MovieChat Forums > Stranger on the Third Floor (1940) Discussion > Commonly Regarded

Commonly Regarded

posted 17 years ago by The_Dying_Flutchman
4 replies | jump to latest

as the first "Film Noir". Enjoy it!

Nothing is more beautiful than nothing.

While I cannot argue this film's significance, many historians have put Fritz Lang's 'M' (1931) forward as the first noir. Oddly enough, also starring Peter Lorre, albeit in a far more maniacal role...although if we start down the road of 'which came first' we could be here all night!

By the way, I've been meaning to tell you for a while that I get a laugh at your handle every time I see it, thanks for the giggles.
Regards,
DC

[–] Robbmonster 8 years ago

Film Noir was predominantly an American movement, despite the name. M was from the German Expressionist style, which influenced the film nor.

But yeah, let's not go into it ;-)

Never defend crap with 'It's just a movie'
http://www.youtube.com/user/BigGreenProds

[–] lubin-freddy 10 years ago

It might have had elements that later became associated with noir, but it wasn't cynical, neither about human nature, nor the ability of the system to do justice. As I mentioned before, if the dream scene became reality, it would have been another matter.

Listen to the river sing sweet songs
to rock my soul

[–] VaticanAssassinWarlock 10 years ago

The ending is formulaic but does not comprise the substance of the film in my opinion. Happy ending aside, it is a deeply cynical film, showing an innocent man getting sent to death then having our hero tormented over his guilt and his realisation of how narrow minded and judgement the jury and society in general is. His new life is founded on a crime he cannot live with, and deeper still the entire justice system is shown to be blind and deaf to the truth, willing to kill based on hearsay and judgement of immoral conduct (it reminded me of Camus' The Stranger in this regard). Sure everything ends up fine in the last few minutes, but this is a disturbing cynical film for the majority of it's running time which employs most of the noir conventions.