Turner Classic Movies' Summer of Darkness: tons of film noir and a free class
05-22-15, 01:19 PM
#1
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
Thread Starter
Turner Classic Movies' Summer of Darkness: tons of film noir and a free class
TCM Presents Into The Darkness: Investigating Film Noir
June 1 - Aug 4, 2015
Cost per enrollment: Free
Summer is cooler in the shadows.
We invite movie fans from around the world to join us for a flexible, multimedia investigation and celebration of film noir.
In this nine-week course, we’ll go back in film history to investigate the "The Case of Film Noir"—the means, motives, and opportunities that led Hollywood studios to make these hard-boiled crime dramas, arguably their greatest contribution to American culture.
This course will run concurrently with the Turner Classic Movies "Summer of Darkness” programming event, airing 24 hours of films noir every Friday in June and July 2015. This is the deepest catalog of film noir ever presented by the network (and perhaps any network), and provides an unprecedented opportunity for those interested in learning more to watch over 100 classic movies as they investigate “The Case of Film Noir.”
Both the course and the associated films will enrich your understanding of the film noir phenomenon—from the earliest noir precursors to recent experiments in neo-noir. You will be able to share thoughts online and test your movie knowledge with a worldwide community of film noir students and fans.
Course Outcomes
Students will
•gain a deeper appreciation of classic Hollywood movies
•be able to identify the characteristics of a film noir
•able to explain the origins and history of film noir
•be able to perform close analyses of films noir
Topics include
•What is Film Noir?
•Film Noir and Its Influences
•Film Noir in the Studio System
•Film Noir Themes and Characters
•Film Noir in the Postwar Period
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need access to TCM to participate in this course?
No. For non-TCM subscribers, we will have free links to online public domain films noir, so anyone can participate fully in this course.
How long is this course?
Nine weeks, since it is designed to run in conjunction with TCM's "Summer of Darkness."
Will this course offer a certificate of completion?
Yes.
What kind of time commitment may I expect?
For students who seek to complete the course, it will take between two and four hours each week, not including additional time to watch a few films noir each week on your own or on TCM. For students who wish to participate but are not interested in a certificate of completion, we still want you to be involved. This course is flexible in its design, and you may choose to do as much or as little as you have time for each week.
Are there any synchronous or live events in this course?
Yes. The course will use social media and Google Hangouts on Air to have a few live events. But in case you are not available when an event is occurring, an archived video copy will be available for later viewing.
Will the instructor be involved in the course?
Yes.
June 1 - Aug 4, 2015
Cost per enrollment: Free
Summer is cooler in the shadows.
We invite movie fans from around the world to join us for a flexible, multimedia investigation and celebration of film noir.
In this nine-week course, we’ll go back in film history to investigate the "The Case of Film Noir"—the means, motives, and opportunities that led Hollywood studios to make these hard-boiled crime dramas, arguably their greatest contribution to American culture.
This course will run concurrently with the Turner Classic Movies "Summer of Darkness” programming event, airing 24 hours of films noir every Friday in June and July 2015. This is the deepest catalog of film noir ever presented by the network (and perhaps any network), and provides an unprecedented opportunity for those interested in learning more to watch over 100 classic movies as they investigate “The Case of Film Noir.”
Both the course and the associated films will enrich your understanding of the film noir phenomenon—from the earliest noir precursors to recent experiments in neo-noir. You will be able to share thoughts online and test your movie knowledge with a worldwide community of film noir students and fans.
Course Outcomes
Students will
•gain a deeper appreciation of classic Hollywood movies
•be able to identify the characteristics of a film noir
•able to explain the origins and history of film noir
•be able to perform close analyses of films noir
Topics include
•What is Film Noir?
•Film Noir and Its Influences
•Film Noir in the Studio System
•Film Noir Themes and Characters
•Film Noir in the Postwar Period
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need access to TCM to participate in this course?
No. For non-TCM subscribers, we will have free links to online public domain films noir, so anyone can participate fully in this course.
How long is this course?
Nine weeks, since it is designed to run in conjunction with TCM's "Summer of Darkness."
Will this course offer a certificate of completion?
Yes.
What kind of time commitment may I expect?
For students who seek to complete the course, it will take between two and four hours each week, not including additional time to watch a few films noir each week on your own or on TCM. For students who wish to participate but are not interested in a certificate of completion, we still want you to be involved. This course is flexible in its design, and you may choose to do as much or as little as you have time for each week.
Are there any synchronous or live events in this course?
Yes. The course will use social media and Google Hangouts on Air to have a few live events. But in case you are not available when an event is occurring, an archived video copy will be available for later viewing.
