NOVEMBER 2025 ROUND-UP
TOTAL FILMS SEEN IN NOVEMBER / NOIRVEMBER: 8
(see the film posters at the bottom of the post, arranged in watching order)
NEW-TO-ME: 8
REWATCHES: 0
SILENT FILMS: 1
FILM NOIRS: 5
Ann Sheridan
The end of October proved to be a fruitful conclusion of the month, classic-movie-wise. I watched 8 films in the span of a week. In order to keep the momentum and because I craved watching more classics and film noirs, I started watching the classics in November enthusiastically. Yet ultimately the total amount of films I watched was disappointing. I had a lot of noirs on my watchlist, but in the end I only watched 5. And 8 films in total.
Now let's move on to my list of watched films this month!
NOTE: Read notes with caution as they might contain spoilers; with ratings going from ½ to ★★★★★ and watched date.
With director Robert Siodmak at the helm (well-known noir director of acclaimed titles like The Killers, Criss Cross, The Spiral Staircase and Phantom Lady), THE STRANGE AFFAIR OF UNCLE HARRY (Universal, 1945) is not one of his best but I enjoyed it. George Sanders (right — in a rather dull performance) plays a shy fabric designer, living together with his two sisters Geraldine Fitzgerald and Moyna MacGill (mother of Angela Lansbury). Fitzgerald has repressed incestuous tendencies towards her brother and opposes his courtship with his new love, fellow designer Ella Raines (left). Raines looks alluring — that scene where she sits in the chair with one leg tucked under her is such a great image! — but her romance with Sanders is so unconvincing. (SPOILER!) You could see the Agatha Christie-like twist with the poison and the switching of the tea cups from a mile away, but Fitzgerald being convicted of the crime and accepting her fate came as a surprise to me. Fitzgerald is truly great in her last scene. ("I died months ago, tomorrow will be just routine.") The film should have ended right there and then. But that cop-out ending! What was that!!!???? Boooooo!!!! Apparently the ending served to appease the Hays office but it really ruins the film. Support by Sara Allgood as the family housekeeper (love her!), cinematography by Paul Ivano, and costume design by Travis Banton. ★★★ / 04.11.2025
The British production THE DIVORCE OF LADY X (London Films Productions/ United Artists, 1938) was recommended to me by my sister. I was in the mood for a light rom-com screwball comedy and really liked this. Laurence Olivier (left) plays a London barrister who spends the night in his hotel suite with lovely Merle Oberon (right). As the result of a weather emergency (too much fog — yes, we're in London), the guests of a costume party held at the hotel are forced to spend the night and Oberon imposes on Olivier's hospitality. Through some misunderstanding, Olivier believes Oberon is the wife of his client (Ralph Richardson). I had said lovely Merle Oberon because she is lovely in this comedy, while I normally don't like her very much (only in comedies). I like how playful and amused her character is. I also really enjoy Olivier in comedy (such a waste of his comedic talent to have him play mostly in dramas) and here his awkward and befuddled character is quite adorable. The highlight of this film is undoubtedly the first part with Olivier and Oberon spending the night in the hotel room but also the scenes with the supporting parts by Richardson and Binnie Barnes are very enjoyable. I love Barnes' wardrobe! With a great script (I love the Britishness) and the three-strip Technicolor, this is a breezy and charming film and well worth your time. Directed by Tim Whelan. ★★★½ / 04.11.2025
In the prison drama/film noir CASTLE ON THE HUDSON (Warner Bros, 1940), John Garfield (left) — well-known for his roles as troubled men — plays a tough crook who is too cocky for my taste and therefore slightly annoying. He is put behind bars and meets warden Pat O'Brien who sees the good in the inmates and wants reforms in his prison. Garfield and O'Brien play off each other well (also co-starring in Flowing Gold) but there was little time for proper development of their relationship. Best thing this film has to offer is Ann Sheridan (right) as Garfield's girlfriend. Not only for her looks (she's beautiful at the club in the white dress with the low back, yet also when visiting Garfield in prison and looking very plain), but she manages to give some emotional depth to this rather tepid production with some heartbreaking scenes. (I bumped up my rating just for her!) One wonders how her character ended up with a guy like Garfield. I like Garfield's superstition regarding Saturdays. Overall this prison film didn't hit as hard as I would have liked to. Burgess Meredith, Henry O'Neill, Jerome Cowan, Guinn 'Big Boy' Williams and Willard Robertson give support, and John Litel can be seen in a tiny role as a priest. Blink, and you'll miss him! Directed by Anatole Litvak. (Apparently this is a remake of the Warner Bros 1932 film 20,000 Years in Sing Sing, starring Bette Davis and Spencer Tracy.) ★★★ / 06.11.2025
