Film Noir: Films of Trust and Betrayal (Pocket Essentials) [Paperback]

The laconic private eye...the corrupt cop...the heist that goes wrong...the Femme Fatale with the rich husband and dim lover - all are trademark characters of the movement known as Film Noir, that elusive mixture of stark lighting and even starker emotions. "Noir" explores the dark side of post-war society - gangsters, hoodlums, prostitutes and killers - and showed how it corrupted the good and the beautiful. Many of these films are now touchstones of what we regard as 'classic' Hollywood - "The Maltese Falcon"(1941), "The Big Sleep"(1946), "Double Indemnity"(1944) and "The Postman Always Rings Twice"(1946). This Pocket Essential charts the progression of the noir style as a vehicle for film-makers, who wanted to record the darkness at the heart of American society as it emerged from World War into Cold War. As well as an introductory essay on the origins of Film Noir, this Pocket Essential discusses all the classics from the heyday of the movement in detail and includes a handy reference section for readers who want to know more.

Almost everything you need to know in one essential guide.

The laconic private eye ... the corrupt cop ... the heist that goes wrong ... the Femme Fatale with the rich husband and dim lover - all are trademark characters of the movement known as film noir, that allusive mixture of stark lighting and even starker emotions. Noir explored the dark side of post-war society - gangsters, hoodlums, prostitutes and killers - and showed how it corrupted the good and the beautiful. Many of these films are now touchstones of what we regard as 'classic' Hollywood - The Maltese Falcon (1941), The Big Sleep (1946), Double Indemnity (1944), and The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946).

The Pocket Essential Film Noir charts the progression of the noir style as a vehicle for film-makers who wanted to record the darkness at the heart of American society as it emerged from World War to the Cold War.

What's in this book? As well as an introductory overview of the origins of film noir, this Pocket Essential discusses all the classics from the heyday of the movement and includes a handy reference section for readers who want to know more.

Paul Duncan edited The Third Degree: Crime Writers in Conversation, and has written pocket essentials on Stanley Kubrick,Alfred Hitchcock and Noir Fiction.

Packed with facts, opinionated and crammed with information, Pocket Essentials are the perfect companion to film and pop culture. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Paul Duncan is the co-founder of Crime Time magazine and edited The Third Degree: Crime Writers in Conversation (No Exit Press). He is the author of Pocket Essentials on Stanley Kubrick, Martin Scorsese, Alfred Hitchcock, Film Noir and Noir Fiction.