The Noir Festival at the Egyptian Theatre is back again and LA noir is dukin' it out with New York. Though they're showing a great collection of films, my prejudice leans to the films set in Los Angeles, especially those featuring location shots in downtown neighborhoods. I've been writing my senior thesis on the relationship between booster rhetoric and downtown narratives in fiction and film so, of course, this is right up my street. Two films in particular, fit the bill: Sam Fuller's 1959 Crimson Kimono set in Little Tokyo and Robert Aldrich's Hollywood noir The Big Knife (1955). The Big Knife screened on April 14 (woops!) but you can rent it from Netflix, contrary to what American Cinematheque says and Crimson Kimono is showing on Friday April 20 at 7:30 pm.Check out their website for a complete list of what's showing here.
