What do you think?
Rate this book
The Dark Side of the Screen: Film Noir
Foster Hirsch's Dark Side of the Screen is by far the most thorough and entertaining study of the themes, visual motifs, character types, actors, directors, and films in this genre ever published. From Billy Wilder, Douglas Sirk, Robert Aldrich, and Howard Hawkes to Martin Scorsese, Roman Polanski, and Paul Schrader, the noir themes of dread, paranoia, steamy sex, double-crossing women, and menacing cityscapes have held a fascination. The features that make Burt Lancaster, Joan Crawford, Robert Mitchum, and Humphrey Bogart into noir heroes and heroines are carefully detailed here, as well as those camera angles, lighting effects, and story lines that characterize Fritz Lang, Samuel Fuller, and Orson Welles as noir directors.For the current rediscovery of film noir, this comprehensive history with its list of credits to 112 outstanding films and its many illustrations will be a valuable reference and a source of inspiration for further research.
276 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1981
42 people are currently reading
663 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
November 7, 2010
Film noir will always be misundestood and always imperfectly duplicated, like every time I see a Sesame Street character act like a detective just because he wears a fedora. When no two movie reviewers can agree on when the era started or ended, because it consists of movies being made by 50 different directors, hundreds of actors and writers, all with cuts being made for morality's sake as well as budgetary concerns, it's a miracle we have more than two movies that fit the category at all.
Like all of the true film noir flicks of the classic era, this book is a mixed bag. However, this book acknowledges that fact, gives you a great historical tour, and decodes the dark visual language for the modern reader/moviegoer.
The first section shines with its review and in-depth analysis of Double Indemnity and Scarlet Street. In my humble opinion, every single film buff and filmmaker wannabe MUST read this section of this book, or they will be hopelessly lost when watching any story-driven movie. In fact, I think there are plenty of fiction writers who could gain something from this section as well, because this is how a good mystery/thriller is supposed to be done, this is what works, and this is why it works. Let Mr. Hirsch take you by the hand and you will come away with a renewed awareness of just how good some of your filmgoing/reading experiences can and should be.
Let's put it another way -- you can either read this book or you can look like one of those dingbats who thinks Transformers II is a great movie every time you open your uninformed mouth about film! Seems like an easy choice!
Like all of the true film noir flicks of the classic era, this book is a mixed bag. However, this book acknowledges that fact, gives you a great historical tour, and decodes the dark visual language for the modern reader/moviegoer.
The first section shines with its review and in-depth analysis of Double Indemnity and Scarlet Street. In my humble opinion, every single film buff and filmmaker wannabe MUST read this section of this book, or they will be hopelessly lost when watching any story-driven movie. In fact, I think there are plenty of fiction writers who could gain something from this section as well, because this is how a good mystery/thriller is supposed to be done, this is what works, and this is why it works. Let Mr. Hirsch take you by the hand and you will come away with a renewed awareness of just how good some of your filmgoing/reading experiences can and should be.
Let's put it another way -- you can either read this book or you can look like one of those dingbats who thinks Transformers II is a great movie every time you open your uninformed mouth about film! Seems like an easy choice!
March 10, 2017
Noiry, Noiry Nights
… erwarten denjenigen, der, neugierig gemacht von der Lektüre des Buches Film Noir. The Dark Side of the Screen von Foster Hirsch, es sich vornimmt, mal wieder einige der dort erwähnten Filme neu zu entdecken oder sie überhaupt zum ersten Male zu sehen. Anfang der 80er Jahre zum ersten Mal erschienen, liegt Hirschs Einführung in den Film noir in einer Neuauflage vor, die um ein Nachwort des Autors, in dem es um weniger bekannte Genrebeiträge geht, ergänzt wurde.
