Rating: 
Summary: Seamless and Smoldering
Review: Along with Billy Wilder's 1944 classic "Double Indemnity," Jacques Tourneur's "Out of the Past" stands as the dark cinema's most perfect masterpiece of murder and betrayal deceptively packaged in the form of ethereal beauty.
When Warner Bros. released their "Film Noir" boxed set this past summer, Robert Mitchum's bruiser's jowl graced the cover as the exemplar of this uniquely American movie genre: Dark tales of deception, tattered dreams, seduction and ultimate doom painted in shades of pitch black, slivers of shimmering white, and silvery swaths of grey.
Photographed with loving care by Nicholas Musaraca, "Out of the Past" follow's Mitchum's former private-eye Jeff Markham, to his new, prosaic, life hiding out in a resort town along Mono Lake in the Sierras. Now pumping gas instead of lead, he's changed his name and wants nothing more than to marry Ann, a girl next door played with innocent candor by Virginia Huston.
One day, though, a menacing figure (Paul Valentine) from Markham's past drives into town and pulls him back out of his idyllic present into his forsaken past.
Through flashbacks, Jeff narrates his seedy past to Ann. We are introduced to the forces who control Jeff, gangster Whit Sterling (the icily manipulative Kirk Douglas) and Kathie Moffat, a femme fatale Douglas hires Mitchum to track down.
Jane Greer is simply ravishing as Kathie, a girl who plays her cards and her .38 close to her vest. She's a mystery to Markham, and once they meet, the chemistry is immediate and all-consuming. Disguised as an angel of deliverance, she leads Markham towards his inevitable demise.
Mitchum plays his tough guy role to a perfect T, but that is what makes this movie so simultaneously satisfying and perplexing: For, no matter how he slugs his way out of tight spots, no matter how he rattles off the haughty smooth talk of a man in charge, Markham can't shake his destiny as fall guy pushed around by the twin forces of power and fate like a pawn on a rigged chessboard.
What is it that makes "Out of the Past" such a riveting motion picture? The answer is simple: Everything.
Daniel Mainwaring's (writing as Geoffrey Homes) screenplay strikes a perfect balance of suspense, humor, crosses and double-crosses and slick, wisecracking dialogue. He and uncredited co-writer James M. Cain (author of the immortal pulp trilogy "The Postman Always Rings Twice," "Double Indemnity" and "Mildred Pierce") sprinkled the cast of players with memorable bit characters like nudnik Mexican tour guide Jose Rodriguez, toothpick chewing cabbie Petey and Kathie's former maid, Eunice, an ebony beauty who will always be remembered for weighing 131 pounds, *exactly*.
Musaraca's cinematography is simply stunning, and his camera lens rests ever so lovingly on Greer and fellow redhead Rhonda Fleming, his lighting enveloping them in a satiny, radiant sheen. Filming night for night, he uses arc lamps, endless corridors, flickering fireplace embers and looming auto headlamps to paint tragic hero Mitchum into a corner, trapping him with deep, forboding shadows.
It's also in editor Samuel Beetley's fluid montage which assembles Musaraca's film so seamlessly that it hardly appears edited at all.
Roy Webb's flexible scoring of taking his leitmotif theme through every conceivable music form -- lush Tchaikovsky Romantic, swing jazz, boogie woogie, dark, intoning Wagnerian -- is deftly conducted by C. Bakaleinikoff and expertly woven into the soundtrack by sound editor Clem Portman.
Unlike so many of today's movies, which loudly boast Dolby 5.1 surround and DTS digital sound, you can actually hear every line of dialogue, clearly delivered. While this is mostly due to Portman's competent sound mix, it's also because actors back then used projection and intonation.
"Out of the Past" is a movie that could have only been made during the glory days of Hollywood's studio system, by a crew that worked like a well-oiled machine.
When you hear the old line "they don't make 'em like that anymore," you'll appreciate the fact that they rarely made pictures so flawless as "Out of the Past" even back then.
Rating:
Summary: SUPERB NOIR CLASSIC.....
