The Bloody Pit #230 - DESTINY (1944)

DESTINY (1944) is easily among the most hidden cinema efforts of the 1940’s. It has had no legitimate video release of any kind and hasn’t been shown on television in decades which means it is difficult to find and nearly impossible to stumble across. We consider that a shame because the higher quality elements of the film are well worth seeing. Constructed from a discarded segment of an anthology of supernatural tales and paired with newly shot noir-ish footage to bring it up to feature length it is an odd viewing experience. Join Troy Guinn and I as we discuss the film’s high points and odd plotting choices while marveling at the amazing work done in final act of the story.

We talk a bit about the actors with some time spent on the familiar faces from Universal’s roster of supporting thespians. The film’s attempt to craft a story to use the existing footage is pulled apart and examined for its various flaws including the evolution of the main character from dopey patsy to murderer and rapist. We stare longingly into the sightless eyes of the lovely Gloria Jean and wonder how such a perceptive young woman could miss noticing the obvious louse that blunders into her home. And while both of us wish the story had remained in FLESH & FANTASY (1943) where it belongs, we would still pay good money to see a crisp Blu-Ray of this strange effort to salvage money the studio had already spent.

What do you think of DESTINY (1944)? Drop us a note at thebloodypit@gmail.com with any comments or suggestions. Thanks for listening! 

Trailers From Hell - THE BIG SLEEP (1946)

Director and screenwriter Larry Cohen talks a bit about one of my favorite movies of all time. Who did kill the chauffer? 

Poster Art for DICK TRACY VS CUEBALL (1946)

 

Film Noir Poster Art

Noir-vember! - A Partial Report

After thinking about it for a few years I finally gave in and spent the month of November watching almost exclusively film noirs – Noirvember! I felt that it was time to really dig into the genre and see a lot of examples of it that I had never caught before. The final count for the month was 23 ‘new to me’ film noir or noir adjacent movies and it was a delightful experience. I enjoyed nearly every one of these movies and it showed me that just watching the more famous titles had given me a shallow sense of the genre. I’m very glad I did this!

 

One reason I set out to do this month-long watch was to justify owning several amazing Indicator box sets of film noirs and I used them as the centerpiece of my viewing plan. Several of the movies were unexpected standouts with some interesting, smart twists embedded in their crime tales. It wasn't too surprising that MILDRED PIERCE (1945) was one of the best, turning out to be a true classic. I’m embarrassed that it took me until 2023 to finally see this bitter, involving melodrama. It's easy to see why the film is so well regarded as it is so well acted and directed that it is a joy to follow the tragedy to its dark conclusion. I’ll admit was surprised to see Bruce Bennett holding his own against the mighty Joan Crawford as I still mostly picture him as Tarzan, but the entire cast is exceptional. 

 

WALK A CROOKED MILE from 1948 is an excellent crime film set in San Francisco with some good on location shooting to add to the feeling of verisimilitude. The story is a fairly standard post World War II anti-communist crime story but it is well made and incredibly engrossing as we follow a British and American cop team untangle a foreign spy network. I found this to be a standout and was surprised that it's not talked about more among fans of the genre.

PUSHOVER (1954) was almost as great even though it starts off in a way that made me think it was going to be a rehash of Fred McMurray’s previous classic in the genre DOUBLE INDEMNITY (1944). I found it to be at least as good as that film if not better simply by virtue of it having a few tricks up its sleeve that I wasn't expecting. Watching McMurray’s cop character go through the paces of endearing himself and starting a relationship with Kim Novak's character just so that he can keep tabs on her as in an attempt to arrest her long-term boyfriend is absolutely fantastic. The surprises, and the way the film structures its story is clever and seeing McMurray make his choice to step on to the criminal side of the street is an entertaining ride. This is another unsung and less talked about example of the genre that truly impressed me.

I also really enjoyed AFFAIR IN TRINIDAD (1952) with Rita Hayworth as a widow-turned spy trying to do in some nasty criminal types doing mysterious bad things. Yes, the film plays like an obvious variation on Hitchcock's NOTORIOUS (1946) but it is still a good film with a great performance from Hayworth and getting to see her sing and dance is a nice bonus. 

