When one scratches their heads about the inclusion of certain titles, we must be reminded of what is available on 35mm that is ready for big screen enjoyment. It’s good to see Cuarto Contra El Mundo in an English language print, since the only public option right now is a version without subs on YouTube. The two railroad station films have Cairo Station eclipsing Union Station by a mile. Some pairings have obvious similarities, while others like Elevator To The Gallows and Strongroom make me think, “like WTF”?

Talk about head scratching, why show two Argentine films and Victimas Del Pecado in “restored” versions when they have been shown at Noir City before in perfectly fine quality prints? It seems like filler to me. Silvana Mangano’s bump and grind in Bitter Rice will I’m sure look great on the big screen – hubba hubba!. Two UK films They Made Me a Fugitive (kind of a throwback to pre code Warners) and Odd Man Out are among the two finest post war Brit crime films. In fact, I’m sure I’m in the minority, but, imo, Carol Reed’s Odd Man Out, is superior to another of his, The Third Man. That’s largely due to James Mason’s desperation and the Alton style camera work of Robert Krasker. The three film French contingent are all strong films, but widely known and especially familiar to the French noir cognoscenti. I’m sure Don’s regular French noir screenings in recent years have made NC shy away from some titles. The potential French titles are legion. How about Le Jour Se Leve and The Long Night? La Bete Humaine seems an obvious pairing with Human Desire, but another Zola novel inspired title like Therese Raquin with Signoret could have been paired nicely with any number of American noirs, like does Double Indemnity or The Postman Always Rings Twice ring any bells? DI and Postman are always on TCM, but then so is The Asphalt Jungle. Why not show films that aren’t aired often? Lovers ganging up on hubby is a familiar noir theme. What makes Therese Raquin so unusual is that the husband’s murder leads both parties to distrust and destroy one another. The Zola novel is heartbreaking, especially when you start pulling for the murderers.