Jacques Tourneur: The Cinema of Nightfall

by Chris Fujiwara

At least three of director Jacques Tourneur's films- Cat People , I Walked with a Zombie and The Leopard Man -are recognized as horror classics. Yet his contributions to these films are often minimized by scholars, with most of the credit going to the films' producer, Val Lewton. An examination of the director's full body of work reveals that those elements most evident in the Tourneur-Lewton collaborations-the lack of monsters and the stylized use of suggested violence-are apparent in Tourneur's films before and after his work with Lewton. This insightful critical study examines each of Tourneur's films, as well as his extensive work on MGM shorts (1936-1942) and in television. What emerges is evidence of a highly coherent directorial style that runs throughout Tourneur's works.

Genres: Film, Nonfiction, Art, Horror, Psychology, History

328 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 1998

Reviews

[Empyrean · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite works of film scholarship. An invaluable text for studying Tourneur and auteurism in general.

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this insightful work on the famous director. After a short foreword by Martin Scorsese we start with a portrait on Jacques, his French films, MGM short, The Nick Carter films, Cat People, I Walked with a Zombie, The Leopard Man, Night of the Demon, The Fearmakers, TV films and a filmography. What a wild ride with many movie stills and photos. Really recommended!

[Malcolm Davis · Rating 2 out of 5]

The problem with this book is that it is written almost as an academic thesis.I only read to the end because Tourneur made a number of my favourite films.So sadly much of this book was to me a bore,so it is probably of use to students on film courses.

[Marc Bohm-Klotzek · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book ( I just recently discovered Jaques Tourneur ) . The only thing that marred the book ( in my very humble opinion ) is the fact that much of it focuses on the technical aspects of Tourneur's movies. Nonetheless : highly recommended.