Gray, foggy days are ripe for watching film noir classics like “The Conspirators” and “Three Strangers.” I’ve learned that the best way to find many long-forgotten or buried-in-the-archives movies is to search by an actor’s name. Want some pre-code Hollywood before censorship took hold? When, dare I say it on Instagram, oh my God (!) is that the flash of a nipple on a nubile female breast? Yeegads!!! But I digress — if you’re looking for pre-code, I suggest you start with Norma Shearer, a Canadian actress in several films from that era. For my film noir hunt, inspired by a love for Casablanca, I searched for works that included Sydney Greenstreet and Peter Lorre which led me to several possibilities. The list of old movies and early Hollywood, pre-talkie, pre-code is more vast than you might imagine.
The silent movies, the pre-code movies, and the early black and white were the best. The Gish sisters were amazing. Casablanca, One Way Passage, and Angels With Dirty Faces are three of my favorite movies. Classy movies.
Dame I love the older movies too, some of the early black and white movies that keep me putting my self in parts of the storyline to see what I might do different. Love old movies ❤️
Interesting. Never thought of searching for “pre-code” films. Thought film for public viewing was always censored.
My favorite is between “Double Indemnity” and “The Big Sleep.” In fact, before watching “The Big Sleep”I couldn’t understand why women of the 1950s found Humphrey Bogart to be attractive, but once I watched this film I understand why he had such a big sex appeal to the women of the 1930s. Anyways, before films are great femme noire films that I would recommend.
Your photograph is so elegantly sensual. And your writing is tempting me to get into looking at some of those old classic films.