Why I Don't Complain About Noir Alley

On October 1, Eddie Muller made a post to his Facebook page addressing complaints about a few "duds" airing on Noir Alley in September. I won't quote Mr. Muller's entire post here, as I feel as if readers can always visit his Facebook page to do so, but in part he wrote, "...I show a wide range of films within the elastic category 'Noir' because my personal taste does not dictate what I show--many viewers express enjoyment, even affection, for movies I don't find 'great.' But as a host, I'm not going to tell you something is 'fantastic' or 'legendary' or even 'good' if I don't actually believe it. My opinion doesn't discount the film, or the fact that someone else might think it's sensational." As someone who has watched Noir Alley from the very beginning and only missed a few editions of the programming block, I can understand what Mr. Muller is saying in his post.

Indeed, I am a bit puzzled by people complaining about "duds" being shown on Noir Alley in September 2023. On September 2, The Secret Fury (1950) was shown. Now I am not sure that I would say that The Secret Fury is outright noir, but it is definitely a psychological thriller with noirish elements. It was shot by cinematographer Leo Tover, who was also the cinematographer on such noirs as The Woman on the Beach (1947) and Dead Reckoning (1947), as well as the sci-fi classic The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951). On September 9, The Wrong Man (1956) was shown on Noir Alley. This film is an Alfred Hitchcock classic and about as close to Noir as Hitch ever came beyond Shadow of a Doubt (1943). I definitely would not consider it a "dud." On September 16 we were shown Out of the Fog (1941). Now I would consider Out of the Fog more proto-noir than pure Noir, but it benefits from a good plot and solid performances from John Garfield, Ida Lupino, and Eddie Albert. It also boasts great cinematography from the Master himself, James Wong Howe. Mr. Howe would be no stranger to Noir, shooting such films as Nora Prentiss (1947), Body and Soul (1947), and Sweet Smell of Success (1957). Perhaps the only movie I could see anyone rightfully calling a dud was Whiplash (1948), which aired on September 30. Now in my modest opinion (and apparently many others as well), Whiplash is not a good film. The plot seems cobbled together from other, better movies, and at times seems convoluted. There is a bit of miscasting in the form of Zachary Scott, who we are led to believe was in an occupation that no one would expect any of Mr. Scott's characters (or Mr. Scott himself) to ever be in. Even so, Whiplash has Eve Arden giving a great performance to make it worth watching. Anyway, as I see it, there was only one dud that aired on Noir Alley in September, and even it had some redeeming qualities.

Anyway, Eddie said of Noir Alley in his post, "It's a once-a-week affair, and it's a crap shoot as to what's coming next: big budget A picture? Poverty Row quickie? Foreign language classic? It's like life ... you can't be too sure about what's around the corner ... but we try to make it as entertaining and edifying as possible." And I think that is one of the most wonderful things about Noir Alley. One never knows what to expect in any given edition of the programming block. Will it be a classic like Out of the Past (1947)? Or will it be z-grade dreck like Wicked Woman (1953)? This sets Noir Alley apart from many movie anthologies that have aired in the past. Not every film that airs on Noir Alley is necessarily a classic or even a good movie, but I enjoy seeing all of them. Indeed, it can be almost as fun heckling a film like Wicked Woman as it is marvelling at a classic like Out of the Past.

Of course, another advantage in Noir Alley showing bad films as well as classics is that one actually gets the whole scope of the Film Noir movement. If only classics produced by the major studios were shown on Noir Alley, I think one would fail to grasp the sheer breadth of the movement.  It did not just include great films produced by the major studios, but also good films produced by the smaller studios, such as Suspense (1946) from Monogram. It also included bad films from the major studios, such as the aforementioned Whiplash, as well as bad films from the smaller studios, such as Fear (1946) from Monogram. .

Aside from the wide variety of films shown on Noir Alley giving people a better idea of the sheer breadth of the Film Noir movement, I do think it is good for movie lovers to watch bad movies from time to time. Quite simply, I think by watching movies that are poorly made one develops a better appreciation for great films. Indeed, by examining what makes a particular movie "bad," one can also figure out why truly great films are, well, great. Quite simply, watching a movie like Wicked Woman makes one appreciate a movie like Out of the Past all the more.

Of course, here I must also point out that what is a "dud" for one person may be a truly great film for others. Eddie Muller states in his post that "many viewers express enjoyment, even affection, for movies I don't find 'great.'" I know that I have found myself at odds with my fellow film noir fans from time to time with regards to a particular movie. A perfect example of this for me is the movie Detour (1945). I have seen many, many people refer to it as a classic. I even know people who consider it among those film noirs one must absolutely see. As many readers of this blog already know, I do not consider Detour to be a good movie, let alone a classic. Does that mean other film noir fans are wrong? Does it mean I am wrong? The answer to both questions is, "No." Whether one considers a movie good or not is highly subjective.  The old aphorism "One man's trash is another man's treasure" is all too true. I am sure that there are those film noirs I consider exceptional that others might consider just plain bad.

I certainly won't pretend to like every single film aired on Noir Alley. There have been films I have thoroughly disliked. There have been films I thorough enjoyed, but that I don't necessarily consider Noir. That having been said, I am not about to say none of them should have been shown on Noir Alley or that Eddie Muller is somehow dropping the ball in curating Noir Alley. I appreciate the wide variety of movies programmed on Noir Alley, from the greatest of classics to worst of the worst. Indeed, I think my appreciation of film noir as a movement is all the better for having watch the wide array of movies aired on Noir Alley.