Moonrise

Moonrise, directed by Frank Borzage and released on October 1, 1948, is a film noir adapted from Theodore Strauss's 1946 novel. The story follows Danny Hawkins, son of an executed murderer, who kills a bully in self defense and tries to cover it up; it stars Dane Clark and Ethel Barrymore. Made on a budget of 849,452 dollars, high by Republic Pictures standards, the film was a box office failure. Its only Academy Award nomination went to sound technician Daniel J. Bloomberg for Best Sound Recording. Film noir historian Eddie Muller has called it Borzage's masterpiece of the sound era; the film was reissued by the Criterion Collection on May 8, 2018. Who it's for: anyone curious about a film noir that flopped in its own era but is now considered a director's finest work, reissued by the Criterion Collection. Who it's not for: viewers wanting a fast paced, action heavy thriller, since this is a more atmospheric, emotionally driven noir.