Film Noir Reader 3: Interviews with Filmmakers of the Classic Noir Period (Bk.3) [Paperback]

Alain Silver (Author), James Ursini (Author), Robert Porfirio (Author)

Book Description

Series: Film Noir Reader | Publication Date: August 1, 2004

Departing from the approach of its Film Noir Reader predecessors, this third volume in the series assembles a collection of interviews with film noir directors and a cinematographer, few of whom are alive today. Interviewees include Billy Wilder (Double Indemnity and Sunset Boulevard), Otto Preminger (Laura), Joseph Lewis (Gun Crazy and The Big Combo), Curtis Bernhardt (Possessed and A Stolen Life), Edward Dmytryk (Murder, My Sweet and Crossfire), and Fritz Lang (Scarlet Street and The Woman in the Window).

Product Details

• Paperback: 244 pages
• Publisher: Limelight Editions (August 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0879109610
• ISBN-13: 978-0879109615
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #745,446 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Spiraling Down the Noir Trail, April 14, 2002

By 

Ronald Schwartz (New York, N.Y. United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Film Noir Reader 3: Interviews with Filmmakers of the Classic Noir Period (Bk.3) (Paperback)

If you are a "noir addict," as I am, you are indeed fortunate to have read the original FILM NOIR READER, its sequel, FILM NOIR READER 2 and the last one in the series...FILM NOIR READER 3.
The first one was the most interesting of the group, containing the most seminal essays on the noir style by Durgnat, Higham, Porfirio and Schrader and even a translation from Borde & Chaumenton's French framing of the "noir mystique." Also, several noir films were considered in a "case study" section, among them KISS ME DEADLY, NIGHT & THE CITY, ANGEL FACE and the post-noir LONG GOODBYE. The last section of Volume One dealt with "Noir, Then and Now" with several interesting articles on noir's legacy and the new noir. It was a sensational critical work after Silver & Ward's trend-setting volume FILM NOIR, now in its third edition from Overlook Press.
FILM NOIR 2, in the Limelight series carries on the tradition of including seminal essays on noir by Nino Frank, the film critic who actually named the style, Jean-Pierre Chartier and Claude Chabrol, among other worthy and perceptive American
critics such as Tom Flinn and Stephen Farber. Reverting to the case history approach, Robert Porfirio, Robin Wood, Silver and Ward, among others scrutinize critically the films of Hitchcock,
the femme fatales of PUSHOVER (Kim Novak) & THELMA JORDON (Barbara Stanwyck)among other themes as "jazz & noir," "tabloid cinema" and "neo-noir fugitives," all wonderful essays written with style and critical acumen. Part 3 of this volume seems to suggest this would be the last in the series, discussing the "evolution" of noir, especially essays on the "new noir," and especially Kent Minturn's excellent article on "abstract expressionism and film noir, demonstrating the effects of Jackson Pollack's paintings on the noir style.
FILM NOIR READER 3 must be the absolute last in the series because it focus is on mainly interviews with filmmakers of the classic noir period. Divided into 3 sections, it deals with 8 directors such as Andre de Toth, Fritz Lang, Billy Wilder, Robert Wise among others, filmmakers such as photographers James Wong Howe and John F. Seitz, actors such as Claire Trevor and Lizabeth Scott, composers such as Miklos Rozsa and finally a series of commentaries about noir by Curtis Bernhardt, Budd Boetticher and Daniel Fuchs.
Of the director section, all were fairly interesting interviews by Alain Silver or Robert Porfirio with the exception of Otto Preminger who seemed to defy the questions put to him and did not care to be labelled a "noir" director. Of the actors, I enjoyed Claire Trevor's appraisal of her roles and Lizabeth Scott's method of transforming herself psychologically into a "femme fatale." But the commentaries section of this interview book really runs out of steam with Daniel Fuchs' perception of Jews, Gentiles and Communists in Hollywood as well as the take of his own words on THE GANGSTER with Barry Sullivan.
He even complains as he writes answers to Porfirio's questions, while admiring the critic, he feels "it pains him his own prose is so lousy."
While this third volume is chock full of wonderful stills
from classic films of the period, sometimes the stills have absolutely nothing to do with the text...worse, there are serious flaws in editing that mar the book...on p. 60 Anne Bancroft is referred to in THE BLUE GARDENIA while on the next page it is Anne BAXTER, the real star of the film is seen in a still with Ann Sothern; the still facing p. 135 identifies Ray Teal as the actor in the foreground with Orson Welles on the stairs in CITIZEN KANE while it is actually RUSSELL COLLINS and more blatantly, in the still on p.141 from BODY AND SOUL, how can any one mistake B-actress HAZEL BROOKS seen here with John Garfield for the beautiful and classy Lili Palmer identified in the caption.
Finally, I believe FILM NOIR READER 3 is a worthy entry in the series for its preservation of information and stills about noir although the interviewers seemed to have scraped rock bottom to put this volume together. Perhaps they should turn their attentions to the new noir. However, I must commend the publisher, Limelight, for continuing the series and bringing about an affordable paperback with such gorgeous stills that are alone worth the ... price. And some of the interviews are really excellent--the ones with Billy Wilder, Miklos Rozsa and James Wong Howe among others. But it is difficult to take such diverse views on noir and give them a unique, systematic frame of reference because of the very complexity in the material and the divergent views among the authors. I simply cannot imagine how far down "the noir trail" we can go without stumbling in the future. Volumes 1 and 2 are certainly superior to this last one, but Vol. 3 gives me a sense of closure regarding the material, but not the "noir style." For as long as there are men deceived by women for cash or sex, noir will go on forever.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable, Informative Interviews w/ Classic Noir Filmmakers, March 30, 2005

