100 Film Noirs

(Paperback)

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Description

Film noir's popularity with cinema audiences, enthusiasts and scholars has remained unabated since post-war French critics began discerning a new trend in American film with the release of such stylish and atmospheric crime features as Double Indemnity and Murder, My Sweet. Many of Hollywood's greatest directors such as Fritz Lang and Robert Siodmak are now closely associated with film noir's psychologically acute observations of the darker contours of the American urban landscape. Thanks to evocative cinematography, sharp writing and powerful performances, these films have had an enduring influence on international visual culture. 100 Film Noirs provides an authoritative overview of film noir past and present by examining its core films and themes and providing an accessible introduction to critical debates. The book goes beyond the classical canon to examine the ways in which noir continues to have a diverse influence on American cinema. It demonstrates the way that noir has intervened in other more established Hollywood genres and also considers numerous lesser-known examples of the field. Importantly, 100 Film Noirs has a strong international dimension and provides new and revealing insights into film noirs from France, Germany, Japan, India, Mexico and beyond.

Reviews

100 Film Noirs offers many insights into the history and visual grammar of the genre and provides the perfect excuse to revisit some classics and discover some forgotten masterpieces. -- The Guardian * PD Smith *
100 Film Noirs has a strong international dimension and provides new and revealing insights into film noirs from France, Germany, Japan, India, Mexico and beyond -- Sight& Sound
Both a treasure trove of facts and a taster for those keen to find out more about the seamier side of life... -- PinkPaper.com
This new volume in the successful "BFI Screen Guides" series provides an entertaining and authoritative guide to the genre through an examination of 100 key films. "Film Noir" is a popular and widely-studied genre. The authors are both high-profile film scholars. It includes classic films such as "Double Indemnity" alongside more recent movies including "Sin City". Richly illustrated with images from the films are discussed. It also includes examples from Europe, Japan, India and Mexico, together with an editorial overview of the genre and its key debates. -- Tangled Web
As has already been indicated, this is an authoritative work, as one might expect with the imprint of the British Film Institute. It is extremely readable in style and is recommended for students of film studies in school, college, or university, as well as for public libraries where it would be eagerly read by lovers of film noir. -- Reference Reviews * Eric Jukes *
...takes into account the fact that film noir as a genre has influenced films in France, Japan, Germany, Mexico and India, so there is welcome inclusion of films other than the classics, showing how diverse the influence is. -- fivebooks.com * Barry Forshaw *

Author Bio

JIM HILLIER is Visiting Lecturer in the Department of Film and Television Studies at the University of Reading. His publications include American Independent Cinema (2001), The Film Studies Dictionary (2000) and Howard Hawks: American Artist (1996). ALASTAIR PHILLIPS is Associate Professor in the Department of Film and Television Studies at the University of Warwick. He is the author of Rififi (2008) and the co-editor of Japanese Cinema: Texts and Contexts (2007) and of Journeys of Desire: European Actors in Hollywood (2006).