Pods Against Tomorrow: Reinvestigating Film Noir Out of the Past (1947) with Todd McGowan
Nov 3, 2025
Todd McGowan, a film scholar and professor from the University of Vermont, dives deep into Jacques Tourneur's noir classic, Out of the Past. He discusses how the film embodies the essence of noir through themes of fatalism and the femme fatale. The conversation touches on intriguing elements like the influence of newspaper headlines, the blend of melodrama and gangster themes, and the unique quirks in dialogue. They also debate the film's place among other noirs, like Double Indemnity, while sharing behind-the-scenes trivia that adds to its mystique.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Noir As Capitalist Rivalry
- Out Of The Past reframes the noir triangle as a rivalry between two capitalist figures rather than an Oedipal father-son drama.
- Todd McGowan argues this updates gangster logic into a postwar capitalist/playboy conflict that defines the film's moral stakes.
Fatalism: Lose More Slowly
- Noir presents a fatalistic universe where winning is impossible but you can "lose more slowly."
- McGowan and hosts emphasize fatalism as central to noir's narrative energy and character action.
Smoking, Coats, And Noir Excess
- Smoking and trench coats operate as visual shorthand of noir excess and authenticity.
- Abe and Hugh highlight the film's iconic dueling-cigarettes and Mitchum's trench-coat persona as genre-defining images.
