In this special episode, we discuss the films of Noir City Austin 2019 and its theme of “It’s a Bitter Little World”, featuring a program of ten stellar examples of the progression of film noir from the end of the 1940s through the start of the 1960s. Noir City Austin is always a highlight of our year and The Czar of Noir, Eddie Muller, never fails to bring a stunningly dark vision of the recent past.

Thanks to the great work of the Film Noir Foundation, we were able to escape into glorious 35mm restored and preserved titles from the genre. In counterpoint to last year’s journey through the 40s, there are new forces at work in the world of noir, notably the advent of television and the Red Scare. As always, we hope to see you at next year’s festival!

The Noir City Austin 2019 Festival Line Up:

• Trapped (Fleischer, 1949)

• The Turning Point (Dieterle, 1952)

• City That Never Sleeps (Auer, 1953)

• Private Hell 36 (Siegel, 1954)

• Killer’s Kiss (Kubrick, 1955)

• A Kiss Before Dying (Oswald, 1956)

• Nightfall (Tourneur, 1956)

• Murder by Contract (Lerner, 1958)

• The Crimson Kimono (Fuller, 1959)

• Blast of Silence (Baron, 1961)

What you’ll find in this episode: a Dark City dame and new discoveries, the influence of the Korean War, and some cagey teasers on new titles coming from the Film Noir Foundation.

– Cole and Ericca

Links:

The Film Noir Foundation

Noir City

TCM’s Noir Alley

Eddie Muller’s website

Alamo Drafthouse