The Colonial Theatre will once again house the NOIR CITY: Philadelphia Festival this year, an annual event curated by the Film Noir Foundation, led by president Eddie Muller (who some may recognize as the host of 'Noir Alley' on Turner Classic Movies).
What the Festival holds is three days of classic Hollywood films, with 2025’s iteration putting an emphasis on performances by the women “who defined the genre’s dark allure.” The schedule holds 10 different showcases, featuring actresses like Ella Raines, Ruth Roman, and Jane Sterling, all of whom were profiled in Muller’s book, ‘Dark City Dames: The Wicked Women of Film Noir.’
As Muller says, the actresses each contributed largely to this time in Hollywood history.
“The contributions of these actresses are a major reason noir has retained its allure through many subsequent generations, more than 75 years after they were made,” says Muller. “One thing I’ve learned after doing programs for 25 years is that you need to circle back and re-show the classics, the bedrock of the genre. Some of these films are well-known to the hardcore, but for younger fans, who may have been in grade school when I started doing festivals, this will be the first time they’ve seen many of these movies, and certainly the first time on a big screen with an enthusiastic audience.”
The Festival will feature three rarely screened films over the course of its run: The tiki-noir ‘Hell’s of Half Acre’ (1954) with Evelyn Keyes and Marie Windsor; John Farrow’s Faustian thriller ‘Alias Nick Beal’ (1949) featuring Audrey Totter; and Max Ophüls’ suspenseful 1949 film, ‘The Reckless Moment’ featuring Joan Bennett.
NOIR CITY will also showcase a few features on rare archival 35mm prints, including the UCLA Film & Television Archive’s restoration of Joseph Losey’s ‘The Prowler’ (1951), written by the blacklisted screenwriter Dalton Trumbo. As a release notes, the restoration was funded by The Film Noir Foundation, whose main mission as a non-profit is to preserve films at risk of being lost or damaged. This Festival is the organization’s way of celebrating “the brilliance, artistry, and lasting influence of film noir on cinema’s past, present, and future.”
NOIR CITY: Philadelphia at the Colonial Theatre (227 Bridge St., Phoenixville) will run from Nov. 14 to 16. Single tickets are $25. Double feature tickets are available for $40 and can be purchased online. The Weekend Pass, which grants access to all ten film screenings, starts at $206. To find out more information about the festival, visit thecolonialtheatre.com
