
Film Noir, One Of The Most Intriguing Yet Difficult To Define Terms In Cinema History, Is Usually Associated With A Series Of Darkly Seductive Hollywood Thrillers From The 1940s And 50s - Shadowy, Black-and-white Pictures About Private Eyes, Femme Fatales, Outlaw Lovers, Criminal Heists, Corrupt Police, And Doomed Or Endangered Outsiders. But As This Vsi Demonstrates, Film Noir Actually Predates The 1940s And Has Never Been Confined To Hollywood. International In Scope, Its Various Manifestations Have Spread Across Generic Categories, Attracted The Interest Of The World's Great Directors, And Continue To Appear Even Today. In This Very Short Introduction James Naremore Shows How The Term Film Noir Originated In In French Literary And Film Criticism, And How Later Uses Of The Term Travelled Abroad, Changing Its Implications. In The Process, He Comments On Classic Examples Of The Films And Explores Important Aspects Of Their History: Their Critical Reception, Their Major Literary Sources, Their Methods Of Dealing With Censorship And Budgets, Their Social And Cultural Politics, Their Variety Of Styles, And Their Future In A World Of Digital Media And Video Streaming. About The Series: The Very Short Introductions Series From Oxford University Press Contains Hundreds Of Titles In Almost Every Subject Area. These Pocket-sized Books Are The Perfect Way To Get Ahead In A New Subject Quickly. Our Expert Authors Combine Facts, Analysis, Perspective, New Ideas, And Enthusiasm To Make Interesting And Challenging Topics Highly Readable.
This book investigates the origins, evolution, and enduring cultural significance of film noir as a cinematic category. James Naremore, a scholar of film history, utilizes a combination of critical theory, historical analysis, and case studies to challenge the traditional definition of noir as a strictly American phenomenon of the 1940s and 50s. He argues that the term functions as a fluid, international concept that has transcended its original boundaries to influence global media production.
What You Will Find
Scope Limits
Experts recognize this work as a concise, high-level overview suitable for students and enthusiasts seeking a structured introduction to the genre's complexity. Readers frequently note the academic clarity of the prose, which effectively synthesizes decades of critical debate into an accessible format.
Page Count:
144
Publication Date:
2019-01-01
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
ISBN-10:
0192509500
ISBN-13:
9780192509505
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