Das Buch ist in acht größere Kapitel unterteilt, die im folgenden kurz vorgestellt werden:
1) The City at Night: Hier umreißt Hirsch anhand zweier sehr bekannter Films noirs, nämlich Billy Wilders „Double Indemnity“ (1944) und Fritz Langs „Scarlet Street“ (1945) das Konzept dessen, was gemeinhin als „noir“ gilt. Daß dieses Konzept schwer faßbar ist, erhellt bereits aus Hirschs Anmerkung „At the time, Wilder and Lang did not know that they were making films noirs. They would probably have called their stories thrillers or crime dramas and let it go at that.“ (S.8). Hirsch verfolgt dann, wie der Begriff “film noir” von französischen Filmkritikern zur Beschreibung einer ganz bestimmten Art von Filmen geprägt wurde, die nach dem Ende des Krieges aus den USA in die französischen Kinos kamen, in ihrem Heimatland allerdings eher ein Schattendasein als B-Movies gefristet hatten. Hirsch beschreibt ferner die Entwicklung und die Ausprägungen, die der Film noir während seiner doch recht kurzen Lebensdauer nahm.
2) The Literary Background: The Boys in the Back Room: Hier befaßt sich der Autor ausführlich mit den literarischen Wurzeln des Film noir. Neben den gängigen Namen wie Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett, dem ungleich primitiveren Mike Spillane sowie James M. Cain und Horace McCoy, deren Namen unmittelbar mit dem Genre verbunden werden, führt Hirsch auch Ernest Hemingway an, dessen knapper, eindringlicher und auch die Umgangssprache nutzender Stil die hard-boiled novels deutlich beeinflußte.
3) The Cinematic Background: From Expressionism to Neo-Realism: In diesem Kapitel arbeitet der Autor heraus, wie sich der Film noir unter Einflüssen des deutschen expressionistischen Film der 20er Jahre, des amerikanischen Gangsterfilms der 30er Jahre und – in geringerem Maße schließlich auch – des italienischen Neorealismus entwickelte. Das Spektrum dieser Filme reicht von hochgradig stilisierten Studioproduktionen, wie den Filmen Langs, bis hin zu semidokumentarisch aufgemachten Kriminalfällen, bei denen man der Polizei oder anderen Ermittlern während ihrer Arbeit über die Schulter schaut.
4) The Crazy Mirror: Noir Stylistics: Nachdem es im vorherigen Kapitel vor allem um die verschiedenen Einflüsse und Spielarten des Noir gegangen ist und die gesamte Bandbreite dieses – ich sage es mal – Genres dargestellt wurde, widmet sich Hirsch in diesem Kapitel den Merkmalen, die den besonderen Stil des Film noir ausmachen. Besonders hier helfen die Szenenphotos aus den einschlägigen Filmen, mit denen das Buch reich illustriert ist, um Hirschs Ausführungen visuell zu unterstützen.
In den folgenden drei Kapiteln dann behandelt Hirsch verschiedene Regisseure (u.a. die deutschsprachigen Exilanten Preminger, Wilder, Lang und Siodmak, dann Orson Welles, Jules Dassin, Joseph Losey, Nicholas Ray und Elia Kazan, aber auch den unnachahmlichen Sam Fuller; selbst Alfred Hitchcock wird in die Reihe derer gestellt, die Noir-Filme gedreht haben), dann wichtige Schauspieler, die in dem Genre ihre Spuren hinterlassen haben und schließlich auch typische Erzählmuster. Hierbei arbeitet Hirsch heraus, daß der Film noir, ähnlich wie sein Vorgänger, der Gangsterfilm, eigentlich recht konservativen moralischen Grundsätzen verpflichtet ist, indem er seine Helden oftmals deshalb in verhängnisvolle Schwierigkeiten geraten läßt, weil sie der Versuchung nachgeben, der Enge ihres bürgerlichen Daseins zu entfliehen, und sei es nur für einen Moment. Zudem haften auch der Sexualität und der Verführung im Film noir in der Regel üble Konsequenzen an.
8) Noir’s Legacy: In diesem Kapitel wirft Hirsch einen Blick auf eher zeitgenössische Filme – nicht zu vergessen ist dabei allerdings, daß das Buch Anfang der 80er Jahre erschien –, die in der Tradition des Film noir stehen – z.B. Scorseses „Taxi Driver“ (1976), Schraders „Hardcore“ (1979) oder Walter Hills „The Driver“ (1978). Allerdings hat der Verfasser dem Neo-Noir ein eigenes Werk gewidmet, so daß die Ausführungen an dieser Stelle eher kurz bleiben.
Eine „Selected Bibliography“, eine „Selected Filmography“ (letztere für meinen Geschmack ein wenig zu sehr „selected“) sowie ein sehr gut strukturierter Index schließen die Darstellung ab.
