Customer Reviews:
FILM NOIR ENCYCLOPEDIA.......2006-11-10
This book is a reference book and not the type of book you just sit down
and read for fun. It is a very comprehensive work on the film noir culture. Just about any information that you will want to know about the film noir classics will be found in this work. Fun to flip through and make a mental note of the format and where to look for your future inquiries.
Takes the definition of Film Noir way too far.......2006-06-12
If I could give this book ZERO stars, I would. I ordered this book, looked inside for about 2 minutes and promptly returned it. It excluded my 2 favorite film noir movies, The Sweet Smell of Success and ...what I deem, next to the Maltese Falcon and Sunset Blvd., as the absolute epitome of film noir....The Third Man. Not even a mention, even though it is #2 on the all time favorite film noir movie list at the IMDB website.
I thumbed through the book for a sec or two and noticed MANY full technicolor movies, some of which, because of the content of the movie, I thought had absolutely no place in a film noir book, technicolor or not. The genre is not as wide open as this author believes it is. C'mon....Dirty Harry? Sorry, but that is NOT a film noir. I did not read the book, but whatever definition of film noir he is using, it CERTAINLY comes nowhere near MY definition of film noir. And according to Wikepedia.org, my definition is correct...color films have no place whatsoever according to the "purist" view. But I'm openminded, you know, it can be in color and it can be made after 1970....I don't have a huge list of criteria. I only asked that it include a few of my favorites, but when it didn't even meet my needs with the very first glance at the index, I pretty much discounted it as hogwash. Yeah, it has loads of obscure gumshoe B movies and if that's what you're interested it, go for it. But if you think all film noir movies should be in black & white and contain the Third Man, et al, pass it by.
the indispensable gets more indispensable.......2005-09-26
This book is the bible of film noir, and the 1992 revisions of the 3rd edition make it even more useful than before. Want to know who plays every bit part in one of your favorite films noirs? The info is here. Want to know when shooting started? When it was released into theaters? Ditto. Want a chronological list of the great noirs? Or more "inside" film lists, organized by directors, stars, even cinematographers? They're here. One of the old criticisms of the previous editions of the book is that its plot summaries were sometimes incorrect in the details. The authors cleaned up some of those problems in this edition, although they decided not to add or change text that would disrupt the original page layout. This means that the new language is a compromise for space, and it doesn't quite live up to the original. And some developments of the past decade, like the discovery of a print of the silent noir "The Racket," are too recent for corrections - the bible still says, "This film is lost today." This not-so-new edition includes a great essay on neo-noir and a fine list of neo-noir films (although I miss the obsessive detail of the original listings). Also, it's paperbound instead of hardbound. But it's still a superb reference work for the film noir fanatic - so treat it well until Silver and Ward get a 4th edition on the stands.
The Essential Classic Film Noir Reference........2004-11-15
This 3rd edition of "Film Noir: An Encyclopedic Reference to the American Style" provides descriptions and analysis for nearly 300 film noirs that were produced from 1927 to 1976, concentrating on the classic period, 1940-1958. The authors are strict in defining film noir as a movement and a style -not a genre- molded specifically by the social, economic, technical, and aesthetic circumstances in post-WWII America, and therefore confined to that era. They exclude genre and foreign films produced in the post-war era that other critics might include. So "Film Noir" is a reference of "pure noir" of the classic period. It may be just as well that it doesn't explore impure noir in much depth, as this book is quite large as it is.
The authors introduce the book by defining the uniquely American classic noir style and discussing some of its common characteristics. The Encyclopedia, itself, is 314 pages long and organized alphabetically by film title. The entry for each of the nearly 300 classic noir films included provides, wherever applicable: the film's title (including working and alternate titles), it's year of release, director, producer, screenwriter(s), director of photography, music director, persons responsible for special effects, sound, score, set decoration, costumes, make-up, the production designer and/or art director, assistant director, and editor. This is followed by a cast list -divided into main and "bit" cast, the date filming was completed, the date the film was released, running time, a plot summary, and a critical analysis by one of the book's 18 contributors. The plot and analysis do often contain spoilers, including endings and surprise twists, which is probably necessary to provide analysis and to define the film as "noir". The plot summaries are useful in refreshing my memory of films seen long ago, but I avoid reading the entire summary or commentary for films I have not yet seen.
