Odd Man Out (1947) - Dir: Carol Reed
The hunt for Carol Reed….
I’m on a bit of a black and white trip at the moment. I’ve spent some time in the evenings this week just looking up new black and white films I’ve not had the chance to discover. I started off this mission by looking further into Ealing films, however the number of ‘darker’ Ealing films isn’t as large as I’d like. By tradition I am drawn to the darker black and white films out there; it’s mostly because I feel like they hold a vibe that is so often lost in modern day films. There are of course instances… Girl With A Dragon Tattoo (the Fincher one) perfectly emulates the modern day noir to me. Part of the reason that film speaks so loudly to me is that Europe has a magic about it when it comes to noirs; it captivates me, so naturally Sweden is a perfect backdrop for that particular story. I guess you could say I’ve got a penchant for Euro-noir. This is something I felt when I got to know Berlin a bit better through friends who knew the city well, and it’s something that still draws me to the city now. I think about those dark corners of European cities which hold hidden gems that are so often under-appreciated. Filming a story in Berlin is something on my bucket list.
Although it may seem like I’m digressing here, I’m actually stitching a point towards why I’ve watched ‘Odd Man Out’ 4 times in the last 2 days (yes that’s a bit obsessive). After my ‘Ealing hunt’ proved to be not as fruitful as I’d liked I decided to look towards other areas of my existing black and white favourite’s list to see what variables might point me in the right direction. Naturally the greatest Euro-noir in my collection is The Third Man, so I decided to look further into Carol Reed’s films and thus this bore me a lead to ‘Odd Man Out’. I’d also found a page that contained a list of noir films on a film site called Mubi, which was something I’d never heard of before. Mubi is said to offer ‘30 hand-picked films, a new one everyday. Available to watch on demand, offline, and across devices’ which is interesting. It’s got my interest and I’ll be looking to try it out and report back at a later date; but on that list I’d found on the site, via a google search, was ‘Odd Man Out’ (view the list here: https://mubi.com/lists/british-noir-classics). This was now a double nod to the release so I decided to check the film out. Naturally it did not disappoint, and I think it’s now overtaken The Third Man in my book of inspirational classic noir films.
There’s a certain magic to the story that’s presented, and it’s a commentary on how a working class community operates in the face of moral dilemma. I’ve always felt interested in Northern Ireland/Ireland and a pull to visit the country more (my great granddad was from Belfast originally on my mothers side, so perhaps that Irish blood is causing it). What’s interesting about the story for me is it’s lack of ‘do the right thing’ preachiness. Sometimes in older films you can sense this underlying message about ‘always respecting the law’ but I’ve never felt that to be a true reflection of humanity. I think this is especially true in war time propaganda films made in the 40s that seek to urge citizens to stick to the straight and narrow during turbulent times. Who can blame them really; but this for me means that I can only watch so many of these films within a certain period. There was an amazing charm to Odd Man Out that kept dragging me back in. At one point the hardworking ‘all weather’ cab driver says to Johnny “I’m not against ya, but I’m not for ya” and this seems to be the message from many characters who Johnny meets in the film as he tries to evade the law and get to a place of safety. There’s a respect amongst all the characters for him and his organisation, but not one of loyalty. The same could be said for the police too, and the armed forces which play a small part (helping Johnny into a cab at one point). Many times we hear “don’t get involved” and I feel like this represents a sort of well oiled harmony within the community showcased. Everyone works in the machine even if they don’t really get what the other parts maybe up to. A common respect flows and there’s a charm to this dark waterside city.
Beyond the story are some incredible visuals that make its cinematography a further point of inspiration. Camera movements positioned perfectly to accent lines or movements of characters. A sharpness of the composition is present that makes the film all the more striking. There’s also visual commentary on the community at points with documentary style shots of people retreating back behind closed doors, or closely watching a moments of action unfold. Directors who seek to add in such moments instantly get my admiration as they give further backstory and a sense of ‘sonder’ to each character or corner of a world. Naturally you can’t discuss cinematography without the art direction and in this case the sets are more complex upon closer inspection, with fake trams, trains and boats moving in the background. The greatest moment for me in terms of this is when a group of soldiers spot their tram at the end of a long street. The tram pulls into shot (clearly a cut out on a track system) and they run down the street after it. Details like this are so often lost these days with VFX and I feel you can never get the same element of 3D no matter how close they might feel. I found myself wanting to walk around this dark city at points and this was down to how real it felt on the screen.
I’ve grabbed a few moments from the film above, but it really doesn’t do it justice. I recommend all serious noir fans get a copy of this film asap and dive right in, you won’t be disappointed. Would be directors; it’s a must for your list of films to see.
Find out more about the release over on the Criterion Collection’s website by clicking here.
Rx