Out of the Past

Out of the Past, 1947
Director: Jacques Tourneur
97’, English, Black & White

Cinema history is overflowing with men who are following femme fatales blindly, but very few of them are prepared to handle the consequences like Jeff Bailey (Robert Mitchum). Bailey is honest enough to take pleasure in being tricked and cold blooded enough to stay calm when trapped. When he gets a beating, all he does is to get up and brush off his jacket. This is exactly why he is chosen as a target. The movie is a film noir classic with self-conscious lines full of double entendre.

Past Programs
Robert Mitchum and the Birth of Cool
January 8–31, 2009