“Sloane! Be lucky!”
Nowhere to Go (Seth Holt + Basil Dearden, 1958)
Dec
22
Tue
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A man checks into a hotel. A wall calendar reads December 22, a Tuesday. DP: Paul Beeson .
– Paul Gregory
Accidente 703 [Los culpables] (José María Forqué, 1962)
Dec
21
A darkened room. People take care of a man slumped on a coach. A wall calendar tells us it's the 21st. DP: Juan Mariné.
Panic in the Streets (Elia Kazan, 1950)
Dec
13
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A bunch of tough-looking guys at a table with what may be a sandwich. Even the sandwich is up to no good.. DP: Joseph MacDonald.
“Dead meat always attracts flies.”
Panique [Panic] (Julien Duvivier, 1946)
Nov
7
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A child probes her dinner with a fork larger than her head while another one is all neat and proper. In the midst of them, as serious table settings require, a large man. His napkin tucked in at the neck, he leans over the first child with something to say. DP: Nicolas Hayer.
– Monsieur Hire
拳銃は俺のパスポート [Koruto wa ore no pasupōto / A Colt Is My Passport] (Takashi Nomura, 1967)
Nov
3
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A blurry shot of a man with a moustache in a space with chairs and a round table. DP: Shigeyoshi Mine.
颱風圏の女 [Taifuken no onna / The Woman in the Typhoon Area] (Hideo Ōba, 1948)
Aug
23
Pirate moll Kuriko Sato (Setsuko Hara) (via). DP: Hiroyuki Nagaoka.
Celebrating International Talk like a Pirate Day*: a [favourite] pirate film.
* International Talk like a Pirate Day takes place on September 19.
“On the bus, the air was so thick, he felt woozy. A wailing infant shook with tears and the woman beside him reeked with the stink of cheap perfume.”
野良犬 [Nora inu / Stray Dog] (Akira Kurosawa, 1949)
Jul
14
A sweaty man in uniform drinks from a water fountain like a dog (via). DP: Asakazu Nakai.
Someone enjoys a drink or beverage*
– narrator
On a sweltering summer day, Detective's Murakami's Colt gets stolen on a crowded bus. He must delve deep into the sticky sweaty seedy underbelly of Tokyo to retrieve it.
* the Bales 2025 Film Challenge for July is, for unknown reasons, mostly not date-related and follows some sort of vacation narrative.
“Have you seen Mr Tavernier tonight?”
Ascenseur pour l'échafaud [Elevator to the Gallows] (Louis Malle, 1958)
Jun
18
International Panic Day
M Tavernier (Maurice Ronet) seated in an elevator, calmly smoking. Around him several items speak of less calm moments. DP: Henri Decaë.
A character in panic mode on International Panic Day
Julien Tavernier has a plan about how to run off with his boss' wife. There's just this one snag. No time to panic, c'est cool c'est cool.
– I saw you the other morning, eating frites. – I like frites.
Bob le flambeur [Bob the Gambler] (Jean-Pierre Melville, 1956)
Jun
13
frites
Anne (Isabelle Corey), a cute blonde with a beret, eats a fry (French, obviously) while giving us a side glance. It's all very proto-Vague. DP: Henri Decaë.
“I'd even lose at hopscotch these days.”
Bob le flambeur [Bob the Gambler] (Jean-Pierre Melville, 1956)
Jun
13
Friday
Bob (Roger Duchesne) at the tables, gambling. DP: Henri Decaë.
An unlucky character on Friday the 13th
– Bob Montagné
Bob gambles, and always wins. But then he starts losing. And not just games.