Insgesamt bietet The Dark Side of the Screen eine ausgezeichnete und vor allen Dingen systematische Einführung in die Welt des Film noir. Hirsch erschöpft sich nicht in der Inhaltsangabe einzelner Filme, sondern abstrahiert, wo dies möglich und sinnvoll ist, ohne sich jedoch auf der Metaebene zu verlieren. Hier sind Theorie und Konkretion so ausgewogen, daß das Buch den Leser sehr schnell in seinen Bann zieht, selbst wenn man bei der Lektüre nicht immer Hirschs Meinung sein muß – beispielsweise was die Unterschätzung Richard Widmarks als Schauspieler angeht. [1] Natürlich bleibt es bei der Fülle des Materials sowie der Tatsache, daß man in den 80er Jahren ja auch noch aus der Erinnerung schreiben mußte, weil man nicht alle Filme griffbereit auf DVD hatte [2], nicht aus, daß in manchem Detail einer Inhaltsangabe sich auch ein kleiner Fehler eingeschlichen hat – ich konnte deren jedenfalls drei oder vier entdecken –, doch tut dies meiner Meinung nach dem Informationsgehalt dieser sehr umfassenden, luzid und spannend geschriebenen Darstellung keinerlei Abbruch.
Für dieses faszinierende Buch lasse ich fünf Malteser Falken aus ihren Käfigen!
[1] Was den unvergleichlichen Robert Mitchum angeht, hat Hirsch natürlich uneingeschränkt Recht.
[2] Selbst heute ist dies im Bereich des Film noir ja nicht der Fall, da viele Perlen, vor allem im deutschsprachigen Raum, noch auf eine Veröffentlichung warten, während wir wohl schon – gefühlt – die zehnte Veröffentlichung eines filmischen Breis wie „Avatar“ erleben durften.
… erwarten denjenigen, der, neugierig gemacht von der Lektüre des Buches Film Noir. The Dark Side of the Screen von Foster Hirsch, es sich vornimmt, mal wieder einige der dort erwähnten Filme neu zu entdecken oder sie überhaupt zum ersten Male zu sehen. Anfang der 80er Jahre zum ersten Mal erschienen, liegt Hirschs Einführung in den Film noir in einer Neuauflage vor, die um ein Nachwort des Autors, in dem es um weniger bekannte Genrebeiträge geht, ergänzt wurde.
Das Buch ist in acht größere Kapitel unterteilt, die im folgenden kurz vorgestellt werden:
1) The City at Night: Hier umreißt Hirsch anhand zweier sehr bekannter Films noirs, nämlich Billy Wilders „Double Indemnity“ (1944) und Fritz Langs „Scarlet Street“ (1945) das Konzept dessen, was gemeinhin als „noir“ gilt. Daß dieses Konzept schwer faßbar ist, erhellt bereits aus Hirschs Anmerkung „At the time, Wilder and Lang did not know that they were making films noirs. They would probably have called their stories thrillers or crime dramas and let it go at that.“ (S.8). Hirsch verfolgt dann, wie der Begriff “film noir” von französischen Filmkritikern zur Beschreibung einer ganz bestimmten Art von Filmen geprägt wurde, die nach dem Ende des Krieges aus den USA in die französischen Kinos kamen, in ihrem Heimatland allerdings eher ein Schattendasein als B-Movies gefristet hatten. Hirsch beschreibt ferner die Entwicklung und die Ausprägungen, die der Film noir während seiner doch recht kurzen Lebensdauer nahm.
2) The Literary Background: The Boys in the Back Room: Hier befaßt sich der Autor ausführlich mit den literarischen Wurzeln des Film noir. Neben den gängigen Namen wie Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett, dem ungleich primitiveren Mike Spillane sowie James M. Cain und Horace McCoy, deren Namen unmittelbar mit dem Genre verbunden werden, führt Hirsch auch Ernest Hemingway an, dessen knapper, eindringlicher und auch die Umgangssprache nutzender Stil die hard-boiled novels deutlich beeinflußte.
