Miriam Bale presents two films by director Robert Siodmak. Though known primarily for his noirs, which so perfectly combined his German Expressionist vision with the American urban, low-budget crime film, Robert Siodmak was also adept in other genres, such as in The Suspect. Though this is a British-set, period melodrama (starring the always subtle Charles Laughton and the impossibly gorgeous Ella Raines), it is just as dark and haunting as some of his more well-known noirs such as Criss Cross, The Killers and Phantom Lady.(Director: Robert Siodmak. 85 min. 1944. 35mm.) Also screening is Phantom Lady, produced by longtime Hitchcock collaborator Joan Harrison (writer of Suspicion, Saboteur and Rebecca). The story, of a secretary (Ella Raines) obsessed with proving the innocence of her boss who's been framed for murder, features one of Harrison's recognizably woman-centered plots, which is an anomaly for a film noir, especially for one of this caliber. This is a singular New York noir with shadowy stylistic touches, odd characters, and weird flourishes, too (including a sexy drugged-out drum solo and Carmen Miranda's sister as the titular lady who's disappeared). (Director: Robert Siodmak. 87 min. 1944. 35mm.)
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