Film fans appreciate “The Lion in Winter,” but a select group of them in Southern California also have a thing for the Arthur Lyons in spring. That is, the Arthur Lyons Film Noir Festival, which takes place each May in Palm Springs. The four-day fest, set to run Thursday night through Sunday afternoon, offers a hefty dose of filmic darkness to the sun-soaked locals but also a good excuse for Los Angeles cineastes to take a drive out for a long weekend, with plenty of hard- or impossible-to-see rarities on tap as a reward. Related Stories Margo Price, Brandi Carlile, I'm With Her, S.G. Goodman Score Multiple Nominations for Americana Honors & Awards
The 2026 edition of the festival (named after the late crime writer who started it) kicks off Thursday with the digital premiere of a Film Noir Foundation-led restoration of “Slightly Scarlet,” the rare legitimate film noir that is in ‘Scope (not Cinemascope, but a close enough facsimile thereof). There are also premieres of a digital restoration of “Gunn,” Blake Edwards’ feature adaptation of his “Peter Gunn” TV series that has long gone unseen, and of “Manhandled,” a Dorothy Lamour/Dan Duryea/Sterling Hayden vehicle,” neither of which is on streaming or Blu-Ray. The rarities “City Girl” and “The Mob” will be seen in 35mm. If none of these rings a bell, there’s a deliberateness to that, as the festival tends to be programmed for true buffs — although more familiar titles like “No Way Out” do show up among the relative obscurities. (And you may have heard of a little picture called “Bonnie and Clyde,” which is being ushered in under the umbrella of neo-noir.) Popular on Variety
“I have hardly ever shown the same movie twice,” says Alan K. Rode, an author, film historian and the treasurer of the Film Noir Foundation. (L.A. residents will also know him as the co-host of the Noir City Hollywood festival, with Eddie Muller. “I showed ‘The Damned Don’t Cry’ [starring Joan Crawford] about 10 or 15 years ago, so that’s a repeat. But I like to bring new movies, and we have a very loyal audience in Palm Springs. This is year 26 for this festival, and it’s my 19th year programming and hosting this event. Sometimes I’ll roll the dice, and it’s been said that my definition of film noir at times has unrivaled elasticity to it. But I’m pleased that the Arthur Lyons Film Noir Festival is known for showing different films and new discoveries, because that’s what makes keeps it fresh for the audience, and it certainly keeps it fresh for me.”
For anyone who went to check out Noir City Hollywood in April at the American Cinematheque, making a trip to Palm Springs is a heck of an encore — with a dozen films in under 72 hours, including four films a day on the middle two days of the festival, rewarding true marathoners. Rode does know a part of the potential audience may feel a little sated from what happened in Hollywood this past weekend. “You’ve got people that are gonna be fatigued from TCM [the TCM Classic Film Festival, where he just handled an introduction himself]. I’ve been telling them, ‘Just come to Palm Springs and relax. You don’t have to valet park. You don’t have traffic. You can lay by the pool before and after you go see movies. What more can you want?”
Rode is as colorful in his descriptions of the films as the movies are usually un-colorful (though there are exceptions to that this year). He led Variety through a brief run-down on all 12 of this year’s picks, as follows…
(Further synopses, details and running times can be found here. Festival passes and tickets for individual films can be purchased in advance here. Screenings will be held in the Historic Camelot Theatre at the Palm Springs Cultural Center, 2300 E. Baristo Rd., Palm Springs, CA 92262.)
7:30 p.m.: SLIGHTLY SCARLET (1956) – World premiere of brand new digital restoration
1 p.m.: GUNN (1967) – World premiere of brand new digital restoration, not on streaming or Blu-Ray
4 p.m.: CITY GIRL (1938) – In 35mm, not on streaming or Blu-Ray
10 a.m.: MANHANDLED (1949) – World premiere of brand-new digital restoration, not on streaming or Blu-Ray
7:30 p.m.: THE DAMNED DON’T CRY (1950)
10 a.m.: LET US LIVE (1939) – Shown in 35mm
1 p.m.: IT ALWAYS RAINS ON SUNDAY (1947)
Source: variety.com