It had the elements and some good dark scenes, but overall had a bit too much of a sappy love story for noir. It's still worth seeing for Victor Mature, Betty Grable (who wasn't as bad as one poster says), and especially Elisha Cook Jr.
I was born when she kissed me. I died when she left me. I lived a few weeks while she loved me.
I've been an avid Noir fan for years, but only recently got to see this one. Based on its shadowy, high-contrast look I assumed the movie was '45 or so. I was blown away to find out - after I watched it - that it was 1941! In other words, shot before many of the early noirs which I had assumed were a stylistic influence on this one. True, the love story is a bit sappy and I cringed every time "Over the Rainbow" played on the soundtrack, but the Noir elements are definitive. Truly one of the first.
p.s. Great commentary track on the DVD by Eddie Muller, author of "Dark City" and other books on Film Noir.
Just be glad that they cut Betty Grable's song out of it. They included that in the extras on the DVD and it was bad. LOL
Where am I from, you ask? "Pomona, Glendale, ((Fullerton, La Habra, Anaheim)), whatever."
No way it's the first. What about "They Drive By Night" (1940) with Bogart, "The Letter" with Bette Davis from 1940, and several others. There were a bunch before this mediocre one.
shareAlso check out the 1938 British movie, "They Drive By Night", which is a pretty good wanted man murder mystery and also cited as being possibly the first real film noir itself.
share"They Drive By Night" is a very good film. I don't know if I would call it a film noir. It's very much like Hitchcock's innocent man on the run films such as "The 39 Steps" and "Young and Innocent". Some say Peter Lorre's RKO programmer "Stranger on the Third Floor" (1940) was the first film noir. I believe "I Wake Up Screaming" was the first in a long line of 20th Century Fox film noirs though.
shareNo way. I have I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (1931) among the earliest noirs.
shareThis under-rated film is a must for lover's of the genre.