The Cinematheque

“Film noir was not a specific genre like gangster films, but a mood … These filmmakers were smugglers, transforming routine material into personal expression, bypassing the censors and the strictures of the Production Code.”

Martin Scorsese

Film noir, that uniquely American cycle of mid-century crime movies positively dripping with style and the depravity of human behaviour, returns for another cruel summer here at The Cinematheque. Last year’s season leaned into the first half of noir’s classic corpus, drawing the majority of its roster from formative 1940s fare. Our 2025 lineup offers a more generous distribution: a collection of eight exemplars from which to trace the trajectory of noir, from bedrock (1944’s Double Indemnity, in a glistening new restoration) to burial ground (1961’s Blast of Silence, arguably the agonal gasp of the original era). Along the way, we’ll be serving up some pearl-clutching premieres (including, gasp, our first ever 3D noir!), resurrecting a favourite or two long-unseen at The Cinematheque (Curtis and Lancaster punch-out Sweet Smell of Success anyone?), and, in the case of André de Toth’s pithy, pulpy Crime Wave, providing the exceedingly rare opportunity to experience a newly minted 35mm print. Oh, and bah-humbugs take note—there’s a surprising amount of Yuletide violence in the proceedings too.

For those unsatiated by our main event, noir casts its sordid shadow across two supplementary summertime programs: Quebecois Oscar-winner Denys Arcand’s nasty 1970s crime trilogy; and, in a sneak preview of a larger touring retrospective, a pair of Kurosawa Akira’s white-knuckle procedurals.

Before the opening-night screening of Crime Wave, gussy up for our annual courtyard shindig featuring tunes, cold brews, tasty treats, and the latest crop of noir swag.

Opening Night July 31 (Thursday)
6:00 pm – Courtyard Shindig
6:45 pm – Crime Wave
8:30 pm – Dirty Money