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Poll

What's your favorite film by Edgar G. Ulmer?

People on Sunday (co-director)
0 (0%)
The Black Cat
3 (20%)
Bluebeard
0 (0%)
Strange Illusion
0 (0%)
Detour
5 (33.3%)
The Strange Woman
0 (0%)
Carnegie Hall
0 (0%)
Ruthless
0 (0%)
The Man from Planet X
0 (0%)
The Naked Dawn
0 (0%)
The Amazing Transparent Man
0 (0%)
Beyond the Time Barrier
0 (0%)
other (specify)
0 (0%)
Haven't seen any
7 (46.7%)
Don't like any
0 (0%)

Total Members Voted: 15

Author Topic: Ulmer, Edgar G.  (Read 1911 times)

MartinTeller

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Ulmer, Edgar G.
« on: October 27, 2010, 02:46:43 PM »
1. Detour
2, People on Sunday
3. The Black Cat

4. Bluebeard
5. The Strange Woman

6. Murder Is My Beat
7. Ruthless

8. Strange Illusion

« Last Edit: August 25, 2019, 12:15:31 AM by 1SO »

sdedalus

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Re: Director's Best: Edgar G. Ulmer
« Reply #1 on: October 27, 2010, 02:52:53 PM »
1. Detour
2. Bluebeard
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Bill Thompson

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Re: Director's Best: Edgar G. Ulmer
« Reply #2 on: October 27, 2010, 02:57:33 PM »
Haven't seen any

flieger

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Re: Director's Best: Edgar G. Ulmer
« Reply #3 on: October 27, 2010, 11:09:33 PM »
Detour
The Black Cat

I like his films. More need to be seen.

jascook

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Re: Ulmer, Edgar G.
« Reply #4 on: March 14, 2016, 01:16:44 AM »
Detour: 6/10
« Last Edit: March 20, 2016, 05:05:08 AM by jascook »
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Corndog

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Re: Ulmer, Edgar G.
« Reply #5 on: March 30, 2016, 11:47:17 AM »
1. Detour (3.5)
"Time is the speed at which the past decays."

1SO

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Re: Ulmer, Edgar G.
« Reply #6 on: August 22, 2016, 12:52:08 AM »
1. Detour
2. The Strange Woman
3. The Black Cat
4. Murder is My Beat

5. The Naked Dawn
6. Bluebeard

7. Ruthless
8. Strange Illusion
« Last Edit: March 25, 2022, 10:27:48 PM by 1SO »

1SO

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Re: Ulmer, Edgar G.
« Reply #7 on: August 25, 2019, 07:59:43 PM »

The Strange Woman (1946)

I first learned of Hedy Lamarr in a lyric of "Feed Me" from Little Shop of Horrors, which frames her as a great beauty of the classic era. That's been my opinion of her presence vs. her talent, having seen her in 14 movies now. Last January, I watched H.M. Pulham, Esq. and remarked...

Lamarr has never been trusted to do so much beyond looking pretty. Her finest performance by miles.

Her commanding performance here surpasses it, both in making a lasting impact and showing what a breathtaking woman she can be. The performance reminded me of Vivien Leigh in Gone With the Wind, but with more personal agency and clever tactics to get men to do what she wants. (The Noir influence is here more than in the lighting.) She even borrows Leigh's raised eyebrow to let you know she has a plan. The rest of the acting is at Bette Davis' level.


The film never quite hits the heights, mainly because the men lack dimension. George Sanders is a fine actor, but terribly miscast as a lumberjack. (I had to include the image above because Sanders as a Brawny Man isn't easy to picture.) There's also a terrible late act religious ceremony to give Lamarr guilt. Ulmer stages scenes better when it's about visual emotion instead of thudding dialogue. A number of shots feature fire in the background, cutting through the darkness and waiting for Lamarr like visual Hellfire.
Rating: ★ ★ ★ - Okay

1SO

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Re: Ulmer, Edgar G.
« Reply #8 on: August 25, 2019, 11:09:25 PM »
Updated Rankings

Murder is My Beat (1955)
★ ★ ★ - Okay
Super low-budget to where this could easily be mistaken for a TV Pilot (and the resolution perfectly sets up such a series with our hero connected to the law and the underworld.) On those terms though, it’s a fairly fun ride with an engaging mystery plot.


The Naked Dawn (1955)
★ ★ ½
Unintentionally campy western starring Arthur Kennedy as a Mexican bandit. The portrayal of Mexicans is laughably limited - they only eat tortillas - and Kennedy pushes through the accent and makeup, mostly playing Santiago as a super-sized American. This contrasts the material, which tries to seriously portray the problems of being a Mexican in the American West. The result is amped-up goofiness, reminding me of Fritz Lang's Rancho Notorious, which also starred Kennedy.

Dave the Necrobumper

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Re: Ulmer, Edgar G.
« Reply #9 on: August 26, 2019, 05:26:21 AM »

The film never quite hits the heights, mainly because the men lack dimension. George Sanders is a fine actor, but terribly miscast as a lumberjack. (I had to include the image above because Sanders as a Brawny Man isn't easy to picture.)

He looks kind of suave even in a lumberjack shirt.