"Film Noir" has 5 informative Appendices that explore topics and films not covered in the main section of the book. Appendix A is a lengthy essay explaining the rationale for excluding genre films from the film noir movement. It addresses The Gangster Film, The Western, The Period Film, and The Comedy separately, discussing films that reflect the noir style and what they share and do not share with film noir. Appendix B is a series of lists: A chronology of film noir, listed by year, 1927-1976. Directors listed alphabetically with their films. The same for Writers, Directors of Photography, Composers, Producers, Actors & Actresses, and Releasing Companies, each category with its own list. The criterion for inclusion in the lists is participation in at least 2 film noirs. Appendix C is a survey of "Other Studies in Film Noir". It comments on significant articles and books published on the subject of film noir, from 1955's seminal work by Borde & Chaumeton, "A Panorama of American Film Noir", through 1992, when the latest edition of this book was published. Appendix D discusses "Additional Films from the Classic Period" which were not included in the earlier editions of the book, because they were unavailable or overlooked. Here, 50 films are discussed according to their characteristic noir elements -femme fatale, alienation & despair, maniacs & mayhem, etc. Why these films were simply not included in the Encyclopedia section of this 3rd edition is a mystery to me. Appendix E is a lengthy discussion of Neo-Noir,1966-1992, including a filmography. In the back of the book, you will find a fairly comprehensive Index of films, names, book titles, and most references you might want to locate in "Film Noir".
Film Noir aficionados and students will find "An Encyclopedic Reference to the American Style" endlessly fascinating and useful. The critical analyses are thoughtful. The authors' inclusions, exclusions, and definitions of classic noir are always well-articulated and thought-provoking. A single source that collects the production details for each film is a big time-saver.
A Great Reference - and you CAN avoid spoilers..........2004-09-17
Have others noted, this is both a great reference and a good way to discover these films -- a real gem. One of the reviewers here mentioned that the reviews are so clinical in laying out the plot as to constitute spoilers. I agree, but I would also point out that the reviews are very structured, making it easy to avoid "spoilers."
The first paragraph of each review is the complete plot summary, usually right to the last scene of the film. After the plot summary paragraph, the second and all subsequent paragraphs discuss the non-plot elements of the film, such as the production history, cinematography, etc. Thus you can read a sentence or two of the first paragraph to get the flavor of the story and skip to the second paragraph to learn more about the film without spoiling the typical noir twists and revealing the ending.
The structure of the reviews is so consistent that it has to be by design, and is just one more little touch that makes this an enjoyable, as well as authoritative, read.
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Sunshine & Noir
Mike Davis ,
Mike Kelley , and
David Hockney
Manufacturer: Louisiana Museum of Modern Art
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ASIN: 8790029194
Release Date: 1998-03-02 |
Book Description
Artistic production in L.A., while certainly influenced by the international currents which have defined New York, has always retained a distinct affinity. Sunshine & Noir takes an indepth look at the art and the artists that define art in L.A.
