Though he doesnt speak his first line of dialogue until the films final ten minutes, peter lorre spiritually dominates the fascinating rko melodrama stranger on the third floor. Watched both midnight saturday and 10am sunday,plus whatevers. Find local tv listings for stranger on the third floor on. Sneaking out in 1940 was a sleeper films sleeper film, a riveting little creepshow called stranger on the third floor. Slides from stranger on the third floor 1940 youtube. Stranger on the third floor not available on your favorite video service. This film is one of the two contenders for first film noir ever.
I had thought this was about a guy who lived on the third floor, but he really is a stranger who appears on the third floor. Often though debatably classified as the first true film noir, the stranger on the third floor is an uneven but fascinating example of that fascinating genre. Boris ingster, in his directing debut, makes quite an impression, and one wishes he had directed more movies subsequently. Peter lorre virtually reprises the eerily convincing persona he. Beautifully shot on famously limited sets only one is complete in the traditional sense, stranger on the third floor has made the rounds on home video and tv in a similar pattern as its more famous rko brethren.
An aspiring reporter is the key witness at the murder trial of a young man accused of cutting a cafe owners throat and is soon accused of a similar crime himself. Stranger on the third floor 1940 movie clip what a. Stranger on the third floor 1940 film noir of the week. Margaret tallichet was born on march, 1914 in dallas, texas, usa. Account profile download center microsoft store support returns order. Peter lorre gets top billing in an underplayed, but brilliant supporting role as the stranger. A poster for boris ingsters 1940 crime film stranger on the third floor starring. A gay man of a certain age and a certain sensibility searching for meaning in the flickering images. Even though at the time of release this little sleeper wasnt considered the first film. The american film institute is grateful to sir paul getty kbe and the sir paul getty kbe estate for their dedication to the art of the moving image and their support for the afi catalog of feature films and without whose support afi would not have been able to achieve this historical landmark in this epic scholarly endeavor. All royaltyfree licenses include global use rights, comprehensive protection. Released 1940, stranger on the third floor stars peter lorre, john mcguire, margaret tallichet, charles waldron the movie has a runtime of about 1 hr 4 min, and received a score of out of 100. Film noir really was born in france in the late 30s theres a reason why the term is french. Stranger on the third floor 1940 im not guilty the stranger killed him.
Stranger on the third floor 1940 starring peter lorre. Stranger on the third floor 1940 boris ingster, peter lorre, john mcguire, margaret tallichet april 18, 2015 rising reporter michael ward is a key witness in the murder trial of young joe briggs, who is convicted on circumstantial evidence while swearing innocence. Lorre may have owed 2 days or whatever on his contract,but he was scary. The scene, which begins about halfway through the film, gives ingster free reign. Chandu the magician and stranger on the third floor.
These are some of the questions that were waiting to be answered when the film that is considered the first film noir stranger on the third floor was released in theatres on august 16, 1940. Click here to find it on the warner archive website. Made in 1940 by german refugees with peter lorre in the main role. On each episode, host steve vincent furness explores a particular movie from the noir cycle, providing critical analysis and general information and discussion about the films cast and crew. A stunning example of cinematic expressionism, cited by many as the first studio film shot in a completely noir style. Stranger on the third floor subtitles 20 subtitles. The contrarian position often argueserroneouslythat the 1939 film blind alley should hold that distinction. Movie title screens classic film noir the 1940s and 1950s.
Peter lorre plays the eerie title role in this onceneglected gem about a reporter john mcguire whose testimony sentences a smalltime loser elisha cook jr. Theres no definitive answer to the question of which movie is the first film noir but some experts make a case for stranger on the third floor 1940, boris ingster and its a pretty good argument. Stranger on the third floor dvdr 1940 warner archive. Stranger on the third floor 1940 directed by boris. This account has reached the download cap, additional downloads subject to. When upstart journalist michael ward john mcguire testifies that he saw joe briggs elisha cook jr.
