Lawrence Bassoff Collection Presents Crime Scenes: Movie Poster Art of the Film Noir- The Classic Period, 1941-1959

by Lawrence Bassoff, Robert Wise (Foreword)

Crime novelists, movie stars and filmmakers have together created a shadowy celluloid underworld of desperate characters, violent passions and illicit schemes, dubbed by the French "film noir" ("black film"). This book traces the development and history of this movement, using original movie poster art from 100 vintage films. Covering the period from 1941 to 1959, the films include: "The Maltese Falcon", "This Gun for Hire", "Laura", and "The Postman Always Rings Twice". Originally displayed in movie theatres, the posters also illustrate the signature in-house movie poster styles and printing processes used by the major studios of the day.

159 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1997

Reviews

[Roger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Crime Scenes is a really fun book to sink into. I actually bought this book for someone ele but could not resist its' siren call. The author spends too much time talking about the worth of various lobby cards and whatnot, and not enough time talking about the films themselves, but it was still a joy to look at the art associated with some great noir cinema.

[Lachlan Hazelton · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a treasure trove if you're a fan of the genre and the art that came with it. Well researched and good fun.

[Andy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oversized coffee table volume with beautiful film noir one sheets and lobby cards, worthy of any fan's hard-earned dollars. The book is divided into two-sections: an index of your favorite noir star with their film resume and poster, from Bogie ("The Enforcer") to Claire Trevor ("Johnny Angel"). Then there's a section devoted to the bigger noir favorites with tons of poster, lobby card and pressbook stuff, like "The Blue Dahlia" and "The Lady In The Lake". I love this book!