Of "Film Noir" and Body Parts~~~~

Hello My Darklings,

I know what a combination but all will be clear as you read on.

First the Film Noir Festival,  oh to put it simply it was so much FUN!!!

Everyone there many dressed (including Moi and her sister) in period or near period clothing, we ran into old friends as well.

Staying at the hotel and resting between shows as well as doing some shopping was Perfect!!

If you are a film noir buff and you find out that they are holding one of these, then make a vacation of it, even if you can only do two or three nights of it, do make a vacation of it.

Although both Sis and I are of an age (you can guess how old I am, Sis is a few years younger) we have maintained our looks, although you cannot fight off old age completely, you can keep some of it at bay so to speak.

So on those days when there were no matinees we either rested, did a bit of spa work  (Heavenly to be pampered) or we went shopping and dinning out.  Loved It!

Doyle had let a few of our "friends" know where we were staying, they are trans-gender and love to dress up in period clothing, and I have to admit they look good in it too. So they would call at the Hotel to pick us up and we'd share a cab, I have to admit we did turn heads, but Doyle is also a very practical fellow, he knew Sis and I would be safe with them and see us safely back to our hotel and they love Film Noir as well.

We had a great time comparing the merits of the different films and discussing the mental motivations behind the plot lines as well as the clothing designs. 

The first film "Woman on the Run" (1950) with Ann Sheridan was filmed partly on location here and at the old amusement park in Santa Monica, and the ending with a "Laughing Sal", so San Francisco.

I really do love films that were done on location in the Bay Area, it gives a chance to see how much the Bay Area and San Francisco has changed. 

The time period was from 1934 and 1936 with our two favorites "The thin Man and After the Thin Man" right up to 1969 with the Honeymoon Killers although that was not so much my favorite,  the minute it creeps out of 1964 it begins to cease to be true Film Noir in my personal opinion.  Even our friends agreed.

But the French films were not neglected we had

OSSESSIONE  (1943)  a film that everyone thought was lost, because all known copies had been destroyed  and one of my favorites  LES DIABOLIQUES   (1955) Some times known as Diabolique, oh what a twist ending that one has, double twists. 

I could go on and on about it but it would only be my opinion, it's best to view the films yourself and draw your own opinion. 

I've made a list of the previous films shown at this and other Film Noir Festivals, so if they do appear on DVD I can add them to my collection. 

Doyle recorded Svengoolies presentation of "House of Horror" with Rondo Hatton, although not a good actor to see these movies is still part of the Horror tradition. 

To me Film Noir is just as important and just as Gothic as Horror movies such as "Woman in Black" and such, because the Gothicness comes from the filming and showing the distortions of the motivations of the people involved, being done in Black and White also give emphasis to the mood and feel of it.  Light and Dark, Good and Evil, Caring and Selfishness, Love and Hate.

I feel to be an Elder Goth one needs to watch Noir films as well, to see motivation all the better to understand the importance of the Light.   To me Film Noir is Goth and Gothic in a modern sense.

Ahhh but the day after the presentations when the festival was completely over, on Monday, we got an early call from Doyle and he says to us "I'm going to pick you up but wear your best Vintage dresses"  O.K. we think and he said he'll call for us at the desk...O.K. we think.

So we are completely packed and I ask management to send up what would be called a "bell boy" to help take our bags down, after we get word that our "ride" has arrived. 

And we in our vintage clothing are greeted by Doyle in a old-fashion 1940's chauffer uniform, and waiting for us at the curb is a vintage 1940's Roles Royce with a friend of Doyle's at the wheel also in a chauffer livery,  I don't mind telling you that a few well dressed business men and women were looking at us in puzzlement, and I think envy as Doyle so straight face escorted us to the Roles and helped us in as his friend put our bags in the trunk and we drove down the Streets of San Francisco and over the Bay Bridge, to a lot of appreciative honks and thumbs up and mouth open expressions.

The faster cars took their time passing us checking us out, even a few motorcyclists as well, and Sis and I waved as if we were the Queen and laughing about it.

When we got home I asked Doyle how come this and he said "it's the only way to end a weeklong adventure as you transition back to reality"  and his friend said that he wanted to take his restored Roles out anyway to clear the pipe's.  It seems that the chauffer livery was special made for his friend and he had a spare that fit Doyle, I'm so glad he didn't gain weight.

It was lovely!  And unfortunately back to the reality of bill paying, and laundry, and in Sis's case calling her colleague who covered for her for any updates. 

Dinner was easy, our old standby Chinese.  Yes back to reality.

But it seems that mystery and Noir does not easily leave us we heard on the news last night that Body part's were found in a 3 block radius from around 11th and Mission. 

This is the news story as it stands right now......

SAN FRANCISCO — Police responding to reports of a suspicious package in an up-and-coming area here Wednesday afternoon instead found something horrific — a suitcase containing human body parts.

The body was so mutilated that officers had to call the medical examiner in to determine if it was from a human being or an animal, police spokeswoman Grace Gatpandan said.   The race and gender of the person were unknown, she said.  

The roller-type suitcase had been left next to a pile of garbage and debris at 11th and Market streets, Gatpandan said.   Police initially responded to a report of a suspicious package at 4:14 p.m. Wednesday.  The block was shut down as part of the investigation and remained shut down late Wednesday night, she said.

More remains were found in the surrounding blocks. "It is unclear at this time if all the remains belong to one victim," Gatpandan said.   Police had a "preliminary, distinct suspect description," but it wasn't being released as officers are "actively attempting to locate this particular person of interest.”

Exactly when the suitcase was left in the area is under investigation.   Police had a rough description of a suspect, the Chronicle reported, and detectives were working to obtain surveillance video in the area.   Authorities later found more body parts within a three block radius of where the suitcase was found.

“There was one crime scene — it was just very large,” Police Officer Grace Gatpandan said.  Information about whether the body parts came from one victim or more was not immediately known.   The street is in a long-troubled area with large numbers of homeless people. It is also just a block from Twitter headquarters and part of an emerging tech corridor.

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San Francisco, New York, Los Angles, all are cities of Noir, but none so much as San Francisco, is this the body of a woman?  Do we have a "Black Dahlia" type crime here, or was it something more mundane.

Our San Francisco police department is going to have it's hands full, but as more and more surveillance camera's are installed hopefully it will make it easier to solve crimes or will it just confuse it more, or drive miscreants into darker and darker area's of the cities.

Later Darklings