I find it particularly irksome when I see ‘The Third Man’ described as film noir.

Its like calling a ‘Oh, Mr. Porter!’ a ‘screwball comedy’.

I always heard it as “stock” too – that’s quite a sound difference. Will need to do some careful listening this evening.

As everyone knows, with the possible exception of the multi-talented Claudia Winkleman, the term originally surfaced to specifically describe the dark crime films that came out of America in the 40’s and 50’s (Murder, My Sweet, Double Indemnity, The Killers….and other gems), but has since been hijacked to pigeonhole any old world cinema with dark photography and criminals in.

For example, British films like ‘The Third Man’, Hammer B films like ‘Jail Bait’ and ‘Bad Blonde’, French films like ‘Bob Le Flambeur’, ‘Touchez pas au grisbi’ and ‘Elevator to the Gallows’, the Japanese ‘Stray Dog’ etc. have all been labelled ‘film noir’. For the life of me though, I can’t think of any German examples.

Unless he’s talking about neo-noirs, which is a different ball game altogether.

Its been eating at me for years. Any cinephiles out there care to comment…..?

http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=61605

While googling around I also found an interesting (though somewhat cringeworthy) sonnet written about Verity’s death by a 22-year-old fellow 8th Army officer (not someone who knew him, but a cricket fan from a different regiment who weren’t in action till three months after Verity died). The poem envisions our hero bowling his slow left-armers at no lesser batsman than the deity Himself, with a capital ‘H’.

Ironically, or perhaps inevitably, the author himself was killed two weeks after he first saw action, and is buried in Italy in the next British cemetery along, just 25 miles from Verity.

“Verity”

by Drummond Allison, 1943

In memory of Captain Hedley Verity,

The ruth and truth you taught have come full circle
On that fell island all whose history lies,
Far now from Bramhall Lane and far from Scarborough
You recollect how foolish are the wise.

On this great ground more marvellous than Lord’s
- Time takes more spin than nineteen thirty four -
You face at last that Bradman-shaming
Batsman whose cuts obey no natural law.

Run up again, as gravely smile as ever,
Veer without fear your left unlucky arm
In His so dark direction, but no length
However lovely can disturb the harm
That is His style, defer the winning drive
Or shake the crowd from their uproarious calm.

I think I never really tried because for once I didn’t think I had much hope of finding much connection between the various images collaged together in this one.

It’s just such a great tune to let wash over you. If I’m not mistaken Simon Blackwell has a big presence in this one ? So much going on with the different guitars… and that lilting organ sound, dreamy like the “warm lagoon” bit, somewhere between Golden Brown, the Monster Mash and one of those big early 60s surf hits like Telstar, I can’t quite pin it down, but lovely.

Which is why, for once, I don’t really mind what “Hedley Verityesque” means, because I think NB’s just having fun inserting those words into the rhythm.

Maybe he heard a bowlers action described as “Hedley Verityesque” by one of the older comentators, noted in down for future use & here he’s found the perfect rhythm but is using it to mean “utterly legendary and heroic”? Not many international sportsmen have ever passed into folklore in quite the way he did, with 6 grenades in pockets, ready to bowl a wicket maiden at the enemy machine gun nests as soon as he got them within 22 yards…and inspiring a plethora of childhood comic strips .. “Owzat, Fritz ?”

And I don’t want any more stark German film noirs

In my mind I’ve always heard it as Stock German…
As in film stock & also as in basic/standard, but I concede that films of the noir variety can be stark.

Come re-live my paper round with me is a favourite of mine, but could never put my finger as to why.