I watched Laura for the first time a couple of weeks ago. I watched this film yesterday. I loved both movies; however, I think Dana Andrews and Gene Tierney had much more chemistry in this film, even though Tierney's character was rather bland. Am I the only one who thinks this?? Which couple do you think was more convincing - Mark/Laura or Mark/Morgan?
Also, what other film noirs would you recommend? I think I'm starting to love this genre.. :)
It's nice to see another fan of Dana Andrews and Gene Tierney, as they aren't often remembered as a screen team. I think they were one another's best co-star, which says a lot since they both worked well with other actors. There was just something about the two of them together, they just clicked onscreen, his tough and earthy manner complimented her gentle, ethereal qualities. And of course, they were both talented and good-looking people who never quite got the recognition they deserved in their lifetimes.
I think they had tremendous chemistry in both "Laura" (1944) and "Where The Sidewalk Ends" (1950), but the relationship between their characters in the latter film is more conventionally realistic. "Laura" has a dreamlike quality; it's more a whodunit than noir, although it does sport some of the trademarks of the genre. It's more like a fantasy, and enjoyable and romantic one. "Where The Sidewalk Ends" is grittier and hard-hitting (at least for the time). Mark Dixon has much more aggression, anger and self-loathing than Mark McPhearson (interesting that his character has the same first name in both movies), and Morgan Taylor, like Dixon, is working class but she is certainly more naive than he is. In "Laura" there is something of a class difference; Laura rose to become a professional in an advertising firm and associates with socialites and prominent individuals, whereas McPhearson is just a cop.
I have a copy of "The Iron Curtain" (1948) a Cold War thriller in which Andrews and Tierney play husband and wife, but like WTSE the focus is more on him than her, but their chemistry still comes through in spades. The same is true of their second film, the Western "Belle Starr" (1941) in which Andrews was the second male lead and his dynamic with her far outshone Randolph Scott, who was the leading man in that movie. It was also the only one of their films that was shot in Technicolor.
As for film noir recommendations, I'm going to find it hard to narrow it down, I'm such a noir buff and I got one of my friends hooked on the genre too. But here's some picks that stand out in my opinion.
The Maltese Falcon
I Wake Up Screaming
The Dark Corner
Out Of The Past
The Postman Always Rings Twice
Gilda
The Killers
Gun Crazy
Double Indemnity
The Big Sleep
The Big Heat
The Lady From Shanghai
Murder, My Sweet
The Strange Love Of Martha Ivers
Fallen Angel
In A Lonely Place
Don't Bother To Knock
The Woman In The Window
This Gun For Hire
The Blue Dahlia
Black Angel
Kiss Of Death
Don't forget "The Narrow Margin"!
shareThe 100 Best Film Noirs of All Time: http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2015/08/the-100-best-noirs-of-all-time.html?a=1
Night of the Hunter
shareRecommendations (1940s and 1950s films):
The Strange Love of Martha Ivers
The House on Telegraph Hill
The Woman in the Window
The Window
In a Lonely Place
On Dangerous Ground
Double Indemnity
Pushover
The Man Who Cheated Himself
House of Strangers
No Way Out
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Jim Hutton (1934-79) & Ellery Queen =