Saturday Matinee - The Blue Dahlia

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 It's been a while since I've written a Saturday matinee post but when I watched the film The Blue Dahlia (1946), written by Raymond Chandler and starring Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake I knew I had to share it with you. I loved this film so much, and even weeks after watching it I keep thinking back on it. The great thing is, you can watch online too here.

The Blue Dahlia is considered one of the original film noir movies. If you've never heard of the term before, film noir it refers to a particular style of movie, made popular in Hollywood in the 1930s and 1940s. Elements of this particular style include dark lighting aspects, a crime or mystery to be solved (they often included detectives or private investigators) and a moral lesson to be learnt. Post WWII films made also included some of the challenges that society faced after the end of the war. The Blue Dahlia does this rather poignantly through the scenes of the character Buzz Wanchek (William Bendix) who suffers acutely from what was then called shell-shock.

The sense of 'darkness' comes from themes that dwell on insecurity, fear, bleakness, paranoia and crime. The black and white filming of these movies highlight these elements very well and if, like me, you enjoy those sort of 'pulp' crime novels from the first half of the twentieth century then I'm sure you'll like this genre of film.

The Blue Dahlia deals with the character Johnny Morrison (Alan Ladd) returning home to his wife at the end of the Second World War.  His wife Helen (Doris Dowling) has been having an affair with nightclub owner Eddie Harwood (Howard Da Silva), who later ends the affair. Without giving too much away, Helen is murdered and Johnny is considered the number one suspect due to his wife's infidelity (it was hardly a secret at Cavendish Court where Mrs Morrison lived). Johnny goes on the run and crosses path with the beautiful Joyce Harwood (Veronica Lake) who happens to be Eddie Harwood's estranged wife. This isn't the only movie to star Ladd and Lake, who also appear together in other film noir movies such as This Gun For Hire and The Glass Key (which I hope to be watching soon!)

Although filmed in black and white, the costumes are gorgeous and I love watching the classy everyday wear of people in the forties. 

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The Blue Dahlia keeps you guessing until the end who killed Helen Morrison. There are a few surprise twists and there is a good amount of quick moving action to keep the story going. From what I've read, it's not as moody as some of the truly great film noir hits, but I thought it was a great one to get started with. 

Have you seen The Blue Dahlia or any other film noir movies? As a newbie to this, I'd love to hear any of your recommendations. Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend,