Out of the Past

I had seen "Out of the Past", this romantic and gritty1947 film directed by Jacques Tourneur, at a film noir festival. The plot becomes entangled and difficult to follow at about the film's mid-point. It took some revisiting of the past by watching the film again to work out of the confusion. With the tangled story, "Out of the Past" is a superb film which deserves its place on the National Film Registry as "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".Starring Robert Mitchum a tough, cynical private investigator Jeff Markham trying to make a quiet new life in a small California town under the name of Jeff Bailey and Jane Greer at Kathie, the irresistible femme fatale, "Out of the Past" suggests how difficult it is to escape one's past. The film includes an almost bewildering number of romantic stops and starts in an ill-fated triangle together with a series of murders and robberies with mutual betrayals. Kathie is at their center, as the mistress of the suave but deadly gangster, Whit Sterling (Kirk Douglas) and as the lover of Jeff.Robert Mitchum captures the essence of the noir character in this film, with his tough exterior, witty, sharp repartee, dress, and ever-present cigarettes. Mitchum narrates in a voice-over through the first half of the film which is presented as a flashback. And the viewer can understand how Jane Greer is get her way with men. The cinematography of the film features shadows and different angles and long takes of the faces of the characters, including Mitchum's cigarettes and his hat. The three primary settings of the movie, in the town of Bridgeport, California, San Francisco, and Lake Tahoe are well differentiated and each plays a crucial role in the movie. The film has a lush orchestral score by Roy Webb.The details of the story become clearer with repeated viewings, but the gist of it is clear. The film shows a sad, failed search for goodness and peace for its jaded characters. The movie succeeds through its characterizations and unfailing setting of moods and places more that through the convolutions of the plot.I have become an admirer of film noir in recent years, "Out of the past" takes a sad, bittersweet look at the nature of the past and of how it forms the present. I was glad for the opportunity to see and then revisit this classic film noir.Robin Friedman

Out Of The Past is a classic Film Noir starring Robert Mitchum. It has lots of classic tropes of Noir from Mitchum being a detective who wears a trench coat and does a Hard Boiled type voice over commentary to Jan Greer as a Femme Fatale. There’s plenty of snappy dialogue as well. They even get carried away a bit such as when Mitchum is campaign in the Sierra Nevada’s of California and he STILL has his trench coat on! Plots, double crosses, betrayal they’re all there which is why this is a must see if you love Noir.

I had know the director Jacques Turner--(i prob spelled that wrong) from the strange classic Cat People from i think 1944 give or take a year. I remembered thinking - during the actually genuinely creepy and brilliant gym pool scene in Cat People that this director would make a great film noir with his master of light and shadows.What immediately works about this is Robert Mitchum and his cool laid back performance. The leading lady-Jane Greer-- has wonderful chemistry with Mitchum and it is believable. Mitchum is the perfect person to play in anoir situation where there is a slow moving investigation going on. I love slow moving noir films that get it right and this one nails it. This is currently my favo noir film. To make a picture work where there is a femme fatal type of lady being pursued by a detective or insurance guy -etc- 3 element absolutely have to be in place. 1. the cinematography to back up the scenes where -in this case Mitchum- is just sitting in the bar- . a scene like this would then need perfect use of light and shadows so as to give the viewer a multiple aesthetic type of visual thing.2. The dialogue has to be great and as had been proven if done right - like Wilder- a voice over can be magic- Out of the Past nails the dialogue--especially Mitchums voice overs. 3. You need to have a certain style with the camera itself as well as as actors who can meld with these first 2. That is really 4 things but this film absolutely nails all of the necessary pieces of the puzzle.The femme fatal is of a unique category in that she has this girl next door look mixed with a wildness. This differs from sat Vera Miles in The Killers or Stanweck in Double Indemnity. The difference is the innocent quality of Jane Greer. This innocent quality makes her murders she commits believable initially in relation to Mitchums sympathy for her crimes.She is super convincing and even suprisingly scary at times-- when you realize how easily she keeps murdering people-- her coldness/sweetnes is portrayed very well. The voice over writing and the dialogue are spot on and totally classic. Mitchum plays the character perfectly which makes his acting spot on. Mitchum convincingly plays a super chill guy that maintains his cool without ever breaking character or going too over the top or under- he just plays it cool-- even his voiceovers are consistent -with his personality-The camera work and cinematography are top notch.The use of silence during dialogue to heighten the tension is used masterfully here.There are many goo supporting actors/actresses. My favorite is the current love interest of Mitchums character that learns all about his past. She has a haunting quality to her that adds to the strangeness of the atmosphere.I will finish this review later----my cat tipped over a jug o water

