tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-578997264816756307.post3644459385899972860..comments2024-01-11T05:02:32.321-05:00Comments on Goodfella's Movie Blog: #50: D.O.A. (Rudolph Maté, 1950)Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07134196370913749544noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-578997264816756307.post-46974436926612533112010-03-02T21:46:48.919-05:002010-03-02T21:46:48.919-05:00Yes, M. Roca, I also have the Image, and it's ...Yes, M. Roca, I also have the Image, and it's solid.Sam Julianonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-578997264816756307.post-83045603884841672632010-03-02T20:27:42.164-05:002010-03-02T20:27:42.164-05:00I have the Image DVD which looks pretty good. Bett...I have the Image DVD which looks pretty good. Better than their print of Detour. O'Brien in The Killers is enough for me to praise his noir credentials......M.RocaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-578997264816756307.post-56207518973691629872010-03-02T20:01:02.079-05:002010-03-02T20:01:02.079-05:00Kevin Mummery - Thanks for stopping by and joining...Kevin Mummery - Thanks for stopping by and joining in the discussions and adding some great comments yourself. I appreciate the compliments and hope you'll stick around the rest of the way!Davehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07134196370913749544noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-578997264816756307.post-65983394765534250242010-03-02T20:00:05.172-05:002010-03-02T20:00:05.172-05:00Doniphon - It's one those that is awesomely ch...Doniphon - It's one those that is awesomely cheesy! :)<br /><br />M.Roca - We'll have to disagree on this one... I think it's a great B thriller, as Tony lays out quite well.<br /><br />Tony - Couldn't agree more, this deserves a decent DVD release. My copy is on some package set, along with Detour and some others.<br /><br />John - Yes, it's annoying, but I think the good far outweighs this minor complaint. But, I have minor pet peeves like this that ruin otherwise outstanding movies for me, so I know where you're coming from.<br /><br />Sam - I didn't realize you were such a fan of this one, so it's good to hear.<br /><br />Samuel - Yes, O'Brien will be heard from again. I don't know that I can call him the definitive noir actor, but he's certainly one of the best "everymen" in noir.<br /><br />Quirky Character - Agreed on all points.Davehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07134196370913749544noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-578997264816756307.post-28485671426918012242010-03-02T13:06:55.318-05:002010-03-02T13:06:55.318-05:00The movie is incredibly intense, and Mr. O'Bri...The movie is incredibly intense, and Mr. O'Brien was very, very good in it.Quirky Characterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13590664018386916883noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-578997264816756307.post-31784769049943719622010-03-02T11:39:46.210-05:002010-03-02T11:39:46.210-05:00Calling Edmond O'Brien the definitive noir act...Calling Edmond O'Brien the definitive noir actor would be presuming to define noir, but I often feel that way about the guy for the reason you mention in your final paragraph, among others. D.O.A. is probably his signature film but I expect to see more of him in your top 50.Samuel Wilsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00934870299522899944noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-578997264816756307.post-65909821918113827412010-03-02T07:55:35.342-05:002010-03-02T07:55:35.342-05:00O 'Brien is superlative in this taut time thri...O 'Brien is superlative in this taut time thriller that has of course become a classic of its kind, and it's a film I've vigorously defended against some detractors over the years. Siodmak is a director with some impressive work (THE SPIRAL STAIRCASE and THE KILLERS immediately come to mind) but this is of the first-rank too and deserves this prominent placement on the countdown. The expressionist visual underpinning is vital to the mood, and the frenzied narrative movement is the major allure. I completelt agree what you say here about ace cinematographer Mate. Tremendous essay Dave, and some great comments here by Tony and others.Sam Julianonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-578997264816756307.post-45195423131690711302010-03-02T07:41:29.678-05:002010-03-02T07:41:29.678-05:00Edmond O’Brien is a mainstay in the world of noir ...Edmond O’Brien is a mainstay in the world of noir and D.O.A. has a lot of good things in it as you and Tony point out but the one irritating aspect of this film that keeps coming up in my head is that “wolf” whistle that M. Roca mentions and to me sound more like a kazoo. I just found it annoying and I keep asking myself why. Was it to inject some kind of humor? I am sure it if just me but this just knocks the film down some notches. Yet, the film has a lot of good stuff, the opening scene at the police station is a classic, the excellent cinematography, O’Brien so good…then there is that damn kazoo! I am haunted by it every time I watched this film (lol!)Johnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01808503055317962289noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-578997264816756307.post-73314081095676920802010-03-02T03:19:39.965-05:002010-03-02T03:19:39.965-05:00The master print of DOA is owned by a philistine i...The master print of DOA is owned by a philistine investor, who refuses to license it for new prints or DVD release. The current public domain transfer is worn out explaining the poor visuals.<br /><br />A bravura performance from Edmond O’Brien as Frank Bigelow. This movie packs so much in 83 minutes. It starts off slow, but once the action shifts from a sleepy rural burg to San Francisco and LA, the pace is frenetic. The streets of these cities are filmed in deep focus, and there is a sense of immediacy in every scene.<br /><br />Expressionist lighting accents the hysteria and panic as Bigelow desperately races against time to track down his killer. With a pot-boiler plot and a terrific hard-edged portrayal from O’Brien, this is not only a gritty on-the-streets in-your-face melodrama, but a nuanced film noir where a random innocent act is a decent man’s un-doing. The camera is used with abandon to visualise the traumatic whirlwind that Bigelow has been thrown into.Tony D'Ambrahttp://filmsnoir.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-578997264816756307.post-42252032627352357252010-03-02T02:16:00.589-05:002010-03-02T02:16:00.589-05:00Thanks for this great review, Dave. I commented a ...Thanks for this great review, Dave. I commented a few reviews back wondering when (or if) you'd get to D.O.A., and here it is! It really is one of the great underrated noirs, which has unfortunately fallen into the public domain. Although I have copy from Alpha Video which is actually pretty good, this is a film worthy of the Criterion Collection treatment. I've really been enjoying your list, and read your site every 2-3 days. Good work!kevin mummerynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-578997264816756307.post-52538024985219548092010-03-02T00:44:59.102-05:002010-03-02T00:44:59.102-05:00Jazz scene, wolf whistles, Neville Brand's obs...Jazz scene, wolf whistles, Neville Brand's obsession with bellies, Pamela Britton's stalker role, O'Brien's understated acceptance of bad news at the doctors, subtle musical score, and luminous toxin..............equals campy and fun but vastly overrated film noir.......M.RocaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-578997264816756307.post-90070075279029632162010-03-02T00:25:25.022-05:002010-03-02T00:25:25.022-05:00"A picture as excitingly different as its tit..."A picture as excitingly different as its title!"<br /><br />That is one of the worst taglines I've ever seen.Doniphonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02407443845368110678noreply@blogger.com