Noirvember: Out of the Past
About the film:
Robert Mitchum and Jane Greer co-star in this noir classic from director Jacques Tourneur, based on the 1946 novel Build My Gallows High (the film’s title in the UK), by Daniel Mainwaring. Mitchum stars as retired private eye Jeff Bailey, who’s dragged back into a world of sex, corruption, danger and double crosses, all centred around crime boss Kirk Douglas and his duplicitous girlfriend Kathie Moffat (Greer), one of film noir’s quintessential femme fatales.
About Noirvember:
Local film critic and podcaster Matthew Turner returns for a second mini season of film noir classics, which will run exclusively at Chiswick Cinema throughout November 2025.
Broadly speaking, the term film noir (coined by French film critics) refers to Hollywood thrillers and dramas from the 1940s and ’50s that were perceived to have a degree of darkness and cynicism, reflecting post-WII attitudes at the time. Film noir stories frequently revolve around crime, corruption, greed, illicit sex and murder, exposing the dark heart beating beneath the American Dream.
Join us for five film noir classics, all of which showcase key elements of the genre, from hard-boiled dialogue (derived from the detective novels that were often adapted into thrillers), voiceover narration and shadowy lighting to femme fatales, murder plots and decidely unhappy endings.
Like last year, each film will be introduced by Matthew Turner, a lifelong film noir enthusiast, who will also be around in the bar after each screening. In addition, audiences are invited to post about the films online, using the hashtag #Noirvember, a great source of other film noir recommendations.
Robert Mitchum and Jane Greer co-star in this noir classic from director Jacques Tourneur, based on the 1946 novel Build My Gallows High (the film’s title in the UK), by Daniel Mainwaring. Mitchum stars as retired private eye Jeff Bailey, who’s dragged back into a world of sex, corruption, danger and double crosses, all centred around crime boss Kirk Douglas and his duplicitous girlfriend Kathie Moffat (Greer), one of film noir’s quintessential femme fatales.
About Noirvember:
Local film critic and podcaster Matthew Turner returns for a second mini season of film noir classics, which will run exclusively at Chiswick Cinema throughout November 2025.
Broadly speaking, the term film noir (coined by French film critics) refers to Hollywood thrillers and dramas from the 1940s and ’50s that were perceived to have a degree of darkness and cynicism, reflecting post-WII attitudes at the time. Film noir stories frequently revolve around crime, corruption, greed, illicit sex and murder, exposing the dark heart beating beneath the American Dream.
Join us for five film noir classics, all of which showcase key elements of the genre, from hard-boiled dialogue (derived from the detective novels that were often adapted into thrillers), voiceover narration and shadowy lighting to femme fatales, murder plots and decidely unhappy endings.
Like last year, each film will be introduced by Matthew Turner, a lifelong film noir enthusiast, who will also be around in the bar after each screening. In addition, audiences are invited to post about the films online, using the hashtag #Noirvember, a great source of other film noir recommendations.
Cast
Robert Mitchum • Kirk Douglas • Jane Greer
Director
Jacques Tourneur
Running Time
97 minutes