Cutting to the chase with this still-useful exercise from 2021...Owen and Bob's work shown in this post, with my consolidated, expanded list appearing as a "reply." Folks might want to look at the films screened by Eddie in 2020 and in this year's "darkness has no borders" series to see if any of those films deserve a mention--I'll wait for other opinions before making any attempt to update the consolidated list. (And, Bob, that should also include the films that we programmed into A RARE NOIR IS GOOD TO FIND 3 in the summer of '23.)

Toward a Top 25 Non-English Language Film Noir List
Posted by ChiO on 6/30/2021, 9:20 am

I think the "way in" for foreign noir is for folks here to take a crack at listing their conception of a "Top 25" for those films on their own. This will result in too many votes for a certain subgroup of French films that I've suggested elsewhere need recontextualizing, since they tend to reinforce a form of "American exceptionalism" regarding noir that is in increasingly desperate need of revision, but such an effort should be undertaken in a thread of its own. (This might be a good exercise for folks such as ChiBob and ChiO, who've pushed more deeply than most into this area--and such an effort might get folks to seek out these films rather than settle for what the NYC purveyors--Kino, Rialto, etc.--dictate as the "creme de la creme" of foreign noir.)

Okay. Here's a start. My 25 favorites based on an internal subjective inconsistent calculus. The first dozen are pretty firm (with the exception of future reordering). The remainder could, on another day, possibly be replaced with a different Lucky 13.

1. Le jour se leve Marcel Carne 1939
2. Un condamne a mort s’est echappe Robert Bresson 1956
3. Uni si jolie petite plage Yves Allegret 1949
4. Pale Flower Masahiro Shinoda 1964
5. Dedee d’Anvers Yves Allegret 1948
6. Chair de poule Julien Duvivier 1963
7. Maneges Yves Allegret 1950
8. Voyage sans espoir Christian-Jaque 1943
9. La quai des brumes Marcel Carne 1938
10. Les salauds vont en enfer Robert Hossein 1955
11. Le septieme jure Georges Lautner 1962
12. O drakos Nikos Koundouros 1956
13. Toi, le venin Robert Hossein 1958
14. Ossessione Luchino Visconti 1943
15. Voici le temps des assassins Julien Duvivier 1956
16. Hanyo aka The Housemaid Ki-young Kim 1960
17. Nuit des espions Robert Hossein 1959
18. La mujer del puerto Arcady Boytier 1934
19. The Scarlet Dove Matti Kassila 1961
20. The Wild, Wild Rose Tian-Lin Wang 1960
21. Les dames du Bois de Boulogne Robert Bresson 1945
22. La mort d’un tueur Robert Hossein 1964
23. Retour de manivelle Denys de la Patelliere 1957
24. Razzia sur la chnouf Henri Decoin 1955
25. El vampiro negro Roman Vinoly Barreto 1953

Posted by ChiO on 7/1/2021, 6:45 am, in reply to "Re: Toward a Top 25 Non-English Language Film Noir List"
Edited by ChiO on 7/1/2021, 7:04 am

Here's the next 13 (in chronological order). Clouzot, Becker, and Melville make appearances.

Le Corbeau Henri-George Clouzot 1943
Maya Raymond Bernard 1949
Les eaux troubles Henri Calef 1949
Les amants de Verone Andre Cayette 1949
Touchez pas au grisbi Jacques Becker 1954
Les diaboliques Henri-George Clouzot 1955
Cairo Station Youssef Chachine 1958
It Happened in Broad Daylight Ladislao Vajda 1958
Un temoin dans la ville Edouardo Molinaro 1959
Le trou Jacques Becker 1960
La verite Henri-Georges Clouzot 1960
Assault on the Pay Train Roberto Faria 1962
Le samourai Jean-Pierre Melville 1967

Of my Top 25, I was introduced to 17 of them through the Roxie. Of these 13, I was introduced to 7 of them through the Roxie. Thank you, Don.

My pleasure, Owen!

