Out of the Past Wins the Film Noir Decathlon: Chicagoist

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Out of the Past Wins The Film Noir Decathlon

In case you have been vaccinated by some M.D. of Cynicism and are not experiencin

the fully expressed symptoms of Olympic Fever, we are here to tell you that yesterda

24-year-old Ashton Eaton won the gold medal for the U.S. in the Decathlon, along wi

the informal title of "world's greatest athlete." We are definitely not going to dispute th

honorific after watching him finish the 1500m race, a grueling tenth event in two day

in fine form.

We did notice that Eaton was able to run away with the medal finishing first in on

three of the ten events. He finished as low as 22nd in others. Which just goes to sho

that true greatness is often found in consistent excellence across a variety of discipline

an insight that helped us to understand just why we call 1947's Out of the Past the grea

est Film Noir when there are so many other candidates said to typify the genre, so man

films that are quicker to the lips when others assemble their pantheon. It's so good at

many things, so watchable and balanced, that we never get tired of it. Let's see how

runs through the paces of the Film Noir Decathlon

1. Flashback

Out of the Past hinges on a central, 30-plus minute long flashbackthat most belove

narrative device of filmmakers untying the knotty plots favored by in noir. Flashback

in Film Noir have been said to interrupt traditional storytelling modes to complicate n
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tions of truth and falsehood. That's the story Jeff Bailey (Robert Mitchum), a small tow

gas station owner, stopped being Jeff Markham, private eye, takes some time to tell.

involves a job for gangster in search of the lover who robbed and shot him, and,

course, falling in love with said lover. 8/10

2. Femme FataleIf you are going to ruin your life for the sake ofl'amour fou, then it had better be with

fatally attractive, morally compromised anti-heroine. Jane Greer's turn as seductive mo

Kathie Moffat is irresistible, and her charisma turns out to be key to the story's plot, e

plaining both why the gangster wants her back and why Robert Mitchum's charact

falls for her against any common sense. Her introduction is unforgettable. 9/10

3. Style

Director Jacques Tourneur may be most known for RKO horror films whose resonanand quality belied their low budget, most famously 1942's Cat People. Like his oth

films, Out of the Past is an effortlessly pleasurable visual experience and full of shadow

compositions and dramatic lighting. Perhaps no scene in the film showcases this mo

than a climactic fistfight that casts shadows over the face of the observing Greer. 9/10

4. Crime

Kirk Douglas, who plays the film's charming antagonist, the gangster Whit Sterlin

may be the most optimistic character in the film. Douglas's charm imbues the would-bvillain with just enough sympathy. Ostensibly on the other side of the ledger, Priva

Eye Robert Mitchum is too wearied, compromised and self-deprecating to stand in f

the rule of law. It may be only those "Ultimate Babe Death Ray Energies" Mitchum rad

ated which keep us pulling for him. 8/10

5. Moral Ambiguity

Notions of right and wrong seem to be the only thing that always ends up as gray ar

in the starkly black and white world of noir. When the good guys and bad guys are thjumbled up, you can go gray trying to identify the film's moral center. Mitchum an

Tourneur somehow convey a humanism, fallen though it may be, that keep absolu

chaos at bay. It is telling that one of the best lines, delivered in response to Greer

femme fatale's protestations of her own innocence, was plucked to be the title

Mitchum's biography: Baby, I don't care.. 10/10
http://www.amazon.com/Robert-Mitchum-Baby-Dont-Care/dp/0312285434http://urbanhonking.com/isawthat/2012/07/31/thunder-road/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dn8EImlkRV8http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0034587/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6NXIIpmbUk


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6. Pessimism

Commonly and casually totted up to Americans' anxiety and suspicion following Wor

War II, the pessimism and fatalism of film noir is one of its most enduring traits. Out

the Past is truly a masterpiece of pessimism, teaching us such comforting lessons a

crime is in our nature, nobody (especially not those we love) is trustworthy and r

demption is impossible. 9/10

7. Dialogue

Crackling dialog is essential to victory in the Film Noir Decathlon, and Daniel Mainwa

ing's script, based on his own novel and some doctoring from, James M. Cain and Fran

Fenton, stands up to anything else from the period. There are too many examples

count, but here's a quick exchange between Mitchum's character and the former em

ployer whom he betrayed:

Bailey: "I didn't mean to hurt your feelings." Whit: "My feelings? About ten

years ago I hid them somewhere and haven't been able to find them." Bailey:

"Where'd you look?" Whit: "In my pocketbook."

Multiple entendres everywhere you want to look? Smooth as silk. 10/10

8. Ending

The only thing we care about not spoiling for you is the unforgettable ending. It ma

not be quite as unexpected as that ofKiss Me Deadly, say, but it packs quite the punc

Just not the one you would expect. 10/10

9. Voice-over

Out of the Past wouldn't be getting anywhere without Mitchum's syrupy voice-over gl

ing together the narrative seams. A perfect balance of sing-song and laconic reluctanc

no baritone ever did it better. The film only loses a point due to Tourneur's non-relianc

on the device when compared to other noir titles. 9/10

10. Intangibles

There are exemplars of genre and then there are the paragons which transcend them

Out of the Past ticks every check-box on your Film Noir scorecard while delivering e

during entertainment with great style. More than once, we have lent a DVD of the fil
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IksupwUvhq4


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to friends who did not know or believed they did not like classic movies. Nobody ha

ever come back to us with a negative review. A Film Noir that does everything it is su

posed to while still knocking the socks off even those who don't care a bit about sco

keeping, Out of the Past can't be beaten. 10/10

The final, completely 100 percent scientific score: 92. Sorry Double Indemnity, The MalteFalcon, and everybody else who tried for gold. Out of the Past is the greatest Film Noir

all.

Out of the Pastscreens for free at 8 p.m. on Monday August 13 at Transistor, 3819 N. Linco

Ave. It's also available via Netflix
https://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/Out_of_the_Past/60036713?locale=en-UShttp://www.transistorchicago.com/calendar/

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Out of the Past Wins the Film Noir Decathlon: Chicagoist