The French Had a Name for It: A Gallic Twist on an American Genre

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by Pam Grady

All roads lead to Trenton, NJ after a young black man is lynched in the postwar American South in I Spit on Your Graves (J’irai cracher sur vos tombes) , Michel Gast’s 1959 fever dream revenge thriller, a surreal standout among the dozen rarely–seen titles that make up The French Had a Name for It, the latest film noir series at San Francisco’s Roxie Theater. Continue reading →

It’s About Beauty, Man: My Film-Fueled Friendship with Jazz Legend Charlie Haden

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by Eddie Muller

Movies brought Charlie Haden and me together. Specifically, it was a Sunday night double-bill at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood, May 13, 2001—a pairing of two John Alton-photographed noirs, The Crooked Way  (1949)  and Talk About a Stranger  (1952) , part of the original Festival of Film Noir I’d created for the American Cinematheque.  Continue reading →

Seducing Repertory Cinema into the 21st Century: I Wake Up Dreaming 2014–Dark Treasures from the Warner Archives

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by Elliot Lavine

The idea of programming film noir festivals for a century-old San Francisco art theater sounds like a dream of a gigbag and for 99% of the ride it is. But it’s a little bit like being turned loose in a funhouse with no exit because ultimately it can lead to bouts of insomnia and chronic fits of frustration. It can lead to indigestion and other forms of irritability. But in the end it can also remind you that patience and stamina, although usually in short supply, will win the day.  Continue reading →