Director: Koreyoshi Kurahara, Edouard Molinaro, Pietro Germi
Starring: Yujiro Ishihara, Mie Kitahara, Lino Ventura, Franco Fabrizi, Pietro Germi, Claudia Cardinale
Country: Japan, France, Italy
Running Time: 91/89/115 minutes
Year: 1957/1959
BBFC Certificate: 18
Noir isnât a genre, strictly speaking. It’s a mood. An observation of a certain propensity of style in American post-war thriller. But rules around what Noir actually is took on a form and it certainly became a genre. Filmmakers around the world picked up on the pattern while we still think of it as American. This marvellous box set from Radiance picks out three films that fell down the cracks. Letâs begin with Japan.
I AM WAITING
The path of the film nerd is well trod and a bit predictable. Itâs not âifâ youâre going to watch and read about Akira Kurosawaâs Seven Samurai) and YasujirĆ Ozuâs Tokyo Story, itâs âwhenâ. While these are top-drawer masterpieces and all hype is earned, Japanese teenagers, as Mark Schilling explains in his excellent video essay, werenât idolising Toshiro Mifune in 1957. So what if he was the greatest actor of his generation? Yujiro Ishihara was their hero.
Thatâs interesting in itself because some quarters of Japanese society (probably the grown-ups) rejected Kurosawa for already being too Westernised in their relatively young and post-war film industry. On the contrary, by the end of the 50s, Yujiro Ishihara was building a career on repurposed American genres, including Koreyoshi Kuraharaâs I Am Waiting.
It takes a little while to warm up, like shivering femme fatale Mie Kitahara who is rescued at the filmâs start by a suitably weary Ishihara. I Am Waiting is far from genre-defining, feeling more like a âYoung Adultâ pastiche, with ill-fitting trench coats and cigarettes. Still, even if it feels by-the-numbers, the numbers are intriguing. Motives are suitably suspicious and the twists keep coming. Itâs an intoxicating, emotional plot (written by Yujiroâs brother, Shintaro Ishihara, who would become Governor of Tokyo) and Yujiroâs considerable charisma lifts the film another notch.
The HD transfer is the least impressive of the three films, but is still strong, bright and clean, and safe to say, the best the film has looked. Extras include a fascinating audio commentary by Japanese cinema expert Jasper Sharp; a lengthy 1959 documentary featuring Yujiro Ishihara on location in Europe; and a 2003 visual essay on Yujiro by Mark Schilling.
WITNESS IN THE CITY
We had to have a French film as itâs somewhat their fault that Noir was even a thing after critic Nino Frank coined the phrase. And yet, thatâs too simple an assessment and does France a disservice.
Franceâs pre-war social conscience, combined with German Expressionism, conspired to influence Hollywood (and Italyâs Neo-Realism). Post-war malaise gave the American studio system something to wrap all those European threads around. Nino Frank was right to observe Film Noir when he did, but all the elements had been there for years. Plus, itâs always worth exploring French cinema anyway. Outside of New Wave busily tearing up the rule-books, the more traditional filmmaking shouldnât be dismissed, such as that by Henri-Georges Clouzot or Jacques Becker, and this little gem by Edouard Molinaro.
It’s a pacey, fun film and the story bats along as Lino Ventura’s vengeful murderer tries to cover up his not-so-perfect-murder. He ends up obsessed with a taxi driver, who may be able to put him at the murder scene. Curiously, Italian Franco Fabrizi plays the Parisian taxi driver and he also appears in The Facts of Murder.
French etiquette, not unlike British films of the era, can slow down the dialogue; not here though, there’s a nice banter between likeable characters throughout, and minimal exposition. It’s an effective suspense thriller, helped by those charming characters we care about. Molinaro has considerable skill shifting between themes and maintaining our focus, especially as Ventura has our sympathy for a fair while; the plotâs morals reminded me a little of Park Chan-wookâs Sympathy For Mr Vengeance. The final act features a fabulously indulgent chase sequence, unusual for the era. It is a farcical Noir, if such things exist, and I mean that as a genuine compliment.