Amazon.com
Standard histories of film noir commence the coining of the term (which means "black film") by French writers in the years after the war when they saw a new mingling of grit, wit, and swooning Thanatos in movies like The Maltese Falcon and Double Indemnity. Alain Silver's and James Ursini's nearly libidinous collection of "duo-tone" (i.e., black and white) movie stills reaches far afield, finding noir's style radiating from the Brucke painters in the 1920s, Edward Hopper's wee-small-hours townscapes of the 1940s, and Weegee's bloody, beautiful photos. In page after oversized page, the authors park perceptive readings beside images of classic rainy streets (Underworld, USA, The Money Trap), doomy women in lipstick (Laura, Gilda), disturbed interiors (Sunset Boulevard), and wrenching ironies (DOA). The commentary reveals how light, frame, composition, body language, and a few other irreducibles charge individual scenes and contribute to the look of noir as a whole, beginning with gangster and horror films in the 1930s and closing with Silence of the Lambs in 1992. The texts lapse occasionally into heavy breathing about Meaning, but the authors invite us to get what we want from this most stylish of American movie genres by just flipping the pages. With hardly a cliché image in the bunch, we can eagerly fall afresh into Jane Russell's outstretched arms (in Macao), zoom down the black sidewalk stretching behind a dying John Garfield (in He Ran All the Way), and contemplate once more the tissue of lies between Humphrey Bogart and Mary Astor in The Maltese Falcon. --Lyall Bush
Book Description
The first illustrated book to capture the inimitable look and style of film noir
In The Noir Style, Alain Silver and James Ursini return to the subject for which they are famous, analyzing the look of film noir from the classic period (The Maltese Falcon in 1941 through Touch of Evil in 1958) through to the present day. Replete with sinister and scintillating black and white photos--both interior design shots that define the look of noir, and production stills from such noir gems as Out of the Past and The Killers--this book handsomely and uniquely illustrates the graphic impact of film noir, in images that practically speak for themselves.
The accompanying text explores noir's origins while devoting individual chapters to explorations of such classic noir motifs as Night and the City and the Deadly Female. A lavishly elegant book--10 x 11 format, four-color jacket, and duotone prints throughout--The Noir Style is the most engaging and informative addition to the literature of film in years.
Praise for Film Noir: An Encyclopedic Reference to the American Style:
"It's what you always want in a film reference book, but rarely find: comprehensive, intelligently organized, voluminously illustrated, and possessed of its own distinctive voice."
--Lawrence Kasdan
Customer Reviews:
Film Noir Comedy.......2007-06-25
Bland pictures. Boring details. Quite surprising that the authors didn't make references to classic film noir films. The selection of neo-noir left me quite puzzled. How can you have a book of film noir without taking a look at "Asphalt Jungle"? Then, how can you have a chapter on neo-noir without a reference to "Chinatown"? I didn't even see the inclusion of "Angel Heart", "Out of the Past", "I am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang", "The Big Lebowski", and many many more. The book is just silly.
Disappointing.......2004-08-28
On a quick browse through, Noir Style appears to be a copiously illustrated analysis of the visual style of one of my favorite things, film noir. But closer examination reveals this book to be a series of extremely specific descriptions --not even analyses-- of the lighting, body language, expressions and camera angles demonstrated in a set of film production stills! The resulting material, besides being colossally redundant, feels strangely like one of those middle school creative writing exercises where teacher sets a photo out and tells you to write a story about it. Again and again, the words fall short of the genuine eloquence of the images. And the descriptions, as specific and earnest as they may manage to be, ultimately feel removed from the living, breathing context of the ostensible subject.
Anyone who knows what film production stills are knows they usually don't exactly match the scene as it appears in the finished film. This in itself may nettle you as it does me. But even if the stills were direct frame blowups from the films, as they are in a few instances here, this approach wouldn't work. The most static film has a dimension of movement, duration and progression that would delimit or, at very least, challenge the validity of this treatment. But say, you're so good at it, you DO want to scrupulously describe the contents of photographs of film scenes. How many times can you do it before a whopping case of "okay, we get the point already" sinks in? I believe twelve well-chosen stills can tell you all you will ever need to know --provide a thorough visual glossary-- of noir style acting and visuals. (Maybe this is a case for DK Books.)
Noir Style gets three stars from me, in spite of the one star text, for presenting some nice photography. Many of the pictures in this book are better presented by the same authors, however, in a slimmer and cheaper Taschen volume called Film Noir. It's better because, in that book, at least, we are spared the cruel tease of an analysis of the form that isn't really there. Film Noir is a straight-ahead pretty picture book that frankly delivers, without the let-down that lays at the heart of Noir Style.
