Women in Film Noir [Paperback]

E.Ann Kaplan (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0851706665 | ISBN-13: 978-0851706665 | Publication Date: January 22, 2008 | Edition: Revised Edition

Published in 1978, the first edition of this text assembled scholars and critics committed to understanding the cinema in terms of gender, sexuality, politics, psychoanalysis and semiotics. This edition is expanded to include essays which explore "neo-noir", postmodernism and other trends.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Film noir flourished in the years during and immediately following World War II, but the genre has never disappeared, as shown by the recent popularity of films like Basic Instinct, Bound, and LA Confidential. These academic essays, compiled by Kaplan (English, SUNY), ponder the "absent family" in noir, the role of woman as destroyer and redeemer, the common theme of female duplicity, and the role of women in the narrative structure. Other films considered here are Blue Gardenia, Gilda, Double Indemnity, modern noir films like Klute, and the horror classic The Haunting, which one critic sees as a representation of the "disruptive force of lesbian desire." Though few studies of women in this popular genre exist, the book's academic format and language will discourage most general readers. Recommended for academic libraries.AStephen Rees, Levittown Regional Lib., PA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"A major text of feminist criticism." -- Film Quarterly

Product Details

• Paperback: 238 pages
• Publisher: British Film Institute; Revised Edition edition (January 22, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0851706665
• ISBN-13: 978-0851706665
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #221,343 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)