The gritty antihero is making his comeback at the Guild's second annual film noir festival.
Peter Conheim, co-owner of the Guild Theater, said that the film noir festival is a celebration of the classic films of the '40s and '50s that deal with darker themes and unsettling behavior that isn't easily explained. The festival starts June 3rd, he said, with The Big Sleep staring Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart. He said it ends June sixteenth with a double feature of "Force of Evil" and "Murder by Contract."
Conheim said film noir was born out of the sadness and confusion that was felt in the uncertain times after World War II. He also said noir movies are often cloaked with references to the Hollywood blacklist and paranoia about communism. Even though times may have changed, he said, the noir themes are relevant today because people are always interested in the dilemma of the antihero, the shady character you want to like.
Although Conheim loves all movie genres, he has a soft spot for westerns.
"Western plots can often be very similar to noir plots," he said. "Most people don't really make that connection."
In terms of his favorite noir film, he said he loved them all.
"In a Lonely Place" and "Detour" are particularly special," he said.
Conheim also said that what makes this festive unique is all films shown are not available commercially on video or DVD. The best part is, all movies are double features, or two for the price of one, except for "The Big Sleep," he said, which is a longer movie.
History plays a big part in the enjoyment of the movies, Conheim said. For example, the Guild will be showing the original 1945 version of "The Big Sleep," a movie based on the book by Raymond Chandler. The original version was lost for 50 years and recently uncovered by the studio, he said. Conheim said the studio waited a year and then re-edited the film to put more emphasis of Bacall, who was becoming a big star at the time.
"Some people say the plot makes more sense in the original version than the version which everybody has known for all these years," he said.
Conheim said an independent theater is important because it builds a sense of community. People tell him all the time that they won't go to Century Theaters but they will go to the Guild, he said.
"We take chances on unusual independent films," he said. "We show stuff that other theaters aren't interested in."
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He said noir movies show people what previous generations thought was shocking and sexy. He also said in a time where Quentin Tarantino-like graphics are sweeping the big screen, it is interesting to see how noir films were able to produce the same shock factor by showing very little. Big name stars like Bogart and Bacall are also an attraction, the noir style being part of what made them such legends, said Conheim.
But the biggest enjoyment, said Conheim, is seeing the noir movies in a historically rich theater thick with atmosphere.
"Movies are always better when you're in a dark theater surrounded by strangers," Conheim said.
