Chinatown

Released in 1974, Chinatown starred Jack Nicholson as J.J. Gittes, Faye Dunaway as Evelyn Mulwray, and John Huston as Noah Cross.
Though this film was made a good thirty years after the established film noir era, it is boldly reminiscent of that era's tradition.
The movie opens to a scene describing Gittes' profession as a private investigator. Then a woman claiming to be Evelyn Mulwray hires him to follow her husband, whom she believes to be having an affair. Gittes takes the job and makes the discovery, subsequently ruining Mulwray's reputation. When the real Evelyn Mulwray enters the scene to sue Gittes for libel, the man becomes thoroughly confused. He becomes determined to get to the bottom of this mystery - which deepens when Mulwray turns up dead, apparently a suicide.
Gittes' adventure is classic noir and classically entertaining. The cameo by director Roman Polanski is especially enjoyable.

Touch of Evil

It was a passion project. It was Orson Welles' baby. It was "Touch of Evil," released in 1958. It stars Charlton Heston as Miguel Vargas, Janet Leigh as Mrs. Vargas, and Orson Welles as Police Captain Quinlan.
I would consider this film to be a defining one for film noir. The film is centered around a border town between Mexico and the United States. This is important, because the border-town creates an entire culture unto itself. The story is dark, as well as the surroundings.
The story starts as a panoramic view of the border town's nightlife. Having just crossed the border, a car suddenly explodes. Both Vargas (a top Mexican narcotics official) and Quinlan are drawn into the investigation because of the location.

The investigation of the murder unravels simultaneously to the raveling up of mysteries. Vargas is a good detective, perhaps too much for his own good. His wife becomes an instrument of implication and deception. Everyone has to make a decision and ultimately those decisions will never come to fruition and choices were made for naught. It is the washed-up, tarot card-reading prostitute who has the last word.

The Maltese Falcon

Hailed as a noir classic, this 1941 film is delightfully simplistic in its complexity. Humphrey Bogart brings his trademark rolling eyes and come-what-may cynical character.

Bogart is Sam Spade, a private eye. A beautiful woman comes into his office one day to commission him. She claims she's looking for a runaway sister who may be with a boyfriend (who is, by the way, married with children). She pays him up front and assigns him with the task of confronting this dangerous boyfriend. Spade's partner goes and gets shot. The problem is, the guy who supposedly shot him also turns up dead.

We've got a mystery on our hands. A foreign "gentleman" comes to visit Spade and politely sticks him up - even after Spade knocked him out once. The lady was a liar, Spade figures that much out. He's got some investigating to do. When he makes contact with the aptly referred to "fat man," he gets the whole story...and drugged. Trust is apparently a rare privilege.

When Spade finally gets the whole crew in one room together he gets the story straight. Then they can get down to business - the friggin bird.

Comparing Narration Styles: Casablanca, Daughters of the Dust, & Monsoon Wedding

Casablanca is a good example of the conventional narration in a movie. It introduces the situation in a formal manner, it introduces the characters in a methodical manner, and then it introduces the conflict very politely so that the audience will understand. There is a formula; introduction, conflict, climax, conflict resolution, conclusion.

However, not all movies follow this narrative style. Daughters of the Dust is one of them. Monsoon Wedding is another. These movies had unique narration styles, which, between the two of them, had similarities and differences.

They both told background stories of the family through a critical situation. Daughters of the Dust was more broad than Monsoon Wedding. In Daughters of the Dust, the situation wasn't even really decided upon the opening of the movie. The Peazant family had been discussing the matter of moving to the mainland, but a decision had not been absolutely made. In Monsoon Wedding, the parents had already chosen a husband for their daughter and arrangements had already been made. The preparation for the wedding and the wedding itself provided the insight into the family and the characters.

That brings me to another part of the storytelling and narration. It doesn't have to be an obvious panorama of the situation. It can be told through the characters. Also, a description of a character's conflict can contribute to the overall conflict of the film. In Daughters of the Dust, the voiceover of Eli and Eula's unborn daughter describes the emotional turmoil of much of the family.
In Monsoon Wedding, it is dialogue which unravels the story - dialogue and nuance. In both of these movies, the main conflict was not as important as the character development. The characters drove the story - not the other way around.

Trust and Obey, It's the Family Way...

Mira Nair's 2001 film "Monsoon Wedding," is a view of an Indian family through the window of a wedding.
In Bollywood style, the scenes and clothes are as colorful as the characters. The Verma family is celebrating their daughter's impending marriage to a young man of their choosing. However, she may not be ready to be someone's wife.
It's a romantic comedy rich with culture and the importance of family.
I genuinely enjoyed this film, not because of its happy ending or convenient romance but because of the family dynamic, the music, and the richness of the characters. By the end of the film, I felt like part of the family because I had laughed, cried, wondered, and rejoiced with them.

THE PAST IS ALWAYS PRESENT

The 1991 independent film "Daughters of the Dust," was unconventional, to say the least. Set in the beginning of the 20th century, it portrays the Gullah family Peazants' conflict of moving to the mainland of South Carolina or to stay on the island of their family estate.
It's a different American South history than we're used to, and that's refreshing. It shows a rich piece of humanity which was previously silent.
Though the story itself was wonderfully rich, the movie was terribly dull. I was open-minded and initially interested enough, but no matter how much I tried to invest myself in the film I was still bored by it. The characters, music, and the setting were beautiful, but the movie was boring.

Here's Looking at You, Classic Film!

1942's "Casablanca" is practically a cultural memory in this day and age, but sixty-seven years ago that was not the case or the intention.

It was a film made in the studio age. Studios were just popping films out regularly, and at the time "Casablanca" was thought to be rather unimpressive. It was later re-released due to popular demand.

This film takes place in an unoccupied province of France in Morocco called Casablanca. People trying to get to America during the Nazi's occupation were stuck indefinitely in Casablanca unless they could get a visa.

Rick Blane (Humphrey Bogart) is an American who owns Rick's Cafe Americain. He remains conveniently neutral so that his business does not suffer, but he is also a straightforward cynic. When the hero of the resistance Victor Lazlo (Paul Henreid) comes in for a drink with a beautiful woman (Ingrid Bergman), Rick is visibly rattled, as is the woman named Ilsa.

Old feelings are stirred and allegiances are made in Casablanca.