One of San Francisco unique Film Festivals, Noir City, opens this Friday at the Castro Theater. The Festival runs through February 3. The great thing about this film festival is you get to see classic movies on a big screen, they way they were shot to be seen.
If you are into film this is a great history lesson. You will see films, we would now call independent films because of their low budget, that used lighting and shooting techniques to give it a classic look.
For those of you unfamiliar with Noir Film, it is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize moral ambiguity and sexual motivation. Classic noir derive from crime fiction that emerged in the United States during the Depression.
Hollywood's classic film noir period is generally regarded as stretching from the early 1940s to the late 1950s. Film noir of this era is associated with a low-key black-and-white style.
Besides it is worth a trip to check out all the Eureka Valley and Neighboring Noe Valley have to offer in the way of food and drink. Tomorrow a couple of places to go before and after the films.
Noir City -- Jan. 25 - Feb. 3 
The 6th Annual San Francisco Film Noir Festival opens with two films featuring Joan Leslie, along with an onstage Q&A with the legendary actress. Saturday, James Ellroy introduces Joseph Losey's "The Prowler," which is being screened as a tribute to blacklisted writer Dalton Trumbo.
http://www.noircity.com/noircity.html
http://www.filmnoirfoundation.org/