Coffee Table Noir.......2003-05-03
A large, handsome book, suitably published in black and white. If you are a fan of the Noir genre, this belongs on your coffee table. The pictures, from the collections of the authors, are evocative of their milieu, illustrating the classic noir films of the 40's and 50's. There isn't quite as much information about each picture as I would like, and for a couple, such as the cover and frontspiece, no information at all. This book is a supplement to the Noir Readers of the authors, and as such, serves it's purpose well. Do not buy this as a text, but for illustrative purposes. Enjoy looking at the chilling dark dangerous ladies, the crooked cops, the doomed characters. Great pictures.
Poor production values sink the project.......2003-01-16
While the idea of having two of the most knowledgeable scholars of the noir film host a coffee-table art book on the topic sounds promising, the resulting product is heinously flawed. Despite the brevity of the text, a blocky font makes it difficult to read. The 'duotone' reproduction is achieved by imposing blue plate on the black plate--making vintage photographs resemble a poorly adjusted television screen. Further, the large reproductions merely expose the grain, scratches, and dust spots that any skilled retoucher could have removed. Pick up Mark Viera's SIN IN SOFT FOCUS: PRE-CODE HOLLYWOOD and see how this book should have looked.
Noir Gold!.......2002-08-12
Alain Silver has already written the definitive book on the subject with his (and Elizabeth Ward) `Film Noir: An encyclopaedic reference to the American style' and now with `The Noir Style' he has written the definitive book about the look of these movies.
Most critics agree that style was one of the main elements of this genre and Paul Schrader went further to suggest that noir style was working out the conflict visually. Where would this kind of movie be without its deep shadows and expressive lighting? With over two hundred production stills the authors explore the various characteristics and meanings of this essentially American art form. What makes the book so wonderful for me, apart from the excellent design by Bernard Schleifer, are the stills, mostly large one to a page and beautifully printed as 175 screen duotones, they leap off the page. Each photo has a very comprehensive caption.
As well as the seven chapters there are several spreads called `Motif' where certain visual treatments are examined in more detail, prison bars, dream and flashback, face and gesture, sexual debasement, night and the wheel and one I thought particularly interesting about photographer Weegee (his real name was Arthur Fellig and he got his obscure nickname from his job, in the twenties, at The New York Times, where he worked in the photo darkrooms removing excess water from prints before they were dried, he did this with a squeegee) he covered New York city for various tabloid papers and his style was a photographic version of the noir movies. Page forty-seven shows one of his photos of a dead man on a city pavement, wearing a blood soaked shirt, over the page is a still of Kirk Douglas playing dead from the movie `Out of the Past', they actually have very little in common, one is sanitised reel life the other is real life.
`The Noir Style' could not be any better and with Silver's `Film Noir' encyclopaedia you will have a very full account of this fascinating movie genre. One other noir film book I have enjoyed is `Dark City' by Eddie Muller, a detailed text and picture study. A neat touch is that Muller's written the book in the language style of the hardboiled private eye books of the forties...all three books hit the bull's eye!
***FOR A LOOK INSIDE click 'customer images' under the cover.
Book Description
Film scholar Ronald Schwartz examines the most significant representatives of the Neo-Noir style, beginning with Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho and concluding with Michael Mann's Collateral (2004). Schwartz provides in-depth analyses of over thir
Customer Reviews:
AUTHOR REPLIES TO ONLY REVIEW POSTED.......2006-10-12
Schwartz' NEO-NOIR is truly a scholarly work...the single review now posted on amazon is innaccurate, immature, insensitive and vulgar.
There is an excellent introduction, plus 3o+ reviews explaining how each film fits into the neo-noir category...plus an annotated filmography with ratings and plot outlines for the reader...plus a Bibliography, Video &
DVD sources and an Appendix containing notes on the first Neo-Noir conference ever held with Paul Schrader and Donald Westlake in Manhattan.
