Noir City: The 22nd Annual Film Noir Festival
“The Narrow Margin and Hell’s Half Acre”
Grand Lake Theater
3200 Grand Avenue, Oakland
January 24, 2025
“This is a respite from what’s happened in the world.” Eddie Muller, Film Noir Foundation founder, welcomed us to the 22nd Annual Noir City Film Festival’s opening night Friday evening. He was joined by Alicia Malone, Turner Classic Movies host, and they greeted a packed house dressed in 1940s and 1950s noir fashions at Oakland’s Grand Lake Theater.
The night’s lineup featured The Narrow Margin (1952) and Hell’s Half Acre (1954), and Muller’s opening remarks set the tone while leaning in to politics. He called it “comfort food,” joking that two years ago he’d titled the festival They Tried to Warn Us—and no one was listening. “You are safe here in Noir City. Believe it or not, you are safe,” he reassured us.
And just like that, ten days of dark, thrilling cinema kicked off.
The Narrow Margin, filmed in just two weeks in 1950, remains a masterclass in low-budget noir. Directed by Richard Fleischer, it takes place almost entirely on a train, a confined space that heightens the tension. The film is a perfect example of what can be accomplished with limited resources, and it was a treat to see it projected on 35mm film—an increasingly rare experience. The plot follows Walter Brown (Charles McGraw), a tough, no-nonsense detective escorting Frankie Neall (Marie Windsor) to testify against the mob. Windsor’s performance is a standout—fast-talking, crude, and dressed to kill—she plays the opposite of the angelic (read blond) mother figure (Jacqueline White) in the next car who catches Brown’s eye.
Throughout the film, Brown faces bribes, beatings, and ultimately triumph. Cinematographer George Diskant skillfully navigates the technical challenges of filming in such tight quarters, creating a seamless flow that mirrors the train’s relentless pace. Though shot in 1950, The Narrow Margin wasn’t released until 1952 due to Howard Hughes’ interference. He loved the film but wanted to re-cast it with Jane Russell and Robert Mitchum—thankfully, the original version saw the light of day, retaining its gritty, noir authenticity.
Then came Hell’s Half Acre, a fascinating and lesser-known noir that was filmed in Hawaii but stayed true to the genre’s darker codes. Set in Honolulu’s A’ala neighborhood, a gritty, rundown area described as having “300 ways in and 400 ways out,” the film shows a side of the city rarely seen on screen. Rickety staircases, fire hazard hallways, and crumbling buildings form the backdrop for this twisted tale of love, betrayal, and murder.
The plot kicks off with Chet Chester (Wendell Corey), a man with a complicated past, who’s at his club in downtown Honolulu with his girlfriend, Sally Lee (Nancy Gates). Sally wastes no time proving she’s a force to be reckoned with—she shoots and kills a man threatening to blackmail Chester. Chester decides to take the fall, sending Sally to find an attorney. But his business partner, Roger Kong (Philip Ahn), suspects Sally is taking him for a ride and murders her in cold blood. Meanwhile, Donna Williams (Evelyn Keyes), a Pearl Harbor war widow, believes her husband Randy is alive and has somehow turned into Chester. She travels to Honolulu to uncover the truth, forming an unlikely bond with sharp-witted taxi driver Lida O’Reilly (Elsa Lancaster). Their dynamic brings a lighter, almost whimsical touch to the film, offering a stark contrast to the darker themes at play.
As the story unfolds, Chester proves to be the man Donna believed him to be, but also a cold, corrupt stranger. In a twist that’s both tragic and bleakly poetic, Chester learns he has a son from his brief marriage, but knowing he can never be the hero his son needs, he arranges his own murder. In a final, somber act, he walks into his demise, having already tipped off the police.
What makes Hell’s Half Acre particularly compelling is its handling of race, something that wasn’t often seen in mainstream films of the time. The film’s Hawaiian setting opens the door for a diverse, multi-racial cast (admittedly more Asian than Polynesian), which was groundbreaking in a Hollywood still entrenched in the Hays Code’s rigid racial boundaries. Korean-American actor Philip Ahn, who plays Roger Kong, is romantically paired with Marie Windsor’s character—a bold move for the time. Even Nancy Gates’ character is revealed through dialogue to be mixed-race, which further underscores the film’s progressive stance. There was a growing fascination in the 1950s with Eurasians and mixed-race romances, fueled by America’s post-war occupation of Japan and the Korean War. Hell’s Half Acre fits into this trend, with its portrayal of mixed-race relationships and Asian-American characters in significant roles—something rare for the era. The film’s willingness to show these complex relationships not only pushes against the racial constraints of the Hays Code but also highlights how far American cinema was from representing the true diversity of its population.
With its strong performances, gritty location, and bold approach to race, Hell’s Half Acre is a standout in the noir genre, one that deserves more attention. It’s a fascinating and often overlooked gem that tells a darker, more complex story than many of its contemporaries.
Noir City’s opening night proved a thrilling dive into the genre’s gritty, timeless allure. With films like The Narrow Margin and Hell’s Half Acre, the festival set the stage for ten days of captivating, boundary-pushing cinema.
Noir City 22 programming runs daily through February 2nd. Check out the program and grab tickets here.
