Night and the City

BFI Film Classics

by Andrew Pulver

Andrew Pulver’s study of Night and the City argues that it is one of the most important noir films ever made. Drawing from biographies, journals and interviews, Pulver traces the film’s development and production history and its reception by British and American critics, considering the film both as an example of British film noir—which was heavily influenced by the constricting social mores of the interwar years and the shattering effects of WWII—and also as a hybrid of contrasting American and European noir traditions. Finally, Pulver explores the film’s representations of the dark underworld of London’s Soho, at once the city’s entertainment area, but also containing a subterranean life of criminality, prostitution and menace, and reflects upon its contribution to a long history of mythologising of this ever-shifting urban landscape.

Genres: Film, Nonfiction, Criticism

96 pages, Paperback

First published November 23, 2010

Reviews

[Patrick McCoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

BFI's Night and the City (2010) by Guardian Film Editor Andrew Pulver looks at a classic 1950 London film noir from noted American director Jules Dassin. It is the story of hoodlum trying to get his big stake in the world of pro wrestling, adapted from a novel by Gerald Kersh starring Richard Widmark, Gene Tierney, Googie Withers and Herbert Lom. In the first section, “Film” Pulver discusses at ‘Story,’ ‘Production,’ ‘Adaptation,’ and ‘The Reviews’-- Pulver notes how the film’s reputation increased over time with the rising popularity of modern crime films that are in the same vein from directors like the Coen brothers, Quentin Tarantino, and the success of LA Confidential. The next section “Night” discusses ‘Film Noir’ and ‘Visual Style.’ The third section, “The City” has discussion of ‘Soho,’ ‘Lowlife Fiction,’ (in which he discusses the work of two of my favorite British crime writers Patrick Hamilton and Graham Greene)‘Spivs’ (a wartime black marketer)‘Crime,’ followed by a conclusion. It is another excellent overview of the film and its cultural significance with lots of interesting background information on the production and legacy of a timeless classic.

[William Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent overview of this central film noir, with well researched context in terms of genre, fictional equivalents, and production. Even more than usual in the BFI series, this one includes numerous quality stills with thoughtful annotations. This film may display the full range of noir visual effects better than any film noir. The Criterion release is a beauty of restoration and clarity, btw.