And you thought Halloween was frightening… Noirvember takes us deep into fall with bad women, worse men, double crosses, deceit, and dark deeds. Here’s where to get your fill of film noir around town and online.
“Vertigo,” Nov. 2 & 3, Somerville Theater
The original “it will keep you guessing until the last minute” thriller, “Vertigo” is Alfred Hitchcock’s masterpiece and Jimmy Stewart’s most unhinged role. Follow an ex-police detective through his obsession with a woman with a haunted past — played by an equally intense Kim Novak. Film nerds, this is a new 70mm print! somervilletheatre.com
“In a Lonely Place,” Nov. 8, Brattle Theater, Cambridge
Did somebody say unhinged? Humphrey Bogart takes his acting to a new level in this underrated gem — if not his best role then certainly his best character name, Dix Steele. A Hollywood screenwriter on the downhill of his career, Steele definitely didn’t kill the hat-check girl at a nightclub. Or wait, did he? Well, he is definitely not going to kill his neighbor. Or wait, is he? Sorry, to reuse the line already, but it’s another “it will keep you guessing until the last minute” spine-tingler. brattlefilm.org
“Nightmare Alley,” Nov. 27, Coolidge Corner Theatre
Dreamy matinee star Tyrone Power reinvents his image by going dark, as dark as 1947 Hollywood would let someone. Power stars at a lowly carny with charisma who is looking to elevate his career. He becomes a medium for contacting spirits for gullible wealthy marks. Ambition and wickedness eventually assert their gravity and things get — you guessed it — dark. Shocking in its day, the film remains downright creepy. coolidge.org
Columbia Noir series, all month, online
The Criterion Channel dives into Columbia Picture’s archive for a treasure of noir classics and cult favorites to celebrate the studio’s centennial. If you want a movie where you don’t care about plot or theme or the rest of the actors because one star is so transfixing, watch Rita Hayworth in “Gilda” — smoldering people, smoldering! If you want pulp, the kind of film with snappy lines such as “Your big trouble, honey, is that you attack yourself from all sides, like Jersey mosquitoes,” “The Big Heat” delivers while still managing to subvert the tropes of the genre. Find these and a dozen more noirs at criterion.com
“The Stranger,” all month, online
Orson Welles can be a very fine actor. Edward G. Robinson is a total master of the craft. Watch a very fine Welles squirm as a man with a hidden past as an absolutely excellent Robinson plays a government agent trying to catch him up. Best part, you can stream it free with your local library card. Details at kanopy.com
