![]() (82 Min.) Genre: 1940 SUSPENSE, Transfer Quality: AĪn unusually disturbing noir from a director better known for more mainstream fare like High Noon and From Here to Eternity, Act of Violence focuses on a WWII veteran haunted by his past. Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, Sidney Greenstreet, Victor Sen Yung | Directed by: John Huston Read More According to Huston, he purposefully placed Humphrey Bogart's character in a highly precarious situation and left it up to his replacement, Vincent Sherman, to come up with the solution - which Sherman did in an especially fiery climax. Director John Huston was forced to leave the film three weeks into the four-week shooting schedule when summoned to report to the Department of Special Services. But no one is exactly who he or she claims to be and the voyage from Halifax via New York City to Panama becomes a matter of life and death for the passengers in general, and for the future of the United States in particular. Lorenz (Sydney Greenstreet), a corpulent sociologist with a suspiciously friendly regard for all things Japanese and Joe Totsuiko (Victor Sen Yung), a happy-go-lucky second generation Japanese-American on his way to visit the old country. ![]() Also onboard are Alberta Marlow (Mary Astor), a small-town girl claiming to be en route to Los Angeles Dr. Humphrey Bogart plays Rick Leland, a disgraced ex-army man, who, after being turned down by the Canadian military, jumps a Japanese steamer bound for the Panama Canal Zone. For reasons known only to Warner Bros., the title was retained despite the fact that none of the action takes place in the Pacific. Real-life events of December of 1941, however, precluded such a scenario and the location was changed to the Panama Canal. (97 Min.) Genre: 1940 SUSPENSE, Transfer Quality: AĪ lively espionage drama that reunited the stars and director of the previous year's The Maltese Falcon, Across the Pacific was originally envisioned as the story of a Japanese invasion of Hawaii. Starring: Loretta Young, Robert Cummings, Wendell Corey, Sam Jaffe | Directed by: William Dieterle Read More The Accused was adapted by Ketti Frings from the novel by June Truesdell. Wendell Corey delivers the film's best performance as a quietly efficient homicide lieutenant who suspects that Wilma knows more than she's letting on. But as she follows the police investigation of Perry's death, Wilma realizes that she'll never be able to escape the prison of her own conscience - especially when she falls in love with Warren Ford (Robert Cummings), the dead boy's guardian. Appalled by her own rash behavior, she tries to cover up her crime by making it seem as though Perry was killed while diving into the sea from a precipitous cliff. When Perry tries to rape Wilma under cover of darkness, she beats him to death with a tire iron. Loretta Young stars as Wilma Tuttle, a prim and proper college professor who unwittingly arouses the libido of student Bill Perry (Douglas Dick). The Accused is a mystery melodrama with a predictable plot involving blackmail, attempted rape and murder. (101 Min.) Genre: 1940 SUSPENSE, Transfer Quality: A Many of these actors, though successful in multiple genres, will be best remembered for their Film Noir performances: Elisha Cook Jr., Edmond O'Brien, Dennis O'Keefe, Robert Cummings, Robert Ryan, Rita Hayworth, Ann Savage, Hugh Beaumont, George Raft, Dana Andrews, Ray Milland, Dan Duryea, Chester Morris, Alan Ladd, Veronica Lake, Lawrence Tierney, Faye Emerson, and John Garfield. ![]() Perhaps unlike any other era, this genre featured critically acclaimed films featuring both A and B-list actors with large and small, shoestring budgets. A familiar theme involves the pursuit of a duplicitous dame and her twisted schemes who would invariably lead our doomed hero into committing robbery or murder in the name of passion or unrequited love. With their distinctive low-key lighting, filmed in black and white, (though some were filmed in color) reflected the insecurities and tensions of the World War II era. These gritty films the 1940s were the beginning of the film noir era. Femme fatales, hard-boiled detectives, and dark story lines.
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