L.A. Noir: The City as CharacterLos Angeles has always been as much a star in film noir as any actor, be it Humphrey Bogart, Barbara Stanwyck, Burt Lancaster, Ava Gardner or Jack Nicholson. In L.A. Noir: The City as Character renowned film historians Alain Silver and James Ursini explore the world of noir cinema in the context of Los Angeles. The book features dozens of noir and neo-noir landmark films from Double Indemnity, Criss Cross, Sunset Boulevard, Gun Crazy, The Big Heat, Kiss Me Deadly, and Touch of Evil in the classic period (1940-1960) to such neo-noir notables as Chinatown, L.A. Confidential, Mulholland Drive, and Pulp Fiction. L.A. Noir illustrates how these noir films use L.A.'s diverse cityscape and architecture to convey a unique vision of urban corruption and existential fatalism, not only in the ever-changing, chaotic downtown of Bunker Hill, Main Street, and Chinatown, but in its affluent coastal communities (Santa Monica, Malibu) as well as its deceptively sunny suburbs (South Bay, San Fernando Valley). The authors deftly analyze the key films of noir while integrating them into the geography and history of this "dark city" which became such an important icon of noir literature and film. L.A. Noir is profusely illustrated with approximately 150 photographs-many of them appearing in print for the very first time-including production stills from the movies discussed, archival photos of the locations from the films and new photographs of the locations today, chronicling the ever-changing cityscape of this noir character-Los Angeles. |
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apartment Art Direction Barbara Stanwyck beach Billy Wilder Bradbury Building CALIFORNIA CALIFORNIA OF CALIFORNIA CALIFORNIA SAN DIEGO CALIFORNIA UNIVERSITY Cast Chandler Chinatown Cinematography City as Character classic period club Costume Design Criss Cross Deckard Detective DIEGO SAN DIEGO DIEGO THE LIBRARIES DIEGO THE UNIVERSITY director Double Indemnity DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES Dream Is Born Dream Runs Editing Executive Producer film noir filmmakers Forbes Gittes Gun Crazy Hammer Hickey & Boggs Hollywood Jack James John Kiss Me Deadly L.A. Confidential L.A. NOIR LIBRARIES SAN DIEGO Malibu Marlowe Michael Mike Mildred Pierce movie Mulholland Drive Mulwray murder neo-noir night Nightmare novel O'Brien Original Music police Production Design protagonists Rawlins Raymond Robert SAN DIEGO SAN DIEGO CALIFORNIA SAN DIEGO LIBRARIES SAN DIEGO SAN SAN DIEGO UNIVERSITY Santa Monica Pier Screenplay shot Street studio Sunset Boulevard UNIVERSITY CALIFORNIA UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA UNIVERSITY THE UNIVERSITY Walter Neff Westside William