There is a parody of this sort of scene in Altman's "The Player" (a scene being shot on a set). "Detour" has a couple of crummy hotel room scenes, but I don't recall the soundtrack. Chris Ames > -----Original Message----- > From: [log in to unmask] [SMTP:[log in to unmask]] > Sent: Friday, November 12, 1999 9:14 AM > To: [log in to unmask] > Subject: QUERY: Iconic Noir Moments > > [please forgive cross-posting] > > > help . . . i'm trapped in a generational bog and need help > to extricate myself . . . in talking about film noir to an intro > to film class i tried to evoke recognition by alluding to > an almost archetypal noir moment: > > a single guy, perhaps wearing a trenchcoat, in a > crummy hotel room alone at night; the hotel's neon > sign is just outside his window blinking on and off, the > light shining on him through the venetian blinds in the > window; outside it is of course raining; on the > soundtrack either a wailing saxophone and/or a voice > over narration talking, saying something bitter and > cynical on the order of "everything seemed to be > swell, until . . ." > > this iconic moment, so often parodied, seems indelibly > impressed on my [our?] cinematic memories, but to most > of my students it rang absolutely no bells . . . some recognized > one or another detail, but the package as a whole meant > nothing [and many of them didn't even know what a saxophone > was] . . . so i determined to find one or two moments from > classic noirs that i could show them and that would give > them this useful touchstone . . . but then, to my chagrin, i > discovered that i could not off the top of my head think of > a single moment in any film that really represented this > scene . . . i could come up with lots of sequences that > had one or two of the elements, but not a single one that > gave me the whole package . . . > > is it possible that there are no such moments? . . . that in > fact this is just a parodic pastiche of elements that never > in the original films came together in quite this way? . . . i really > hope not . . . . . . so i'm asking for references to sequences > in films, preferably [but not necessarily] films of the forties > and fifties, that embody all [or at least most] of these elements . . . > > all suggestions will be very much appreciated . . . thanks > > mike frank > > ---- > Screen-L is sponsored by the Telecommunication & Film Dept., the > University of Alabama: http://www.tcf.ua.edu ---- Screen-L is sponsored by the Telecommunication & Film Dept., the University of Alabama: http://www.tcf.ua.edu