Film Noir, de Carly Simon

Carly Simon. Film Noir. Madrid: BMG Ariola, 1997 [CD]

For many, film noir now defines movies at their essence. What is the power of this very special group of films that continues to excite new viewers every year?

First of all, film noir was a spontaneous burst of creativity generated by the disenchanted mood of post-war America, and that accounts for its freshness and vigor. In addition, many noirs were made by either European immigrants who left their home countries under difficult and in some cases dangerous circumstances, or native-born Americans with a unique and alienated vision of their home country. The uniformly high level of artistry in noir was possible because of the extraodinary concentration of individual talent and moral urgency behind the camera.

And film noir brought a new type of hero, or anti-hero, to the screen: a decent but weak-willed man plunged by fate into a dead-end intrigue that he either can't or doesn't want to understand. Such characters, who could only be played by post-war actors like Robert Mitchum, Burt Lancaster or Kirk Douglas, were often coaxed into their nightmares by femmes fatales played by actresses like Lauren Bacall and Rita Hayworth, both of whom had a profound effect on me as a child. Watching Bacall in her first films was entrancing --her sinuous movement was like rustling black silk. And Rita Hayworth in Gilda left a permanent impression on me-- as I'm sure it did on every young male who saw it at the right moment.

Films noirs are also beautiful to look at. The chiaroscuro interiors of Crossfire or the sun-dappled landscapes of Out of the Past are all cut from the same cloth: elegant yet comfortable, as though a malignant force could jump from the shadows at any moment. But most of all, there is something absolutely contemporary about film noir that speaks directly to modern audiences. I'm not sure what that says about modern society, but I know that it's true.

In this beautiful collection of songs so redolent of the mood of the genre. Carly Simon displays a true feel for the music nut also for the texture of these films and their moment in history. Her immaculately arranged interpretations of standards like "Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye", "Last Night When We Were Young" and "Somewhere in the Night" --and, in the case of the beautiful "Spring Will Be a Little Late This Year" by the great Frank Loesser (originally sung by Deanna Durbin in Robert Siodmak's Christmas Holiday), a not-so-standard-are respectful of their historical origins but at the same time possess a completely contemporary aura. As she sings the title song from Otto Preminger's Laura you can feel the vital connection between now and the time when these glorious, tragic films were made, as well as her own real love for that time-obviously the motivation behind the affectionate tribute of the title song that she co-wrote with the great Jimmy Webb.

Film noir is a shining moment in film history, no matter how much genuine despair and tragedy crept into its images. In this lovely collection, Carly Simon pays tribute to every-thing that is lasting in these movies that continue to haunt our imaginations fifty years after they were made.

Martin Scorsese

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