Somewhere in the Night: Film Noir and the American City [Paperback]

Nicholas Christopher (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 15, 1998

In elegant and engaging prose, Nicholas Christopher explains how elements like the play of light and shadow, the backdrop of the city's mysterious maze, and the hero's haunting voice-over come together to produce the mood we love in film classics like Double Indemnity, Out of the Past, and Chinatown, as well as neo-noirs like Blade Runner and The Usual Suspects. His insightful analysis of more than 300 films reveals the many cultural archetypes and artistic influences that come into play, focusing on the modern psyche and all of the psychosis, anxiety, and existential dread that lurk just below our society's bright, pop-culture surface. But Somewhere in the Night does more than describe and explain the importance of a truly American art form, it pays homage to it as only a poet could. Christopher is, quite simply, the first author who has imbued a book on film noir with the style, humor, depth, and intelligence that has filled the genre and drawn to it countless fans for more than four decades.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

When World War II segued into the Cold War and the American dream deflated a half-size, a dull-gray patina settled over cities across the U.S. As the urban landscape shifted and swelled, these changes crept into the collective psyche via the silver screen and a cinematic genre termed "film noir." Employing dramatic use of shadow, night scenes, and voice-overs--as well as frequent shots of jagged skylines, dark street corners, and hidden crannies--the style revealed the underside of American life struggling to be heard amidst the existential clamor in the streets. In Somewhere in the Night: Film Noir and the American City, novelist and poet Nicholas Christopher uses the city as a vehicle for exploring the world of film noir, treating the urban setting more like a universal character than a mere backdrop for human action. Alluding to pop culture, literature, bits of history, sociology, and, of course, countless films from the past 50 years, Christopher examines the genre and its history in an entertaining and imaginative style that flows like a seamlessly edited film. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

According to Christopher (Walk on the Wild Side, LJ 3/1/94), film noir exposes "the psychic labyrinth" of the postwar United States within which lurked the specters of nuclear war, communism, psychoanalysis, and wholesale urbanization. Christopher demonstrates his thesis through impressionistic readings of over 300 films, grouped around such themes as the city, money, and sexuality. A concluding chapter addresses the spate of neonoirs released during the 1980s and 1990s. While Christopher adeptly conveys the textures of noir, his study relies on historical generalizations, ignoring local differences that problematize any claims for "the American City." One could argue that genre study is predicated on generalizations, but Christopher fails to enter into sustained dialog in this respect with prior noir scholarship such as Ann E. Kaplan's Women in Film Noir (BFI, 1990. reprint) or J.P. Telotte's Voices in the Dark (Univ. of Illinois, 1989). Noir enthusiasts among the general public may cotton to the result, but specialists will likely be disappointed.?Neal Baker, Dickinson Coll. Lib., Carlisle, Pa.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Holt Paperbacks (March 15, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805056998
• ISBN-13: 978-0805056990
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,458,722 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Elaborate Exploration of Classic Noir's Urban Jungle., December 15, 2004

By 

mirasreviews (McLean, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Somewhere in the Night (Hardcover)

"Somewhere in the Night" is a treatise on film noir focusing on the characteristics of the post-WWII urban environment which spawned and defined the style. Novelist and poet Nicholas Christopher draws on a wider variety of sources to explain film noir than most film theorists do, including social pundits, historians, artists, and film critics. The discussion of film noir's influences goes so far beyond the traditional expressionism and post-War conditions that the connection is sometimes dubious, but always interesting. "Somewhere in the Night" almost overlooks the first 5 or so years of film noir, picking it up as the style peaks, in the mid-1940s. Each of the book's 8 chapters discusses a characteristic of the Noir City, and most include in-depth analysis of a few films that exemplify that quality. Most discussion is of classic film noir until the last chapter, which is dedicated to neo-noir. Readers will benefit from having some knowledge of film noir theory and history before embarking on this book, since the author presents an elaborate and personal picture of the social circumstances into which film noir emerged but doesn't cover the basics. "Somewhere in the Night" is a thoughtful dissertation for film noir buffs, by a film noir buff. The films mentioned below are not by any means the only films discussed, but the ones which receive exhaustive treatment.