3) The Cinematic Background: From Expressionism to Neo-Realism: In diesem Kapitel arbeitet der Autor heraus, wie sich der Film noir unter Einflüssen des deutschen expressionistischen Film der 20er Jahre, des amerikanischen Gangsterfilms der 30er Jahre und – in geringerem Maße schließlich auch – des italienischen Neorealismus entwickelte. Das Spektrum dieser Filme reicht von hochgradig stilisierten Studioproduktionen, wie den Filmen Langs, bis hin zu semidokumentarisch aufgemachten Kriminalfällen, bei denen man der Polizei oder anderen Ermittlern während ihrer Arbeit über die Schulter schaut.
4) The Crazy Mirror: Noir Stylistics: Nachdem es im vorherigen Kapitel vor allem um die verschiedenen Einflüsse und Spielarten des Noir gegangen ist und die gesamte Bandbreite dieses – ich sage es mal – Genres dargestellt wurde, widmet sich Hirsch in diesem Kapitel den Merkmalen, die den besonderen Stil des Film noir ausmachen. Besonders hier helfen die Szenenphotos aus den einschlägigen Filmen, mit denen das Buch reich illustriert ist, um Hirschs Ausführungen visuell zu unterstützen.
In den folgenden drei Kapiteln dann behandelt Hirsch verschiedene Regisseure (u.a. die deutschsprachigen Exilanten Preminger, Wilder, Lang und Siodmak, dann Orson Welles, Jules Dassin, Joseph Losey, Nicholas Ray und Elia Kazan, aber auch den unnachahmlichen Sam Fuller; selbst Alfred Hitchcock wird in die Reihe derer gestellt, die Noir-Filme gedreht haben), dann wichtige Schauspieler, die in dem Genre ihre Spuren hinterlassen haben und schließlich auch typische Erzählmuster. Hierbei arbeitet Hirsch heraus, daß der Film noir, ähnlich wie sein Vorgänger, der Gangsterfilm, eigentlich recht konservativen moralischen Grundsätzen verpflichtet ist, indem er seine Helden oftmals deshalb in verhängnisvolle Schwierigkeiten geraten läßt, weil sie der Versuchung nachgeben, der Enge ihres bürgerlichen Daseins zu entfliehen, und sei es nur für einen Moment. Zudem haften auch der Sexualität und der Verführung im Film noir in der Regel üble Konsequenzen an.
8) Noir’s Legacy: In diesem Kapitel wirft Hirsch einen Blick auf eher zeitgenössische Filme – nicht zu vergessen ist dabei allerdings, daß das Buch Anfang der 80er Jahre erschien –, die in der Tradition des Film noir stehen – z.B. Scorseses „Taxi Driver“ (1976), Schraders „Hardcore“ (1979) oder Walter Hills „The Driver“ (1978). Allerdings hat der Verfasser dem Neo-Noir ein eigenes Werk gewidmet, so daß die Ausführungen an dieser Stelle eher kurz bleiben.
Eine „Selected Bibliography“, eine „Selected Filmography“ (letztere für meinen Geschmack ein wenig zu sehr „selected“) sowie ein sehr gut strukturierter Index schließen die Darstellung ab.
Insgesamt bietet The Dark Side of the Screen eine ausgezeichnete und vor allen Dingen systematische Einführung in die Welt des Film noir. Hirsch erschöpft sich nicht in der Inhaltsangabe einzelner Filme, sondern abstrahiert, wo dies möglich und sinnvoll ist, ohne sich jedoch auf der Metaebene zu verlieren. Hier sind Theorie und Konkretion so ausgewogen, daß das Buch den Leser sehr schnell in seinen Bann zieht, selbst wenn man bei der Lektüre nicht immer Hirschs Meinung sein muß – beispielsweise was die Unterschätzung Richard Widmarks als Schauspieler angeht. [1] Natürlich bleibt es bei der Fülle des Materials sowie der Tatsache, daß man in den 80er Jahren ja auch noch aus der Erinnerung schreiben mußte, weil man nicht alle Filme griffbereit auf DVD hatte [2], nicht aus, daß in manchem Detail einer Inhaltsangabe sich auch ein kleiner Fehler eingeschlichen hat – ich konnte deren jedenfalls drei oder vier entdecken –, doch tut dies meiner Meinung nach dem Informationsgehalt dieser sehr umfassenden, luzid und spannend geschriebenen Darstellung keinerlei Abbruch.
Für dieses faszinierende Buch lasse ich fünf Malteser Falken aus ihren Käfigen!