THE BROTHERS RICO (1957) is a film that I'd heard about for years mainly because it has been championed for decades by Martin Scorsese as one of his favorite examples of the genre. I have to agree that it is an exceptional film although it would be a hard rewatch simply because the story is so much about the inevitability of criminal acts leading to destruction. There are these little threads of hope that get extinguished one by one as the story goes on until, by the end, the main character realizes that choices made years before had inevitable end points that he could do nothing to change. The film is a compelling watch but also pretty dark even with its slightly upbeat final scene. 

I also checked out APPOINTMENT WITH A SHADOW (1957) which is a well done ‘alcoholic newspaper man solves crime’ tale. The film focuses on George Nader's playing an alcoholic reporter who has boozed his way into losing job after job after job. Near the end of his rope, he's given one last chance by a woman who loves him and her cop brother to be on the scene of a very big arrest. The story follows him as he attempts to get through a day prepping himself to be in place to witness things, write it up and to use this scoop as a stepping stone to get his job back, possibly changing his life. It's very effective and becomes a tense, unpredictable exercise as the arrest goes wrong and the newspaper man realizes that he's might have the biggest story that he'll ever have in his career - but only he can make anyone believe what he knows to be true. This is one heck of a film and I was shocked that I had not heard of before. And I caught it on YouTube of all places! 

TIGHT SPOT from 1955 has Ginger Rogers turning in an excellent performance as a prisoner asked to turn States evidence in a case that could paint a bullseye on her back. This is a film that was clearly based on a stage play and therefore has all of the sharp dialogue and interesting characterizations that you would expect from something that had to survive in front of a live audience over and over again. Rogers is fantastic, really digging into the many character shades the script gives her and becoming a multifaceted person in our eyes as the story moves into unexpected areas. With Brian Keith and Edward G. Robinson as well this is an excellent small-scale story with impressive emotional heft.

Beverly Michaels - WICKED WOMAN (1953) Actress

Having finally caught up with the fascinating WICKED WOMAN (1953) I find myself curious about the actress Beverly Michaels. She plays the titular character and rarely have I seen a better example of a bitter, cynical woman using her charms to get ahead in the world. She doesn’t care who gets hurt in her quest for a better life and is ready to move on to her next mark as soon as a better option comes into view. I can easily see why this film is well thought of by noir and ‘Bad Girl’ cinema fans. Miss Michaels glides across the screen like a shark on the hunt but isn’t afraid to cut and run when a situation turns sour. She is a sight to behold and could put the fear of beautiful ladies into the heart of anyone.

It seems she made a career out of playing bad characters in the 1950’s before she retired from the screen. I wish she had stuck around as it would have been great to see how she (hopefully) transitioned from these dark roles to playing different kinds of characters. She seems to have given up on being offered less dangerous female parts and that is a shame.

 From Wikipedia -

In a 1954 newspaper interview, Michaels was questioned about her choice of racy roles: "One of the penalties is that some people, especially the wolf type, can't forget it was just a movie. She has had, she says, to give several real-life brush-offs. However, Beverly says, they are things you have to accept. 'I get my share of wisecracks. But I ignore them. You have to. If you're going to play roles like I have, you have to expect to be a target for such remarks. I just pretend I don't hear them. If you're going to be supersensitive, you had better get out of the business. ... I always have hope that my next picture will make me a decent woman.'" 

More Random Poster Art

THE BLACK BOOK (1949)

Turner Classic Movies recently showed one of the increasingly rare films directed by Anthony Mann that I had yet to see. Of course this thrilled me because I have yet to see any film directed by Anthony Mann that was not at least very good. He's one of those guys back during the days of the studio system who seemed to be able to move comfortably between genres and produce good films no matter what was asked of him. Oddly, this movie was being shown on TCM not because of the Mann pedigree  but because it was produced by the great William Cameron Menzies. Now I've been a fan of William Cameron Menzies ever since I discovered who he was (andI've even talked about him here on the blog briefly before) but I'm going to focus on this film from the perspective of being an Anthony Mann film.

