Where the Sidewalk Ends

Where the Sidewalk Ends, Otto Preminger 1950

I thought I would introduce myself to the work of Otto Preminger by delving into one of his film noirs, and so came along Where the Sidewalk Ends, starring Dana Andrews and Gene Tierney.
Being a fan of both the noir genre and typography, my heart was captured in the opening five seconds of the film. Talk about an impressive title sequence!

Sidewalks & gutters, so very noir

 "Why do you always try to push me in the gutter, Dixon? I got as much right on the sidewalk as you."

Dana Andrews

Andrews and Gene Tierney

"Preminger believes first in mise en scene, the creation of a precise complex of sets and characters, a network of relationships, an architecture of connections, an animated complex that seems suspended in space." - Jacques Rivette

Coffee & Paper

A morning spent with a cup of Blackstar coffee in my Rob Brandt mug, pouring through the latest issue of Smith Journal.
Smith is usually great, but when it has a feature article on a man who crafts miniature ships in bottles - you know it is going to be stellar.

Life can be so sweet.

Alexander's fears

Fanny and Alexander, Ingmar Bergman 1982

In this sequence, the young Alexander goes to visit his father on his death bed. The audience is shown quiet, subjective shots of details Alexander has noticed in the room, before he lays eyes on his father in bed.

It's a great sequence, with beautiful shot placement and editing, and reflects the stillness, fear and trepidation we feel in moments of mourning.

Mirror Images

On two consecutive evenings I happened to watch two films with great mirror scenes - Orson Welles' Lady From Shanghai (1948) and Nicolas Roeg's Don't Look Now (1973).
The symbolism and meaning is obviously evident, but nonetheless it makes for some fantastic imagery.

don't mess with femme fatale Rita Hayworth

Hayworth and Orson Welles (who were married during filming)

the lovely Julie Christie

Lady From Shanghai is of course not one of Welles' best, but it is good, and it is accessible. And shot after shot in this climactic fun house scene is a winner! Beautifully crafted.

Even more so beautifully crafted is Roeg's thriller Don't Look Now. The way he manipulates images is amazing; the photography and editing are so effective. It also contains one of the best love scenes I've seen on film, truly lovely.

Check out the At The Movies 'Classic' review of it.

Note to self: Don't visit Venice in winter. When in Venice, avoid at all costs walking down its claustrophobic alleys at night. Avoid people in red raincoats.