[1] Was den unvergleichlichen Robert Mitchum angeht, hat Hirsch natürlich uneingeschränkt Recht.
[2] Selbst heute ist dies im Bereich des Film noir ja nicht der Fall, da viele Perlen, vor allem im deutschsprachigen Raum, noch auf eine Veröffentlichung warten, während wir wohl schon – gefühlt – die zehnte Veröffentlichung eines filmischen Breis wie „Avatar“ erleben durften.
April 27, 2009
I was disappointed in this book. Being a lover of film noir, I at least expected that the facts presented would be accurate. Alas, that was not to be. I found at least 6 glaring errors in the text and player identification........and the author is (or was) a professor of film at Brooklyn College!! Additionally, much of the content was repetitve from chapter to chapter and I found myself skipping through the book searching for new facts. I don't feel that this is a book that the film noir buff would give a second look.
March 16, 2011
Nice overview of Noir Films, with a look at where they came from, characteristics and where they went. I can certainly take umbrage with a number of the authors points of view (his absolute disdain for Spillane for example) but it is generally well researched and well thought out. By no means exhaustive, it is a good starting point for people looking to read about film noir.
September 2, 2012
Good, solid introduction to film noir, although I don't agree with all of Hirsch's comments or film choices. Lots of good info, though. Now I'm looking for something that's a little more detailed.
July 21, 2024
This is a well-written overview of the genre, designed for the general reader and not academics. As such, there is no in-depth analysis of individual films, but it provides some insight into what makes a film noir, such as lighting, camera movement, casting, direction. Immensely readable, Hirsch lays out some background - the influences of art and literature, the German Expressionist films, etc. Individual chapters concern the major directors, actors, styles. If you're looking for film-class-worthy erudition, you might look for one of those collections of essays written by academics; this book is more of an introduction to the genre with the major films described, and can be useful for someone fairly new to the genre.
Despite its modest goals, the book is pretty engaging; although I think I've seen over 150 films noirs, I still found myself noting films that I would like to see, such as the bizarre pairing of two musical stars in "Christmas Holiday" (Gene Kelly and Deanna Durbin). This large format book includes an abundance of interesting stills from many films, nice crisp reproductions in black and white. The appendix lists the film credits for 112 films selected by Hirsch, which is not exhaustive; noir encyclopedias by Alain Silver have listed over 400 films.
A typical complaint by readers of noir literature is the inclusion of crime/gangster films, which may use elements of noir, such as the use of shadows, but do not fit into the plot lines that define noir as a distinct genre. Hirsch isn't perfect either; I don't consider films like "White Heat" (gangster), "The Breaking Point" (crime), and "Clash By Night" (romantic melodrama) to be noir.
The other wrinkle of the selection process is the omission of major films in his discussion of noir directors. The most egregious example of that is the inexplicable oversight of omitting "In a Lonely Place" in the section on Nicholas Ray. The Criterion Collection selected the film for its release as an example of the quintessential film noir. It gets some mention later in the book, but one would hardly think this gem even matters from Hirsch's treatment of it.
I do take Hirsch to task on his disapproval of the neo-noirs; certainly some of these films are either too cartoony or too strained, but as of his writing there were two excellent ones that he didn't care for: "Chinatown" and "The Long Goodbye". In the hands of talented directors, the genre can be tweaked in creative ways, but it is a risky endeavor.
Despite its minor flaws, I still give the highest rating to the book, since it succeeds very well for its intended audience, us regular movie fans, and points us at the major films and why they are worth watching. And what to watch for when viewing.
By the way, my copy is the original 1981 publication.
Despite its modest goals, the book is pretty engaging; although I think I've seen over 150 films noirs, I still found myself noting films that I would like to see, such as the bizarre pairing of two musical stars in "Christmas Holiday" (Gene Kelly and Deanna Durbin). This large format book includes an abundance of interesting stills from many films, nice crisp reproductions in black and white. The appendix lists the film credits for 112 films selected by Hirsch, which is not exhaustive; noir encyclopedias by Alain Silver have listed over 400 films.
A typical complaint by readers of noir literature is the inclusion of crime/gangster films, which may use elements of noir, such as the use of shadows, but do not fit into the plot lines that define noir as a distinct genre. Hirsch isn't perfect either; I don't consider films like "White Heat" (gangster), "The Breaking Point" (crime), and "Clash By Night" (romantic melodrama) to be noir.
