Wistful for June gloom

So, as planned (and mentioned), we headed out this past weekend to Palm Springs' Film Noir Festival. We had decided to attend, and purchased tickets for, two screenings but were only able to take in one before succumbing to heat (high: 187 degrees) and lack of inspiration in the middle of a punishing, 7-hour-plus stretch between showtimes in which we were left to our own devices. My traveling companion and I were equally relieved the other was just as eager to get the hell out of Palm Springs (or get out of the hell that is Palm Springs) -- What prevents its legions of elderly residents from dropping like flies from dehydration? -- and back to the relative comfort of greater Los Angeles. (After that joint resolution, we did manage to salvage a good time from our road trip, stopping at a wonderful interstate diner for dessert and, well, more. But such unalloyed delights are not in the true spirit of noir, so I won't dwell on them here.)

Anyway, the film we did catch at 10 a.m. Saturday, an ungodly scheduling considering we awoke that morning in Pasadena, was The Madonna's Secret, the screening of which, we were repeatedly told, is incredibly rare. We saw one of the very few prints, maybe the only one, in existence. The movie was fun, and you'll probably never see it. Nonetheless, I won't bore you with a detailed plot description or offend you with any spoilers in the off, off chance you encounter it at some point in your life. Notwithstanding that title, it really has nothing to do with Christianity or, thank God, the erstwhile Material Girl. Neither its dialogue, which features a few amusing lines, nor its plot sets the world on fire, but it does showcase several interesting characterizations and excellent cinematography by John Alton, who eventually won an Oscar for his work on An American in Paris(!). After Secret, Alton photographed T-Men, a substantially better film but one also classified (perhaps inaccurately) as noir and similarly graced with Alton's stark, striking imagery.
Speaking of T-Men, I would be remiss if I failed to mention its reairing on Turner Classic Movies tomorrow evening as part of month-long celebration of the work of director Anthony Mann, an auteur known foremost as a director of westerns. This retrospective comprises 22 of the director's films, which TCM has spread out over Tuesdays in June. The first batch of his work, airing tomorrow, has been designated "Mann Noir - Night One" and features, in addition to T-Men, Raw Deal, Border Incident, Railroaded! and Two O'Clock Courage. I've only seen T-Men but would see any and all of the others on the basis of their titles alone. (Who, for instance, can resist a title with an exclamation point? Who?!?) The remainder of the Mann noirs, including The Great Flamarion, Desperate, He Walked by Night and, finally, Side Street will be shown next Tuesday evening.

June is a banner month for televised noir; there are an abundance of titles in addition to the Mann offerings. The next several days feature The Postman Always Rings Twice (tonight at 5:00 p.m. PST -- I hope I post this blog entry in time to make the notice worthwhile), Double Indemnity (the touchstone noir adapted, like Postman, from a James M. Cain novel), Tension and Sunset Blvd. Sunset airs three times this month, twice this weekend alone; on Sunday afternoon it is paired with The Maltese Falcon, the film that, in retrospect, arguably ushered in the era of classic noir. (Sunset and Double Indemnity, both directed and co-written by Billy Wilder, are being shown in conjunction with the TCM premiere of a documentary on the famed director, an additional factor contributing to a current programming slate flush with noir.) And Monday offers a trio of sensational, evocative, unambiguous titles: Born to Kill, Cornered and Kiss Me Deadly. What an embarrassment of riches! What a glorious time in which we live! We're not worthy, Turner Classics! Please don't ever leave, thereby placing us at the mercy of American Movie "Classics"!

I understand that, as cold and dark as these films noir are, they only stave off the oppressive Southland heat as long as you stay indoors at all times, turn off all appliances other than the television (and any air-conditioning units, which should be going full blast), regularly hydrate, shut down all bodily systems other than the eyes and brain (the heart has no place here) and bask in the faint yet powerful glow cast by these movies. Doctor's orders.

Oh, and sorry about the late Postman notice.