At last a version of this great Noir thats not all contrast , in the UK it nearly always is on T.V, on Blu-ray well worth the up grade ,its ok no giving away the end on this review so its safe to read on, For anyone not famillia with this film or Noir films , this is a good one to put ur toe in the water with ,but beware its ice cold, brrrrrr. All the cast are contract at R.K.O so it looks at the start like just another B picture but when Jane Greer makes her appearance , wow ,even in the 21st century she's still hot, but so are all the other ladies too . Its 1947 so by this time its clear that they were making a Noir , Billy Wilder said of Double Indemnity that he was makeing a good movie , its after they called it Noir , its got all the traits , in spades. Bonus Hitchcock point ! - i noticed for the fist time ,now its sharp and you can pause the film - when Mitchum visits Rhonda Fleming in her apartment she's holding a book ,she keeps hold of it for a few seconds then puts it down . You only see the back cover ,of the'' Author '' then we get a quick flash of the cover as she puts it down , its the book they made for Suspicion 1941, with Auriol lee as Isobel Sedusk on the jacket , called Murder on a footbridge or something like that .It must have been still in the props dept at R.K.O 6 years later, or Out of The Past if you like lol.

Having received a comment on my review, which obliquely compares 'Out of the Past' with the sort of films that are made these days, I suppose that I shouldn't really be surprised to find that despite my rating of 5 stars, and a review title 'Haunting', I receive a comment that completely misses the point. Perhaps I should have paragraphed after my opening line.Noir at its best. Real stars, real directors, real stories, and real audiences to appreciate it.Nothing to compare with the fantastic talents available these day of course. And what's worse, it looks so dated.If that isn't enough to put you off, having been filmed in black and white and no wide screen or special effects. Isn't it frightening to think how primitive life was way back then?I suppose that I shouldn't have been surprised - these days, since apparently there are people who can appreciate the film in question and yet, apparently still pay money and waste their time seeing what is made these days..

I remember when I first saw this film, it was on BBC2 on some rainy afternoon whilst I was between jobs and after I watched it I wanted to see it again and again. In the UK it was known as Build My Gallows High (after the book, I think). I reckon you could show this film to anyone and they'd be tansfixed, the plot, the dialogue, how it was directed. People who dismiss older films should be made to watch this. The bluray itself is fairly bare for features but that doesn't matter for me, the film is all I need.

'Out of the Past' may not be the best film noir ever made, but it is probably in the top one.Robert Mitchum gives a perfect performance as the detective Jeff Markham, who is detailed to get gambler/hoodlum Whit Sterling's girlfriend back when she shoots him and absconds with £40,000. The fact that Sterling, expertly played with devious, pulsuing intensity by Kirk Douglas, just wants his girl back rather than dead is testament to the womanly wiles of uber femme fatale Jane Greer, who plays Kathy; the object of both men's desires.The film, directed by Jacques Tourneur, manages to be both languid and urgent as some excellent location work is seamless melded onto some typically noir stark studio set-ups. To my mind, surprsingly, this was not Tourneur's best film in terms of the direction; that has to be the original 'Catpeople,' in which a bus becomes a scream moment. Nevertheless, 'Out of the Past' is a better all-round picture. The sense of death, doom and despair - leavened by the sheer thrall of a woman like Greer - pervades every scene and the movie never lapses into melodrama. The horrible inevitability of Mitchum's fate is clear from the very opening of the picture, but - as he says - 'Baby, I don't care.' That's the power of Ms Greer and, such is her allure and performance, you believe it.To my mind, the only noir that rivals Out of the Past is 'Double Indemnity.' the others can't manage Mitchum's craft or Tourneur's skills. The only problem is its dreadfully forgettable title. The source novel, and British title, was 'Build my Gallows high,' which is no better. It's a small thing, though, and my recommendation is that you buy this before some fool decides to delete it.

Great old movie,with Robert Mitchum in his first starring role,and the captivating Jane Greer as his"flawed"leading lady.Dated this movie may be,but the plot is excellent,and the ending very unexpected and dramatic! The basic story is so sound that its been remade twice since this first production,and movie buffs will remember"Run for the Sun"made in the fifties,starring a more mature Jane Greer and Richard Widmark,and much more recently,Rachel Ward and Jeff Bridges in"Against all Odds".So,if old thrillers are your thing,get this one from Amazon,and revel in the fact that it has earned the title "best Cinema Noir"movie of all time,and is therefore not to be missed!.