L.A. Noir: The City as Character (Paperback)

by Alain Silver (Author), James Ursini (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist
Film noir continues to generate a remarkable outpouring of pedantic prose, but the would-be scholars may have expended the most effort while achieving the least on the topic of how the genre uses the urban landscape. Only Nicholas Christopher, in Somewhere in the Night (1997), managed to say something truly memorable about how, in the best noir films, the labyrinth of the postwar city came to reflect the psychic wounds of its inhabitants. This extensively illustrated guide to Los Angeles as a noir setting makes a useful adjunct to the Christopher book. Moving throughout the city, from downtown to the Westside, the Pacific Coast, and on to the suburbs, the authors show how specific streets and buildings helped set the mood and convey the dark messages in such classic noirs as Criss Cross and Kiss Me Deadly as well as in neo-noirs, including Chinatown and Blade Runner. The black-and-white illustrations of cityscapes prove every bit as evocative as the actual film stills, eloquently making the point that place is every bit as capable of driving meaning as action. Bill Ott
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

"No one is better qualified to explore the L.A. noir connection than [the authors] who cover [it] with style and savvy." —Leonard Maltin, Entertainment Tonight

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Product Details Paperback: 176 pages Publisher: Santa Monica Press; illustrated edition edition (October 28, 2005) Language: English ISBN-10: 1595800069 ISBN-13: 978-1595800060 Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.5 x 0.4 inches Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies) Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews) Amazon.com Sales Rank: #377,286 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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3 Reviews 5 star:    (0) 4 star:  (2) 3 star:  (1) 2 star:    (0) 1 star:    (0)           Average Customer Review 3.7 out of 5 stars (3 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews 11 of 13 people found the following review helpful: 4.0 out of 5 stars Explore the dark side of the City of Angels!, December 30, 2005 By  Dave (Tennessee United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    Due to the ever-increasing popularity of film noir, the amount of books on the subject seems overwhelming at times. Thus, it's up to writers/historians like Alain Silver and James Ursini to shed new light on the neglected categories of film noir. This book focuses on L.A.'s important role in film noir, and especially why it makes such a great setting in these dark crime stories. It takes you to the actual locations that were used for such classic noirs as "Criss Cross", "D.O.A.", "Double Indemnity", "Gun Crazy", "In A Lonely Place", "Kiss Me Deadly", "Mildred Pierce", "Night Has a Thousand Eyes", "Pitfall", "Quicksand", "Shockproof", "Sunset Boulevard", "T-Men", "This Gun For Hire", "Touch of Evil", and "White Heat". The book also shows locations used for modern noirs like "Devil in a Blue Dress", "Heat", "Impulse", "L.A. Confidential", "Mulholland Drive", and "2 Days in the Valley". The best feature of this book is the pictures of course, as much of the text is merely recycled material from earlier work by Alain Silver and James Ursini. This book is generously illustrated with lots of photos from noir films, as well as photos of the actual L.A. locations used in the films as they look today. My favorite picture is the photo on the title page, a beautiful nighttime shot of the San Fernando Valley in the 1980s. I wish there'd been more focus on the older noir films. In fact, the section on "Blade Runner" shouldn't have even been included, especially when actual noir films like "The Crooked Way" (set in L.A.) were completely ignored. How do you confuse science-fiction with film noir?!? Anyway, although it's far from being a definitive work on the subject, film noir addicts will probably enjoy it just for the great photos, if nothing else. 11 of 14 people found the following review helpful: 3.0 out of 5 stars Locations, locations, locations, November 3, 2005 By  Daniel Quinn (Houston, TX USA) - See all my reviews The book doesn't quite live up to its subtitle: "The City as Character," though the authors do a whole lot of talking about L.A. You have to admire the effort that went into tracking down all these film locations, though many of them ("Present-day tunnel through Bunker Hill where Steve Thomson is dropped of in Criss Cross") are of the "so what" variety. Lots of film stills, but on the whole the book didn't seem worth the price. If you absolutely must have every book connected with noir films, then you might feel differently. 3 of 3 people found the following review helpful: 4.0 out of 5 stars Film Noir in Los Angeles, and Vice Versa, 1942-2004. , March 8, 2007 By  mirasreviews (McLean, VA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)       In "L.A. Noir: The City as Character", film noir historians Alain Silver and James Ursini take a different approach to the films that they have written so much about in other books. This book looks at film noir, both classic and neo-noir, for which "Los Angeles and its environs serve as essential elements in the invocation of the noir mood." Silver and Ursini discuss over 40 films, noting their themes and characters, with an emphasis on the role location plays in the movies. The book is organized into four chapters: "Hollywood", "The West Side and the Coast", "Downtown Los Angeles", and "The 'Burbs". A brief history of the area introduces each chapter, and some films are included in more than one section. Locations don't mean much if we can't see them, so "L.A. Noir" is packed with pictures. There are about 150 black-and-white photos, including production stills, behind-the-scenes photos, and 64 location photos. The location photos are also indexed in the back of the book with thumbnails and precise locations, so you could find the places yourself. Reproduction quality is good. To accommodate the photos, the book is much wider than it is tall. That would be fine in a hardback, but it's a minor annoyance in softcover, as the book flops awkwardly when open. I can't say that "L.A. Noir" is essential for film noir enthusiasts, but it goes over old territory with a different emphasis. Film noir aficionados living in the Los Angeles area may find it particularly interesting.		Ad feedback   Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews

