So maybe you're wondering what the severed penis scene in Street Trash has to do with film noir. Well, some time in 10th grade my mom walked in while I was watching that scene and in a moment of punishment-genius declared that for every violent, trashy horror movie I rented, I'd also have to rent and watch a "classic" film. Well, it was her credit card on the account after all.
Having already been a fan of The Third Man (I can still fake my way through Anton Karas' theme on piano) and D.O.A., many of the "classics" I rented were noirs. they're not trashy or violent, right?
Many years later, thanks to people like Arthur Lyons (RIP), Eddie Muller, Alan K Rode and others, these great — don't call them B-movies! — pictures have been preserved and projected in the theater where they belong. I've only missed one or two of the 11 Palm Springs Noir Festivals, have been to a few in Los Angeles, and try to go to as many nights as I can here in S.F.
This comp was made for the Noir City 9 festival and was compiled and given to me by my friend Ben who volunteered. The theme this year was "who's crazy now"? and the comp more or less follows the same. A couple tracks are a little out of place being newer than what most consider the latest noir — The Killing (1956) and Blast of Silence (1960) for example — and there's a couple really great old-timey songs that are maybe a little too early...but it's still a skillfully put together comp that'll have you pouring out a glass of whiskey and lighting up an unfiltered lucky before you can say "belly full of lead".
Gun Crazy
(down load track list here)
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Ben is rad. I have some other comps he made for the noir fest.
ReplyDeleteagreed! I loved this one
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