Customer Reviews

Film Noir Guide: 745 Films of the Classic Era, 1940-1959

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Mr. Keaney has done a great service to us self-proclaimed "noir heads" with his comprehensive book "The Film Noir Guide" Unlike other books of the canon, it is truly a "guide" or rather an primer to the complete noir theme. Other authors, in fact all that I've read, have analyzed film noir to death. The Keaney book minimizes this frequently trodden path and instead provides an extensive filmography of noir with a refreshing look at many obscure and borderline noirs as well as all the old favorites. Most important, it explains a simple and inexpensive way to locate and own these films. This in itself will save a significant amount of money and countless hours trying to track down these movies (Hint: They're not at Blockbuster); and it certain justifies the cost of the book. (I only wish I had a reference book like this when I started collecting). Also impressive is the fact that he actually watched all of these movies, something other authors have neglected, often relying on third party sources.

An earlier reviewer argued over several of the inclusions (BLOOD ON THE MOON, i.e.), but he clearly is not very knowledgeable about film noir (Or relies only on select authors). There are western noirs (YELLOW SKY, STATION WEST) as well as costumer noirs (BLUEBEARD, HANGOVER SQUARE), horror noirs (The Val Lewton films) and serials noirs (The SHADOW series). Noir is not just defined by THE BIG SLEEP, DOUBLE INDEMNITY and TOUCH OF EVIL. It has a look, feel and tone that cuts across genres. Frankly limiting noir to only pulp detective films is not only wrong and arbitrary but deprives the noir fanatic of many rewarding dark films. Thankfully, Mr. Keaney has bypassed this pitfall and breathed new life into an often written about subject.

If you are a lover of film noir, do yourself a favor and pick up this book. It is chock full of wonderful comments,as well as a number of films you probably have never heard about elsewhere. Michael Keaney casts the widest possible net in compiling his compendium of over 700 noirs (ALL FROM THE CLASSIC ERA OF THE 1940S & 1950s), and while he himself admits many may not be true noirs, each and every one displays a genuine noir influence. Keaney writes in an approachable light and breezey style. He does not go in for deep analysis, but has a large number of wry, amusing and downright clever observations about most of these efforts. His ratings might annoy some (Hey, he gave a low rating to one of my all time favorite noirs, Bogie's DARK JOURNEY!) but then this is part of the fun of the book, seeing where you agree or disagree with his critiques. He provides an extensive bibliography as well as a fine breakdown in an appendix of classification of films according to type. One important note: Keaney limits himself to films he actually viewed, so a number of excellent noirs that are currently out of circulation are not included, such as I WOULDN'T BE IN YOUR SHOES, STRANGERS IN THE NIGHT and WITHOUT WARNING. Let's hope these rarities may turn up in the future. Then maybe Keaney can add them to his book in an update in five years or so. In the meantime, Keaney's book is a "must have" for anyone interested in film noir. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Though I didn't know what to expect, this compendium of Film Noir from the Classic Era was the perfect book to introduce me to a genre that I am only beginning to learn. It was well written, I enjoyed the photographs, the summaries provided generous details, and the list of reviews was so comprehensive that every movie for which I had a questions, I always found a review. The author definitely knows his subject matter and is witty in his presentation. I was amazed and appreciative that this type of encyclopedic book on Film Noir is available. I look forward to Mr. Keaney's next review guide on whatever genre he chooses.

Mr. Keaney's Guide is much more than movie reviews. His Memorable Noir Moments alone are worth the price of the book. His insights into the actors and directors are fascinating. This a catalog to be used to explore the genre. I have found movies I was not aware of that are now on my must-see list. Another big plus is Mr. Keaney's thoroughly enjoyable writing style. This simply a fun read!

Film Noir Guide brings forth a compelling compilation of movies from a bygone yet memorable era. This book will serve those of us struggling to reassemble fragments of films viewed long ago as well as those preparing to view them for the first time. At first glance I expected this book to be a bit dry, after all, there are indeed 745 films covered! I was pleasantly surprised to find the book written in the spirit of the subject films, in that it provides not only abundant but amusing appraisals. Each film is presented in the context of a series of factoids (title, date, whodunit), useful categorizations (i.e., greed, wrong man, ambition), a review, familiar faces (i.e., if the actors worked in television), and a memorable noir moment (e.g., "...it's just a flesh wound"). The organization of the book makes it easy to sort through the huge volume of films contained within. It's natural to wonder what could drive someone to sit and watch such a large number of films in a systematic manner, but Keaney's fun-loving cinematic portrayals mirror the fascination shared by so many film-goers, both in their day and to this day.

As a veteran of dozens of film guides, I must say that Mr. Keaney's book is a refreshing change from the ordinary. His razor wit and keen eye for the most interesting details of a film are apparent in all the reviews. Bravo!

Being somewhat of a movie buff since working for 20th Century Fox from 1954 through 1964 during the so-called years of the "Giants" of the movie industry like Spyros Skouras and Darryl F. Zanuck I received the Film Noir Guide by Michael F. Keaney as a gift from my wife. She said it was a handsome book that would look good with the rest of my collection of movie memorabilia.
I thumbed through it looking at all the photos and then read the preface. This was enjoyable since I had grown up in Brooklyn, NY and could identify with the time period the author wrote about. I found the book to be easy reading as I would look forward to each "movies memorable quotes" and the fun poked at the politically correct "sensitivity training required".
There were of course many films I did not see but even the tidbits of the TV personalities connected with these old films were interesting. Many of the films that I remembered and loved had uncannily the memorable quoted that were still fresh in my mind.
I never had given Film Noir much thought but this book opened a new source of enjoyment for me.

I recently received this book and I'm having a great time reading and flipping through its many, generously illustrated pages. If you are a film noir fan, this a must-have book. The writing style is engaging and entertaining. If you are looking for a scholarly "serious" study of film noir, this book is probably not for you. But, if you are looking for information, to be entertained, and to increase your knowledge of the "dark city" genre, then you have hit the jackpot with this book. There are many tidbits of information to interest the hard-core "noir-head". In his several hundred reviews of films noir, the author includes funny quotes from the films and familiar faces from tv. The author lists some 750 films he classifies as noir. This book is a great starting point for those who may be exploring the noir genre for the first time, but it also will appeal to the fan who wants information written in a witty, excessible style. I'm hoping there will be another film book from this author!

It was a dark night in the city. The rain had washed away most of the dregs off the street, and I settled in under a lamp post with my latest find, Mike Keaney's FILM NOIR GUIDE. Each entry provided what I needed, a short concise review of any title in my favorite genre. If you have some time to kill, you might want to sneak a read of this volume. It will treat you better than a double-crossing dame or a sneaking two bit hood trying to muscle in on your turf.

As a film noir fan and growing up in the forties and fifties in Queens, New York (as the author did), I found many films listed that I had all but forgotten.

So far, I've order three or four of these film oldies through amazon, of course and plan on buying many more.

The book is well organized by title, year and director. Each movie is rated using the five star system. The many photos bring to mind faces of forgotten character actors as well as stars of the times.

A must for any library.