Review: Among the spate of b&w noir films recently released by Universal and Warner's is this classic. Directed on a somewhat higher budget than most noirs of the 40's, Jacques Tourneur used his considerable skill honed on his 40's noir horror films with Val Lewton to fashion a first class thriller of deceit, lies, double crosses, murder, blackmail etc. all wrapped up with a first rate cast. One time gum shoe Robert Mitchum (now running a small town gas station) is tracked down and hired by Kirk Douglas to find his runaway mistress (Jane Greer) who shot him and ran off with $40,000. He finds her in Acapulco and immediately falls for her deceptive charms. She's a femme fatale with more traps in her web than a black widow spider. Of course, things get complicated (there's a murder and Mitchum disposes of the body) and soon Greer is back with Douglas and Mitchum is up to his neck again with another "job"...from Douglas. Mitchum is torn between his love for a good girl (Virginia Huston) and the wily machinations of Greer. And this time, he suspects he's being set up as a fall guy by Greer and Douglas. But Greer has her hooks in him good and it looks as if no one will win. Rhonda Fleming is another bad girl Mitchum contends with and there's more murder and mayhem to be dealt with as the walls close in on everyone. "Out of the Past" is an incredibly entertaining film that pulls you in and doesn't let up. Mitchum narrates the first part of the story (telling how he got involved to Huston) in typical fatalistic deadpan style. This is one of the all-time greats and the DVD print is really crisp and clean. A definite collector's item.
Rating:
Summary: SUPERB NOIR CLASSIC.....
Review: Among the spate of b&w noir films recently released by Universal and Warner's is this classic. Directed on a somewhat higher budget than most noirs of the 40's, Jacques Tourneur used his considerable skill honed on his 40's noir horror films with Val Lewton to fashion a first class thriller of deceit, lies, double crosses, murder, blackmail etc. all wrapped up with a first rate cast. One time gum shoe Robert Mitchum (now running a small town gas station) is tracked down and hired by Kirk Douglas to find his runaway mistress (Jane Greer) who shot him and ran off with $40,000. He finds her in Acapulco and immediately falls for her deceptive charms. She's a femme fatale with more traps in her web than a black widow spider. Of course, things get complicated (there's a murder and Mitchum disposes of the body) and soon Greer is back with Douglas and Mitchum is up to his neck again with another "job"...from Douglas. Mitchum is torn between his love for a good girl (Virginia Huston) and the wily machinations of Greer. And this time, he suspects he's being set up as a fall guy by Greer and Douglas. But Greer has her hooks in him good and it looks as if no one will win. Rhonda Fleming is another bad girl Mitchum contends with and there's more murder and mayhem to be dealt with as the walls close in on everyone. "Out of the Past" is an incredibly entertaining film that pulls you in and doesn't let up. Mitchum narrates the first part of the story (telling how he got involved to Huston) in typical fatalistic deadpan style. This is one of the all-time greats and the DVD print is really crisp and clean. A definite collector's item.
Rating:
Summary: "Build my gallows high, baby"
Review: Film Noir. It is an odd, misunderstood, somewhat underappreciated genre. The genre is also widespread, with dramas and even some comedies having elements of the genre. Which films are the best examples of this group? "The Maltese Falcon", "Double Indemnity" and "Chinatown" are certainly good choices, but what about "Out of the Past"? For one thing, it has everything that defines this dark, unorthodox genre. A private detective (Robert Mitchum's Jeff Markam, who goes under the alias Bailey), a female fatale (Jane Greer's Kathie Moffett), a dangerous yet charismatic bad guy (Kirk Douglas's Whit Sterling), memorable dialogue ("Baby, I don't care") and amazing cinematography, which combined with the direction can produce many stunning moments. My favorite is the scene where Jeff first goes to Whit's residence. He is actually outside the gate entrance, yet with the way shadows and lighting are used, it seems he could be standing inside. Another example is during the opening credits, when those of Producer Warren Duff and Director Jacques Tourneur are framed as though they are sitting next to the driver of a car. The film has two other trademarks of film noirs. First the flashback. Here Jeff, who is now a gas station owner, tells his current girlfriend Anne about a business deal he made a few years back with Whit Sterling. Sterling was looking for his wife Kathie, who had recently tried to kill him and stole from him $40,000. Whit wants her back, yet says he doesn't want the money. He is obviously lying. He wants to see if he can use her, though he never states so. He also, as Jeff learned, knows that the forty grand is nothing compared with her. Jeff finds the girl in Mexico and trouble begins. She kills a man named Fisher, who works for Sterling, while he was fighting Jeff (Another great visual image, for during the brawl the shadows across the room were lit up and looked like giants). As a result, she has to leave. Then the story goes back to the present, where Jeff meets Sterling and his apparent wife: Kathie. This is where the second trademark begins: Plot changing. I was able to keep up with the story for awhile, but I was eventually lost in a barrage of murders, double crosses and other twists and turns. But this is part of the fun of this and other film noirs. I dare anybody to logically be able to tell me the entire plot of "The Big Sleep". I mentioned that this movie is full of great dialogue. Here are some of my favorites. Jeff: My Name is Jeff Markam, and I haven't talked to anybody who hasn't tried to sell me something for ten days. Jeff: I sell gasoline, I make a small profit. With that I buy groceries. The grocer makes a profit. We call it earning a living. Whit: My feelings? About ten years ago, I hid them somewhere and haven't been able to find them. Whit: I fire people but nobody quits me. You started this and you'll end it. Jeff: That's one way to be clever. Look like an idiot. "Out of the Past" is an overall great movie. For one thing, where else could you see Robert Mitchum and Kirk Douglas, two top Hollywood stars of the late '40s-'50s? (And two of my favorite actors) Add in a beautiful Jane Greer, some style and wit and you'll want to add this to your collection. No film buff's library is complete without it.