The other wrinkle of the selection process is the omission of major films in his discussion of noir directors. The most egregious example of that is the inexplicable oversight of omitting "In a Lonely Place" in the section on Nicholas Ray. The Criterion Collection selected the film for its release as an example of the quintessential film noir. It gets some mention later in the book, but one would hardly think this gem even matters from Hirsch's treatment of it.
I do take Hirsch to task on his disapproval of the neo-noirs; certainly some of these films are either too cartoony or too strained, but as of his writing there were two excellent ones that he didn't care for: "Chinatown" and "The Long Goodbye". In the hands of talented directors, the genre can be tweaked in creative ways, but it is a risky endeavor.
Despite its minor flaws, I still give the highest rating to the book, since it succeeds very well for its intended audience, us regular movie fans, and points us at the major films and why they are worth watching. And what to watch for when viewing.
By the way, my copy is the original 1981 publication.
November 12, 2020
This was a really well written, thorough guide to the world of film noir. Mr Hirsch not only covered the films, but also included information on the actors and directors as well. I bought a newer version of the original release which had an afterword filled with additional interesting information and insights.
If I were a teacher of film noir, this would be required reading.
If I were a teacher of film noir, this would be required reading.
June 21, 2024
If there was any updating of the reprint, I missed it. This book got in early but faded long before the stretch. Tries to straddle the gap (before it even existed) between the frothy prose of Muller and detailed scholarship of Naremore or Silver and fails on both counts. Time to put this old nag out to pasture.
February 16, 2018
Very insightful. Good stuff.
April 20, 2019
great references
March 27, 2023
not my cup of tea but a good list of films
December 7, 2024
This was a well-written look into the genre of film noir. I loved the comparisons and points to visual clues. Even better is the list of films at the end for me to systematically watch!
December 18, 2024
Interesting, somewhat repetitive and academic. I mostly skimmed it.
July 16, 2023
Foster Hirsch’s Film Noir: The Dark Side of the Screen has become one of the mileposts of film noir studies since its release in 1981, and it was nice to finally get around to reading it.
One thing that I enjoyed right off if that the early eighties publication means that it predates the Internet and the ongoing “Is ___ a Noir?” discussion that pervades online film discussion. There are Facebook groups dedicated to Noir movies, now, and a TCM feature highlighting it. TDSOTS is free from all the white noise that can tend to accompany Noir in the current world of internet saturation. Cheers to that!
The biggies are gone into in detail: The book opens with a side-by-side comparison of two masterpieces of the form; Billy Wilders Double Indemnity and Fritz Lang’s Scarlet Street, and Hirsch is perceptive in breaking down both films and what makes them Noir. In this case, the weak, under-fulfilled man, the provocative, heretofore unattainable woman, and the closed-in cityscape that both films inhabit.
I’ve read a few books that traced the origins of noir, but Hirsch is probably the first I’ve seen to really come at the topic from the literary side, and to talk about how noir was formed by the literary “Hard-boiled” school that had its origins in pulp writing in the 20’s and 30’s. Hirsch talks a lot about the titans of film noir writing; Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett, and James L Cain, and the films that sprang from their pen, but he also works backward from them to illustrate how the works of Hemingway, and novels like Appointment in Samarra by John O’Hara and An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser, and stories like Albert Camus’ The Stranger helped pave the way for Noir writing. This was the most entertaining part of the book.
You can’t talk about Noir without talking about the women who live in it, and Hirsch is insightful as he breaks down the role of the femme fatale in Noir. Hirsch on females characters:
“Women in film noir are presented in a narrow range. Either they are masked malevolence in the Stanwyck-Crawford vein or desperately conventional housewives, like Jane Wyatt in Pitfall, or Teresa Wright in The Steel Trap, whose primness drives their husbands not to drink, but to crime. In noir, sunny bland, housewives are covert castrators.”
Indeed, one gets to wondering about noirs’ most notable content creators and how they viewed women. Hirsch on Raymond Chandler and talking about The Long Goodbye:
“Eileen is the most fiendish of Chandler’s villains. The character is excessive, almost as if in creating and then destroying her, Chandler is settling a personal score against the female sex.”
