Dark Frames

After emerging victorious from the horrors of World War II, the U.S. eagerly pushed into a new era of optimism, hope, and success. But the shadowy and cigarette-stained B-side to the bright, shiny America emerged: the film noir. Made for cheap, these dark tales scratched at a different society, filled with twisted psyches and sinister motives. Filmmaker Tom Thurman teams up with film critic and narrator David Thomson to weave together a hypnotic collage of a dark world that influences our national identity to this day.

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Thunderbolt

Thunderbolt

1929

Forbidden

Forbidden

1953

Touchez Pas au Grisbi

Touchez Pas au Grisbi

1954

Odds Against Tomorrow

Odds Against Tomorrow

1959

The Strange Love of Martha Ivers

The Strange Love of Martha Ivers

1946

Desert Fury

Desert Fury

1947

I Walk Alone

I Walk Alone

1947

Too Late for Tears

Too Late for Tears

1949

Daybreak

Daybreak

1939

The Woman on Pier 13

The Woman on Pier 13

1950

The Killer Is Loose

The Killer Is Loose

1956

The Reckless Moment

The Reckless Moment

1949

Riot in Cell Block 11

Riot in Cell Block 11

1954

Crossfire

Crossfire

1947

Vampire Zombies...from Space!

Vampire Zombies...from Space!

2024

Cut Bank

Cut Bank

2014

Criss Cross

Criss Cross

1949

Loophole

Loophole

1954

Underworld U.S.A.

Underworld U.S.A.

1961

Dead Men Are Dangerous

Dead Men Are Dangerous

1939