Rating:
Summary: A definitive film-noir masterpiece becomes a dazzling DVD!
Review: If you want to define film-noir, OUT OF THE PAST has it all. Standout performances from Robert Mitchum, Jane Greer, and Kirk Douglas, magnificent direction by Jacques Tourneur, and a screenplay full of more twists than a super-pretzel. Warner Home Video has given this film an outstanding transfer, as good as, or even surpassing any presentation of a noir film on DVD hitherto. Oh yes, the FILM has GRAIN. It was shot that way. It's supposed to look that way. Pay no attention to dweebs on these boards who don't understand that. This DVD is sure to please any true film fan who knows what they're supposed to be looking at, and OUT OF THE PAST has never looked better!
Rating:
Summary: OUTSTANDING EXAMPLE OF FILM NOIR
Review: OUT OF THE PAST IS NOT ONLY AN EXCELLENT EXAMPLE OF FILM NOIR IT'S A GREAT FILM! THE DIALOGUE IS SUPERB. LINES LIKE "I THINK I'M IN A FRAME" "DOESN'T SOUND LIKE YOU" "I DON'T KNOW, I'M GOING UPSTAIRS TO LOOK AT THE PICTURE." THAT STUFF STAYS WITH YOU! LET'S TALK ABOUT THE ACTING. ROBERT MITCHUM IS PERFECT IN THE LEAD ROLE. JANE GREER ALTHOUGH YOUNG, MAKES THE IDEAL EVIL WOMAN. AND OF COURSE KIRK DOUGLAS MORE THAN HOLDS HIS OWN. MOST FILM NOIR IS SHOT IN SHARP BLACK AND WHITE CONTRAST WITH MOSTLY INSIDE SCENES. WHILE THERE IS MUCH OF THIS IN OUT OF THE PAST, YOU WILL ALSO NOTICE A LOT OF OUTSIDE SHOTS...I THINK THAT'S INTERESTING. THIS IS TRULY A CLASSIC FILM YOU CAN WATCH AGAIN AND AGAIN. IT'S WITHOUT A DOUBT, MY FAVORITE FILM. P.S. IF ANYONE KNOWS WHERE I CAN GET AN ORIGINAL LOBBY POSTER OR EVEN A GOOD REPRODUCTION...PLEASE LET ME KNOW.
Rating:
Summary: Chiaroscuro- Musuraca Style
Review: Out of the Past is one of the finest noir pictures ever produced. The direction, cinematography, script, and acting are masterfully woven into a complex tale that heightens the genre's importance to cinematic art. Cinematographer Nicholas Musuraca creates mood, drama, and characterization with his visually engrossing sets. Stark contrast lighting, which is a hallmark for noir conventionality, is tempered by Musuraca. Instead he employs subtle shades of grey, black, and white which entrance the viewer into a dangerous realm of duplicitousness. Multiple location shooting by director Jacques Tourner frees the film from the urban confines associated with the genre. Musuraca takes full advantage of scenes filmed in Lake Tahoe, Mexico, and San Francisco by creating shadowy landscapes where rivers, beaches, cafes, penthouses, and nightclubs provide rendevous points for the protagonist Jeff Markham ( Robert Mitchum). Mitchum's performance as the quick witted ex-private eye is memorable. Concealing a surrepitious past as a gas station owner, Markham's true identity is revealed when a hired gun passes through the small town of Bridgewater. Told partly in flashbacks, Out of the Past is a maze that explores a wide range of human emotions. Kirk Douglas as Whit Sterling is obsessive and vindictive; power and control define his life. Virginia Huston as Ann breaks away from the "small town/good girl" image when she falls for Markam , a man that she knows is wrong for her. Unrequited love befalls Jeff, the small town sheriff who is hopelessly and loyally in love with Ann, but finds none in return. Greed emerges when Rhonda Fleming portrays a conniving secretary who sets up her boss for a quick payoff. Male vunerability seeps from Markam's tough exterior as he succumbs to the allure of one of the most seductive, double crossing dames ever to appear on film- Kathie Moffit (Jane Greer). Greer was signed to this picture to act, and act is what she definitely did. Literally changing personas by the minute, repentant mistress to manipulative manhandler, Greer's performance left Lizabeth Scott something to top. I think it wasn't until Linda Fiorentino's performance in The Last Seduction did a woman dominate a film with such manipulation. The film moves at a quick pace with the dialogue firing as fast as a 45 automatic. Writer Daniel Mainwaring supplies enough memorable one liners to induct him into the noir hall of fame. Finally the loyalty and trust that is shared by the mute gas station attendant and Jeff Markham is one of the finest examples of male bonding ever presented on the screen. One final note, Rhonda Fleming should not have had a larger billing than Virginia Huston. Fleming's part is smaller and less central to the development of the plot. I recomend viewing this film at least three times to gain the many perspectives that characterize it as a noir classic.
