CMBA profiles one member every month. This month's interview is with Danilo Castro who runs Film Noir Archuve.
Danilo blogs and writes regularly and I do mean regularly! Not only does he run Film Noir Archive where you can travel the dark mean streets of noir, he also runs Danilo Writes and is a contributor to The Classic Movie Hub, Pop Matters, Screen Rant and more.
Danilo blogs and writes regularly and I do mean regularly! Not only does he run Film Noir Archive where you can travel the dark mean streets of noir, he also runs Danilo Writes and is a contributor to The Classic Movie Hub, Pop Matters, Screen Rant and more.
What sparked your interest in classic film?
It was
a combination of my grandparents and my dad. My grandparents introduced me to
Abbott & Costello from an early age, particularly their monster movies, and
I've been hooked ever since. I can't even tell you how many times I watched
"Abbott & Costello Meet the Invisible Man." My dad has always
been a huge fan of Humphrey Bogart, so the film noir side, the side that
appreciates stuff like "High Sierra" or "The Maltese
Falcon" definitely comes from him. He succeeded in convincing me that
nobody is cooler than Bogie.
I
didn't understand a lot of what was going on as a kid, but the sense of magic,
of movie stars saying memorable lines while looking like a million bucks, is a
language that communicates to everyone. It's why, decades later, these films
remain the benchmark for what we consider to be classic.
You’re a monthly contributor to the Classic
Movie Hub blog which several of our fellow members also contribute. Your column
specializes in Film Noir. What attracted you to the dark world of noir?
It's
funny because, like most people, I didn't know what a film noir was the first
time I saw one. I just thought "The Maltese Falcon" was a killer
movie with some clever dialogue. Eventually, through movies like "Double
Indemnity" and "The Killers", I began to realize that there was
a style, and that the style was known as "film noir."
I think
everyone is enticed by the dark side of human nature, and for me, film noir is
the perfect summation of that darkness. It is the most seductive kind of
viewing. Women act like devils and are made to look up like angels. Men fake
honor and shoot each other in the back when the other isn't looking. Nobody is
innocent, and nobody gets away clean. Sure, I see stories get recycled, and I
could list off dozens of clichés, but I never get bored watching them.
To someone not familiar with Film Noir what
films would you recommend, and would you tell us some of your favorites.
I'd
start with "Out of the Past." It has everything (the flashbacks, the
narrative, the private detective) that you could want from a film noir and then
some. Then you can break them down into niche categories. For romance noir, I'd
say "The Postman Always Rings Twice", for detective noir I'd say
"The Maltese Falcon", and for heist noir, I'd say "The
Killing."
It's
always hard to narrow down favorites, but here are five that never get old for
me and why:
-
"Scarlet Street" (maybe the biggest downer in film noir history)
-
"Kiss Me Deadly" (extreme to the point of parody, and an ending like
no other)
-
"Night and the City" (captures the desperation of the con man
perfectly)
-
"Dark Passage" (underrated Bogart flick, beautiful San Francisco
scenery)
-
"Murder, My Sweet" (probably the most authentic of the pulp
adaptations)
What other film genre(s) do you favor?
I've
yet to watch a screwball comedy that I didn't love. They put modern rom-coms to
shame, especially when you're talking about classics like "My Man
Godfrey", "The Awful Truth" or "What's Up, Doc?." Even
the lesser-known ones. I watched a film on TCM called "The Ex-Mrs.
Bradford", starring William Powell and Jean Arthur, and it had me in
stitches. I also have a soft spot for the ones that tow the line between comedy
and mystery, like "The Thin Man" or the Charlie Chan films with
Sidney Toler.
What is your “go to” film when you need
something to lift up your spirits?
"Murder
by Death" always puts me in a good mood. Its a parody of the whodunit
genre, and the great Neil Simon comes up with some of the funniest situational
gags I've ever seen on film. Just thinking about it makes me want to laugh. The
cast is terrific (Peter Sellers, Truman Capote, Peter Falk, Maggie Smith, etc)
and if anyone watches it and likes it, there's a companion film, "The
Cheap Detective", that will also hit the spot.
What makes a film "classic" in your
opinion?
Whenever
I read other CMBA profiles, the answer to this question has always been
interesting. There's no surefire way to define a classic, but I'd say a classic
is a film that stands the test of time through iconic moments and quotes. Films
like "Casablanca", "Lawrence of Arabia" and "Star
Wars" are classic because we can still quote them today, or dress up like
one of their characters. They are part of the pop culture landscape. Everyone
has their favorites, including me, but when we can all make and understand the
same reference, thats a sign the film in question is here to stay.
What film(s) considered a classic do you
absolutely hate?
There
are a handful of Stanley Kubrick films that I cannot stand. While his earlier
works ("The Killing", "Paths of Glory") are rightfully
considered classics, the films he put out after that are, to me, at least,
mercilessly boring. I specifically mean "Lolita", "A Clockwork
Orange", and "Barry Lyndon", the latter of which I watched
during a college course and still couldn't appreciate. Kubrick was a brilliant
technician, but too often it felt like he sacrificed the emotion of his
characters for the visuals.
Do you have interest in other pop culture
arts?
I'm a
huge fan of classic rock music, particularly during the 1960s. When I'm not
watching or writing on classic film, the odds are I'm listening to classics
from The Beach Boys, The Byrds, and, of course, The Beatles. I've gotten a
chance to write retrospectives on some of my favorite albums, like The Beach
Boys' "Pet Sounds", but I'd definitely like to do more in the future!
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