Will the instructor be involved in the course?
Yes.
24 hours of film noir every Friday in June and July? Damn. It's stuff like this that makes me wish I still had cable.
The event schedule can be found here: http://www.tcm.com/summerofdarkness/
The Ball State course should be fun. It's great that you don't actually need TCM to participate. I tried doing my own "Summer of Noir" last year and threw a bunch of those films in my Netflix and Amazon queues, but my interest kinda petered out. Since there's a free class about the genre, I might as well give it another try.
TCM already has a long thread for its Underground series, so I figured I'd start a fresh one for discussing their summer film noir programming. Anyone else going to do this class and/or check out the movies they'll be running?
05-22-15, 03:18 PM
#4
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Turner Classic Movies' Summer of Darkness: tons of film noir and a free class
No Gun Crazy, no sale! 
EDIT: June 12th at 9:45 PM. Probably my favorite noir of all time
SALE!
EDIT: June 12th at 9:45 PM. Probably my favorite noir of all time
SALE!
05-22-15, 05:22 PM
#5
Re: Turner Classic Movies' Summer of Darkness: tons of film noir and a free class
I take it that you see Thief in the schedule.
I'll be tuning in (Or DVR'ing) to all these:
The Bribe
The Mask of Dimitrios
They Won't Believe Me
Danger Signal
The Threat
The People Against O'Hara
Blue Dahlia (Finally get to see this one)
The Woman on Pier 13
Too Late for Tears
Roadblock
Talk About A Stranger
Split Second
Party Girl
Ones I recommend:
On Dangerous Ground
The Set-Up
Kansas City Confidential (A Tarantino favorite)
Suddenly
Clash By Night (Might be my most favorite Hollywood film made by Lang)
Conflict
99 River Street
Beware My Lovely (I wish this one was more well known. So Hitchcockian)
They Live By Night
Where Danger Lives (Similar to Detour. But I like this one a lot more)
I'll be tuning in (Or DVR'ing) to all these:
The Bribe
The Mask of Dimitrios
They Won't Believe Me
Danger Signal
The Threat
The People Against O'Hara
Blue Dahlia (Finally get to see this one)
The Woman on Pier 13
Too Late for Tears
Roadblock
Talk About A Stranger
Split Second
Party Girl
Ones I recommend:
On Dangerous Ground
The Set-Up
Kansas City Confidential (A Tarantino favorite)
Suddenly
Clash By Night (Might be my most favorite Hollywood film made by Lang)
Conflict
99 River Street
Beware My Lovely (I wish this one was more well known. So Hitchcockian)
They Live By Night
Where Danger Lives (Similar to Detour. But I like this one a lot more)
Last edited by Mondo Kane; 06-05-15 at 01:46 PM.
06-05-15, 02:28 AM
#7
Re: Turner Classic Movies' Summer of Darkness: tons of film noir and a free class
Bump for today's start
06-05-15, 07:52 AM
#8
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Turner Classic Movies' Summer of Darkness: tons of film noir and a free class
I take it that you see Thief in the schedule.
I'll be tuning in (Or DVR'ing) to all these:
The Bribe
The Mask of Dimitrios
They Won't Believe Me
Danger Signal
The Threat
The People Against O'Hara
Blue Dahlia (Finally get to see this one)
The Woman on Pier 13
Too Late for Tears
Roadblock
Talk About A Stranger
Split Second
Party Girl
Ones I recommend:
On Dangerous Ground
The Set-Up
Kansas City Confidential (A Tarantino favorite)
Suddenly
Clash By Night (Might be my most favorite Hollywood film made by Lang)
The Locket
99 River Street
Beware My Lovely (I wish this one was more well known. So Hitchcockian)
They Live By Night
Where Danger Lives (Similar to Detour. But I like this one a lot more)
I'll be tuning in (Or DVR'ing) to all these:
The Bribe
The Mask of Dimitrios
They Won't Believe Me
Danger Signal
The Threat
The People Against O'Hara
Blue Dahlia (Finally get to see this one)
The Woman on Pier 13
Too Late for Tears
Roadblock
Talk About A Stranger
Split Second
Party Girl
Ones I recommend:
On Dangerous Ground
The Set-Up
Kansas City Confidential (A Tarantino favorite)
Suddenly
Clash By Night (Might be my most favorite Hollywood film made by Lang)
The Locket
99 River Street
Beware My Lovely (I wish this one was more well known. So Hitchcockian)
They Live By Night
Where Danger Lives (Similar to Detour. But I like this one a lot more)
06-05-15, 11:20 AM
#9
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
Thread Starter
Re: Turner Classic Movies' Summer of Darkness: tons of film noir and a free class
A few of Mondo Kane's recommendations (thanks for those, btw!) are available on the Amazon and Netflix:
Party Girl (Amazon Prime)
Kansas City Confidential (Amazon Prime)
Suddenly (Amazon Prime and Netflix)
99 River Street (Amazon Prime and Netflix)
And if Thief is the 1981 James Caan film, that's on Netflix.
