(oversized pb; 2015: nonfiction)
From the back cover
“After scores of books and
commentaries on film noir and its classic period, experts Alain Silver and
James Ursini turn their full attention to neo-noir—the self-conscious,
occasionally mannered, sometimes ersatz, and often surprising genre that sprang
from the original movement. This volume surveys the full breadth of American
neo-noir—its style and substance, its evolution over succeeding generations of filmmakers
from activist through post-modern to millennial and onward—with extensive
illustrations, black-and-white and full color, that capture the genre’s
dramatic and visual essence.”
Review
American is a great entry in neo-noir nonfiction in that it functions as an educational, sometimes entertaining primer for those unfamiliar with the genre and as an entertaining read, possibly reminder, for those already well-versed in its plays of shadow and light. If Silver and Ursini sometimes come off as cinematic snobs in their tastes (they especially disparage, with moralistic zeal, Brian DePalma and his work), it’s almost something to be expected from critics and not people who’ve created anything (fictional) worth noting—I don’t write this to be mean, but as something for readers to be aware of. I give them credit for their often on-target takes and focused, narrowly defined analyses, but every viewer has their filmic opinions, so don’t let theirs compel you to avoid certain filmmakers’ works just because Silver and Ursini don’t like them. Worth reading, this.
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