Iconic Films

 Nightmare Alley

Movie Nights

Film Noir

This film noir movie is about a fairground fortune teller, and shows a side of us, that we cannot avoid.

The story is about how people are judged by their appearance.

I have both version of the film, the 1947 version with Tyrone Power, and the 2021 remake with Cate Blanchett.

The basic storyline is most fortune tellers have a "mark" in the crowd, a person chosen by the teller for the show.

The film is about not breaking rhe Golden Rule of doing a cold call, making a judgement on someone you met a few minutes ago. How many of us do that?

You see a person approaching, and try to judge them, a soft hand means they don't do manual work, a firm handshake usually means a strong personality. NIce clothes means they are paid well, or have money. 

When I was working for Bristol Museum, I met a man who slept on the doorstep of Blaise Castle Musuem, at first glance he didn't look like a typical down-and-out, it turned out a year earlier he had a well-paid job, a wife, and a family. Then things went from bad to worse.

He lost his job, his car, and the wages. After struggling for months, his wife left him, and he lost the house they had lived in. So, he'd gone from running a business to living on handouts in only a year.

I got to know a young lady who had chosen to live on the "fringe" as she found regular life too stressful. She was attractive, polite, friendly, and loving, she had two dogs which were well-fed. One Boxing Day, I went to give her some food, but she'd gone.

The Blue Dahlia

Alan Ladd

Tonight's Iconic film is going to The Blue Dahlia with Alan Ladd, Veronica Lake, and William Bendix. The story is one similar to what many G.I.'s found after returning home from WW2, their wives had been having affairs while they were away. In some ways, you cannot blame the lady, as she didn't know if her husband would return, or how long he'd be away, many men came back and couldn't adjust to civilian life after the war.

Hold your man

Jean Harlow

This Jean Harlow and Clark Gable movie is about a lady sent to reformatory, after her boyfriend kills a man in a robbery that goes wrong.

Film Noir evenings

Why do I enjoy Film Noir?

The Pat Canella Story

One of the things Clara talked me into believing was that we could enjoy some Film Noir together on an evening.

It didn't take me long to realise, she wasn't making suggestions, but going with my ideas, such as visiting Slimbridge.

Anyway, she is behind me now, though she did contact the blog last night, my reply was polite, but uninviting.

She may thibk she can get back on my good side, but I have moved on. I am not broken-hearted, I was prepared to leave her over a month ago; I was tired of her lies.

I didn't intend to find a mature lady friend, again but I did

An evening with Svitlana

 My birthday present

                                                Film Noir evenings

Meeting Svitlana

The ideal birthday present for me, would be a sleepover with my friend, Svitlana, she has suggested it, not at my request. As Svitlana mentioned the subject, it is her choice to ask. I will not raise the subject again, if she raises the subject we can discuss how to go forward. I will be happy to spend the day with her, and return to Bristol with happy memories. All this is a long way off, as my birthday isn't until October