An idea to consider. It presents another, unsettling way of looking at all these malevolent noir women.
One thing I wouldn’t have expected to encounter in TDSOTS was so much talk about Alfred Hitchcock. Hitchcock is never seriously thought of as a Noir filmmaker, but Hirsch points up a few ways in which his films at least share some characteristics with the noir canon. Citing films like Shadow of a Doubt, Rope, The Wrong Man, Strangers on a Train, Rear Window, and Psycho, Hirsch talks about Hitch’s penchant for stories about guilt and entrapment. He makes the point of how Hitchcocks character suffer when they step beyond normal boundaries, like poor Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) in Psycho. Hirsch stops short of including Hitchcock in the ranks of Noir directors, but he makes a lot of interesting observations about how Hitch’s style brushes right up against Noir so often.
If I have a quibble about this book, it’s just that so many great Noirs get little of no mention. The greats are here: In addition to Double Indemnity and Scarlet Street, there’s extensive discussion of Ace in The Hole, Out of The Past, The Killers, Criss Cross, The Postman Always Rings Twice, and Lady From Shanghai. On the other hand, Detour gets one tiny throwaway mention, and Fred Zinneman’s masterful Act of Violence barely registers. I realize that not every film can be dissected, and if it’s a quibble, it’s a minor one. I enjoyed this book, and certainly recommend it.
One thing that I enjoyed right off if that the early eighties publication means that it predates the Internet and the ongoing “Is ___ a Noir?” discussion that pervades online film discussion. There are Facebook groups dedicated to Noir movies, now, and a TCM feature highlighting it. TDSOTS is free from all the white noise that can tend to accompany Noir in the current world of internet saturation. Cheers to that!
The biggies are gone into in detail: The book opens with a side-by-side comparison of two masterpieces of the form; Billy Wilders Double Indemnity and Fritz Lang’s Scarlet Street, and Hirsch is perceptive in breaking down both films and what makes them Noir. In this case, the weak, under-fulfilled man, the provocative, heretofore unattainable woman, and the closed-in cityscape that both films inhabit.
I’ve read a few books that traced the origins of noir, but Hirsch is probably the first I’ve seen to really come at the topic from the literary side, and to talk about how noir was formed by the literary “Hard-boiled” school that had its origins in pulp writing in the 20’s and 30’s. Hirsch talks a lot about the titans of film noir writing; Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett, and James L Cain, and the films that sprang from their pen, but he also works backward from them to illustrate how the works of Hemingway, and novels like Appointment in Samarra by John O’Hara and An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser, and stories like Albert Camus’ The Stranger helped pave the way for Noir writing. This was the most entertaining part of the book.
You can’t talk about Noir without talking about the women who live in it, and Hirsch is insightful as he breaks down the role of the femme fatale in Noir. Hirsch on females characters:
“Women in film noir are presented in a narrow range. Either they are masked malevolence in the Stanwyck-Crawford vein or desperately conventional housewives, like Jane Wyatt in Pitfall, or Teresa Wright in The Steel Trap, whose primness drives their husbands not to drink, but to crime. In noir, sunny bland, housewives are covert castrators.”
Indeed, one gets to wondering about noirs’ most notable content creators and how they viewed women. Hirsch on Raymond Chandler and talking about The Long Goodbye:
“Eileen is the most fiendish of Chandler’s villains. The character is excessive, almost as if in creating and then destroying her, Chandler is settling a personal score against the female sex.”
An idea to consider. It presents another, unsettling way of looking at all these malevolent noir women.
One thing I wouldn’t have expected to encounter in TDSOTS was so much talk about Alfred Hitchcock. Hitchcock is never seriously thought of as a Noir filmmaker, but Hirsch points up a few ways in which his films at least share some characteristics with the noir canon. Citing films like Shadow of a Doubt, Rope, The Wrong Man, Strangers on a Train, Rear Window, and Psycho, Hirsch talks about Hitch’s penchant for stories about guilt and entrapment. He makes the point of how Hitchcocks character suffer when they step beyond normal boundaries, like poor Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) in Psycho. Hirsch stops short of including Hitchcock in the ranks of Noir directors, but he makes a lot of interesting observations about how Hitch’s style brushes right up against Noir so often.