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Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Santa Monica Press; illustrated edition edition (October 28, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1595800069
• ISBN-13: 978-1595800060
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #377,286 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Explore the dark side of the City of Angels!, December 30, 2005

By	Dave (Tennessee United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

Due to the ever-increasing popularity of film noir, the amount of books on the subject seems overwhelming at times. Thus, it's up to writers/historians like Alain Silver and James Ursini to shed new light on the neglected categories of film noir. This book focuses on L.A.'s important role in film noir, and especially why it makes such a great setting in these dark crime stories. It takes you to the actual locations that were used for such classic noirs as "Criss Cross", "D.O.A.", "Double Indemnity", "Gun Crazy", "In A Lonely Place", "Kiss Me Deadly", "Mildred Pierce", "Night Has a Thousand Eyes", "Pitfall", "Quicksand", "Shockproof", "Sunset Boulevard", "T-Men", "This Gun For Hire", "Touch of Evil", and "White Heat". The book also shows locations used for modern noirs like "Devil in a Blue Dress", "Heat", "Impulse", "L.A. Confidential", "Mulholland Drive", and "2 Days in the Valley".

The best feature of this book is the pictures of course, as much of the text is merely recycled material from earlier work by Alain Silver and James Ursini. This book is generously illustrated with lots of photos from noir films, as well as photos of the actual L.A. locations used in the films as they look today. My favorite picture is the photo on the title page, a beautiful nighttime shot of the San Fernando Valley in the 1980s. I wish there'd been more focus on the older noir films. In fact, the section on "Blade Runner" shouldn't have even been included, especially when actual noir films like "The Crooked Way" (set in L.A.) were completely ignored. How do you confuse science-fiction with film noir?!? Anyway, although it's far from being a definitive work on the subject, film noir addicts will probably enjoy it just for the great photos, if nothing else.

11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Locations, locations, locations, November 3, 2005

By	Daniel Quinn (Houston, TX USA) - See all my reviews

The book doesn't quite live up to its subtitle: "The City as Character," though the authors do a whole lot of talking about L.A. You have to admire the effort that went into tracking down all these film locations, though many of them ("Present-day tunnel through Bunker Hill where Steve Thomson is dropped of in Criss Cross") are of the "so what" variety. Lots of film stills, but on the whole the book didn't seem worth the price. If you absolutely must have every book connected with noir films, then you might feel differently.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Film Noir in Los Angeles, and Vice Versa, 1942-2004. , March 8, 2007

By	mirasreviews (McLean, VA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)

In "L.A. Noir: The City as Character", film noir historians Alain Silver and James Ursini take a different approach to the films that they have written so much about in other books. This book looks at film noir, both classic and neo-noir, for which "Los Angeles and its environs serve as essential elements in the invocation of the noir mood." Silver and Ursini discuss over 40 films, noting their themes and characters, with an emphasis on the role location plays in the movies. The book is organized into four chapters: "Hollywood", "The West Side and the Coast", "Downtown Los Angeles", and "The 'Burbs". A brief history of the area introduces each chapter, and some films are included in more than one section.

Locations don't mean much if we can't see them, so "L.A. Noir" is packed with pictures. There are about 150 black-and-white photos, including production stills, behind-the-scenes photos, and 64 location photos. The location photos are also indexed in the back of the book with thumbnails and precise locations, so you could find the places yourself. Reproduction quality is good. To accommodate the photos, the book is much wider than it is tall. That would be fine in a hardback, but it's a minor annoyance in softcover, as the book flops awkwardly when open. I can't say that "L.A. Noir" is essential for film noir enthusiasts, but it goes over old territory with a different emphasis. Film noir aficionados living in the Los Angeles area may find it particularly interesting.