Customer Reviews

Film Soleil (Pocket Essential series)

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I found Film Soleil to be a very good and quick read. Holm describes and defines a whole new genre with imaginative and deft strokes. For film noir buffs it's a must, if only to understand the parallels and the distinctive differences between these two genres.

This book is well researched and well written affording considerable information
about films the author has designated as "Film Soleil." Unfortunately it is also
a hodgepodge of contradictions. Holm spends the first chapter attempting to
characterize this "mutated" variation of film noir as somehow distinctive. The films
he describes, as well as their antecedents, are virtually indistinguishable from film
noir or neo noir, depending on the date of original release.

The example he offers as the exemplar of Film Soleil, "Blood Simple," is a very dark
film whose setting is not urban and is shot in color. If that is to be the definition
of Film Soleil, fine, but Holm introduces many additional elements frequently not
present in the films he includes within his newly created genre.

"Neo Noir," while also a very problematic term/genre, is really what he is talking about.