The 2K transfer is making its Blu-Ray debut and itâs pristine. The film confidently swings between a frothy romance and a gritty thriller, and the photography responds well to both the classical Noir shadows and crisp, bright interiors.
The film is introduced by critic Tony Rayns. There is also an interview with Lino Ventura biographer Philippe Durant from 2014 and an overview of French Noir by author Ginette Vincendeau.
THE FACTS OF MURDER
I watched the last film in the set, questioning if it was even Film Noir. Certainly crumbs of a burgeoning genre are there, but it’s the least traditionally Noirish of the three. And I donât care. Pietro Germiâs The Facts of Murder is a masterpiece. Italyâs Neo-Realism would, in my view, yield the worldâs most sophisticated cinema such that even their mid-tier stuff would frequently stand out.The confidence and brio in Germiâs film is extraordinary.
A voracious opening leads to a gritty caper, a police procedural typical of giallo, just none of the gore you might expect from Italyâs âyellowâ productions. It’s great fun with fast, fantastic dialogue and well drawn characters. It’s got a rat-a-tat rhythm and is expertly directed, with a streak of irreverent humour. Even working in a Third Man reference, though it becomes more sombre as the seriousness of the case becomes apparent.
Director Pietro Germi also stars as Inspector Ciccio Ingravallo. He plays it like a surly Columbo in a plot that almost runs like Knives Out, though not as intricate, of course. The point of Rian Johnsonâs films is a labyrinthine mystery, but the cast is having similar fun here and translating it to the screen. Claudia Cardinale brings some class to her role as a sort-of femme fatale.
So Cardinale is a traditional Noir character in that sense. So is this Noir as people would expect? The compelling video essay posits that the beginnings of neo-realism and humanism are hand-in-hand with the conscience of Noir. I wouldnât argue with that.
The transfer is phenomenal. Restored from 4k, it’s a strikingly sharp image, with a beautiful contrast. Detail is extraordinary. The extras include an interview with a Pietro Germi expert; a 1997 documentary about the director; and that intriguing video essay by Paul A.J. Lewis.
This set from Radiance has been beautifully put together. Excellent films that genuinely extend and challenge what we know of Film Noir, with well curated extra features. I canât wait for Volume 2.
EXTRA FEATURES
- New 4K restoration of The Facts of Murder carried out by LâImmagine Ritrovata at the Cineteca di Bologna, presented on Blu-ray for the first time in the world
- 2K restoration of Witness in the City, on Blu-ray for the first time in the UK
- High Definition digital transfer of I Am Waiting, on Blu-ray for the first time in the world
- Newly designed artwork based on original posters
- Audio commentary for I Am Waiting by Japanese cinema expert Jasper Sharp
- Yujiro in Europe – a documentary on star Yujiro Ishihara during location shooting in Europe (1959, 41 mins)
- The Yujiro Effect – a visual essay by Mark Schilling (2023, 13 mins)
- Introduction to Witness In The City by critic Tony Rayns (2023, 17 mins)
- Interview with Philippe Durant, biographer of Lino Ventura, who speaks about the film and the iconic actor (2014, 11 mins)
- French noir – critic and author Ginette Vincendeau provides an overview of noir in France during the 1950s (2023, 23 mins)
- New interview with Pietro Germi expert Mario Sesti (2023, 47 mins))
- The Man With the Cigar in His Mouth – a documentary about Pietro Germi featuring interviews with his colleagues and collaborators including Mario Monicelli, Claudia Cardinale, Stefania Sandrelli, Giuseppe Tornatore among others (Mario Sesti, 1997, 41 mins)
- What’s Black and Yellow All Over? All Shades of Italian Film Noir – visual essay by Paul A. J. Lewis on the presence of noir trends in Italian cinema and the evolution of the genre (2023, 19 mins)
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