Somewhere in the Night
Type
Book
Authors
ISBN 10
0684828030
ISBN 13
9780684828039
Category
Film Criticism
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Publication Year
1997
Publisher
Pages
304
Subject
Film noir -- United States -- History and criticism. Cities and towns in motion pictures. Film noir.
Tags
Abstract
Acclaimed novelist and poet Nicholas Christopher explores the cultural identity of film noir in a seamless, elegant, and enchanting work of literary prose. Examining virtually the entire catalogue of film noir, Christopher identifies the central motif as the urban labyrinth, a place infested with psychosis, anxiety, and existential dread in which the noir hero embarks on a dangerously illuminating quest. With acute sensitivity, he shows how technical devices such as lighting, voice over, and editing tempo are deployed to create the film noir world. Somewhere in the Night guides us through the architecture of this imaginary world, be it shot in New York or Los Angeles, relating its elements to the ancient cultural archetypes that prefigure it. Finally, Christopher builds an explanation of why film noir not only lives on but is currently enjoying a renaissance.
Number of Copies
1
