Eddie Robson, who is one of the world’s most thorough-going experts on film noir, is determined that Stranger on the Third Floor is the world’s first film noir.
Not that one should spend a lot of time on this debate, but still it’s discussed. And he might even be right!
Despite being heavy on the expressionist shadows and the hapless hero, Stranger on the Third Floor lacks a few key noir elements, notably the femme fatale or bad girl — of which there is none.
But Stranger more than makes up for that in shadows and the psychological blurring of dream and reality.
