NOIRvember

NOIRvember at PhxArt

Celebrate the classic era of American cinema with NOIRvember at PhxArt, a series dedicated to the films that defined film noir: a world of fatalism, shadows, and cynical anti-heroes. This selection dives deep into the genre’s darkest corners, featuring masterworks from legendary directors and performances from iconic stars. Explore noir’s defining elements including chiaroscuro lighting, intricate plotting, and seductive danger, as we screen these four classics: Double Indemnity, Sunset Boulevard, The Killing, and The Maltese Falcon.

• 🎟️ Double Indemnity
  • Working with cowriter Raymond Chandler, director Billy Wilder launched himself onto the Hollywood A-list with this epitome of film-noir fatalism from James M. Cain’s pulp novel. When slick salesman Walter Neff (Fred MacMurray) walks into the swank home of dissatisfied housewife Phyllis Dietrichson (Stanwyck), he intends to sell insurance, but he winds up becoming entangled with her in a far more sinister way. Featuring scene-stealing supporting work from Edward G. Robinson and the chiaroscuro of cinematographer John F. Seitz, Double Indemnity is one of the most entertainingly perverse stories ever told and the standard by which all noir must be measured. Estimated runtime: 108 min.

• 🎟️ Sunset Boulevard
  
  • Gloria Swanson, as Norma Desmond, an aging silent-film queen, and William Holden, as Joe Gillis the struggling young screenwriter who is held in thrall by her madness, created two of the screen’s most memorable characters in Sunset Boulevard. Winner of three Academy Awards®, director Billy Wilder’s powerful orchestration of the bizarre tale is a true cinematic classic. From the unforgettable opening sequence through the inevitable unfolding of tragic destiny, Sunset Boulevard is the definitive statement on the dark and desperate side of Hollywood. Estimated runtime: 110 min.
    

• 🎟️ The Killing
  • Stanley Kubrick’s account of an ambitious racetrack robbery is one of Hollywood’s tautest, twistiest noirs. Aided by a radically time-shuffling narrative, razor-sharp dialogue from pulp novelist Jim Thompson, and a phenomenal cast of character actors, including Sterling Hayden, Coleen Gray, Timothy Carey, Elisha Cook Jr., and Marie Windsor, The Killing is both a jaunty thriller and a cold-blooded punch to the gut. And with its precise tracking shots and gratifying sense of irony, it’s Kubrick to the core. Estimated runtime: 94 min.

• 🎟️ The Maltese Falcon
  • This cinematic masterpiece stars screen-legend Humphrey Bogart as private detective Sam Spade, a no-nonsense loner whose partner is killed while pursuing a case. As Spade seeks out the killer, he becomes entangled in a sinister plot to locate a priceless 16th century statuette, known as the Maltese Falcon. Based on best-selling crime author Dashiell Hammett’s novel, it was nominated for three Academy Awards®, including Best Picture and Screenplay. Recently selected as one of the top 25 American films of all time by the prestigious American Film Institute. Estimate runtime: 100 min.