Happy Noirvember to all who still celebrate! This year’s program dives deep into the genre’s most patented themes that are set against some of its most surrealist of backdrops. In true Noirvember tradition, we’re shining a spotlight on the overlooked gems of yesteryear, presenting familiar faces in unexpected roles—both in front of and behind the camera—and honoring the b-films that have (mostly) faded into obscurity.
5pm
*** ********* (1954)
We kick off Noirvember with a tale of vengeance served ice-cold. A disgraced ex-cop, a vanished gangster, and the relentless pursuit across some unique on-location photography. Directed by a Warner Bros. contract actor on a passion project, this opener sets the tone for an evening filled with calculated intensity.
630p
*** ** *** ****** (1953)
Next up, a criminally underrated noir starring one of the greatest actors of Italian cinema in a feverish thriller with homoerotic undertones, psychedelic dreamscapes, and an eerie marshy location.
8pm
******** ******* (1956)
Noirvember wouldn’t be complete without a little disruption, and this year’s “We interrupt this program” moment is brought by a technicolor film noir shot by John Alton. It’s a big-city corruption tale blending lurid melodrama with investigative grit and is helmed by one of Hollywood’s greatest auteurs.
10pm
***** *** ****** (1954)
Fresh off directing a baseball picture for MGM, a certain son of a newspaperman honed his craft on this shoestring budget noir. Starring one of the genre’s most iconic villainous faces and packed with a healthy dose of tension and intrigue, it’s a shock this film remains on the margins.
12am
*** ******** ***** (1957)
We conclude this season of Noirvember with a late-night gem starring Tony Curtis, set against the unmistakable backdrop of the Bay Area. This slept on classic features striking black-and-white cinematography from a frequent collaborator of the master of melodrama. Fitting for midnight, this film dives headfirst into themes of guilt & religion & unfolds into a hazy dreamlike moral tale.