The Noir Style

by Alain Silver, James Ursini

Film noir is more popular today than ever—yet how do you know it when you see it? In The Noir Style, Alain Silver and James Ursini return to the subject for which they are famous, analyzing the look of film noir from the classic period (The Maltese Falcon in 1941 through Touch of Evil in 1958) through to the present day. Replete with sinister and scintillating black and white photographs—both interior design shots that define the look of noir, and production stills highlighting critical scenes and the stars of such noir gems as Out of the Past, Criss Cross, Pickup on South Street, and The Killers—this book handsomely and uniquely illustrates the graphic impact of film noir, in images that pratically speak from themselves.

The accompanying text explores noir's origins in German expressionism and its borrowings from other visual arts (the paintings of Edward Hopper and the photography of Weegee among others), while individual chapters cover such classic noir motifs as Night and the City, the Reckless Moment, and the Deadly Female. An elegant book with 172 duo-tone photographs throughout, The Noir Style is the most engaging and informative addition to the literature of film in years.

Reprint.

Genres: Film, Art, Nonfiction, Media Tie In, Fashion, Photography, Noir

248 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Alain Silver has co-written and co-edited a score of books including The Samurai Film, The Noir Style, The Vampire Film, Raymond Chandlers Los Angeles, director studies of David Lean and Robert Aldrich, and four Film Noir Readers. His articles have appeared in numerous film journals, newspapers, and online magazines. He holds a Ph.D. from UCLA and is a member of the Writers Guild of America west and the Directors Guild of America.

Reviews

[Yigal Zur · Rating 5 out of 5]

i have it standing in my library. love the cover with the smoking femme fatal. great coffee table book. nice to take it once in a while and read about this or that noir film.

[Frank Jude · Rating 4 out of 5]

In college, I did a minor in "Film Studies" and specialized in film noir. In fact, I won an aware for an essay that explored the "femme fatale" as an expression of Nietzsche's "vita femina". I wrote a story that was made into a "neo-noir" film and wrote and directed a short film that was a homage/smash-up of Gun Crazy and Bonnie and Clyde. Suffice to say, I am a huge fan of the style. (Lots of ink has been spilled arguing as to whether film noir is a style or a genre. Alain Silver and James Ursini, the author of this luscious table-top book, seem to fall on the side that sees it more stylistically while calling "neo-noir" a genre. I suspect because the original creators of what we now call "film noir" were not self-consciously working a genre, like a director who is filming a zombie movie knows they are working the "horror genre" but in the 90s directors of films like Romeo Is Bleeding" or Point of No Return were nothing if NOT working self-consciously to create a "noir film".

I've had this book since it was published by Overlook Press out of Woodstock, NY in 1999 but never did more than look at the pictures... a lot! It's such a delicious collection of over 150 glorious black and white stills from classic films noir. In fact, I wish I could add some examples in this review. The commentary points out the common tropes while culminating in the thesis that "In the best of film noir, style works to expand the spectator's reading of the physical reality and the surface drama.... As John Alton observed, 'people...illuminated by light, in life or in pictures, produce psychological impressions.'"

Certainly, if you are a fan of film noir and do not have this book, you will love devouring this tome. Even if you are not a fan of film noir, if you appreciate photography and/or a fan of cinema, this book will bring much to enjoy and think about.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Noir Style pairs carefully curated images with concise, informative analysis, producing in the process a book that is never less than compelling and is at times quite gorgeous. Silver and Ursin provide a close reading of the visual style of the film noir movement, and not only remind one of the immense depth of information conveyed visually in films (even, or maybe especially with the aspect of motion removed) but also of the importance of reading the visuals in the context of a two-dimensional frame as opposed to necessarily extrapolating the third dimension as is such a typical habit. The images selected are never given a chance to feel lifeless as the authors effortlessly contextualize them both within their source films and within the arc of the film noir cycle. While The Noir Style occasionally rises to being a legitimate work of art in its own right (chapter three is a particular highlight, clearly a cut above the very good rest of the book), it probably works best, in part due to its limited space, as a signpost leading both to other films and further academic studies. This isn't at all to diminish the accomplishment here, merely to highlight the skillful way in which the authors prompt their readers to seek out and explore the films and techniques discussed in order to further develop a deeper understanding thereof. The biggest drawbacks here are more than a few instances of sloppy copywriting that stand out all the more considering the relative paucity of text, as well as a handful of places where choices of order and juxtaposition seemed somewhat misjudged, but these quibbles don't stop this from being a book that would undoubtedly reward repeat visits.

[Ed · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a coffee table sized paperback but fans of the style of film noir (lighting, costumes, set design, the whole mise-en-scene megillah) will keep is close at hand. A terrific book, the best of its kind I have seen--by no means an exhaustive but still not insignificant list--with gorgeously reproduced images. The text commentary links film noir with German Expressionism and shows how its moral ambiguity make sit one of the darkest and most distinctive American art forms.

An indication of how good "The Noir Style" is: the picture of Rita Hayworth on the cover isn't even the second best image of her in the book.

[Frank McAdam · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Noir Style by Alain Silver and James Ursini is a seminal book for anyone interested in creating atmospheric photographic lighting and should be part of any photographer's library, most especially those who still shoot with black & white film.

The book consists of publicity stills, largely taken from the golden age of Hollywood film noir. The authors carefully analyze each photo to show how lighting is used to create an atmosphere of dread and suspense. Along the way, the book pays tribute to the masters of noir lighting, particularly the great John Alton, whose contributions have not received nearly the credit due them.

[Antonius Block]

Beautiful coffee table book with huge, glossy noir images, each of which is briefly analyzed in terms of mise-en-scene (composition, lighting, angle, expression) and grouped along with other images that illustrate some aspect of the noir style. It's a great book just to flip through, and the detailed analyses are helpful examples of how to read an image.

[Bill Sauer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first bought this in 1999 while I was still working in a commercial photography studio,as a reference and inspiration tool. I loved it for that - the analysis of each shot is excellent.

I recently read it and examined the shots in-depth again, cover to cover, as reference and inspiration for a noir-inspired novel WIP. This is simply a beautiful book and worth every penny.

[Photokitten · Rating 4 out of 5]

My BFF gave me this as a gift (I don't remember what year...sorry....) and it's AWESOME! Highly recommend this to anyone intersted in the film genre and it's gorgeous film

[John Shaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not only is this an incredible history
of Noir Film
but
it is a beautiful collection of
art from one of the most
stylistic and stunning
and sadly over looked
film genres