Whether it's Double Indemnity, Kiss Me Deadly, or The Big Sleep, roam a screen world of dark and brooding elegance with this essential handbook to Film Noir. From private eyes and perfect crimes to corrupt cops and doomed affairs, editors Paul Duncan and J???rgen M???ller examine noir's key themes and their most representative movies from 1940 to 1960. Copiously illustrated with film stills as well as original posters, this book offers page after page of noir's masterful visual compositions while exploring the narrative ...
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Whether it's Double Indemnity, Kiss Me Deadly, or The Big Sleep, roam a screen world of dark and brooding elegance with this essential handbook to Film Noir. From private eyes and perfect crimes to corrupt cops and doomed affairs, editors Paul Duncan and J???rgen M???ller examine noir's key themes and their most representative movies from 1940 to 1960. Copiously illustrated with film stills as well as original posters, this book offers page after page of noir's masterful visual compositions while exploring the narrative paradigms of this cryptic, compelling, and evolving genre. If that weren't enough to tickle your cinematic appetite, the volume concludes with TASCHEN's top 50 pick of noir classics. Brimming with the enigmatic dames, desperate gangsters, and psycho killers that continue to cast a long and captivating shadow over cinema, this is a must-have handbook for noir aficionados and amateurs alike.
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Add this copy of Film Noir to cart. $3.73, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Reno rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Reno, NV, UNITED STATES, published 2004 by Taschen.
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Very good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
Add this copy of Film Noir to cart. $5.97, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Atlanta rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Austell, GA, UNITED STATES, published 1993 by Harry N. Abrams.
Add this copy of Film Noir to cart. $5.97, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Reno rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Reno, NV, UNITED STATES, published 1993 by Harry N. Abrams.
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Add this copy of Film Noir to cart. $5.97, fair condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Reno rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Reno, NV, UNITED STATES, published 1993 by Harry N. Abrams.
Add this copy of Film Noir: an Encyclopedic Reference to the American to cart. $5.99, fair condition, Sold by St. Vinnie's Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Eugene, OR, UNITED STATES, published 1993 by Harry N. Abrams.
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Acceptable. Paperback 100% of proceeds go to charity! Acceptable reading copy with obvious signs of use, wear, and/or cosmetic issues. Item is complete and remains readable despite notable condition issues.
Add this copy of Film Noir to cart. $6.49, very good condition, Sold by HPB-Emerald rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2004 by Taschen America Llc.
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Add this copy of Film Noir: an Encyclopedic Reference to the American to cart. $7.49, very good condition, Sold by HPB-Diamond rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 1982 by The Overlook Press.
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Film Noir: An Encyclopedia Reference To The American Style is just what it says. It has everything listed and is a ready resource for some rare films you will want to see after reading one of the tidy intelligent explications in the book.
Each film listed in the book is covered completely with in-depth cast listings, Directors, Cinematographers, ADs, material that the film originated from and many incidentals that will be great at cocktail parties, or next time you?re mixing with one of your Sundance Festival wannabe buddies!
?City That Never Sleeps? and ?Ride the Pink Horse? are 2 examples of fine noir films with very little profile but excellent stories, and Film Noir: An Encyclopedia Reference To The American Style gives them plenty of air. But also listed is ?Dirty Harry? (a detective story with particular noir touches), and ?Hustle? (a little-known Robert Aldrich film with Burt Reynolds cast with Catherine Deneuve!)- many treats are in this book!
The big down side is that there aren?t enough production photos to accompany the text. The story breakdowns are really fine, and the production details are in-depth, but because it?s so text-heavy the book feels a little too academic. We want to see how the films look - I mean the most important thing about movies is the visual stuff, right?!
The book does cover exceedingly well the characteristics and overall paradigm of the American Style called Film Noir (as the French tagged it). This style of film-making dictated more by budget than thematic expression developed in America in the 40s- and the French called it ?black film? or Film Noir as a nick name on the mood and visuals of the films of the period. It is more a mood than a style, so that many films can have ?noirish? qualities. Many of the New Wave films of the 60s coming out of France copied the Noir story-telling techniques and visual styling.
The introductory pages in Film Noir: An Encyclopedia Reference To The American Style is a complete and lucid overview and analysis of the Film Noir style, its human concerns, characteristics, and visual themes.
Many rare generally unknown films are given a good breakdown. I use the book to read about my favorite films such as ?Kiss Me Deadly?, ?The Big Sleep?, and ?Touch of Evil?. I have also found that it is a great resource for info on films that I might want to see like ?Fear In The Night?, a small but wonderful film starring Deforest Kelly who later starred as Dr. McCoy in the Star Trek series on TV.
Another gem I discovered by looking through the book is ?Ride The Pink Horse? directed by and starring Robert Montgomery and based on Dorothy Hughes? novel.
Also covered are what essentially considered neo-noir films like Robert Altman?s ?The Long Goodbye?, based on Raymond Chandler?s novel- a reinterpretation of Philip Marlow in 70s Los Angeles, sloppy, slouchy and metaphoric of the anachronism of the noir style itself, and ?Taxi Driver?, driven (pun intended) by Robert De Niro?s performance (? you talkin? to me??!), to re-establish the noir elements in our own fractured and schizophrenic Post-modern world.
Film Noir is said to be an exclusively American stylized film genre. In its world the rain-soaked streets, shadowy doorways, and marginally moral characters attract our attention because of the mystery they seem to be entrenched in.
