Top 30 Highest Rated Film Noir of 1946

Film noir, noted for its dark visual style, takes place primarily, but not exclusively, within the generic complex of the American crime film of the forties and fifties. The term was first introduced by French cineaste Nino Frank in 1946. Here is a selection of some of the best film noir released in the year 1946. Total ratings for the 30 films = 213.5 (out of 300) an average of 7.11 out of 10.
Three books were useful when selecting films for this video series - "Dark City - Film Noir" by Spencer Selby, "Film Noir Guide" by Michael F. Keaney, and "Film Noir - An Encyclopedic Reference to the American Style" by Alain Silver and Elizabeth Ward.
Ratings Average sources include IMDB, Rotten Tomatoes, Radio Times, FilmAffinity, Letterboxd, TMDB, Videohound, Maltin's Movie Guide and Halliwell's Film Guide.
Music by Holst - The Planets - Mars
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Pedro Versus the World by Jingle Punks
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Galactic Damages by Jingle Punks

[@walterappling6230]

More terrific directors and some great stars at the beginnings of their careers. Vincente Minnelli directs a noir film. Henry Hathaway directs Lucy. Fun. The Big Sleep is up where it belongs despite its incomprehensible plot (to get Bacall more screen time with Bogey and tone down some elements in the book). Several here that I haven’t seen which look interesting.

[@Top10Charts3978]

Hi Walter, even Raymond Chandler couldn't help the writers on that film, "While working on the script for The Big Sleep writers William Faulkner and Leigh Brackett couldn't figure out from the novel who murdered a particular character. So they phoned Raymond Chandler, who angrily told them the answer was right there in his book. They shrugged and returned to their work. Chandler soon phoned to say that he looked at the book himself and couldn't figure out who killed the character, so he left it up to them to decide." :)

[@walterappling6230]

@@Top10Charts3978 That’s a great story. Chandler worked on the screenplay for Double Indemnity so maybe he was unhappy at not being hired to do The Big Sleep. Or maybe he saw how unworkable it would be if he had to have Vivian as a love interest and keep her on the screen. Vivian isn’t even mentioned in the book from the time Harry Jones is introduced until everything is done and Marlowe is telling Vivian that he knows exactly what happened to Rusty Regan, at the very end. The screenwriters had to put Vivian with Eddie Mars’ wife at the hideout for no reason at all and then completely change the ending action and motivation after the shootout at the hideout to keep Bogey and Baby together. I doubt that 1946 audiences were ready for Dorothy Malone to be a psychotic killer and for Bacall to be a schemer being blackmailed for a terrible secret crime. I think all the killings are accounted for. Only Geiger’s could be ambiguous and Marlowe tells Vivian that the chauffeur did that. But I pulled my copy off the bookcase and I’ll read it again to be sure. Chandler is always enjoyable.

[@Top10Charts3978]

They remade The Big Sleep with Robert Mitchum in the 70s, but from what I remember it wasn't a good film. But I did enjoy Mitchum as Marlowe, especially in Farewell My Lovely.

[@walterappling6230]

@@Top10Charts3978 Agreed. Mitchum was made for noir from the beginning of his career to the end. Saw a review for Farewell My Lovely that said Mitchum was “an older, tireder, and much heavier Marlowe” - exactly right.

[@lorenzobeckmann3736]

what a year; what a year for noir!

[@mikebarratt4802]

I have seen 9 film noirs from 1946 the dark mirror the stranger the blue dahlia the strange love of Martha lvers Gilda the postman always ring twice the killers the big sleep and notorious

[@Top10Charts3978]

Your tally beats mine, I've only seen 6 from 1946. My two favorites are The Big Sleep and Notorious.

[@jakebender9355]

A Great year is right. But I think the Big Sleep is the Best, by a little.

[@sexydirrtymoney]

I never understood the big deal about "The Big Sleep"....IMO, the best Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall collab is "Dark Passage" 🤷‍♂

[@jakebender9355]

The "Big Sleep" is the whole package.