Best Film Noir of All Time....

[Louise123]

What are you all time favourite female actresses in 1940s film noir?

Mine would have to be Rita Hayworth in Gilda, because of that dance sequence "Put the Blame on Mame Boys".

[Jonesy]

I'm answering the title of your post, rather than your actual post, because they are two completely different topics. My favourite film noir is The Killers. And no, it doesn't star Rita Hayworth.

[Louise123]

Why The Killers?

[Jonesy]

The fragmented narrative is clever, taking the use of flashbacks that one step further, the cinematography by Elwood Bredell is stunning, and of course it was the film that introduced Burt Lancaster and Ava Gardner to the world.

[hawktheslayer]

Ralph Meeker exudes effortless cool as Mike Hammer who get shimself caught up in one hell of a case.
Aldrich's taut directions ensures that there is no let up on the thriller aspects of the story, but he also seems to have creative freedom enough to utilise long takes (the boxing club scene) and share his vision of the Mickey Spillane world.

There are so many other Film Noirs that I love: Double Indemnity blew me away when I first saw it, Scarlett Street is a little gem of a movie. The noir genre is so rich with not only the obvious style, but also the range of stories and how they are presented, e.g. the killers, crossplot, the postman rings twice, etc. To me, the narrative is comparable with movies like, the usual suspects, fight club, seven and more recently the girl with the dragon tattoo and Shutter Island - I like being treated with intelligence and, for me, that's where Noir hits the spot more often than not.

[selfords]

The Big Sleep is my favourite it may be a little different to the book but the film is superb.
Phillip Marlowe has never been done better

[JoanWilder]

My favourite has to be Double Indemnity. I absolutely love this film and it features all the signifiers of the genre. Great performances, the smouldering tension, the cinematography, the story. It's fantastic.

The dialogue brings us crackers like this:

How could I have known that murder can sometimes smell like honeysuckle?

I killed him for money and for a woman. I didn't get the money. And I didn't get the woman.

[ShadyPenguin]

How about "The Postman Always Rings Twice" - blew me away when I first saw it...

[Jonesy]

Which one?

[irish]

Originally Posted by Jonesy

I'm answering the title of your post, rather than your actual post, because they are two completely different topics. My favourite film noir is The Killers. And no, it doesn't star Rita Hayworth.

I prefer the remake with Lee Marvin. Although I believe this one has one of the best opening sequences with William Conrad and Charles Mcgraw as the menacing hitmen.
As for the best one, I nominate two. One from the golden age of noir "The Maltese Falcon" and the other from more recent times:La confidentiel
M