Like David Thompson who was reviled by a reader for his book on Nicole Kidman, I too feel NEO-NOIR critics should give a chance for something new on the literary marketplace.
There is an excellent review of my book by a critic who really has read my work on film noir...if you go to the following url, you will also find a link to amazon.com
[...]
Thank you for the update. 6 July 2007
Ronald Schwartz
A simple list of movies trying to disguise itself as a true work of film criticism and theory........2006-04-16
I am currently completing my undergraduate degree in Cinema Studies with a thesis examining the neo-noir trend in cinema and I have to say that without a doubt this book is just terrible. It has an introduction going through the history of the neo-noir film but the majority of the book, about 99% of it, is just a list of films Ronald Schwartz seemingly enjoyed. His writings on each film are far from enlightening and it basically just functions as a book of film reviews. He gives us the synopsis and through this we can easily determine whether or not he enjoyed that particular film. Truly not worth your time and definitely not worth the price it is sold for. I'm just extremely thankful I got mine from a library rather than ordering it.
If you want a truly good book on neo-noir you should check out Foster Hirsch's Detours and Lost Highways: A Map of Neo-Noir which gives us a much more in-depth and interesting account of neo-noir history. Hirsch also examines sociological issues prevalent during the production of certain films. Detours is a major source for my thesis and a wonderful read. Neo-Noir: The New Film Noir Style by Ronald Schwartz might be fit for toilet paper and not much else. Avoid it.
Book Description
In early twentieth-century France, the term art négre was as likely to call to mind the music and dance of black America as it was to evoke the sculpture of black Africa. Indeed, music and dance, which racial theorists and exotic novelists portrayed as the "primitive" arts par excellence, were thought to exemplify the "genius" of blacks in all creative fields. In Le Tumulte noir, Jody Blake focuses on the impacts of African sculpture and African-American music and dance on Parisian popular entertainment and modernist art, literature, and performance.
Blake discusses the reception of ragtime-era and jazz-age entertainment, as well as other African visual and performing art forms, to provide new ways of understanding the development of modernist primitivism, from Matisse and Picasso to Futurism, Dada, Surrealism, and Purism. But the influence of art négre went well beyond the avant-garde art world. Starting with the cakewalk of the 1900s and culminating with the Charleston of the 1920s, the book studies the African-American idioms that were involved in larger cultural, social, and political developments. As an illustration, Blake argues that performers such as Josephine Baker and Sidney Bechet of Revue négre fame were thought to affect the political balance between Africa and Europe during the colonial period.
Le Tumulte noir is divided into six chronological chapters, each a well-researched, well-conceived, and well-written synthesis of the histories of art, literature, music, and dance. Because of its cross-disciplinary character, this book is not reserved for specialists, but is open to a larger audience.
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Josephine Baker and LA Revue Negre: Paul Colin's Lithographs of Le Tumulte Noir in Paris, 1927
Paul Colin ,
Karen C. C. Dalton , and
Henry Louis Gates
Manufacturer: Harry N Abrams
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ASIN: 0810927721 |
Amazon.com
When graphic designer Paul Colin published a limited edition of lithographs he'd made of dancer Josephine Baker and her revue in Paris in 1927, the French fascination with American jazz musicians and dancers was at its peak--and the 500 hand-colored copies quickly sold out. The 45 lithographs collected under the title Le Tumulte Noir (the book's notes list uproar, frenzy, sensation, brouhaha, and craze among the possible translations for the word tumulte) include a dynamic sketch of Baker in her famous banana skirt, a chalklike drawing of a jazz band in full swing, a feather-bedecked woman dancing in the rain, an interracial flapper couple kicking up their heels, and other images that capture the joie de vivre of the era. Henry Louis Gates Jr. introduces this edition of the lithographs with an essay that reminds readers of the haven African Americans found in France at a time when overt racism and bigotry were rampant in the United States. He then maps the wild success the new musical form jazz, and its beloved interpreter Baker, achieved there. Colin's lithographs are faithfully reproduced in the same size and vertical orientation of the original edition with just the three colors he employed, the original title page, and Baker's own handwritten forward to the work.
