Just finished watching TCM's Eddie Muller's "25 noir films that will stand the test of time." Ask me anything.
Not a documentary, but 25 actual films. Took a while. It's a blast.
Says Muller: "Take this with a grain of salt, because I am not one to apply academic criteria to art, popular or otherwise. These are simply films that I have viewed and enjoyed multiple times, and expect to appreciate even more as time goes on."
"A "classic" is in the eye of the beholder anyway; to me there's only one way to assess a film's greatness—is it still engrossing the sixth time you've seen it?"
Muller's 25, in order of release:
The Maltese Falcon (1941)
Double Indemnity (1944)
Scarlet Street (1945)
Detour (1945)
The Killers (1946)
Out of the Past (1947)
Nightmare Ally (1947)
Raw Deal (1948)
Moonrise (1948)
Act of Violence (1949)
They Live by Night (1949)
Thieves' Highway (1949)
Criss Cross (1949)
The Prowler (1950)
Gun Crazy (1950)
In a Lonely Place (1950)
The Asphalt Jungle (1950)
Sunset Boulevard (1950)
Night and The City (1950)
Tomorrow is Another Day (1951)
City That Never Sleeps (1952)
The Killing (1956)
Sweet Smell of Success (1958)
Touch of Evil (1958)
Odds Against Tomorrow (1959)
More at https://www.eddiemuller.com/top25noir.html
A few I'd add:
The Big Sleep (1946)
Crossfire (1947)
The Set-Up (1949)
These aren't all I've been watching. Total as of this post is 96 noir films. There's a lot more to discover.
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