Rating:
Summary: "Awfully cold around the heart"
Review: Robert Mitchum stars in "Out of the Past" as Jeff Bailey. As the film opens, he is the owner of a small town gas station; he's romancing a beautiful girl (Virginia Huston) and his life seems idyllic. However, a stranger arrives looking for Bailey, and everything changes irrevocably. The story is told partially in flashback - enumerating his past with a cutthroat gangster (Kirk Douglas) and a mysterious moll (Jane Greer) - and partially in the present as his past ensnares him into a complicated morass of murder and revenge.
"Out of the Past" is a quintessential 1940s film noir, right up there with "Double Indemnity" and "The Maltese Falcon," although it's arguably not as well known as those classics. The script is whip-smart and filled with brilliant dialogue - a character asserts to Bailey, "Don't you see you've only me to make deals with now?" and Bailey shoots back, "Build my gallows high, baby." Each scene is perfectly shot with an abundance of ambience; director Jacques Tourneur specialized in moody films, such as "I Walked with a Zombie," and he certainly scores here. The plot is full of crosses and double-crosses - it's admittedly not one of the most complex film noirs; however, the characters are perfectly etched, and the film builds to a heartbreaking conclusion.
In 1991, "Out of the Past" was inducted into the National Film Registry, which protects important American films. The film clearly deserves this honor and fortunately will be preserved for future generations of film noir fans. Overall, "Out of the Past" is one of the best film noirs I've seen and a top-notch movie in every way. Most highly recommended.
DVD extras: the main extra is a somewhat dry but informative commentary by James Ursini, an author noted for writing about film noir.
Rating:
Summary: One of the greats of the noir genre
Review: Robert Mitchum was made for black and white movies and the noir genre. Here, the lighting captures his features mesmerically, like the extraordinary shadowed beauty of a moonscape. And then there's the voice, slow as sarsaparilla, deep as a honey jar ... just as smooth, but 140 proof! Mitchum's is a very physical presence, a very physical style of acting, but unforgettable.
Told in flashback - hence the title - there is plenty of opportunity for Mitchum to narrate the story, using that voice to carry you along. For a film actor, he has a voice which would have made him a radio star. Director Tourneur clearly understands this and builds on the visual and audio strengths of the production.
Geoff Bailey (Mitchum) is fleeing his past by hiding in a small town, miles from nowhere. His past, in the form of Kirk Douglas, catches up with him. His past also takes on the shape of the femme fatale, Kathy (Jane Greer). Douglas is wonderfully malevolent - there is a dual of the dimpled chins as he and Mitchum indulge in confrontational banter.
It starts out as a simple story, maybe even a love story, then twists like a trenchcoat belt. Mitchum chainsmokes his way through. Will he get the girl, the homespun Anne, the small town girl next door who is so enamoured of him, or will his past suck him back down?
Mitchum is built for a trenchcoat - he wears it in precisely the way Columbo can't. The story hangs about his central character in much the same way. It fits his acting and his presence perfectly. A superb example of the noir genre, a film you can watch and watch.
Rating:
Summary: Captivating film noir !
Review: The approach to noir genre was made by Tourneur around the feelings , the people and then the final consequences with the outer world . According to those feelings to break a rule or to cross the forbidden line is not the anticipated calculus of this action but it responds to further reasons . And somehow this is the essence of the Greek tragedy .
A gas station owner with a past will meet a desperate woman and decides to involve in troubled waters which will seal his destiny .
Scorching performance of Robert Mitchum.
|