I was craving a silent film (it's been a while since I watched one) and chose THE KISS (MGM, 1929) for its short runtime of 62 minutes. The story is simple: Greta Garbo (left), in her final silent film, has an extramarital affair with Conrad Nagel. Yet her husband thinks there's something going on between his wife and a young love-stricken family friend (fresh-faced Lew Ayres in his credited film debut, right), as said husband witnesses an innocent goodbye kiss between the two. The husband starts attacking Ayres, and Garbo shoots her hubby. The husband's on the brink of bankruptcy, and his death is ruled as a suicide. This film has brisk storytelling and everything is wrapped up quickly. I like the part where Garbo tells the police what happened and how the visuals accompanying that account change when Garbo changes her story. I had problems of staying awake during viewing but nothing to do with the production itself. I was just extremely sleepy. Garbo and Ayres look very beautiful and I loved hearing Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet: Fantasy Overture. With cinematography by William H. Daniels, art direction by Cedric Gibbons and costume design by Adrian, this film is great to look at. The art deco set design of Garbo's bedroom looks amazing! Directed by Jacques Feyder. ★★★ / 09.11.2025
I finally watched the acclaimed French film noir PORT OF SHADOWS — original title: Le Quai des Brumes — (Ciné-Alliance, 1938), starring Jean Gabin (left) and Michèle Morgan (right), but it left me disappointed. I couldn't connect with the story or characters. It started promising, with Gabin catching a ride from a truck driver, and I liked the humour. But the film, classified as poetic realism, had more poetry than realism, and I found it a bit contrived and pretentious. It doesn't help that I'm not a fan of Gabin, though I like his natural acting. I do like Michèle Morgan. She looks beautiful, iconically dressed in a black beret and a plastic raincoat, designed by Coco Chanel. She plays a 17-year-old, and I thought it was a bit stretching it, but she's born in 1920 so the character is close to her own age. Though the romance was not believable, the leads have good chemistry and share some convincing kisses. Their close-ups are stunning. The black-and-white cinematography by Eugen Schüfftan is beautiful, but there's no chiaroscuro. I love that about American noirs — the dramatic lighting, single light sources, and stark contrast between light and dark. Here the fog-enshrouded scenery gives the film a bleak look. Furthermore plus points for the dog and minus points for the Lucien character, played by Pierre Brasseur. He is irritating but the scenes where Gabin slaps him are satisfying. Though I wasn't moved by the tragic love story, I really like Gabin's final words before dying: "Kiss me, quick, I'm in a hurry." Directed by Marcel Carné. ★★★ / 10.11.2025
Chose the film AMONG THE LIVING (Paramount, 1941), directed by Stuart Heisler, for its short running time. I can understand this is classified as a horror film noir. The opening tracking shot, travelling from an eerie mansion to a burial site with a funeral being performed, has an ominous feel and the house has an overall horror vibe. Albert Dekker (left, screenshot by me), who's not a very exciting actor, plays twin brothers, one presumed dead and insane. The film suffers from his leading role. His portrayal of the evil twin leaves a lot to be desired and is at times downright bad and overacted. The most dramatic twist comes near the end when the sane brother is accused of the murders his twin committed. I had hoped for a bleak ending in noir style, with the good brother being wrongfully punished for the misdoings of his evil twin brother but it ends well, unfortunately. Young Susan Hayward (right), in one of her earlier films, gives a lively performance as the woman whose mother gives lodging to the evil twin. Despite my misgivings, the film as a whole is enjoyable. By far the best thing is the black-and-white cinematography courtesy of Theodor Sparkuhl (also collaborated with Stuart Heisler on the 1942 noir The Glass Key). And the best scene is the chase sequence (Albert Dekker's bad twin chasing after a woman he met at a café and killing her) in a great overhead camera shot. Support by Frances Farmer (doesn't have much to do), Harry Carey, Gordon Jones and Maude Eburne. ★★½ / 23.11.2025
Found the rare early film FORBIDDEN HEAVEN (Republic Pictures, 1935) starring Charles Farrell (right) online. He plays a British man with political ambitions during the Depression, saving a forlorn American girl (Charlotte Henry, left) from suicide by drowning. They take shelter at a tea house, closed for the winter, together with the homeless Beryl Mercer and Fred Walton. The story premise is simple and not much is happening. But it's a charming and harmless film, with lovable characters and some heartfelt moments. Charles Farrell and Charlotte Henry have good chemistry and I like their little romance. No doubt the best thing this film has to offer is Farrell. I really love that man! With a short runtime of only 68 minutes, it's over before you know it. Some nice photography by Milton Krasner, and directed by Reginald Barker. ★★★ / 26.11.2025
Following is the breakdown in decades of the 8 watched films:
1900s - 0
1910s - 0
1920s - 1
1930s - 3
1940s - 4
1950s - 0
1960s - 0
See you with the next round-up!
