Noir City: They Live by Night

USA | 1948 | 95 min. | Nicholas Ray

February 12, 2023

Noir City

A crime story that’s really about love struggling to survive in a cruel unforgiving world. One of the finest noir films ever made.

Individual Tickets: $15 | $10 SIFF members
Passes (valid for all Noir City screenings): $150 | $100 SIFF members

SIFF year-round passes and vouchers are not valid for Noir City screenings.

Hosted by Eddie Muller (Film Noir Foundation founder, Turner Classic Movies' "Noir Alley").

One of Hollywood's great directorial debuts is a deeply-felt, richly detailed adaptation of Anderson's classic depression-era novel—a crime story that's really about love struggling to survive in a cruel, unforgiving world. Farley Granger and Cathy O'Donnell are memorable as film noir's version of Romeo and Juliet, surrounded by menacing supporting players Howard Da Silva, Jay C. Flippen, and Helen Craig. First released overseas, the film didn't get a wide release in the U.S. until late 1948. It's now considered one the finest noir films ever made.

Photo courtesy of The Film Noir Foundation. Note courtesy of Noir City.

  • Director: Nicholas Ray
  • Principal Cast: Cathy O'Donnell, Farley Granger, Howard Da Silva
  • Country: USA
  • Year: 1948
  • Running Time: 95 min.
  • Producer: John Houseman
  • Screenplay: Charles Schnee, Nicholas Ray
  • Cinematographers: George E. Diskant
  • Editors: Sherman Todd
  • Music: Leigh Harline
  • Filmography: Rebel Without a Cause (1955), In a Lonely Place (1950), The True Story of Jesse James (1957)
  • Language: English
  • Format: 35mm
  • US Distributor: Warner Bros Classics