International FNF
supporter and donor,
Margarete "Maggie" Brietmeier
Munich, Germany

Is classic film noir available in Germany?

Unfortunately, not too much. In theaters film noir doesn’t exist at all, even though we have a film museum in Munich, where I live. In thirty years I remember just two Hitchcock retrospectives, and a Rhonda Fleming tribute, and from time to time a few Fritz Lang movies, mostly his German work or silent films. On television it is a little better, especially since we have Pay TV, because we have Turner Classic Movies and the MGM channel.

The best chance to see film noir is on DVD. In the last two years there have been several good releases in Germany and there is more to come, such as Black Angel, Angel Face, The Blue Dahlia, The Big Clock, Cry of the City, Night and the City, Panic in the Streets, Call Northside 777, The Blue Gardenia, Where the Sidewalk Ends, and of course all the Bogart movies, just to men- tion a few. Next month—I can hardly wait—there will be releases of The Dark Mirror and Desert Fury.

How did you learn about the Film Noir Foundation?

That was easy. Last year, thanks to the internet, I discovered Eddie Mullers book The Art of Noir—a “must have” for every noir fan. And then, of course, Dark City and Dark City Dames followed. And because most of my DVD collection comes from the U.S., I am also a great fan of his commentaries on the Fox noir and Warner noir collections. His commentaries are always very informative, never boring, and you never have the feeling you need a doctors degree to understand what he’s talking about (unlike other commentaries). So it was just a matter of time until I Googled his name and here I am, enjoying the foundation! I really wish we could have a film festival like Noir City in Germany, or even just more attention to the subject.

How did you become a fan of film noir?

I am fifty years old, and have been a fan of classic movies since I was 18. It started with the love of Hitchcock movies, went on to Bette Davis and Peter Lorre, and from there on it was a small step to film noir. I have amassed quite a collection of DVDs, about 500 (not all noir), among them the complete Fox and Warner noir collections, not to mention the VCI Forgotten Noir and Hammer Noir Collection (the VCI people do a great job in restoring those almost unknown films!).

What’s your favorite noir?

The Big Combo—and I wish someone would restore this one, too.

[Good news, Maggie. It has been restored in 35mm by the UCLA Film and Television Archive. Maybe this pristine version will appear on DVD one day.]