The Noir Collective hosts a watch party for The Big Combo
The Noir Collective teamed with Fright Club to host a watch party for Joseph H. Lewis's The Big Combo (1955), putting John Alton's high-contrast cinematography front and center. Viewers and hosts highlighted Cornel Wilde's cop, Richard Conte's mob boss, Jean Wallace's reported role in shortening the original title from "The Big Combination," Lee Van Cleef's supporting turn, and David Raksin's memorable score. Participants argued the film matters because Alton's lighting and Raksin's jazz-tinged theme helped define postwar noir aesthetics and influenced later filmmakers such as Quentin Tarantino, making the screening a focused reappraisal of technical craft in a midcentury crime film.
ONE HOUR till #TheNoirCollective watch party of THE BIG COMBO. This is one of my favorites, so I’m thrilled to be cohosting, and doubly thrilled to be joined by the brilliant & endlessly entertaining @ctmillion.bsky.social. Link to watch: archive.org/details/the-... Use hashtag #TheNoirCollective
Tommy Krasker11In 1955, Allied Artists – fearing #TheBigCombo was too controversial – let it die, pulling it after just two weeks. In the ‘70s, it was rediscovered, and hailed by Cahiers du Cinéma as “a masterpiece of noir.” Today it’s studied in film schools and analyzed in academic journals. #TheNoirCollective
LadyKdesigns2So excited! One of my favorites 🤗💯 #TheNoirCollective
Posters for “The Big Combo” AKA “The Criminal” AKA “Crime Genius” (1955) from The USA, Germany and Italy. #TheNoirCollective #TheBigCombo #FilmNoir
Dr. Dani Sanchez, MFA, PhD (She/Her/They/Them)11This week’s leading men for #TheNoirCollective are Cornel Wilde, Richard Conte and Brian Donlevy #TheBigCombo #CornelWilde #RichardConte #BrianDonlevy #FilmNoir
DBjorkCA 🇨🇦🇺🇦🇸🇪🏴4And my vote for this week’s best movie poster goes to…Germany! #TheNoirCollective
