Noir Alley: Blast of Silence (1961) outro 20211219 by Eddie Muller shown on Dec 19, 2021 From TCM's Noir Alley (Saturdays at Midnight ET and Sunday 10am ET) hosted by the Czar of Noir, Eddie Muller.
I found this to be a haunting film. Even though low budget, it was very well done. The voice over by Lionel Stander (uncredited) is perfect ... with his gravelly NY accent (the NY accent of my childhood). Stander was from the Bronx and had career problems due to the blacklist. Also, nostalgic are the shots of a New York City long gone ...The City changed radically by mid-late 1960s... Some great scenes like the opening shot of Frankie arriving at the old Penn Station also the shots of Midtown during the 1959 holiday season and other neighborhoods. I remember as kid a number of the locations in the city as they existed then. I think the film was very well acted with very realistic scenes.
Thanks for this. Terrific film, and the early 60s NYC scenes are fascinating. Just on the off chance you haven't, you might want to check out the TV series 'Naked City' for more NYC locations from 1958-1963. Wonderful series for other reasons as well, like the writing, the acting, and the titles. I just watched an episode starring Christopher Walken (Season 4, Episode 17, when Walken was 20 years old!) titled "Robin Hood and Clarence Darrow, They Went Out with Bow and Arrow". Can you beat that?
Thanks for sharing this. Just watched my Criterion Collection DVD copy of this (got it 4 years ago in 2020, and the Blu-ray version only came out Dec 2023. I may upgrade, though the DVD looks pretty good, and there are no extra bonuses other than what was on the DVD). It’s a really interesting movie. And the ultra low budget somehow makes it even better. And one of the few V/O narrations that didn’t bug me. I actually liked it. And again, the fact that it’s in the 2nd person (and one of the only ones I have ever heard), somehow makes it better.
Thanks for the comment, but just to be clear, Eddie doesn't run this channel. He probably doesn't know it exists. But I hope you continue to enjoy his intros and outros as long as I'm able to post them.
I love the hat, but not the ending. Pre-dates GET CARTER by 10 years. Saw BLAST the first time app. 30 years ago and this was my 3rd viewing and it blasts more and more with each one. First I thought wtf, there ain't much happening, then I was mighty impressed some 10+ years later and now me thinks there is so much happening that a 4th viewing is needed to get all the details I just missed. A masterpiece, each viewing is unforgettable. Ad multos annos, Allen!
