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Film Noir
25
Explore the dark and brooding elegance of Film Noir with this essential handbook to the genre, exploring key noir themes and their most representative movies. Copiously illustrated with film stills as well as original posters, the book also lists TASCHEN’s top 50 noir classics. A must for amateurs and aficionados alike.
Hardcover, 5.5 x 7.7 in., 2.78 lb, 648 pages
“Crime has never looked so good.”
Film Noir
25Into the Night
All you need to know about Film Noir
Whether it’s Double Indemnity, Kiss Me Deadly, or The Big Sleep, roam a screen world of dark and brooding elegance with this essential handbook to Film Noir. From private eyes and perfect crimes to corrupt cops and doomed affairs, editors Paul Duncan and Jürgen Müller examine noir’s key themes and their most representative movies from 1940 to 1960.
Copiously illustrated with film stills as well as original posters, this book offers page after page of noir’s masterful visual compositions while exploring the narrative paradigms of this cryptic, compelling, and evolving genre. If that weren’t enough to tickle your cinematic appetite, the volume concludes with TASCHEN’s top 50 pick of noir classics.
Brimming with the enigmatic dames, desperate gangsters, and psycho killers that continue to cast a long and captivating shadow over cinema, this is a must-have handbook for noir aficionados and amateurs alike.
Copiously illustrated with film stills as well as original posters, this book offers page after page of noir’s masterful visual compositions while exploring the narrative paradigms of this cryptic, compelling, and evolving genre. If that weren’t enough to tickle your cinematic appetite, the volume concludes with TASCHEN’s top 50 pick of noir classics.
Brimming with the enigmatic dames, desperate gangsters, and psycho killers that continue to cast a long and captivating shadow over cinema, this is a must-have handbook for noir aficionados and amateurs alike.
The authors
Film producer, critic and historian Alain Silver is the author of 20 books on cinematic topics, including The Noir Style, LA Noir, the Film Noir Reader series, and Steve McQueen, Frank Sinatra, and Katharine Hepburn for TASCHEN's Icon Series. His audio commentaries on classic film noir DVDs include Call Northside 777 and Double Indemnity. A member of the Directors Guild of America, the Screen Actors Guild, and the Writers Guild of America, he graduated from UCLA with degrees in film production and critical studies.
James Ursini has co-written eleven books with Alain Silver, including their Film Noir Reader series, which established them as two of the foremost authorities on film noir. Ursini has also written for various film magazines and supplied the commentary for numerous classic film noir DVDs. He has a doctorate in motion pictures studies and lectures on filmmaking in the Los Angeles area.
The editors
Jürgen Müller holds the chair of Early Modern and Modern Art History at the Technical University of Dresden. He studied Art History at the universities of Bochum, Münster, Pisa, Paris, and Amsterdam, and has worked as an art critic and curator of numerous exhibitions. He is also the editor of TASCHEN’s movies by decade series.
Paul Duncan is a film historian whose TASCHEN books include The Star Wars Archives, The James Bond Archives, The Charlie Chaplin Archives, The Godfather Family Album, Taxi Driver, Film Noir, and Horror Cinema, as well as publications on film directors, film genres, and movie stars.
Film Noir
Hardcover, 14 x 19.5 cm, 1.26 kg, 648 pagesISBN 978-3-8365-6169-3
Edition: EnglishDownload product images here
4.8
A Spotlight on the Past
September 24, 2023
Cinema in its best light. For connaisseurs and amateurs of real cinema, when special effects and computers did not exist but only lightbulbs, candles, matches, cigarette smoke, lamp posts or gaslight. A bygone era gloriously brought back to life in its full splendor - and with only two colours.Eine Huldigung des Film Noir
September 23, 2023
Das erste Drittel des Buches besteht aus einer Beschreibung des Genres, randvoll mit Produktionsdetails und wirklich schönen Fotos. Danach Folgt eine Liste der von den Herausgebern zusammengestellten 50 besten Noir Filmen. Es gibt von jedem Film ein ganzseitiges Filmplakat, eine ausführliche Inhaltsangabe, aufgelistete Eckdaten über z.B. das Produktionsjahr, die Regie und die wichtigsten Darsteller und auch hier sehr schöne Fotos. Es sind jedoch Filme dabei, wie "Rebecca" und "Gaslicht", die zwar großartig, aber nicht dem Film Noir zuzuordnen sind. Mir persönlich fehlen dagegen "Der Gläserne Schlüssel", "Die blaue Dahlie" und "Die Narbenhand" in den TOP 50. Die beiden letzteren werden jedoch im ersten Drittel erwähnt.
Was mir ebenfalls fehlt, ist ein richtiges Inhaltsverzeichnis. Die Filme aus der Liste sind chronologisch sortiert und in der Einleitung gibt es eine Gliederung, welche nach Themenpunkten (z.B.: "Die Last der Vergangenheit", Der Privatdetektiv",...) sortiert ist, aber es ist nicht möglich, einen Filmtitel, Schauspieler oder Regisseur zu suchen. Das finde ich schade, denn die meisten Leser werden das Buch nicht wie einen Roman durchlesen, sondern es als Nachschalgewerk nutzen.
Wirklich klasse ist auch die Verarbeitung - es wiegt richtig schwer und hochwertig in der Hand - die schon erwähnten stimmungsvollen Fotos und der überraschend günstige Preis.el libro en si.
September 17, 2023
Encontre casi todo sobre el cine negroExcellent
August 28, 2023
Excellent discussion of film noir, and especially the top fifty films noir. Great pictures from the films.
Criticism: would be easier to navigate the first half if it included an index of films.Another Silver Winner
August 19, 2023
This is a solid introduction to the genre of film noir from the accomplished author, historian, and producer Alain Silver. As someone who owns a number of Silver's books - his volumes The Vampire Film (1975), The Samurai Film (1977), and The Gangster Film Reader (2007) are three particular favourites of mine of his works - this is another welcome addition. This latest offering, though, doesn't quite measure up to his best books - it looks nice, is well-ilustrated, and the films discussed are correct, but the print is a little too small for my tastes. Still, this is a good tome from a writer who really knows his stuff. It's the perfect inauguration for those with a strong curiosity about film noir and want to learn what all the fuss is about. Recommended!Para mi una buena guía
August 19, 2023
Siempre me ha gustado el cine, el cine negro más