If I have a quibble about this book, it’s just that so many great Noirs get little of no mention. The greats are here: In addition to Double Indemnity and Scarlet Street, there’s extensive discussion of Ace in The Hole, Out of The Past, The Killers, Criss Cross, The Postman Always Rings Twice, and Lady From Shanghai. On the other hand, Detour gets one tiny throwaway mention, and Fred Zinneman’s masterful Act of Violence barely registers. I realize that not every film can be dissected, and if it’s a quibble, it’s a minor one. I enjoyed this book, and certainly recommend it.
February 24, 2023
Well done book walking you through all the essential elements of film noir, which spans the 1940s to 1950s for the purposes of this book. I didn’t necessarily agree with all the points (when has any one film critic, scholar, or fan ever agreed about film noir?) but it was laid down quite nicely.
September 11, 2014
First published in 1981 before the tsunami of dissertation books on film noir began appearing, so it is well-researched and scholarly without being weighed down with footnotes and references and counter-arguments to a bunch of other published books, which makes this one of the most readable books on the topic. Early chapters cover the roots of noir in literature as well as film precursors, but I think the best chapters are the ones on stylistics because the still photographs are used exceptionally well to show what the text is referring to. That they would do so seems elementary, but so many noir theory books use stills for nothing other than window dressing. What Hirsch does so well is discuss a stylistic technique and then show three or four stills that exactly demonstrate the technique. So five starts just for that.
December 9, 2014
Informative but dry. I disagree with some of his points, particularly an overlap he doesn't discuss--hardboiled. What's the difference? He doesn't deal with that at all. I don't think private eye films, like THE MALTESE FALCON, are noir but rather hardboiled. There's a huge overlap and a great area for debate. Also, he says some dotty things, like the widespread use of jazz in the noir films. No. Jazz came to noir in the late 50s--like SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS (Elmer Bernstein), TOUCH OF EVIL (Henry Mancini), and ODDS AGAINST TOMORROW (Modern Jazz Quartet). Hirsch may make this association because most noir soundtracks were forgettable Hollywood romanticism; the jazz ones were outstanding, composed by people who were award-winners. There's a good filmography at the end.
January 7, 2014
I have no prior knowledge of the topic, so this book may have gaping holes, but I found it an enjoyable read and an interesting introduction to noir. I hope to spend a lot of time with the filmography in the course of this year. The author's style is occasionally a bit overwrought, not at all shy about expressing firmly held opinions, but I did not find those impediments to enjoyment.
The Kindle edition has a ton of formatting errors, but that's not the author's fault.
The Kindle edition has a ton of formatting errors, but that's not the author's fault.
July 25, 2009
A fascinating, intelligent and accessible introduction to film noir. Hirsch traces the style's literary roots and discusses the films of noir's heyday in the 1940s as well as its influence on films since in a brisk, engaging style. Highly recommended if you have any interest in the subject at all.
August 16, 2023
I liked this book very much, but it probably wouldn't be of much interest to someone who's not interested in the genre. In fact, a little bit too much of the book is spent in thumbnail descriptions of the highlights of movies' plots. On the other hand, if you're interested in noir, and if you've seen a lot of noir films, you'll find much to enjoy here.
August 6, 2008
So much of learning about film noir is looking at images from those movies (or watching them) and then asking they "why" behind them. This book was full of wonderfully informative photos and descriptions of the principles and persons behind them.
January 14, 2009
Wonderful book that highlights all the key characteristcs of film noir. Inspired me to want to see many of the films that he mentions. Nice film bibliography. I hope that these films are on Netxflix.
December 24, 2012
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think this is the first book written in English on film noir. It gives a definition of film noir that has stood the test of time and touches on all the bases of noir technique. In other places, though, I feel the scholarship begins to look a little ragged.
January 21, 2008
Simple writing, but informative.
July 30, 2008
Excellent resource on noir aesthetic.
August 11, 2011
My initial introduction to film noir, years ago.
September 13, 2013
Some of the most interesting films from Hollywood are addressed for you here. Take a look. ...and then actually see the movies featured. A nice read.
August 3, 2014
Free of theory and jargon, this book continues to be the best introduction to Film Noir. It is also lavishly illustrated with stills which is great.
October 11, 2007
Great Companion to Film Noir and great as an introduction to the genre for beginners.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews