The first program section of the 14th Edition is here! Retrospective: Joseph H. Lewis

Several directors could compete for the unofficial title of “the king of B‑movies,” but one of the strongest contenders – alongside Edgar G. Ulmer, featured at NFF 2022 – is certainly Joseph H. Lewis (1907–2000). Born in New York to a family of Jewish immigrants from Russia, Lewis entered the film industry before turning thirty and first distinguished himself as a director of low-budget Westerns. His penchant for unconventional compositional strategies earned him the nickname “Wagon-Wheel Joe,” a reference to his frequent use of wheels as striking visual motifs. Although he gradually explored a wide spectrum of genres, Lewis left his most enduring imprint on film noir, to which he devoted himself between 1945 and 1955. Like Ulmer, he navigated the financial limitations of B‑movie production with remarkable ingenuity. His noir films are marked by inventive approaches to conventional scenarios, particularly through their preference for long takes with a moving camera and unorthodox, often high‑contrast lighting schemes. The NFF 2026 will honor Lewis with a curated retrospective featuring canonical works Gun Crazy (1949) and The Big Combo (1955). These will be complemented by lesser‑known titles, the first of which we are pleased to reveal: A Lady Without a Passport (1950), starring Hedy Lamarr in the title role. (mh)