By 

mirasreviews (McLean, VA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Film Noir Reader 3: Interviews with Filmmakers of the Classic Noir Period (Bk.3) (Paperback)

This third book in the "Film Noir Reader" series contains 18 interviews with filmmakers of the classic film noir period. Most of the interviews were conducted 1975-1977 by Robert Porfirio for his doctoral dissertation while he was an assistant professor at California State University at Fullerton. Alain Silver and James Ursini also contribute interviews, conducted at various dates. In his Introduction, Mr. Porfirio explains his view of classic film noir as a movement in 4 phases, created primarily out of German Expressionism and the American hard-boiled literary tradition. There is a biographical description and a list of "films in the noir style" at the conclusion of each interview.

Part I contains 8 interviews with directors, who talk about their films' intent, themes, style and how they came to be made. The Hollywood Blacklist is another common topic of conversation. Some directors (as well as some other contributors) doubt the existence of a "film noir style", while others are amenable to the concept. The directors interviewed are: Andre de Toth, Edward Dmytryk, Samuel Fuller, Fritz Lang, Joseph H. Lewis, Otto Preminger, Billy Wilder, and Robert Wise.

Part II, "Interviews with Other Filmmakers", contains 7 interviews with cinematographers James Wong Howe and John F. Seitz, actresses Lizabeth Scott and Claire Trevor, screenwriter Daniel Mainwaring, composer Miklos Rozsa, and producer Dore Schary. This must have been before Ms. Scott became reclusive. It's nice to read her perceptive comments. Part III includes short "Commentaries" by 3 directors, which were taken from written and spoken interviews but are not in interview format. The directors are: Curtis Bernhardt, Budd Boetticher, and Daniel Fuchs.

It's interesting to compare the perceptions of the people who made classic film noir to those of critics and theorists decades after the fact. I think the interviews tend to support my view that film noir came about due to a confluence of various technological, economic, and legal factors. But the fun is in judging for yourself. "Film Noir Reader 3" is an enjoyable and informative reference for film noir fans and scholars.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Notes, May 2, 2003

By 

Douglas Doepke (Claremont, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Film Noir Reader 3: Interviews with Filmmakers of the Classic Noir Period (Bk.3) (Paperback)

Just a couple of points to add to Dr. Schwartz's excellent review of all three Film Noir entries. The price of this reader is hefty. Considering what you get in return, only confirmed enthusiasts should pony up that amount. A big point in the book's favor: an interview with screenwriter Daniel Mainwaring, aka Geoffrey Homes, (Out of the Past, Invasion of Body Snatchers,et.al.), a major influence on the genre, and the only interview with this neglected figure that I know of. Lastly, it's remarkable how many of these artists were unaware of contributing to a distinct body of work we now call film noir. Perhaps the zeitgeist of the time wore a trenchcoat; certainly something generic was afoot.