I would imagine some of the other scheduled movies are available there, too. Granted, TCM might have better transfers and you won't be getting its introductions, but that could alleviate a little bit of peoples' DVR problems.
Party Girl (Amazon Prime)
Kansas City Confidential (Amazon Prime)
Suddenly (Amazon Prime and Netflix)
99 River Street (Amazon Prime and Netflix)
And if Thief is the 1981 James Caan film, that's on Netflix.
I would imagine some of the other scheduled movies are available there, too. Granted, TCM might have better transfers and you won't be getting its introductions, but that could alleviate a little bit of peoples' DVR problems.
06-05-15, 01:37 PM
#10
Re: Turner Classic Movies' Summer of Darkness: tons of film noir and a free class
*Lady in the Lake (Which airs on the 26th) is my favorite of those. It's got a gimmick that makes things refreshing to look at.
Oh, and (In my list) I meant to say that I feel that Clash By Night might be Lang's best Hollywood film. Fury (Which came on TCM a few nights ago) is my favorite Hollywood film by him.
EDIT-On my list, I previously had The Locket listed. I thought it was a (Good) Bogart film in which a certain locket is a big plot-point. Turns out The Locket is a Mitchum film that I haven't seen yet. The one that I thought it was is Conflict. Comes on July 17th.
Last edited by Mondo Kane; 06-05-15 at 01:50 PM.
06-09-15, 09:15 AM
#12
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
Thread Starter
Re: Turner Classic Movies' Summer of Darkness: tons of film noir and a free class
I watched my first assignment for the class last night. As I don't have TCM, I had to go with the public domain option: Scarlet Street. (Amazon Prime has it, as well as Archive.org.) I don't have much experience with Edward G. Robinson, but I have enough that seeing him play the sad sack was a bit jarring. His character's name is Christopher "Chris" Cross, so every time it was spoken I had either "Sailing" or "Jump" playing in my head. 
Also, what I heard as the phrase "for cat's sake" was used several times and I scratched my head since I'd never heard that before. (Where did Pete go?) But checking the IMDB boards for this movie, it's not "cat," but "cack," which is slang for shit. So that was a scandalous thing to say in a movie at the time.
That's one reason why I like watching these old films: for their time capsule nature.
Also, what I heard as the phrase "for cat's sake" was used several times and I scratched my head since I'd never heard that before. (Where did Pete go?) But checking the IMDB boards for this movie, it's not "cat," but "cack," which is slang for shit. So that was a scandalous thing to say in a movie at the time.
That's one reason why I like watching these old films: for their time capsule nature.
06-12-15, 07:36 PM
#13
Re: Turner Classic Movies' Summer of Darkness: tons of film noir and a free class
Watched Danger Signal earlier. Meh. Way too chatty.
Recording The Gangster and Tomorrow Is Another Day today but saving them for Sunday. Nightmare Alley (Coming on later tonight) is a good one.
Recording The Gangster and Tomorrow Is Another Day today but saving them for Sunday. Nightmare Alley (Coming on later tonight) is a good one.
06-13-15, 02:26 PM
#14
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Turner Classic Movies' Summer of Darkness: tons of film noir and a free class
I got 18/20 on the first quiz. I had forgotten what a term meant and thought that one of the T/F questions referred specifically to a different film (as opposed to both of those films, apparently).
06-14-15, 12:59 AM
#15
Re: Turner Classic Movies' Summer of Darkness: tons of film noir and a free class
I've seen enough of the movies, but I'm afraid to take any kind of quiz regarding the genre. I'm afraid I'll even miss the most obvious ones.
06-19-15, 01:24 PM
#16
Re: Turner Classic Movies' Summer of Darkness: tons of film noir and a free class
Week #3's underway. Killers is on right now (I love both versions, but the remake's got more replay-value for me)
06-19-15, 01:56 PM
#17
Re: Turner Classic Movies' Summer of Darkness: tons of film noir and a free class
I'm picking and choosing from these ... of the ones I haven't seen that sound interesting and/or are acclaimed for being essentials of the genre. Battling keeping my DVR from filling is initiative to steadily watch 
So far, I've watched:
Woman on the Run: Nice mid-movie twist, great location shooting, and a truly thrilling finale at an amusement park.
