The Noir Style by
Silver A & Ursini J
pbk out October 04
(Duckworth)
at £20
This large and elegant book is long on illustrations, short on text, yet contrives to
combine effective commentary with artistic appeal. The authors take as a starting
point the principle that 'style is a key element in understanding film noir'. I was
struck by their reference to eight films released over a period of 18 months, including
famous movies such as 'The Big Clock' and 'Out of the Past'. The authors suggest
that, although eight different directors, cinematographers and screenwriters were
engaged in adapting eight different original stories for different stars at eight different
studios, they 'created eight otherwise unrelated motion pictures with one cohesive
style'. This is an interesting, if controversial thesis, as notable as many of the pictures
in the book, which include amongst many gems a compelling shot of Jean Wallace
and Cornell Wilde in 'The Big Combo' and a classic scene featuring Barbara
Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray from 'Double Indemnity'. Noir movies are
essentially driven by plot and character rather than by visual images, but this is
nevertheless a worthwhile book that will intrigue readers who might otherwise not be
drawn to the marvellous films themselves.
(
Martin Edwards
- author of the highly acclaimed Harry Devlin Mysteries)
The Noir Style by
Silver A & Ursini J
