I enjoy writing about lesser known films, BUT it’s time to discuss one of the foundational films noir, Out Of The Past. I’ve been reluctant to write about it because I’m uncertain if I have anything original to add but when did that ever stop me? It also didn’t stop Hollywood remaking this film noir classic in 1984 as Against All Odds. It’s a decent movie best known for this Phil Collins theme song:
Against All Odds was not only a remake, but it also stole the rolling around in the surf thing from another earlier and better film, From Here To Eternity.
As much as I love Jeff Bridges, walking in Robert Mitchum’s footsteps wasn’t easy and the remake lacked the freshness of the original. How could it be fresh? It was a remake. But the release of Against All Odds enhanced the reputation of Out Of The Past with the critics preferring the Mitchum-Greer-Douglas triangle to Bridges-Ward-Woods. Both sound like super groups a la CSN. Blind Faith, or I daresay, The Dukes Of September.
While we’re on the subject of Out Of The Past’s reputation, it benefited from the Seventies Mitchum revival. The big man became a star again. He even donned a fedora and trench coat to play Philip Marlowe in the splendid 1975 version of Farewell, My Lovely.
Enough about the influence and reputation of this marvelous film, let’s talk about the movie itself.
Out Of Past helped establish the grammar and look of film noir: The shadows, the femme fatale, the voice over narration, and the doomed protagonists. It shares some features with a movie I wrote about earlier in this space, the OG 1946 version of The Killers. Both movies are about a man hiding from his demons, which eventually catch up with them. Poor Burt. Poor Bob.
Out Of Past solidified Mitchum’s star status and gave Kirk Douglas his screen persona. The character of Whit Sterling established the template for Douglas’ roles in such classics as The Bad and the Beautiful and Ace In The Hole. I will eventually write about both movies in this space.
Jane Greer as femme fatale Kathie Moffatt is every bit as evil, conniving, and sexy as femmes fatales played by Barbara Stanwyck, Claire Trevor, and Ava Gardner. Greer also played a role in the aforementioned Against All Odds. Here’s Greer, Richard Widmark, and a view of Los Angeles.
In LA, it’s all about the view.
The chemistry between Greer and Mitchum lights up the screen as well as this production still:
I’ve hinted around about the plot, but I’ve gone as far as I’m willing to. Repeat after me: The name of this feature is pulp fiction, not pulp spoilers.
Out Of The Past benefits from the fine direction of Jacques Tourneur and the atmospheric cinematography of Nicholas Musuraca. They helped make the movie a stone cold classic about a stone cold femme fatale with one of the best endings in the annals of film noir.
Out Of The Past is based on the novel Build My Gallows High. Screenwriter Daniel Mainwaring wrote it under the pen name of Geoffrey Homes.
Grading Time: I give Out Of The Past 4 stars and an Adrastos Grade of A. It’s not only one of the greatest films noir, it’s one of the best movies of the Forties.
Now that I’ve finished this historiography of Out Of The Past, let’s take this feature back to its roots and talk posters.
We have two quads, which qualify as variations on a film noir theme. The second one has a swell tagline:
I’m not sure whether this quad poster with the OG title is period or not, but I dig it anyway.
Now we’ve finished building the gallows, let’s all go to the lobby:
The lobby cards for Out Of The Past are highly stylized reflecting the nature of the movie. They’re also in color for one of the ultimate black and white movies.
Let’s exit the lobby and hop aboard the trailer.
Eddie Muller’s Noir Alley intro and outro don’t get the last word this week, but he’s still the Noir Czar as far as I’m concerned.
The last word goes to Eddie’s frenemy Ben Mankiewicz and director Brad Bird who discussed Out Of The Past as one of TCM’s essential movies:
