Film noir... The very phrase sounds dark, dusty, smoky, seductive... It is French for “black film,” and it evokes images of hard-boiled detectives in trench coats smoking a cigarette in a rain-soaked alley, or of a sexy femme fatale in a slinky dress you just know
is red, even though the image on the screen is in shades of gray. The world of noir is a hard world where sh*t goes down under cover of night, on abandoned wharfs or in old warehouses while a smoky saxophone sets the mood. Romantic is really the only word for it – but it is a dingy romance, meant only for those who can handle the gritty realities of life underneath the surface of the bright shiny facades presented by the world.
Tonight – Friday night – the Louisville Film Society presents a special screening of the locally-produced film
Writing the Big One.
It tells the story of author H.W. Reed, formerly renowned for his children's books but looking to write a real novel. Desperate for inspiration, he turns to the film noir channel, and suddenly finds himself living the life he is trying to portray.
Writing the Big One
is the most recent effort by Matthew Rivera and Evan Sennett, whose short film
The Executive
– an homage to the silent films of Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton – screened with much acclaim at this year's Flyover Film Festival. Their love of classic cinema emerged with the viewing of such films as
Dr. Strangelove, Casablanca, Citizen Kane,
and silent films, among others.
Writing the Big One
screens tonight at 8:00 the Dreamland Film Center, with cost of admission a suggested donation of $5. The Dreamland Film Center is located at 810 E. Market Street. It's doubtful the world is actually going to end today, so come out to support local film instead of cowering at home in your basement.
Image: LFS press release
