THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW / MURDER, MY SWEET

ABOUT THE EVENT:

7:00pm | Introduction by Eddie Muller

7:10pm | THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW

9:00pm | Intermission

9:10pm | Introduction by Alan K. Rode

9:20pm | MURDER, MY SWEET

Start times are approximate.

ABOUT THE FILMS:

THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW, Dir. Fritz Lang, 107 Min, Park Circus, USA

Originally released November 3, 1944

Another 1944 film crucial to the development of film noir, this critically lauded suspenser stars Edward G. Robinson as a middle-aged husband whose accidental meeting with a gorgeous femme fatale (Joan Bennett) leads to murder, blackmail, and suicide. Fritz Lang’s clever direction and the vivid performances of the leads—including Dan Duryea’s sinister dandy (the first appearance of what would become his archetypal noir character)—made this a big hit, although its lone Oscar nod was for the terrific score by Hugo Friedhofer and Arthur Lange. Robinson’s transition from snarling tough guy to timid milquetoast marked a significant shift in his career, leading to many more appearances in noir.

FORMAT: 35mm

Preserved by the Library of Congress

MURDER, MY SWEET, Dir. Edward Dmytryk, 95 Min, Park Circus, USA

Originally released Dec 9, 1944

Philip Marlowe, the quintessential L.A. private eye, searches for an ex-con’s girlfriend, but, as always, winds up swimming in deceit and double-crosses, all of it washing up at a lavish Malibu beach house. A brilliant studio-lot evocation of Raymond Chandler’s favorite corrupt city, featuring former hoofer Dick Powell in a career-transforming turn as Marlowe, and tempting Claire Trevor as the fabulous femme fatale, a role that re-vamped her career and set the template for so many vixens to come. Featuring a vivid supporting cast, MURDER, MY SWEET earns plenty of votes as the best adaptation ever of a Chandler novel.

FORMAT: 35mm