Film Noir Titles Missing From Netflix

This is a guest post by Michael Ravnitzky, with titles suggested by Katherine Brosnan.

Regrettably, many classic Film Noir movies are not currently available on Netflix.  

While a few of the films identified below are available on DVD (in unrestored and unremastered form), many are not. 

Want to learn more about the amazing world of film noir? 

Check out the website for the Film Noir Foundation (http://www.filmnoirfoundation.org) and their newsletter (http://www.noircity.com).  The Foundation was established to find and preserve classic films noir, and to serve as an educational resource regarding significance of film noir.  It has just published a collection of the best of the FNF newsletter for the years 2006-2008 called Annual #1. 

Also worthwhile are these great books: 

• The Noir Style by Alain Silver and James Ursini;
• The Dark Side of the Screen:  Film Noir by Foster Hirsch (get the expanded edition published in 2008); and
• Dark City:  The Lost World of Film Noir by Eddie Muller.

And watch for the publication in April 2010 of the book Film Noir: The Encyclopedia, by Alain Silver, Elizabeth Ward, James Ursini and Robert Porfirio.

Here’s some of the titles missing from Netflix:

Dust be My Destiny (1939) – Directed by Lewis Seiler, with John Garfield, Alan Hale

Castle on the Hudson (1940) – Directed by Anatole Litvak, with John Garfield, Ann Sheridan, Pat O’Brien, Burgess Meredith

East of the River (1940) – Directed by Alfred E. Green, with John Garfield

Stranger on the Third Floor (1940) – Directed by Boris Ingster, with Peter Lorre, John McGuire, Charles Waldron, Elisha Cook, Jr.

Dr Broadway (1942) – Directed by Anthony Mann, with Macdonald Carey, Jean Phillips

Christmas Holiday (1944) – Directed by Robert Siodmak, with Deanna Durbin, Gene Kelly

Phantom Lady (1944) – Directed by Robert Siodmak, with Ella Raines, Franchot Tone, Elisha Cook Jr., Alan Curtis

Inside Job (1946) – Directed by Jean Yarbrough, with Preston Foster, Ann Rutherford, Alan Curtis

The Guilty (1947) – Directed by John Reinhardt, with Bonita Granville

Time Out of Mind (1947) – Directed by Robert Siodmak, with Phyllis Calvert, Robert Hutton, Ella Raines, Eddi Albert, Leo G. Carroll

Night has a Thousand Eyes (1948) – Directed by John Farrow, with Edward G. Robinson, Gail Russell, John Lund, Virginia Bruce, William Demarest

Raw Deal (1948) -  Directed by Anthony Mann, with Claire Trevor, Raymond Burr

The Breaking Point (1950) – Directed by Michael Curtis, with John Garfield, Patricia Neal

Dark City (1950) – Directed by William Dieterle, with Charlton Heston, Lizabeth Scott, Dean Jagger, Jack Webb, Ed Begley, Harry Morgan

Edge of Doom (1950) – Directed by Mark Robson, with Dana Andrews, Farley Granger

The Killer that Stalked New York (1950) – Directed by Earl McEvoy, with Evelyn Keyes, Charles Korvin, Dorothy Malone

The Sound of Fury (1950) – Directed by Cy Endfield, with Frank Lovejoy, Kathleen Ryan, Richard Carlson, Lloyd Bridges

The Prowler (1951) – Directed by Joseph Losey, with Van Heflin, Evelyn Keyes

Do you know of any other film noir titles that are missing from Netflix?

Comments

[Dalia]

I'm embarrassed to say I've never heard of any of these movies. I'd like to check them out when and if they ever become available but my queue is filled with other cool movies for now.

[Lance Moody]

In the another thread, I complained about how Netflix is not currently carrying the newly restored Blu-Ray version of Gone With the Wind. Several people commented that there would be no interest in this film. This article likely goes right over the heads of those same people.

[Kimberly]

Noir is half of what I rent on Netflix. Which is why I get really angry when once in a blue moon, I want a new release, and it has a Wait. I have been disappointed with Netflix's noir collection, as I've already seen many of what they offer. It would be great if they could get more.

[Lisa]

How about a list of some great Film Noir titles that Netflix DOES have? I'd like to check out some because it's a type of film I don't usually watch....any recommendations?

[Seth]

I'm confused.

Isn't this article really "Film Noir Titles Missing From DVD?

I don't understand what Netflix has to do with the fact that these titles are not on DVD.