Newspaper reporter john mcguire plunges into a nightmare of guilt, fearing that his evidence has sentenced the wrong man to death. The stranger on the third floor by boris ingster boris. Stranger on the third floor is a 1940 american film noir directed by boris ingster and starring peter lorre, john mcguire, and margaret tallichet, and featuring. Laut hbo wurde dieser film im jahre 1940 freigegeben. These are some of the questions that were waiting to be answered when the film that is. As scholars of the genre have attempted to determine what films quality as noir, they almost always agree that the onehour rko b programmer stranger on the third floor 1940 is the first of its kind. Stranger on the third floor streaming online justwatch.
Stranger on the third floor 1940, directed by boris ingster, written by frank partos and nathaniel west. She was an actress, known for stranger on the third floor 1940, it started with eve 1941 and a desperate adventure 1938. Its a crime and drama movie with a high rotten tomatoes critics score of 83% and a. Stranger on the third floor was the second feature on the opening night double bill of seattle 2011 noir city festival and is available on the warner archive collection of dvdr discs in a remastered edition and it looks superb. Stranger on the third floor was made earlier than all these and only runs for 64 minutes. Ce film, dune duree dune heure, a ete realise par boris ingster en 1940. Certains critiques lont considere comme le 1er film noir americain. On imdb tv, you can catch hollywood hits and popular tv series at no cost. Stranger on the third floor warner archive collection remastered edition a compact 63 minute noir thriller that features a surreal nightmare sequence that justifies its place in your film collection. As to the claim that its the first film noir, thats pretty questionable. Others cite 1941s the maltese falcon by john huston and some film historians maintain that double indemnity 1944, billy wilder holds the title. Liked the leads,john mcguire and beautiful ms tallichet. What separates stranger on the third floor from the rest of the field.
Scarcely more than an hour long, this movie directed by boris ingster is a masterpiece in miniature. Stranger on the third floor 1940 where to watch it streaming. Stranger on the third floor is the little b picture that launched one of the greatest movements in cinema history. This small, interesting, film which is generally considered the first film noir, the stranger on the third floor, directed by boris ingster, is the story of the story of a. Select any poster below to play the movie, totally free. This small, interesting, film which is generally considered the first film noir, the stranger on the third floor, directed by boris ingster, is the story of the story of a reporters search for a. A reporter is torn by guilt and doubt about his testimony that put a man on death row. Siskoid widely considered the first american film noir, stranger on the third floor is nevertheless a minor work in the genre, but an efficient one that doesnt waste time getting to the point.
And who is that buggedeyed stranger on the third floor. Stranger on the third floor is a 1940 american film noir directed by boris ingster and starring peter lorre, john mcguire, and margaret tallichet, and featuring elisha cook jr it was written by frank partos. Stranger on the third floor 1940 is often considered the first filmnoir, and that classification totally makes sense to me, as it combines a german expressionist approach to cinematography with later noir tropes like dream sequences, voiceovers and elisha cook jr. The rko secondfeature often considered the first film noir takes a dark turn, as we begin the internal monologue of michael john mcguire, whose testimony just clinched a maybeunjust murder conviction, and he meets the title character peter lorre in stranger on the. They are often an ignored aspect of films, although they reflect the time period or era. The film, which is released by paramount pictures, was slated to roll out internationally on march 18.
If she was considered for gone with the wind,probably wouldve been less full of backstage drama due to miss fiddledeedee and old sour breath gable. Whatever you want to call it, its a wellmade little film and well worth your time. Confession from the dark city is a podcast devoted to the exploration of film noir. With peter lorre, john mcguire, margaret tallichet, charles waldron. Stranger on the third floor movie 1940 tv passport. The films memorable highlight is mcguires expressionist nightmare, with all elements of his recent existence showing up in stylized fashion to literally haunt his dreams and spur him to do the right thing. Buy stranger on the third floor microsoft store enca. The plotline is carried by john mcguire, playing ward, a newspaper reporter whose courtroom testimony sends the hapless briggs elisha cook jr. Joseph cotten plays holly martins, a scribbler with too much drink. Title screens are the initial titles, usually projected at the beginning of a film, and following the logos of the film studio. Modern research has shown that nathanael west wrote the final version of. The so called surrealism of the film is a triumph of turning lowbudget necessity into an effective style.
361 762 194 1012 482 1215 623 43 673 1315 606 1371 661 534 177 1661 1404 1485 535 1033 487 463 1292 64 528 1347 397 811 46 271