Well, Noir City has come to a close, and though I had to miss the last weekend of the festival, I made the most of the time I did spend there.
For me, the highlight of the festival was the chance to see Sorry, Wrong Numberon the big screen--and it did not disappoint. The plot of that film is kind of...confusing, but it all comes together when we see the killer's shadow ascending the staircase while Barbara Stanwyck goes into full hysterics. The audience loved it! Sorry, Wrong Number was introduced by festival host Eddie Mueller as film so dark that it is "pitch black," but that it was also a fascinating scenic travelogue of 1940's America.
I also enjoyed seeing two films that we are familiar with as Suspense episodes. The first, and the better of the two, was Beware, My Lovely. Thanks to a reader of Escape and Suspense!, I learned that this was the same story as the Suspenseepisode "To Find Help." The film is much the same as the radio episode, and both were taken from Mel Dinelli's stage play The Man. The crazed handyman, played by Robert Ryan, holds hostage the lady of the house, played by Ida Lupino. One important difference is that the film is set forty years earlier than the radio version. The audience definitely enjoyed the tension of Beware My Lovely.
I also saw My Name is Julia Ross, which you may know as the Suspense episode "The Woman in Red." Interesting to see this film once, although it is different from the radio version. Both the radio story and the film were taken from the novel by Anthony Gilbert.
I also enjoyed and recommend High Wall, Stranger on the Third Floor, Strangers in the Night, Among the Living, and The Lady Gambles. Wish I could have seen them all, but I had to go out of town. So, we'll just have to wait for next year!
Comments