Dunoon Noir

Three days in a faded Victorian seaside town on the Clyde, spent trying to turn it into a hard-boiled noir film with a pocket camera and a cartridge of 110.

Dunoon is a small seaside town in the West of Scotland, about an hour or so from Glasgow by two trains. And a ferry.

It is a charming place. It feels like a faded Victorian seaside town on the edge of the world. Behind the town is, to a city slicker such as myself, wilderness. Actual forests. Maybe bears.

Dunoon was where one of my dear friends ran away when the plague came. You know the one. It's where she fell in love. It is why I am here, for their wedding.

The wedding would not be in Dunoon but on the waters of some loch. I would later learn that beavers were reintroduced nearby. They wouldn't make an appearance, unfortunately.

Before the wedding, I spent a few days in Dunoon where I spent my time trying to turn the place into a hard-boiled, noir film.

The Pier

Here is the pier where our hard-boiled hero arrives. The ship's captain, a gruff, old sailor, gives him an ominous warning. Of course, the hero ignores it.

The pier at Dunoon, its wooden pavilion and tower standing over the piles, the hills across the water behind.

Argyll Hotel

Here is the unassuming hotel where our hard-boiled hero would stay as he gets his bearings.

The stone corner of the Argyll Hotel, its name in white capitals along the parapet.

The Esplanade

The hotel I stayed in. Dunoon has no shortage of little hotels and B&Bs. Not so film noir, more Fawlty Towers but not without its charm.

The Esplanade Hotel, white gables and bay windows above a row of cabbage palms.

Another Esplanade

It turns out Dunoon has two Esplanades. Just to confuse the tourists. I like the large lawn, which would make a great start to a foot chase.

A long white hotel behind clipped hedges and a wide empty lawn, under a heavy sky.

Boardwalk

A lovely bit of boardwalk to find a corpse, one floating like a fishing lure.

The boardwalk running out over the water, its white railings and worn piles receding into the distance.

The Shack on the Pier

This abandoned shack would also be a lovely location to find a corpse. Though, this one would be older and nothing more than bones and cobwebs.

A boarded-up shack on the pier, DUNOON in white letters across its front and barriers pulled across the doorway.

Beach Walk

Here is a quiet beach walk on the water front. A nice spot to meet an informant and find out what's actually going on in this town.

An empty promenade curving along the shore, benches against the sea wall and wooded hills beyond.

Milverton

Since arriving, Milverton is the answer to everything but to what? Or who?

A stone gatepost with MILVERTON cut into it, ivy spilling over the wall beside it and a slate-roofed lodge behind.

The Unsuspecting Town

When it is all over, the town carries on as if nothing had ever happened. Credits roll.

The town seen from the rocks across the water, its terraces stacked along the shore under the hills.

I am very happy with these shots. I must credit the impeccable sunshine and the Everflash, they did the heavy lifting.

I do recommend visiting Dunoon. I will certainly go back to shoot a sequel.