The Dark Side of the Screen: Film Noir [Paperback]

Foster Hirsch (Author)

Book Description

Series: Da Capo Paperback | Publication Date: March 6, 2001

Since The Dark Side of the Screen first appeared two decades ago, when film noir was still a little-known group of dark, brooding postwar B-movies, it has become the essential take on what has become one of today’s most pervasive screen influences and popular genres. Covering over a hundred outstanding films and offering nearly two hundred carefully chosen stills, this is by far the most thorough and entertaining study available of noir themes, visual motifs, character types, actors, and directors. Hirsch examines the features that make Burt Lancaster, Joan Crawford, Robert Mitchum, and Humphrey Bogart into noir icons; as well as the camera angles, lighting effects, and story lines that characterize the work of such major noir directors as Fritz Lag, Billy Wilder, and Orson Welles. With a complete list of credits to 112 films and a new introduction, Hirsch’s work remains the classic analysis of the most original genre of American cinema.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Wonderfully readable: Hirsch is clear, knowledgeable, and concise... A visual as well as literary pleasure." Martin Jackson, Cineaste"

About the Author

Foster Hirsch, the author of fifteen books on film and theater, among them The Dark Side of the Screen: Film Noir and Kurt Weill on Stage, lives in New York City.

Product Details

• Paperback: 248 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press (March 6, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0306810395
• ISBN-13: 978-0306810398
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #837,771 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dark Side of the Screen is shining light!, November 5, 2001

By 

Jeff Markham (Walton-on-Thames, UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Dark Side of the Screen: Film Noir (Paperback)

Hirsch's brilliant analysis of the antecedents, key period and legacy of noir remains perhaps the finest single work on the subject. Not as funny or entertaining as Eddie Muller's 'Dark City', but a major work that pre-dates many inferior later studies. Especially notable is Hirsch's use of stills, his choice of key scenes (e.g. Panic in the Streets, the Phenix City Story, Scarlet Street) skilfully differentiates between studio shot film noirs and pseudo-documentary/location filmed noirs.

Highly recommended for serious lovers of the genre (not room enough here to debate whether film noir is a genre or not!) and ranks, for me, alongside Paul Schrader's legendary 'Notes on Film Noir' essay (1972) as the single most important piece of work on the subject.

32 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Introduction to Film Noir, June 7, 2000

By 

Dennis Hayes "Angry Buddha" (Kenmore, Wa United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Dark Side Of The Screen: Film Noir (A Da Capo Paperback) (Paperback)

This book is the best of several I have read recently on film noir. It strikes the right balance between being thorough and accessible; not nearly as dry and academic as some others. One of the main elements of noir is its distinctive visual style, and this book has dozens of excellent photographic stills, which enable the reader to understand the style in a way that text descriptions could never duplicate. The author does an excellent job of placing noir in its historical context, without assuming the reader has prior knowledge of German Expressionism, hard-boiled fiction or any other influence. The book ends with a list of 120 or so classic noirs; this alone is worth the price of the book. I have seen approximately one-half of the movies on his list and every single one has been excellent. For anyone interested in gazing into "The Crazy Mirror," this is the place to start.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars This book contains an excellent account of noir stylistics, November 8, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Dark Side Of The Screen: Film Noir (A Da Capo Paperback) (Paperback)

I found this book to be a concise and relevant exploration of the history, style and themes of film noir. It was immensely helpful as a research source for an essay I did on noir styles and themes. With clear explanations and pictorial examples it bestowed upon me a clear and precise understanding of the genre.