[Peter]

Raw Deal is one of my favorite noirs, and it's avaiable on dvd, so it is a shame that Netflix doesn't stock it, but the bigger issue with noir and dvd is that a lot of films on this list that are on DVD were put out by small public domain releasing companies that Netflix doesn't purchase from. Noir as a genre has been marginalized by it's copywrite status so even great movies like Phantom Lady can only be seen in awful VHS->DVD transfers on these awful $5 dvds "deals."

[The Barnesyard]

"The 3rd Voice" with Edmond O'Brien. I saw it at the Film Noir Festival in San Francisco last year, and it's fucking brilliant.

[Michael Ravnitzky]

Interested in finding suggestions for great film noir? You can find various listings of best films noir by searching the internet for the phrase "best film noir" or "best films noir".

This description below from filmnoirfoundation.org may help explain the context. Interest from Netflix subscribers can help make these films available again.

"The Film Noir Foundation is a non-profit public benefit corporation created as an educational resource regarding the cultural, historical, and artistic significance of film noir as an original American cinematic movement. It is our mission to find and preserve films in danger of being lost or irreparably damaged, and to ensure that high quality prints of these classic films remain in circulation for theatrical exhibition to future generations.

That's the high-toned legalese. Here are the facts: Even as the high-tech revolution lets us own vast film libraries on DVD, the risk grows greater all the time that 35mm prints of some films will fall into disuse and eventually disintegrate—especially lesser-known titles that have slipped through the cultural cracks, but are worthy of rediscovery.

As a focal point of the classic film noir revival, the Foundation serves as a conduit between film companies and repertory cinemas still eager to screen these films in 35mm. Revenues generated by ticket sales encourage studios film archives to strike new prints of films that are at risk of disappearing from public view, either through neglect or scarcity.

Once these films are unearthed and returned to circulation, the chances exponentially increase that they will be reissued on DVD, available in pristine, affordable form for future generations of film-lovers."

[Brian]

the biggest ommision from the "not on DVD" list is obviously Disney's Song of the South....

[Chris]

Another way to see these is just to check up on the listings for Turner Classic Movies since they air a ton of Film Noir that have not been released on DVD yet quite often, it's one of the few channels that is actually worth paying for cable.

[Davis Freeberg]

The funny part is that Netflix own the domain filmnoirflix.com

[The Professor]

Yes, this is an odd post. All of the those films (except Raw Deal) are unavailable on DVD -- Including dozens and dozens more. Netflix can't have them if they aren't available. The first few films in the list aren't even noirs. I'd put a link to one of my Netflix noir lists in for the person who asked for recommendations, but since Netflix lists film noir as a subcategory one can easily look for themselves.

[a]

Noir newbies should try Double Indemnity, The Postman Always Rings Twice, Strangers on a Train, and The Maltese Falcon.

[Fred]

If Netflix is paying attention, please add some of these at least. These old films is why I like Netflix.

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nterested in finding suggestions for great film noir? You can find various listings of best films noir by searching the internet for the phrase "best film noir" or "best films noir".

This description below from filmnoirfoundation.org may help explain the context. Interest from Netflix subscribers can help make these films available again.

"The Film Noir Foundation is a non-profit public benefit corporation created as an educational resource regarding the cultural, historical, and artistic significance of film noir as an original American cinematic movement. It is our mission to find and preserve films in danger of being lost or irreparably damaged, and to ensure that high quality prints of these classic films remain in circulation for theatrical exhibition to future generations.

That's the high-toned legalese. Here are the facts: Even as the high-tech revolution lets us own vast film libraries on DVD, the risk grows greater all the time that 35mm prints of some films will fall into disuse and eventually disintegrate—especially lesser-known titles that have slipped through the cultural cracks, but are worthy of rediscovery.

As a focal point of the classic film noir revival, the Foundation serves as a conduit between film companies and repertory cinemas still eager to screen these films in 35mm. Revenues generated by ticket sales encourage studios film archives to strike new prints of films that are at risk of disappearing from public view, either through neglect or scarcity.

Once these films are unearthed and returned to circulation, the chances exponentially increase that they will be reissued on DVD, available in pristine, affordable form for future generations of film-lovers."
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[Ed]

I'm a Instant Watch member. Why can't I see what Film Noir titles Netflix DOES have available? Isn't that just stupid marketing by Netflix?? I'd be way more likely to upgrade if I could actually SEE what I might be missing. Incredible.