The private eye : detectives in the movies / Bran Nicol.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Nicol, Bran, 1969- author.

Series:

Locations (London, England)

Locations

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Private investigators--United States--In motion pictures--History and criticism.

Private investigators.

Detective and mystery films--United States--History and criticism.

Detective and mystery films.

United States.

Film noir--United States--History and criticism.

Film noir.

Physical Description:

224 pages : illustrations ; 20 cm.

Other Title:

Detectives in the movies

Place of Publication:

London : Reaktion Books, 2013.

Summary:

Since the early days of cinema, the private eye has been one of its most memorable characters, often viewed as a romantic hero, a 'lone wolf' who confronts and tries to make sense of a violent and chaotic modern world. In The Private Eye Bran Nicol challenges this stereotype, offering a fresh take on iconic figures such as Sam Spade, Philip Marlowe and Jake Gittes, and a cogent reappraisal of film noir. Analysing a wide range of films, including classics such as The Maltese Falcon, The Big Sleep, Chinatown and The Long Goodbye, Nicol traces the history of the private eye movie from the influential film noirs of the 1940s, through innovative 1970s neo-noir cinema, to the presence of the private eye in movie mythology today. He reveals that although these films are exciting thrillers, they are nevertheless preoccupied by 'domestic' issues: work, home and love. Rather than fearless investigation, Nicol argues, the private eye's job is really about unveiling the private lives and private spaces of others, an achievement which comes at the expense of his own private life. Combining a lucid introduction to an under-explored tradition in movie history with a novel approach to the detective in film, this book cases new light on the private worlds of the private eye. Book jacket.

Contents:

1 History: The Private Eye Film 25

2 Seeing: Literature, Film and the World of the Private Eye 61

3 Working: The Private Eye and the Spaces of Noir 95

4 Policing: Gender and Desire 'in the Private Eye' 141.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 214-218) and index.

ISBN:

9781780231020

1780231024

OCLC:

849039425