Noir Film Fest 2023 Brings Batman And More To Cesky Sternberk Castle This Weekend

The Gothic Cesky Sternberk Castle in the Czech Republic, located about 40 minutes southeast of Prague, will become the perfect host for the 11th edition of the Noir Film Festival this weekend. This year’s festival takes place from Thursday August 24th to Sunday 27th, and features an enticing array of classic film noir gems, and Czech contributions to Hollywood, with a special focus on newspaper noir.

This year’s Noir Film Festival also celebrates the iconic Batman character, who has been brought to life through a series of increasingly dark neo-noir films over the past 30-plus years. The section delves into the character’s evolution from comic book creation to symbol of darkness.

Variety of Batman movies, starting with Tim Burton’s 1989 gothic classic Batman To install Christopher Nolan The Dark KnightComedy animation Lego Batman movieand Reeves died last Batman It will be introduced to highlight the dark knight’s multifaceted presence in the noir world.

“The Dark Knight Rises is Noir,” Ondig Žižek, Curator of the Batman Noir Section at this year’s Noir Film Festival, says in a press release. “When it was coined by cartoonist Bob Kane and screenwriter Bill Finger in the late 1930s, they drew on four sources of inspiration.”

Leonardo da Vinci’s wise plans for a flying machine outlined the shape of a bat’s wings; Zorro cared for a dual identity and a cave hideout. In the end, however, it was the gentle personality and cinematic rubbish that gave both creators their dark-black hallmarks.

This year’s Film Noir Festival also includes a section on Czech in Hollywood, which pays tribute to the influential Czech figures who have made their mark on the American film industry. Although it does not constitute a huge film colony like some other European societies, a number of Czechs have still managed to carve out their place in Hollywood history.

Notable among them are Hugo Hass and Jerry Voskovec, who went from being leading figures in theater and film in interwar Czechoslovakia to becoming character actors in the United States. This year’s festival features Voskovic’s appearance in Sidney Lumet’s legendary 1957 drama. Twelve angry men Hugo Haas made his American debut in 1951 Pick upwhich he produced, wrote, directed and starred in.

The existential drama of Gustave Machatti in 1945 Jealous You will also decorate the displays at Cesky Sternberk Castle. although trance The director wasn’t usually credited for his work in Hollywood, and this project was a unique endeavor. Actress Florence Marley, whose career has taken her from Czechoslovakia to France and eventually to Hollywood, is to be cast in 1949 Tokyo Joein which she starred opposite Humphrey Bogart.

Classic film noir by Czech director Ivan Pacer in 1981 cutter roadIt stars Jeff Bridges and John Heard, and will also screen at this year’s Film Noir Festival.

“Hollywood — like the entire United States — has always been made up largely of immigrants and their descendants. European, German, French, British, Irish, Italian or later Latin Jews created the proverbial melting pot, and their diversity helped shape the character. defining American film culture.

“Never have the Czechs or the Czechoslovaks formed such a huge film colony in Hollywood as, for example,
German-speaking immigrants, therefore, often had to fend for themselves rather than rely on their extensive professional and personal connections. However, many of them managed to make a huge impact.

The newspaper noir section of the festival highlights the important role journalists played in film noir fiction during the late 1940s and early 1950s. Characterized by cynicism, workaholism, and often sex appeal, these characters brought a unique perspective to the genre. Movies like 1952 Deadline – USA And in 1949 AD Chicago Deadlinewhich includes heroes working in the field of newspapers.

The work of screenwriter and producer Joan Harrison, closely associated with Alfred Hitchcock, will be celebrated in a retrospective at this year’s Film Noir Festival. Influenced by famous films such as Rebecca, suspicionAnd vandal She will be highlighted, highlighting her pivotal collaborations with the master of suspense.

To further broaden its horizons, the festival also explores Argentine film noir, offering a glimpse into the nation’s social and political landscape during the mid-twentieth century. Movies like 1953 Black vampire1952 BC The monster must dieand 1956 bitter stems Showcasing the unique narrative tapestry that has been woven during a turbulent period in Argentine history.

For more information about the Film Noir Festival schedule, tickets and special screenings, visit the festival’s official website or follow their social media channels on Facebook, Twitterand Instagram.