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About this book
A deep dive into classic noir films and how filmmakers today are refreshing and updating the genre for new generations. Publishers Weekly praises the book, noting, "Cinephiles will be enthralled" and Library Journal says it's a "well-written introduction to noir films and how the genre has continued to thrive as times changed."Booklist calls it a "riveting history of the film noir genre" in a starred review, saying, "This is one of the best, best written, most insightful analyses of film noir, and it demands to be read by fans of film history."
In American Noir Film, M. Keith Booker introduces readers to the cult-favorite genre of film noir and discusses the ongoing power and popularity of the genre's key elements and themes in modern films, often considered neo-noir, well into the twenty-first century. Booker covers a wide range of noir favorites, from the early classics The Maltese Falcon and The Big Sleep, to late twentieth-century neo-noir such as Chinatown,and ultimately newer iterations of the genre as seen in such films as Inherent Vice, Promising Young Woman, and Uncut Gems.
American Noir Film contains three separate parts, each exploring crucial categories of noir: the detective film, the lost man film, and femme fatale films. Within each section, Booker discusses the essential classic noir films that embody these themes as well as neo-noir films that invite viewers to analyze how the traditional components of noir have evolved with filmmaking. Finally, each section concludes with twenty-first-century films that evoke noir elements while refreshing the genre and enhancing viewers' appreciation of the originals that inspired them—what Booker terms "revisionary noir." Whether new to noir films, students of the genre, or long-time fans, readers will be sure to learn what makes this genre so special, discover why filmmakers keep coming back to it, and find a new favorite movie to add to their shelves.
In American Noir Film, M. Keith Booker introduces readers to the cult-favorite genre of film noir and discusses the ongoing power and popularity of the genre's key elements and themes in modern films, often considered neo-noir, well into the twenty-first century. Booker covers a wide range of noir favorites, from the early classics The Maltese Falcon and The Big Sleep, to late twentieth-century neo-noir such as Chinatown,and ultimately newer iterations of the genre as seen in such films as Inherent Vice, Promising Young Woman, and Uncut Gems.
American Noir Film contains three separate parts, each exploring crucial categories of noir: the detective film, the lost man film, and femme fatale films. Within each section, Booker discusses the essential classic noir films that embody these themes as well as neo-noir films that invite viewers to analyze how the traditional components of noir have evolved with filmmaking. Finally, each section concludes with twenty-first-century films that evoke noir elements while refreshing the genre and enhancing viewers' appreciation of the originals that inspired them—what Booker terms "revisionary noir." Whether new to noir films, students of the genre, or long-time fans, readers will be sure to learn what makes this genre so special, discover why filmmakers keep coming back to it, and find a new favorite movie to add to their shelves.
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Yes, you can access American Noir Film by M. Keith Booker in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Media & Performing Arts & Film & Video. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.
Information
Table of contents
- Cover
- Half Title
- Contents
- Introduction to Noir Film
- Part I: The Noir Detective Film
- Chapter 1: The Film Noir Detective: The Maltese Falcon (1941, Directed by John Huston)
- Chapter 2: The Film Noir Detective: Murder, My Sweet: (1944, Directed by Edward Dmytryk)
- Chapter 3: The Neo-Noir Detective: Chinatown: (1974, Directed by Roman Polanski)
- Chapter 4: The Neo-Noir Detective: Blue Velvet: (1986, Directed by David Lynch)
- Chapter 5: The Revisionary Noir Detective: Devil in a Blue Dress (1995, Directed by Carl Franklin)
- Chapter 6: The Revisionary Noir Detective: Inherent Vice: (2014, Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson)
- Chapter 7: The Revisionary Noir Detective: Under the Silver Lake (2018, Directed by David Robert Mitchell)
- Part II: The Noir Film Lost Man
- Chapter 8: The Film Noir Lost Man: Detour: (1945, Directed by Edgar G. Ulmer)
- Chapter 9: The Film Noir Lost Man: Out of the Past: (1947, Directed by Jacques Tourneur)
- Chapter 10: The Neo-Noir Lost Man: After Dark, My Sweet: (1990, Directed by James Foley)
- Chapter 11: The Neo-Noir Lost Man: The Man Who Wasn’t There: (2001, Directed by Joel and Ethan Coen)
- Chapter 12: The Revisionary Noir Lost Man: The Killer Inside Me: (2010, Directed by Michael Winterbottom)
- Chapter 13: The Revisionary Noir Lost Man: You Were Never Really Here (2017, Directed by Lynne Ramsay)
- Chapter 14: The Revisionary Noir Lost Man: Uncut Gems (2019, Directed by Josh and Benny Safdie)
- Part III: Women in Noir Film
- Chapter 15: Women in Film Noir: Double Indemnity (1944, Directed by Billy Wilder)
- Chapter 16: Women in Film Noir: Sunset Boulevard: (1950, Directed by Billy Wilder)
- Chapter 17: Women in Neo-Noir: Body Heat: (1981, Directed by Lawrence Kasdan)
- Chapter 18: Women in Neo-Noir: The Last Seduction (1994, Directed by James Foley)
- Chapter 19: Women in Revisionary Noir: Basic Instinct (1992, Directed by Paul Verhoeven)
- Chapter 20: Women in Revisionary Noir: Gone Girl: (2014, Directed by David Fincher)
- Chapter 21: Women in Revisionary Noir: Promising Young Woman: (2020, Directed by Emerald Fennell)
- Conclusion
- Notes
- Bibliography
- About the Author