While it may not be the most famous entry in the genre, Stranger on The Third Floor can be fairly classified as the first true film noir. Known for its reliance on dark characters, avoidance of “Hollywood” endings, and an abundance of other tropes, the film noir genre has birthed some of the most iconic films in cinematic history. Among them are Double Indemnity, The Third Man, The Postman Always Rings Twice, and quite a few films featuring Peter Lorre, such as The Maltese Falcon. He also had top billing in The Stranger on the Third Floor.

Although The Stranger on the Third Floor isn’t the most celebrated movie in Peter Lorre’s filmography – that тιтle belongs to The Maltese Falcon – there’s no denying the significance of the 1940 classic. In fact, several facets of the genre can be found in the Peter Lorre film, which predates all great film noir movies – even The Maltese Falcon.

What Stranger On The Third Floor Is About

Peter Lorre Is The Villain In The Stranger On The Third Floor

Directed by Boris Ingster, Stranger on the Third Floor is a 1940 mystery film starring John McGuire as Mike Ward, the star witness in a murder case. Mike’s story is that Elisha Cook Jr.’s Joe Briggs committed the murder in question, but as the events of the movie unfold, Mike begins to realize that a mysterious “stranger” lurking in the area – played by Peter Lorre – may be the real culprit in the crime.

When another murder happens with Mike in the vicinity, he goes from being a witness to the prime suspect in both killings. This results in his love interest, Margaret Talliget’s Jane, stepping up to help clear his name, which means getting to the bottom of the mystery regarding “the stranger.” These events amount to a great emotional challenge for Mike, who spends much of the movie worried about his own fate and the idenтιтy of Lorre’s character.

Stranger On The Third Floor Is The First True Film Noir

It Was Released 1 Year Before The Maltese Falcon

The story, as well as the cinematography, earns The Stranger on the Third Floor the distinction of being the first true film noir. A staple of film noir is the morally nuanced protagonist, an archetype that Mike fits into well. While he is the main character, Mike isn’t a “hero” in the traditional sense ᴀssociated with most Hollywood films at the time. Rather, Mike is a multi-layered character, driven not necessarily by a desire to do the right thing and out a murderer, but to protect himself. Mike understands that being around two murders makes him look guilty, thus increasing his resolve to find the real killer.

Film noir is also characterized by its heavy use of shadows and the way in which various scenes are framed. The Stranger on the Third Floor employed shadows and a number of camera angles to create a strong vibe that was both ominous and suspenseful. It was also conservative in its depiction of violence, making it more implied than visually explicit. This is a common tactic employed by movies now regarded as film noir. These movies, including Stranger on the Third Floor, take advantage of being sH๏τ in black and white, as this helps them maintain a dark tone throughout.

Additionally, The Stranger on the Third Floor carries some of the most popular tropes ᴀssociated with 1940s film noir: an innocent man fighting to clear his name due to a broken and corrupt legal system, an urban setting, and sequences that make the main character question reality. The looming presence of Peter Lorre solidifies its place in the genre even further, given that Lorre is a fundamental ingredient in several film noir favorites, such as The Maltese Falcon, Background to Danger, and The Mask of Dimitrios. His ability to play slimy, morally gray characters has cemented him as one of the best film noir actors.

Earlier Movies Had Film Noir Elements, But Stranger On The Third Floor Was The First To Meet The Full Definition

Earlier Movies Had Some Film Noir Elements

Some movies – released prior to Stranger on the Third Floor – have sometimes been classified as film noir. However, it’s important to note that not every movie with “noir-ish” qualities make it a film noir, as there have been morally gray protagonists and dark endings for years before that film. Giving the movie the тιтle of the first film noir isn’t to say it created any of these storytelling techniques or storytelling devices; it was just the first to effectively wrap them all into a single film.

A perfect example of a movie that’s sometimes labeled as film noir but doesn’t fully match the definition of the genre is They Drive by Night, a drama starring film noir icon Humphrey Bogart and George Raft that released weeks before The Stranger on the Third Floor. The inclusion of both actors give it the illusion of being a film noir, but it doesn’t really develop that feel until the last third of the story. Up until then, it’s just about the fairly normal lives of two overworked truck drivers. Something similar can be said of Alfred Hitchcock’s Rebecca, which hit theaters in March 1940; it had a “noir-ish” flavor to it, but nothing more.

Depsite Being The First, Stranger On The Third Floor Isn’t Credited With Creating The Film Genre

Film Noir Came About As A Result Rules Placed On Movies

The Stranger on the Third Floor releasing so close to these other noir-ish movies underscores an important detail about its legacy – or lack thereof. The Stranger on the Third Floor’s status as the first film noir doesn’t prove that it created the genre or inspired the slew of similar movies that followed. The fact that They Drive by Night, Rebecca, The Maltese Falcon, and so many others were released in such a short timeframe is indicative of that. That’s because these films weren’t a reaction to The Stranger on the Third Floor, but a widespread response to changes that were happening in the industry.

The Production Code a.k.a. the Hayes Code, which went into effect in 1934, severely limited filmmakers’ options in terms of what they could do with their characters and what they could show onscreen. But as time pᴀssed, directors began to develop ways of circumventing these rules, using various filming techniques and other strategies to tell the stories they wanted. By the early 1940s, this movement was in full effect, hence the rise of movies like The Stranger on the Third Floor.