Noir Talk

Our guest this month is film critic and historian Imogen Sara Smith. We start by discussing her background as a film writer and how she started writing about noir in particular (1:40). Then we discuss her commentary track for the new DVD/Blu-ray release of The Scar (aka Hollow Triumph), including the central role of star/producer/director Paul Henreid (5:30), the movie's theme of people not noticing things right in front of them and how that relates to film noir in general (10:25), the great cinematography by John Alton and expressionism in noir (13:40), and one quote from the movie that sums up film noir all in one phrase (18:35). Then we discuss Imogen's NOIR CITY e-magazine article "Wanted Man: The Fugitive" from the Fall 2016 issue about noir transitioning to TV in the 1960s: how The Fugitive exemplified themes and style common to film noir (20:20), older TV shows not being designed for binge-watching (28:50), and the influence of the show's creator Roy Huggins in designing TV concepts that sustain suspe