Out Of The Past
A noir that is as tragic and poetic as anything Turneur did with Val Lewton. There's so much romanticism, and such a sad inevitability. Plus, so many great lines, from "there's a way of losing more slowly" right down to (obviously) "baby, I don't care".
The Big Sleep
Plenty dark, but Howard Hawk's gift for comedy and will to entertain make this one of the more glamourized noirs. Marlowe may be the put-upon, constantly-knocked-out loser figure that Altman's version focuses on, but he is also tough as nails, witty and (as was apparent even to a prepubescent DanielRoffle, watching the film with his dad) the envy of any man when it comes to his relationship with the ladies.
Black Narcissus
The Archer's colour explosion at its most manic, with a climax that I think prefigures the slasher genre way before Powell did Peeping Tom.
The Magnificent Ambersons
Call me a contrarian if you like, but despite this movie's standing as a compromised studio product, I find this a fitting sequel to Citizen Kane's meditations on power and camera angles.
Drunken Angel
A rare instance of Kurosawa giving you a real glimpse into the misery that post-war Japan (and its American friends) was doing its best to keep hidden. Very ahead of its time when you consider how popular a motif this would become in 60's Japanese cinema.
The Wolf Man
The most underrated of the Universal classics? Certainly it's the one that comes closest to Lewton-style melancholia. Speaking of whom...
The Body Snatcher
The Lewton films are (almost, not too fond of that leopard one) all great. I picked this one because I find it the best showcase for Karloff's acting skills.
They Live By Night
A simple, poetic summing up of Nicholas Ray's major themes. Which is odd, since it's a debut.
Brighton Rock
Ok, so it's obvious: most of what makes this movie great comes from the novel. But that ending shot, and Richard Attenborough proving himself the British James Cagney - you can't take that away from it.
The Maltese Falcon
Huston shared Hawk's preocuppation with constant entertainment, but Maltese Falcon feels far more distant from heroism than The Big Sleep to me. Props to that great character actor team, Peter Lorre and Sidney Greenstreet - and to yet another one of the great noir endings.