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Jazz Noir: Listening to Music from Phantom Lady to The Last Seduction
David Butler
Manufacturer: Praeger Publishers
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Book Description
Jazz has been associated with crime and immorality since early forms of the music were heard in the brothels of New Orleans and the gangster-owned clubs of the 1920s. This association encouraged the use of jazz in film noir, a genre preoccupied with tales of anxiety and urban decay, which flourished in American cinema during the postwar period. Yet, although the extent and nature of this "collaboration" has often been alluded to, it has rarely been examined in detail. Making significant use of archival sources and documentation, Jazz Noir seeks to correct this oversight, placing the films discussed in their proper historical context and utilizing an interdisciplinary approach that gives equal weight to the films--including such notables as Phantom Lady, I Want to Live!, and Taxi Driver--and to the indelible music that accompanied them. In so doing, it corrects a great many misunderstandings about this complex, ideologically tinged relationship. Television noirs of the 1950s and 1960s, as well as the cinematic neo-noirs of the 1990s, have used jazz and jazz-flavored music extensively, thus giving rise to the misconception that the genre and the musical style were always intertwined. But as author David Butler reveals, it was only when modern jazz had a number of prominent white exponents that it gained any kind of exposure in Hollywood cinema, and even then such exposure was limited. Nevertheless, the broad range of jazz styles was well suited to the broad range of films noir, and the historical approach Butler takes gives due weight to such considerations. The film noir of the 1940s are as different from the film noir of the 1950s as the jazz of the 1940s is from the jazz of the 1950s, and Jazz Noir provides a unique and valuable study of a rich aesthetic synergy.
Book Description
The name is French and it has connections to German expressionist cinema, but film noir was inspired by the American Raymond Chandler, whose prose was marked by the gripping realism of seedy hotels, dimly lit bars, main streets, country clubs, mansions, cul-de-sac apartments, corporate boardrooms, and flop houses of America.
Chandler and the other writers and directors, including James M. Cain, Dashiell Hammett, Jane Greer, Ken Annakin, Rouben Mamoulian and Mike Mazurki, who were primarily responsible for the creation of the film noir genre and its common plots and themes, are the main focus of this work. It correlates the rise of film noir with the new appetites of the American public after World War II and explains how it was developed by smaller studios and filmmakers as a result of the emphasis on quality within a deliberately restricted element of cities at night. The author also discusses how RKO capitalized on films such as Murder, My Sweet and Out of the Past—two of film noir's most famous titles—and film noir's connection to British noir and the great international triumph of Sir Carol Reed in The Third Man.
Customer Reviews:
"The aimless confronting the ruthless.".......2004-08-15
"Early Film Noir" by William Hare is a pure delight for fans of the genre. Too many books on the subject churn out the same old abridged history with an emphasis on plot synopsis. That's alright, I suppose, if you only want a brief overview of this fascinating subject, but if you've read a few books on film noir, and you now want to delve deeper into the genre, then I recommend "Early Film Noir" as the book for you. This intelligent, well-researched book traces the beginnings of film noir, and delves into the talents of the triptych of film noir novelists Hammett, Cain and Chandler. Author, Hare explores each novelist's essential literary characteristics, and their contributions to the genre, and even the authors' reactions to each others' work. It was Chandler's job to write the screenplay for "Double Indemnity" from Cain's novel, and amongst other things, Chandler called Cain "Proust in dirty overalls."
The book also includes an in-depth analysis of several important films--including--"Double Indemnity", "The Postman Always Rings Twice", and "Murder, My Sweet." "Early Film Noir" is a wealth of information--for example, the author even includes data regarding the comparative sales of Hammett's books in America versus France, and this surprising information is a lead-in into the origins of term 'film noir' and the first time this term emerged into popular film culture.
