French Noir Takes Over SIFF
Still from Francois Truffaut's "Shoot the Piano Player" (1960) courtesy of SIFF and Janus Films.
French Crime Wave 1937-1981, a series of classic French noir, runs at SIFF through Feb. 5.
Of all the quintessentially American genres, hardboiled crime fiction is the one that's lasted the longest, but in a strange twist of cultural fate, that longevity owes at least as much to the French as it does to the people here at home. The attraction to noir (they even gave it the name!) is pretty obvious: These are the stories of the American urban wasteland, born of the early- to mid-twentieth century cities, teeming with immigrants in bitter competition, ruled by corrupt political machines, manipulated by a dark underworld of gangsters. While the middle class could live in a comfortable world of increasing prosperity with the option of deluding themselves with happy, moral stories that reinforced that worldview, noir represented the popular dissent. Good doesn't always win, women aren't always virtuous, things are essentially bad and not subject to change, and heroes are frequently less than heroic.
It was stolid, glum, and cynical, but hopeful in that distinctly American way. It was also completely low-brow, all titillation and violence with no higher intentions, at least until the French got a hold of it.
In the 1940s, noir novels were all the rage; it goes without saying that the style in Albert Camus's The Stranger owes more to Dashielle Hammett than any of his French predecessors. Noir's cynicism and moral ambiguity lent itself well to the artistic aspirations of post-war Existentialists, and this perhaps more than anything set the stage for the explosion of French film noir in the 1950s.
Still from Louis Malle's "Elevator to the Gallows" (1957) courtesy of SIFF.
This series, which traces the history of French noir from 1937 through 1981, features some of the best thrillers ever made. Diabolique remains a much-imitated but seldom matched benchmark. For our money, Shoot the Piano Player, Pepe Le Moko, and Bob le Flambeur are all worth the effort, but the stand-outs are no doubt La Cercle Rouge, an iconic late effort by the increasingly respected Jean-Pierre Melville, who's only recently generating the enthusiasm he deserves in America, and of course the grandaddy of them all, Elevator to the Gallows.
SCHEDULE
Friday, January 16—Rififi, 7 p.m. Pepe le Moko, 9:20
Saturday, January 17—Mississippi Mermaid, 2 & 8 p.m.
Sunday, January 18—Le Cercle Rouge, 2:15 & 7 p.m.
Monday, January 19—Garde a vue, 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday, January 20—Classe tous risques, 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, January 21—Elevator to the Gallows, 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, January 22—The Sicilian Clan, 7:30 p.m.
Friday, January 23—Bob le Flambeur, 8 p.m.
Saturday, January 24—Diabolique, 1 & 8 p.m.
Sunday, January 25—Coup de Torchon, 2, 4:30 & 7 p.m.
Monday, January 26—Pickpocket, 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday, January 27—The Champagne Murders, 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, January 28—Riptide, 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, January 29—La Piscine, 7:30 p.m.
January 30-February 5—Shoot the Piano Player, daily 7:30 p.m., Sat. & Sun., 2:15, 4, & 7:30 p.m.
Tickets $8 matinee, $10 evenings ($8 for SIFF supporters). Available online.
