Telluride Film Festival Cinematheque at Library December 14

The fourth and final program of the film noir series presented by the Telluride Film Festival and The Wilkinson Public LIbrary, part of the film club TFF Cinematheque, includes two classics of the genre: “Out of the Past” (1947, 97 minutes) and “Double Indemnity” (1944, 106 minutes). This double bill starts at 6:00 pm, Monday, December 14, at the Wilkinson Library in Telluride.

“Out of the Past,” one of the quintessential classic film noir masterpieces of all time, contains all the elements of the genre. Included in the convoluted plot laced with double and triple crosses is a doomed protagonist, an irresistible but deadly femme fatale, (Jane Greer), the object of desire for a detective (Robert Mitchum) and a gangster (Kirk Douglas), plus themes of betrayal and passion, set against a morally ambiguous backdrop. “Out of the Past” mixes flashback with linear narrative to tell the story of former private-eye Jeff Bailey (Mitchum), laying low and trying to live a normal life as the owner of a small-town gas station after falling in love with the mistress of his former client. His mysterious past catches up with him when he’s spotted and summoned for another job by gambler/gangster Whit Sterling (Douglas). Directed by Jacques Tourner, well-known for his subtle horror films, including “Cat People,” (1942) and “I Walked With A Zombie” (1943).

Seven-time Oscar nominee “Double Indemnity” is director Billy Wilder’s noir masterpiece. The cynical, sleazy, witty thriller about adultery, corruption and murder was based on a James Cain novella, “Three of a Kind,” and adapted for the screen by Wilder and detective novelist Raymond Chandler, best known for his character, Philip Marlowe. “Double Indemnity” tells the story of Walter Neff (Fred MacMurray), a smooth talking insurance salesman who meets the beautiful Phyllis Deitrichson  – the perfectly cast Barbara Stanwyck –  when he arrives to renew her husband’s automobile policy. After an immediate attraction, the two begin an affair that leads to a plot to murder Mr. Dietrichson, but true to the fatalistic genre, anything that can go wrong will.

TFF Cinematique is programmed by Telluride Film Festival director Gary Meyer. Director, producer, writer, cinematographer David Oyster will be in house to introduce the films and lead the discussion.

For further information, contact Erika Gordon, 970-626-3137.

For more on this program, click the “play” button and listen to David Oyster’s podcast.