tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296479421292377391.post8238914628424915501..comments2024-03-15T04:08:16.172-04:00Comments on Only the Cinema: Films I Love #51: Detour (Edgar G. Ulmer, 1945)Ed Howardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18014222247676090467noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296479421292377391.post-57965070183169633122011-02-21T09:08:25.591-05:002011-02-21T09:08:25.591-05:00Thanks, John! Totally agreed.Thanks, John! Totally agreed.Ed Howardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18014222247676090467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296479421292377391.post-54544298382681998012011-02-20T17:42:14.698-05:002011-02-20T17:42:14.698-05:00"ragged poetry" -a perfect phrase to des..."ragged poetry" -a perfect phrase to describe Ulmer's great film. On the surface it should not work but with the touch of a poet it became a lesson in low budget filmmaking and artistry.Johnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01808503055317962289noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296479421292377391.post-41007865281626040352011-02-20T00:41:51.350-05:002011-02-20T00:41:51.350-05:00Drew, I'm with you on the grime only adding to...Drew, I'm with you on the grime only adding to the film's appeal; it's supposed to be grimy, not glossy at all. And at the same time you're also right that the film could stand up to frame-by-frame analysis. When every shot, every moment, seems so packed with energy and off-kilter beauty, it's hard to deny that Ulmer was barely constrained by his shoestring budgets and cheap Ed Howardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18014222247676090467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296479421292377391.post-28411718484106003232011-02-19T22:39:39.356-05:002011-02-19T22:39:39.356-05:00David--
I think Detour has become part of the com...David--<br /><br />I think Detour has become part of the common in more recent years, but at least when I was studying, there was a certain division between "A" noirs like Double Indemnity and "B" noirs like Detour. To me, this ranking should be switched because the low-grade, low-budget, gritty & nasty movies like this far outweigh films with A-list talent or a Sales on Filmhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11698385117210584275noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296479421292377391.post-897346519592474282011-02-19T19:12:31.254-05:002011-02-19T19:12:31.254-05:00I don't really have a ton to add to your great...I don't really have a ton to add to your great write-up here, Ed, and as has been noted there's already been a few really good pieces and ensuing discussions in the past week, which I've also enjoyed reading.<br /><br />This is quite simply one of my top 2-3 noirs of all time. It's so perfectly desperate, so bleak, so poetic in its rough-hewn aesthetics. It's one of those I Drew McIntoshhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07054307044280470117noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296479421292377391.post-25542013175945390732011-02-19T19:08:59.371-05:002011-02-19T19:08:59.371-05:00I've always thought of it as canonical. Not on...I've always thought of it as canonical. Not only in terms of noir but how to make an effective film with a budget of $1.25DavidEhrensteinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11016905507543736049noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296479421292377391.post-9923113565415783462011-02-19T17:34:29.159-05:002011-02-19T17:34:29.159-05:00Thanks, Kristen. I agree, it's really a prime ...Thanks, Kristen. I agree, it's really a prime example of what the noir is all about.Ed Howardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18014222247676090467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296479421292377391.post-39863300591645164722011-02-19T17:31:53.313-05:002011-02-19T17:31:53.313-05:00Love this movie and love how you write about it!
...Love this movie and love how you write about it!<br /><br />Detour is everything a noir should be and it pains me it's not more well-known as a canonical, exemplar film noir. I wish this was taught in classes more often than the standard Maltese Falcon/Double Indemnity combo.Sales on Filmhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11698385117210584275noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296479421292377391.post-1920762149330957492011-02-19T16:45:59.256-05:002011-02-19T16:45:59.256-05:00Sam, thanks for the kind words. I think you're...Sam, thanks for the kind words. I think you're right: seeing all these images from <i>Detour</i> confirms the roughshod poetry of the film far better than any of my verbiage could.<br /><br />Maurizio, yeah, that's the way I've always thought about the film, though it's left open enough that it can be read multiple ways. I'm glad your review prompted so much discussion of thisEd Howardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18014222247676090467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296479421292377391.post-71240472453680905182011-02-19T16:01:58.725-05:002011-02-19T16:01:58.725-05:00Fantastic film and writeup.
// Savage's per...Fantastic film and writeup. <br /><br />// Savage's performance is truly eviscerating; she looks at Roberts like he's prey, with her eyes wide, gritting her teeth, her eyebrows gesticulating wildly, her voice a cold hard rasp. //<br /><br />YES. Incredible performance, unforgettable.Sheila O'Malleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05859697259996394827noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296479421292377391.post-76871120430393548802011-02-19T14:53:48.501-05:002011-02-19T14:53:48.501-05:00Detour sure is the flavour of the season. Within a...Detour sure is the flavour of the season. Within a span of less than I week this movie has been covered by Maurizio Roca, John Greco & you!<br /><br />Despite the shoddy production values, the fatalism in the film was really something! And its that dose of fatalism (which is even poetic at times) that made this movie stay in my mind even though, all things considered, this is a flawed film itShubhajithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02040495040897333606noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296479421292377391.post-88988867179752594152011-02-19T14:33:21.873-05:002011-02-19T14:33:21.873-05:00Awesome screen caps Ed. The unreliable narrator an...Awesome screen caps Ed. The unreliable narrator angle is the most rewarding way to watch the film. It does give the proceedings additional seediness and darkness. I'm slowly buying into this belief. Great piece.....M.RocaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296479421292377391.post-59043922365537785812011-02-19T13:35:35.966-05:002011-02-19T13:35:35.966-05:00"Ulmer's a true poet of the noir: his ima..."Ulmer's a true poet of the noir: his images have an unsettling potency and startling emotional depths."<br /><br />I personally think it was an excellent idea to go with the "Films That I Love" capsule here as it allowed for a extravagently appropropriate screen cap display that made the case for the film especially persuasive, but it also provided the "capper" Sam Julianonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296479421292377391.post-53216793649867735412011-02-19T08:55:41.525-05:002011-02-19T08:55:41.525-05:00Hah! The coffee cup and the liquor bottle. Two sta...Hah! The coffee cup and the liquor bottle. Two staples of noir drinking.<br /><br />Thanks, Scott!Ed Howardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18014222247676090467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296479421292377391.post-21939206179110872232011-02-19T08:47:54.714-05:002011-02-19T08:47:54.714-05:00Those are some great screencaps.Those are some great screencaps.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296479421292377391.post-37142235214293056252011-02-19T08:34:50.173-05:002011-02-19T08:34:50.173-05:00That coffee cup deserves co-star billing.
So nic...That coffee cup deserves co-star billing.<br /><br /><br />So nice that Guy Maddin was able to give Ann Savage a last hurrah in <i>My Winnipeg</i> (2007)DavidEhrensteinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11016905507543736049noreply@blogger.com