – Run Like Crazy Run Like Hell andFog Over Tolbiac Bridge. Irene Turner, Los Angeles, CA

✩ The new-subscriber winner of Warner Archive’s Blu-ray release of The Big Sleep (1946) starring Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall: Marianne LePore, Tarrytown, NY

✩ The new-subscriber winner of Flicker Alley’s Blu-ray/DVD release of the FNF’s restoration of The Man Who Cheated Himself, a 1950 cop-gone-bad thriller with stunning San Francisco location photography, starring Lee J. Cobb, Jane Wyatt, and John Dall: Steven Barron, San Francisco, CA

Thank you to everyone who contributed to the Film Noir Foundation! A reminder that anyone who contributes $20 or more to the FNF and signs up our mailing list always receives a free year’s subscription to the digital version of NOIR CITY e-magazine. Contributors may receive additional FNF thank you gifts depending on the amount of the donation.

The first ASK EDDIE livestream of the year airs this Thursday, January 13, 7:00 pm PT on the Film Noir Foundation’s Facebook page . In this edition, we share our favorite NOIR CITY film festival memories, explain the process behind choosing the films that we restore and whether you can have a true film noir experience with digital presentation. Then we discuss what elements indicate a well-directed film and Eddie describes the process of recording the audiobook of DARK CITY: THE LOST WORLD OF FILM NOIR.

We went longer than expected in this episode, so the second half of this conversation will air on Thursday, January 27, 7:00 PM PT on our Facebook page and will be up on YouTube the following day.

Can’t join us on Facebook on Thursday? Don’t fret! We’ll post the latest ASK EDDIE episode on our NoirCitySF YouTube channel this Friday, January 14. If you missed any of our previous livestreams, you can watch them there along with festival interviews with film noir stars and other original content. If you enjoy what you see, we encourage you to like and subscribe to the FNF’s YouTube channel.

Note: Eddie will not be able to answer questions posted during the livestream nor ones left on our social media accounts.

SUBLIME CINEMA #605 - ONE EYED JACKS

I’ve been watching a lot of old westerns these days. Marlon Brando’s only directorial effort is a standout. Haunting, strange and beautifully composed - it is Paramount’s last film in VistaVision (and was originally to be directed by Stanley Kubrick). The movie was ultimately restored by Scorsese and co at the Film Foundation, though it’s lapsed into the public domain and is available for free online.