Film noir guide : 745 films of the classic era, 1940-1959 / Michael F. Keaney.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Keaney, Michael F., 1947-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Film noir--Catalogs.

Film noir.

Genre:

Catalogs.

Physical Description:

ix, 541 pages : illustrations ; 27 cm

Place of Publication:

Jefferson, N.C. : McFarland, [2003]

Summary:

The term "film noir" was first applied by French critics to a number of American films that made their way to France over a period of six weeks at the end of World War II. These films -- which included such soon-to-be classics as The Maltese Falcon; Murder, My Sweet; This Gun for Hire, and The Big Sleep -- and the noirs that followed fascinated French moviegoers with their new breed of criminals: love-starved husbands and wives, local business owners, writers, gamblers, small-time hoods, private eyes, mental patients, war veterans, rebellious teenagers, and corrupt lawyers, politicians, judges and cops. Over 700 films noirs from the classic period of film noir (1940 to 1959) are presented in this exhaustive reference book -- such films as The Accused, Among the Living, The Asphalt Jungle, Baby Face Nelson, Bait, The Beat Generation, Crossfire, Dark Passage, I Walk Alone, The Las Vegas Story, The Naked City, Strangers on a Train, White Heat, and The Window. For each film, the following information is provided: the title, release date, main performers, screenwriter(s), director(s), type of noir, thematic content, a rating based on the five-star system, and a plot synopsis that does not reveal the ending.

Contents:

Appendix A Films Noirs Listed by Director 481

Appendix B Films Noirs Listed by Type 487

Appendix C Films Noirs Listed by Year of Release 492

Appendix D How to Build an Affordable Film Noir Library 500.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 503-507) and index.

ISBN:

0786415479

OCLC:

51477906