Hare includes an amazing amount of detail thus creating a fuller picture of the times. Film noir can be seen as a very natural result of certain sociological conditions. Hare's New Historicism approach places events in their appropriate context, and this grants the reader a greater understanding of the genre. Hare, for example, analyzes the film industry at the time, and it does not escape his attention that "Going My Way" received an Oscar for Best Picture over "Double Indemnity" as critics labeled the latter film as a "blueprint for murder." When one considers "Going My Way"--(it's an almost impossibly sunny film with Bing Crosby as the singing priest), it's difficult to align the film with the dark depths of "Double Indemnity." These two films represent two very different worlds. Hare's New Historicism analysis explores the world of film noir, and why audiences in the 40s and 50s were so receptive to its dark mysterious allure.
The author also includes details regarding the making of the films--for example, the role of the lead male role in the classic film, "Maltese Falcon" was first offered to Paul Muni, Edward G Robinson, John Garfield and George Raft. No one wanted the role. Huston had never directed before, and the 'big names' didn't want to risk it. Humphrey Bogart eagerly accepted (good thing, too). "Early Film Noir" even quotes Bogart's acceptance of the role to a delighted Huston. Similarly, Bette Davis and Barbara Stanwyck both turned down the title role of"Mildred Pierce." But a desperate Joan Crawford fought for the role. Then there's the alternate ending to "Double Indemnity" and George Raft's conditions for accepting the role of Walter Neff. The book also touches on the American government's hunt for Communists in Hollywood through the House Un-American Activities Committee, and how this impacted film noir through the careers of directors and stars.
One whole section is devoted to British Noir, and there's in-depth analysis of several films and details of the careers of Sir Carol Reed, director of "The Third Man" and Ken Annakin, director of "Across the Bridge." An index and a bibliography are included. While reading the book, I felt as though I needed to take notes. What a gold mine of information! The author clearly knows his subject and is obviously a dedicated aficionado of the genre. "Early Film Noir" is worth the price tag, and I've gained new respect for the careers of Robert Mitchum and Jane Greer--displacedhuman
For Anyone Who Loves Movies.......2004-03-28
Choosing a book to read is often like delving into Forrest Gump's box of chocolates: You never know what you're going to get. You sample all the nuts, chews and creams and finally you come across that one that is so good, so special, that you just can't get enough of it, you want more. That's the way I felt after reading "Early Film Noir," by William Hare, a book that takes you into the realm of cinematic shadows and perpetual night, where the landscape is shrouded in fog through which neon lights glow and the sound of footsteps in the dark takes on a whole new meaning. Welcome to the world of shady characters, tough stand-up guys and the fast, calculating women who take them all for that long ride on a short pier; welcome to the world of "Film Noir."
Beginning with "The Maltese Falcon," the nine films discussed here in depth by film historian and writer Hare are ones that have given us some of the most magical and memorable moments on the silver screen, movies that veritably define the genre. These are the classic films, favorites of die hard film buffs and casual movie fans alike, all given a fresh perspective and new appreciation under the incisive examination and studied eye of the author.
Taking you behind the scenes for a captivating look at these films from inception to completion to "classic" status, Bill Hare makes you privy to the professional and private lives of those who brought these magnificent movies to life, the collective creative genius behind and in front of the camera and the power struggles, politics and off-screen drama that often equaled or surpassed that which played out on the screen. He introduces you to the leading men, like Humphrey Bogart, who brought Sam Spade so vividly to life in "Falcon;" Dick Powell as Philip Marlowe in "Murder My Sweet;" Fred MacMurray, the doomed Walter Neff in "Double Indemnity;" and the definitive interpreter of "noir," Robert Mitchum, who turned in one of his most memorable performances as the pragmatic Jeff Markham in "Out of the Past." Then there's the leading ladies, the "Femme Fatales," like Claire Trevor, the calculating Ann Grayle of "Murder My Sweet;" Barbara Stanwyck, irresistible as Phyllis Dietrichson in "Double Indemnity;" and the lovely, unforgettable Jane Greer as Kathie Moffett in "Out of the Past." Last, but not least, you meet the array of character actors, all too often overlooked, but without whom these films just wouldn't be the same. Who can forget Mike Mazurki as Moose "Find my Velma!" Malloy in "Murder My Sweet?" or the likes of Greenstreet, Lorre and Elisha Cook, Jr., all of whom are at last given their due here.
