Film Noir Compendium: Key Selections from the Film Noir Reader Series

In this essential study of film noir, editors Alain Silver and James Ursini select the most significant and influential articles on the movement from their highly respected Film Noir Reader series and assemble them into a single, convenient, heavily illustrated volume. Still included, of course, are many rare early articles and such seminal essays as Borde and Chaumeton's “Towards a Definition of Film Noir” from Panorama du Film Noir Americain, Paul Schrader's “Notes on Film Noir ” and “Paint It Black: the Family Tree of the Film Noir” by Raymond Durgnat. With newer studies such as “Lounge Time” by Vivian Sobchack, “Manufacturing Heroines in Classic Noir Films” by Sheri Chinen Biesen, and “Voices from the Deep: Film Noir as Psychodrama” J. P. Telotte, this collection of over 30 articles probes this most influential American film movement from varying angles: formalist, feminist, structuralist, sociological, and stylistic; narrative-thematic historical, and even from the point of view of a pure aficionado. There is something in this volume for every student or devotee of film noir. Plus like the readers that have proven an invaluable tool for academics planning a syllabus, it can serve as the most complete core text for any of the myriad of film noir courses taught throughout the world.

Alain Silver (Los Angeles, CA) is the co-editor of the Film Noir Reader series and co-writer of The Noir Style and L.A. Noir, as well as The Samurai Film and Raymond Chandler's Los Angeles. His commentaries may be heard and seen on numerous DVDs, including Murder, My Sweet and Kiss Me Deadly. He is a writer/producer/director in independent feature productions.



With Alain Silver, James Ursini (Los Angeles, CA) has co-written studies of David Lean, Robert Aldrich, and Roger Corman and on such genres as the vampire film, the zombie film, and most recently American neo-noir. He has also done numerous DVD commentaries on classic film noir DVDs such as Out of the Past, Kiss of Death, and Ride the Pink Horse. He recently completed his first neo-noir feature film.