Crime Wave: The City Is Dark

Film Noir burrows into the mind; it's disorienting, intriguing and enthralling. Noir brings us into a gritty underworld of lush morbidity, providing intimate peeks at its tough, scheming dames, mischievous misfits and flawed men - all caught in the wicked web of a twisted fate.

After emerging victorious from the horrors of World War II, the U.S. eagerly pushed into a new era of optimism, hope, and success. But the shadowy and cigarette-stained B-side to the bright, shiny America emerged: the film noir. Made for cheap, these dark tales scratched at a different society, filled with twisted psyches and sinister motives. Filmmaker Tom Thurman teams up with film critic and narrator David Thomson to weave together a hypnotic collage of a dark world that influences our national identity to this day.

When a new murderer in town travels through the phone, Detective Rick finds that all signs point to the culprit being a bear. But bears can't use phones. Can they?

Short documentary on the film noir, Tension.

Documentary on the film noir Side Street with director Oliver Stone and critic Richard Schickel.

Documentary on the film noir Decoy, with Dick Cavett and Molly Haskell.

Spain. 1978. Year of the first democratic elections following the dictatorship, and of the birth cine quinqui (delinquent movies): films that rapidly became a big commercial success, showing things that were banned by the censorship not too long before.

Journalistic chronicle made by Ocelote from the Colima zoo “Ecoparc” that reconstructs the mysterious case of a pair of animals on display, a red deer and a mouflon sheep, killed with a firearm by a mysterious criminal.

Film noir, which enjoyed particular success in the 1930s and 1940s, is probably the most profound genre of classic Hollywood cinema. Eckhart Schmidt tries to show the background and developments and speaks, among others, with directors such as Richard Fleischer and Robert Wise as well as with "femme fatale" actresses. Filmmakers of the following generations explain how the style and themes of noir continue to shape cinema today.

A single ordinary day in a big city. The heroine of the film is never fully revealed we see only her feet, her steps, the rhythm of her movement. Through this movement, we travel with her across the city, discovering fragments of her day. In the morning, she leaves her home and merges with the urban flow. She walks through the streets, passing dusty construction sites where the city’s constant transformation blends with everyday life. She goes to work, then stops at a small café, where the usual chaos continues. Traffic builds, people wait at bus stops, cars stand still, and the noise of construction fills the air. Within this environment, her steps move forward, becoming part of the city’s rhythm. By the end of the day, she meets her lover. Once again, we see only feet, small gestures, subtle movements. The film becomes a collage of urban moments a mixture of staged and documentary observation where the invisible presence of one woman connects the scattered pieces of the city’s life.

Von Scerscen.- Diario di un'indagine

A documentary about film noir films made in Los Angeles.

Film critics, actors, film historians and other personalities share their experiences and curious stories on the acclaimed Billy Wilder's masterpiece "Sunset Blvd."; its cultural importance by being one of the most iconic and revolutionary films ever made and a picture that still stands the test of time.

A 1956 Belgian film, Low Light and Blue Smoke, showcases the music of American blues guitarist Big Bill Broonzy, capturing his performance at the Chapel of Les Brigittines in Brussels during his 1956 European tour.

Jump into the world of Film Noir and look at how the technology and economic factors gave birth to a genre that still deeply influences the way filmmakers work today. Take a look at 4 Film Noirs spanning the beginning and end of the classic film noir era: "The Stranger on the Third Floor", "Double Indemnity", "The Big Combo" and "Touch of Evil".

The relationship between brothers Terry and Matt, both active in the IRA, comes under strain when Terry begins to question the use of violence.

This is the terrifying story of a desperate foot. A reluctant accomplice of a man who has fallen into horror, he takes advantage of a moment when the man has dozed off to record a message for anyone who will listen. It's the ultimate S.O.S. from a foot who has no other option but to reveal the appalling truth to the world.

After a whirlwind romance in Mexico, a beautiful heiress marries a man she barely knows with hardly a second thought. She finds his New York home full of his strange relations, and macabre rooms that are replicas of famous murder sites. One locked room contains the secret to her husband's obsession, and the truth about what happened to his first wife.

A hack screenwriter writes a screenplay for a former silent film star who has faded into Hollywood obscurity.

The peaceful life of a gas station owner is disrupted when a man from his past arrives in town and forces him to return to the dark world he had tried to escape.