Acknowledging the collaborative nature of the medium, Mr. Hare, as well as to the actors, gives special consideration to the directors, such as John Huston, Carol Reed and Ken Annakin (who contributed the forward to this book), and the methods through which they managed to bring their personal visions to fruition. He takes a succinct look as well at the writers in whose fertile imaginations these stories were born, novelists and screenwriters including Raymond Chandler, James M. Cain and Dashiell Hammett (among others). Through his careful and comprehensive exploration of the intricacies and complexities of this multi-faceted business, Mr. Hare offers the kind of insight that engenders a deeper understanding and appreciation of a truly unique art form which, beginning in the early forties, evolved from within the broader spectrum of the field most commonly referred to as that of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
From the first page to the last, the author's passion for and knowledge of his subject is clearly evident, and he treats it accordingly. Eloquent and accessible, "Early Film Noir" is without question the most intelligent and informative-- not to mention entertaining-- book of it's kind I have ever read. In a word, it is transporting. For students of film and filmmaking, the information Mr. Hare provides here will be invaluable; fans of "noir" will find it riveting; and for anyone who has ever had a favorite film, or those who just enjoy a good movie purely for the sake of entertainment, this book will be a rewarding experience. In that big box of chocolates we call The Humanities, this is that one special piece we're all hoping to find. The best way to sum it all up, I think, is to say that I was sorry it had to end; it's one of those rare books you just wish would keep on going forever. This is one for the home library, one you're going to savor and to which you'll find yourself returning again and again. And hopefully, one day Mr. Hare will favor us with yet another volume, an "EFN2." I'll put in my order right now.
Great Introduction to Early Film Noir!.......2004-01-09
Do you like your movies filled with suspense and evil? Did you enjoy any of the following movies: The Maltese Falcon; Double Indemnity; Murder, My Sweet; Crossfire; Out of the Past; Laura; The Postman Always Rings Twice; The Third Man; or Across the Bridge? If you answered "yes" to either question, I highly recommend Early Film Noir to you.
Mr. Hare has written a fine exposition of how the film noir style evolved, the development of the key films in this genre and brief biographies of the important actors, directors, cameramen and producers who influenced the key films. If you are unfamiliar with any of the films, Mr. Hare does an excellent job of summarizing the story lines so that you can understand the subject without having seen the films. I have seen all of these films many times, and encourage you to use the book to decide which ones you would enjoy.
If you already have a great knowledge in this area, you may find the book to be mostly redundant to what you know already. As someone who had seen the films but not studied their backgrounds, this book added greatly to my understanding of the films and my appreciation of them. I especially enjoyed learning about how the scripts were developed. Some books translate easily onto the big screen, while others require substantial story and dialogue development. The Third Man is especially interesting from this perspective.
Each chapter includes one or more great stills from the films. Those add just the right touch of adding noir color.
Many books about film focus on the most famous people involved. Mr. Hare has made a great decision to focus instead on those who are most intriguing. I had always found Jane Greer to be fascinating on screen and was pleased to find a while chapter about her.
Before reading this book, I did not fully realize the connection between the detective novels of Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler and the later developments of film noir and Albert Camus's writing. Making that link was a very helpful perspective for me.
As I finished the book, I realized that one of the appeals for me about film noir is that the female characters have strength, texture and nuance . . . just like real women. Early film noir was way ahead of its time in portraying the image of women as having all of the potential to be saints and devils that men have. I wondered about why so many current films seem to present women as having more potential than men. Does that mean we will come to see that as the reality in the future?
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Hardboiled Burlesque: Raymond Chandler's Comic Style (The Brownstone Chapbook Series, V. 1)
Keith Newlin
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