“The plot didn’t matter at all”

Rita Hayworth in ‘Gilda’ (1946).

Just some splendid stills from thrillers (mostly) of the 1940s and 1950s, reproduced from ‘Film Noir’ (Alain Silver, James Ursini, Paul Duncan: Taschen). I love Film Noir. ‘Gilda’ is one of the best and most noirish. Above is Rita Hayworth doing a passive-aggressive musical number/striptease in a club to get back at her boyfriend and her ex-boyfriend for their machinations with each other and with her. As you do.

Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray in ‘Double Indemnity’ (1944).

Coming to a bad end(ing)

Aaron Staton as Cole Phelps in L.A. Noire “Ken. Cosgrove… Accounts. No, I mean LAPD. So, yeah, Don keeps saying when I tell a story I need a proper ending, and- hey, is that lunch?” (Seriously, 3/4 of the cast of Mad Men are in this thing, even Hildy. It’s slightly disconcerting.)

[I’m discussing the narratives of video games here, in particular their third acts and conclusions: obviously this involves the dreaded “spoilers”. Read this for my full exegesis on the narcissistic stupidity of people who are obsessed with not being “spoiled”; but for now it suffices to say that you’ll want to jog on if knowing how a story ends is likely to make you scream, clutch your pearls and faint.]