THE BLACK BOOK (1949) is also known under the title REIGN OF TERROR and focuses on the rise of Robespierre during the French Revolution and his attempt to install himself as the country's dictator. The cast includes Richard Basehart as Robespierre and Robert Cummings as his foil. The film follows the broad outline of the historical events but plays fast and loose with details, as you might expect from Hollywood. Villain Robespierre takes hero Charles D'Aubigny (Cummings) into his confidence when the dastardly scoundrel loses his little black book. But this isn't a list of potential dates with Parisian floozies! This black book is filled with the damning evidence that keeps the ambitious politician's rivals fearful of him and without it Robespierre's chances of becoming the next ruler of France is over. The film very quickly becomes a fast and smart chase story with D'Aubigny in constant mental and physical battle with various groups as he tries to maintain his cover identity (which is keeping him safe from Robespierre's people) and trying to prove his real identity to those opposed to the scheming and powerful man while he frantically hunts for the book that will save both him and his beloved country.

This movie is tight, intelligently moving from scene to scene so fluidly that it's 90 minutes seem more like 60. Mann uses tight shots to hide the relative poverty of the production which was pulled together by Menzies get more use out of the sets built for the box office bomb JOAN OF ARC (1948). Mann cleverly frames most of his images so that the foreground provides information that adds to the main action taking place in the middle of the screen. The cinematography is incredible using light and shadow to great effect exactly as was becoming the standard in Noir crime films of the era. He and Menzies also use some effective back projection to increase the number of extras in crowd shots and to, along with smart sound design, give the often cramped sets much more depth.

In a lot of ways THE BLACK BOOK's plot is a variation on a classic Film Noir storyline but placed within the French Revolution. If you squint you can see the outline of DOA (1950) story played out her a full year earlier and in fancier clothing! This film is very much in line with the others Mann made around the same time such as T-MEN, RAW DEAL and RAILROADED (all released in 1947) and the brilliant BORDER INCIDENT (1949). He knew how to build suspense and he seems to have been able to coax great work out of his actors. I am never disappointed with one of his movies and I need to see the rest of them. I guess I need to find a copy of  MOONLIGHT IN HAVANA (1942)!

Gravedigger - Crime Comic Book!

I read a lot of comic books both old and new each week but while I tend to concentrate on superhero books (Wonder Woman, Superman, Spider-Man, etc) and horror tales from decades past on occasion I like to try other genres to see what might be out there. I'm a major fan of crime fiction and mysteries so this often bleeds over into my comic reading. The current gold standard for this kind of comic is the fine series of Darwyn Cooke adaptations of the classic Richard Stark Parker novels. If you haven't tried them I highly recommend checking them out. Even the Parker novels I had previously read came to life in new and stunning fashion with Cooke's intelligent visualizations.

With that high quality in mind I can now recommend another great crime comic book that strikes me as being in the same league. Author Christopher Mills has been on my radar for a few years because of his various blogs. My favorite of his blogging efforts is the excellent Space: 1970 which chronicles his love of the television and film science fiction of that groovy decade. Where else are you gonna find multiple posts on Jason of Star Command or The Fantastic Journey?

So when he began to post on Facebook about his crime story character Gravedigger I wondered if his entertaining blogging style could translate into hard-boiled crime fiction. Well I'm happy to say that after only one issue I can say 'Hell yes it can'! Teaming with artist Rick Burchett they have crafted a sharp, mean spirited neo-noir tale that pulses with energy and life. They have opted to produce the comic in black & white and it immediately becomes clear that color would only pointlessly complicate the stark lines and smart storytelling of this book. I was surprised first by the fact that they have chosen to present the story in landscape page layout instead of the normal portrait format of comic books but realized quickly that this is another clever decision. Reading the book this way creates an automatic 'widescreen' feeling to the action and seems to push the tale faster in some odd way. I've read this first issue three times and I cannot wait to snatch up the second one when it hits the stands later this month and then the collected trade paperback in November that will have more tales of professional thief Gravedigger (who bears a striking resemblance to a certain awesome actor). Very cool! 

Film Noir Poster Art

Thanks to Turner Classic Movies I'm going through a Summer of Film Noir viewing and I'm loving every minute of it! 

Film Noir Poster Art