Born to Kill: Damn, Lawrence Tierney makes a great bastard (and it sounds like he didn't need to stretch much from his real-life persona to play these roles). Surprisingly sordid and downbeat (even for Noir). Is there any genre that Robert Wise can't direct? Has there been a more diverse filmmaker? Musicals, gothic horror, children's fantasy, war movies, sports biography, westerns, romances, melodrama, sci-fi, historical epic, comedy ... and here film noir.
Nightmare Alley: Great twisted drama that shows Tyrone Power was more than a pretty-boy action star. It hurts a bit to see these older movies obviously pull punches at the end to get past the censors (the orginal Invasion of the Body Snatchers and Night of the Hunter are a couple others that struck me as wussing out at the end). But I know the filmmakers didn't have a choice, and it's still strong stuff.
Ministry of Fear: I've seen other Fritz Lang noir, but never got around to this one. A fun fast-moving movie.
I've got Detour, Gilda, and The Killers still waiting (maybe one other that I'm blanking on now)
So far, I've watched:Woman on the Run: Nice mid-movie twist, great location shooting, and a truly thrilling finale at an amusement park.
Born to Kill: Damn, Lawrence Tierney makes a great bastard (and it sounds like he didn't need to stretch much from his real-life persona to play these roles). Surprisingly sordid and downbeat (even for Noir). Is there any genre that Robert Wise can't direct? Has there been a more diverse filmmaker? Musicals, gothic horror, children's fantasy, war movies, sports biography, westerns, romances, melodrama, sci-fi, historical epic, comedy ... and here film noir.
Nightmare Alley: Great twisted drama that shows Tyrone Power was more than a pretty-boy action star. It hurts a bit to see these older movies obviously pull punches at the end to get past the censors (the orginal Invasion of the Body Snatchers and Night of the Hunter are a couple others that struck me as wussing out at the end). But I know the filmmakers didn't have a choice, and it's still strong stuff.
Ministry of Fear: I've seen other Fritz Lang noir, but never got around to this one. A fun fast-moving movie.
I've got Detour, Gilda, and The Killers still waiting (maybe one other that I'm blanking on now)
06-19-15, 03:22 PM
#18
Re: Turner Classic Movies' Summer of Darkness: tons of film noir and a free class
I'm picking and choosing from these ... of the ones I haven't seen that sound interesting and/or are acclaimed for being essentials of the genre. Battling keeping my DVR from filling is initiative to steadily watch So far, I've watched:
Woman on the Run: Nice mid-movie twist, great location shooting, and a truly thrilling finale at an amusement park.
Born to Kill: Damn, Lawrence Tierney makes a great bastard (and it sounds like he didn't need to stretch much from his real-life persona to play these roles). Surprisingly sordid and downbeat (even for Noir). Is there any genre that Robert Wise can't direct? Has there been a more diverse filmmaker? Musicals, gothic horror, children's fantasy, war movies, sports biography, westerns, romances, melodrama, sci-fi, historical epic, comedy ... and here film noir.
Nightmare Alley: Great twisted drama that shows Tyrone Power was more than a pretty-boy action star. It hurts a bit to see these older movies obviously pull punches at the end to get past the censors (the orginal Invasion of the Body Snatchers and Night of the Hunter are a couple others that struck me as wussing out at the end). But I know the filmmakers didn't have a choice, and it's still strong stuff.
Ministry of Fear: I've seen other Fritz Lang noir, but never got around to this one. A fun fast-moving movie.
I've got Detour, Gilda, and The Killers still waiting (maybe one other that I'm blanking on now)
So far, I've watched:Woman on the Run: Nice mid-movie twist, great location shooting, and a truly thrilling finale at an amusement park.
Born to Kill: Damn, Lawrence Tierney makes a great bastard (and it sounds like he didn't need to stretch much from his real-life persona to play these roles). Surprisingly sordid and downbeat (even for Noir). Is there any genre that Robert Wise can't direct? Has there been a more diverse filmmaker? Musicals, gothic horror, children's fantasy, war movies, sports biography, westerns, romances, melodrama, sci-fi, historical epic, comedy ... and here film noir.
Nightmare Alley: Great twisted drama that shows Tyrone Power was more than a pretty-boy action star. It hurts a bit to see these older movies obviously pull punches at the end to get past the censors (the orginal Invasion of the Body Snatchers and Night of the Hunter are a couple others that struck me as wussing out at the end). But I know the filmmakers didn't have a choice, and it's still strong stuff.