Chapter 1, "Into the Labyrinth", introduces the reader to the literal and figurative urban labyrinth, a man-made web of treachery, which the heroes of film noir are compelled to navigate. "Out of the Past" (1947) and "Kiss Me Deadly" (1955) get in-depth analysis. Chapter 2, "Night and the City", discusses how the aftermath of WWII -the fears of the nuclear age, the paranoia of the Cold War, and the disillusionment of veterans- influenced film. Chapter 3, "Postcards from the Ruins", analyses 3 films that feature Americans in devastated European cities: "Berlin Express" (1948), "The Third Man" (1949), and "Night and the City" (1950). Chapter 4, "Office Buildings and Casinos", explores the increased sense of isolation produced by technologies and the corporate "rat race", reflected in characters' gravitation to omnipresent office buildings or casinos. 3 office work films are analyzed: "Forces of Evil" (1948), "The Big Clock" (1948), and "The Blue Gardenia" (1953), as well as 4 casino films: "Dead Reckoning" (1947), "Criss Cross" (1949), and "The Shanghai Gesture" (1941), and "Gilda" (1946). Chapter 5, "Grafters, Grifters, and Tycoons", discusses money as the foundation of the noir city, manifested as artwork, gangsters, or political corruption. Films analyzed are "The Street with No Name" (1948), "T-Men" (1947), "The Set-Up" (1949), and "Caught" (1949). Chapter 6, "The Dark Mirror: Sex, Dreams, and Psychoanalysis", talks about noir's sexual obsessions, previously not depicted in film, the femme fatale, and Freudian psychoanalysis in cinema. "Gun Crazy" (1950), "Nightmare Alley" (1947), "The Accused" (1949), and "Cat People" (1942) are analyzed. Chapter 7, "Black and White in Color", talks about the symbolic use of color in color film noir, going back to 1945's "Leave Her to Heaven". Chapter 8, "Paint It Black", is about neo-noir. The failure of re-made classic noirs and the success of original material and never-before-adapted pulp novels are discussed, with analysis of "The Usual Suspects" (1995). There are 2 Selected Filmographies in the back of the book, 1940-1959 and 1960-1997, both in alphabetical, not chronological, order.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not Just the Usual Film Noir Suspects, December 7, 2002

By 

Michael Samerdyke (Big Stone Gap, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Somewhere in the Night: Film Noir and the American City (Paperback)

This isn't the perfect book on film noir, but it is very interesting because Christopher touches on films that don't get discussed in a lot of books on film noir.

Chief among these are two Val Lewton horror films, Cat People and The Seventh Victim. It is nice to see someone discussing Lewton from a film noir perspective. Also, Christopher left me burning to see Breakdown, a 1965 film dealing with a scientist's mental crisis that he makes sound fascinating.

He also does a good job talking about more famous noirs, particularly Criss Cross, which he examines from the Dan Dureyea character's perspective. That brings a fresh approach to his discussion of this classic film noir.

This should not be anyone's first book on film noir, but it takes interesting positions and makes the reader look at things differently. Recommended for the person deeply into noir.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Flawed but conceptually interesting work is not for the noir novice, but for the specialist, September 12, 2009

By 

Muzzlehatch (the walls of Gormenghast) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Somewhere in the Night: Film Noir and the American City (Paperback)

Mixed feelings on this one. Some of the in-depth analysis of particular films is good -- "Dead Reckoning" stands out -- but this comes off much more as personal essay than a really valuable analysis for a wide audience. Perhaps that's what Mr Christopher was intending -- or perhaps he let his novelistic/poetic tendencies (most of his published work is in those media) get in the way of a thoroughgoing analysis of the subject. He's sloppy in his research at times -- Frank Capra was NOT native-born; Fritz Lang didn't direct "Beware My Lovely" -- and he seems at times to come to the genre with preconceived notions that get in the way of a more measured and nuanced approach, e.g. claiming that "Rififi" is not noir (because it's French, though its director is American) in one sentence and being similarly dismissive of all other non-American attempts, but going on at very great length about "The Usual Suspects", surely not as self-evidently noir as the author supposes. He overuses the 'labyrinth' motif and makes some fairly ridiculous claims -- Shakespeare, the proto-noir writer? -- and his slighting of the creative elements besides the directors and cinematographers sometimes detracts from his otherwise solid descriptions of the action. No mention of such luminaries as Ida Lupino or Dan Duryea?

That said, the novelistic approach does keep things interesting (this book actually makes me quite curious to read some of the writer's fiction), and he does spend a fair amount of time on some of the lesser-known examples in the style. So overall, worth a read, but certainly not the first book you should look for if you're interested in noir.