Re: Toward a Top 25 Non-English Language Film Noir List
Posted by ChiBobn on 7/1/2021, 7:03 am, in reply to "Re: Toward a Top 25 Non-English Language Film Noir List"

Except for Un si jolie...I find it too damn difficult to rank these. They all have given me surprises and moments of enjoyment over the years. A couple of them – Le jeux sonts fait and Il Grido are, perhaps, not traditionally looked upon as noir, but they certainly have been, like so many others, infected with the noir virus.

1)Un si jolie petite plage (1949) – like Vertigo for domestic noir, petite plage stands apart from all the other French noir. Philipe, with the tough/tender mix of a Montgomery Clift and Garfield , finds the only logical final outlet for his despair.

La Chienne (1931) – imo, even better than SCARLET STREET, but not by much.
Leviathan (1962) – before Delon became France’s pretty boy actor there was Louis Jourdan, who portrays a mad, lustful murderer to perfection. Ripe for re-discovery.
Le jour se leve (1939) – with three Gabin films on this list I would have to say “sorry Bogey”, but in terms of silver screen iconic status, Gabin is the GOAT
Pepe le Moko (1937) reeking with exoticism. The film that made Gabin an international star never tires after multiple viewings.
Il Grido (1957) – a film infected by the noir virus. “Big” Steve Cochran roaming the flat featureless landscape of northern Italy looking for something, whatever it is, and in his alienation ends up taking the same way out as Philipe in petit plage.
Stray Dog (1949) – a cat and mouse game between cop and criminal in a sweltering Tokyo summer. One of Kurosawa’s best, imo.
Camino Del Infierno (1951) – starring that beauty, the stunning Leticia Palma, whose career was drastically cut short by the internal politics of the Mexican actor’s union.
Le Otra (1946) – Del Rio still looking ravishing, with an ending that has camera work by Alex Phillips that Alton would have been proud of.
Les jeux sont faits (1947) – one of a kind based on an original scenario by Sartre with all the existential trappings of fate. This and Le portes de la nuit prove that poetry in noir extended beyond the 1930s.
Non coupable (1947) – Michel Simon, the monstre sacre of French cinema, in perhaps his most iconic role. You can’t take your eyes off the guy.
The Scarlet Dove (1961) – Finnish noir where the “it’s all been a dream” theme makes perfect sense if one takes note of various moments in the narrative.
Le portes de la nuit (1946) – trashed by French critics, but looks a good deal better in time and an ocean away. Hell, if the French can like Jerry Lewis, then we can appreciate this under valued work by Carne.
Le septieme jure (1962) – middle class provincial murder done in a moment of mad lust by a bland bourgeois. Bernard Blier is the pitch perfect respectable worm.
Voici Le temps des assassins (1956) – a classic of noir misogyny. Two evil women after his dough and even Gabin’s mother is more than a bit of a bitch.
Ossessione (1943) – the earthiest of the various Cain cinematic adaptations.
Les quai des brumes (1938) – three icons – Morgan, Gabin and Simon in a moody slice of poetic realism.
Meewen sterven in de haven (1955) – almost a noir art film with striking images filmed in the seldom seen Antwerp.
Chair de poule (1963) – Catherine Rouvel is simply the sexiest femme fatale in all of noir – Ava eat your heart out.
No abras nunca esa puerta (1952) – from Argentina. Two short films coupled together based on Woolrich stories.
Victimas del pecado (1951) – the quintessential over the top Mexican noir. Call it cartoon noir where you watch it all the way through with a big smile on your face.
Maneges (1950) – Signoret as a heartless bitch just warming up for Therese Raquin.
Riso Amaro (1950) – Silvana Mangano and a crime thriller combined. Perfect combo.
En la palma de tu mano (1951) – 5 years after the stellar camera work of Alex Phillips in La Otra, he comes back lensing a story that someone on IMDB refers to as a combo of Double Indemnity and Nightmare Alley. I’ll go with that.
Rififi (1955) – along with The Asphalt Jungle, the best of a multitude of heist films.

Special mention to The Wild, Wild Rose (1960). This re-working of Bizet’s Carmen has Grace Chang giving us her Hong Kong version of the Habanera which is one of the oxymoronic all-time feel good moments in noir. She’s amazing.