Ministry of Fear: I've seen other Fritz Lang noir, but never got around to this one. A fun fast-moving movie.
I've got Detour, Gilda, and The Killers still waiting (maybe one other that I'm blanking on now)
06-19-15, 06:11 PM
#19
Re: Turner Classic Movies' Summer of Darkness: tons of film noir and a free class
^I haven't seen Born To Kill in a really long time. The only thing I remember about it is the Jane Darwell-lookalike who headbutts(!) Lawrence Tierney
06-26-15, 02:14 AM
#20
Re: Turner Classic Movies' Summer of Darkness: tons of film noir and a free class
A lot of good ones coming on today.
Three I haven't seen yet:
The Woman on the Beach
Mask Of Dimitrios
They Won't Believe Me
Some classics:
The Stranger (I strongly prefer this one over the likes of Lady/Shanghai and even Touch/Evil)
Lady in the Lake (My favorite Marlowe movie)
The Set-Up (It's good that this isn't regarded as just a boxing movie. Robert Ryan looked like he could've been Sterling Hayden's twin, BTW)
Out of the Past (I didn't see this in the schedule, originally. mahbad)
Three I haven't seen yet:
The Woman on the Beach
Mask Of Dimitrios
They Won't Believe Me
Some classics:
The Stranger (I strongly prefer this one over the likes of Lady/Shanghai and even Touch/Evil)
Lady in the Lake (My favorite Marlowe movie)
The Set-Up (It's good that this isn't regarded as just a boxing movie. Robert Ryan looked like he could've been Sterling Hayden's twin, BTW)
Out of the Past (I didn't see this in the schedule, originally. mahbad)
06-26-15, 12:10 PM
#21
Re: Turner Classic Movies' Summer of Darkness: tons of film noir and a free class
A lot of good ones coming on today.
Three I haven't seen yet:
The Woman on the Beach
Mask Of Dimitrios
They Won't Believe Me
Some classics:
The Stranger (I strongly prefer this one over the likes of Lady/Shanghai and even Touch/Evil)
Lady in the Lake (My favorite Marlowe movie)
The Set-Up (It's good that this isn't regarded as just a boxing movie. Robert Ryan looked like he could've been Sterling Hayden's twin, BTW)
Out of the Past (I didn't see this in the schedule, originally. mahbad)
Three I haven't seen yet:
The Woman on the Beach
Mask Of Dimitrios
They Won't Believe Me
Some classics:
The Stranger (I strongly prefer this one over the likes of Lady/Shanghai and even Touch/Evil)
Lady in the Lake (My favorite Marlowe movie)
The Set-Up (It's good that this isn't regarded as just a boxing movie. Robert Ryan looked like he could've been Sterling Hayden's twin, BTW)
Out of the Past (I didn't see this in the schedule, originally. mahbad)
I did get a chance earlier in the week to watch Murder, My Sweet for the first time. What a fun, weird, if rather confusing, movie. Having recently watched the second Sin City movie, Murder My Sweet stands out as being the epitome of the kind of noir Frank Miller was paying homage to.
06-27-15, 04:38 PM
#23
Re: Turner Classic Movies' Summer of Darkness: tons of film noir and a free class
Detour was a bit of let-down, if only for the fact that it had been built up as one of the all-time greats. TCM's print being awful didn't help.
Gilda was a bit too melodramatic for my tastes. Though it's certainly worth watching, especially for Rita Hayworth's iconic role. It seems like sexuality in movies was allowed back to almost pre-code levels in these movies, as long as the ending made sure that crime didn't pay.
The Killers was a great movie ... complete absorbing throughout.
Gilda was a bit too melodramatic for my tastes. Though it's certainly worth watching, especially for Rita Hayworth's iconic role. It seems like sexuality in movies was allowed back to almost pre-code levels in these movies, as long as the ending made sure that crime didn't pay.
The Killers was a great movie ... complete absorbing throughout.
06-27-15, 08:54 PM
#24
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
Is there any good print of Detour? It's fallen into the public domain now, is there a properly mastered HD version out there?
Last edited by hanshotfirst1138; 06-28-15 at 10:11 AM.
06-28-15, 11:05 AM
#25
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Re: Turner Classic Movies' Summer of Darkness: tons of film noir and a free class
Nightmare Alley: Great twisted drama that shows Tyrone Power was more than a pretty-boy action star. It hurts a bit to see these older movies obviously pull punches at the end to get past the censors (the orginal Invasion of the Body Snatchers and Night of the Hunter are a couple others that struck me as wussing out at the end). But I know the filmmakers didn't have a choice, and it's still strong stuff.
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