Hollywood's Dark Cinema: The American Film Noir

By R. Barton Palmer

Book Overview

The focus here is on a type of Hollywood film that has long been designated by a French critical term: film noir, or 'dark cinema'. Dark cinema, we may say, has enjoyed two periods of popularity, only... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0805793240
• ISBN13: 9780805793246
• Release Date: January 1994
• Publisher: Twayne Publishers
• Length: 217 Pages
• Weight: 0.88 lbs.

Customer Reviews

For the serious film studies student

As one of Dr. Palmer's students at Georgia State University, I found him to be an excellent professor, one who is proficient not only in film but also in literature and classical studies. His insights to this very-American genre is, at least, obtainable and useful. His instruction, as well as his writing, is readable and his insights are easily applied to the study of nott only film noir, but any other discipline of film studies. By breaking down a few select examples from the film noir genre (Murder, My Sweet, Taxi Driver, Double Indemnity, Vertigo, etc.) he traces several key characteristics of the typical film noir, like issues of character, plot, theme, sexuality, and feminism. To be frank, I do not have to book in front of me so I can not quickly review it fully and wholly, complete with specific quoted passages to back up my recommendation. It is an affordable book so please trust me. This is an indispensable book for the film noir student