Now see, even though The Black Dahlia is getting mediocre reviews the description of these two scenes makes me want to see it.

Whitefonted for those who don't want any details ahead of time, though these are not plot-spoilery: Together and separately Lee and Bucky follow Elizabeth's trail from a lesbian nightclub she occasionally frequented, mostly to score free drinks (this occasions the movie's wittiest scene, featuring an elaborate floor show with k.d. lang as a tuxedo'ed crooner flanked by a chorus line of haughty, topless lovelies) to a bungalow she shared with other girls who, as she was, were hoping to break into movies. (The luscious Rose McGowan appears briefly as an ambitious movie extra kitted up in a dazzling Egyptian slave-girl costume.)

The French director I haven't seen anything by, and seriously need to rectify that situation about, is Melville.

Thanks, megan. I've seen Diabolique and Wages of Fear (which always reminds me of Ed on Northern Exposure nodding knowingly and just saying, "Yves Montand." Like, that's all you needed to say about that.) But yeah, I was curious about The Raven.

I'm still not especially drawn to see it, but I somehow suspect I'll be first in line when the nightclub bit shows up on youtube.

(edited because italics is NOT whitefont.)

The French director I haven't seen anything by, and seriously need to rectify that situation about, is Melville.

Bob le Flambeur is very enjoyable. Le Samourai is colder and more severe, but beautiful in its way and a fascinating late noir.

I haven't seen any Clouzot, either, but his movies hang out towards the middle of my Netflix queue.

Thanks for the Netflix advice, everyone! I just took care of it. Strange thing is that I remember sealing the envelope up while standing in front of the mailbox here at work, but I don't remember dropping it into the box. I hope I mailed it, and didn't accidentally drop it into the garbage or somewhere else in a post-Labor-Day haze. Sad thing is that it's part of a multi-disk set (Disk 1 of Doctor Who), so it'll cost them more to replace it if it doesn't show up.

The French director I haven't seen anything by, and seriously need to rectify that situation about, is Melville.

I'd second both of the movies David mentioned.

I haven't seen any Clouzot, either, but his movies hang out towards the middle of my Netflix queue.

Being French, they're probably smoking cigarettes and making rude comments to the discs that pass them on the way up the queue.

Being French, they're probably smoking cigarettes and making rude comments to the discs that pass them on the way up the queue.

It must be galling that so many of those that by-pass them are by their countrymen.