Dark Frames

After emerging victorious from the horrors of World War II, the U.S. eagerly pushed into a new era of optimism, hope, and success. But the shadowy and cigarette-stained B-side to the bright, shiny America emerged: the film noir. Made for cheap, these dark tales scratched at a different society, filled with twisted psyches and sinister motives. Filmmaker Tom Thurman teams up with film critic and narrator David Thomson to weave together a hypnotic collage of a dark world that influences our national identity to this day.

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Cover Up

Cover Up

1949

Witness to Murder

Witness to Murder

1954

Illegal Entry

Illegal Entry

1949

Ruthless

Ruthless

1948

5 Against the House

5 Against the House

1955

City of Fear

City of Fear

1959

The Breaking Point

The Breaking Point

1950

Alias Nick Beal

Alias Nick Beal

1949

Apology for Murder

Apology for Murder

1945

Backfire

Backfire

1950

The House Across the Lake

The House Across the Lake

1954

The Strange Woman

The Strange Woman

1946

Rest Stop

Rest Stop

2004

Hangover Square

Hangover Square

1945

Obsession

Obsession

1949

A Cry in the Night

A Cry in the Night

1956

Beyond the Forest

Beyond the Forest

1949

Cry Vengeance

Cry Vengeance

1954

Crime Against Joe

Crime Against Joe

1956

The Clay Pigeon

The Clay Pigeon

1949