The Best Books About Film

[Jean-Luc Garbo]

I would also recommend James Naremore's More Than Night: Film Noir In Its Contexts.

I very highly recommend this one too. Indeed all of Naremore's books but his writing on film noir is some of the best.

[nowhereisaplace]

I will also shout out this book. I picked it up with the intention of leafing through it because I liked some of Naremore's previous books and I ended up reading it from cover to cover in short order. Very well done.

[bottlesofsmoke]

The Silver-Ursini edited Film Noir: The Directors is also good, lots of analysis of different films, organized by director, including some less commonly discussed ones, like John Brahm, Felix Feist, and Gerd Oswald.

[FrauBlucher]

Thanks everyone. I'm going to start off with the Naramore book, I enjoy his commentaries, and Film Noir: The Dark Side of the Screen by Hirsch and then go from there

[FrauBlucher]

I picked up the Hirsch book. As soon as I opened the book I spilled coffee on page one. I chuckled and thought apropos. I noticed in his collection he authored a book called A Method to Their Madness: The History of the Actors Studio. Has anyone read this?

[FrauBlucher]

Film Noir: the Dark Side of the Screen: Hirsch

Hirsch mentions Rear Window as noir. I've never thought of it as such. Hitchcock never jumps to the top of the noir category for me but I do recognize Shadow of a Doubt, Strangers on the Train and The Wrong Man as noirs. I guess some will consider others as well. Maybe the darkness of the genre in Hitchcock films seem to be camouflaged by the Hitchcockian humor and prettiness of his films

[domino harvey]

For a long time I struggled to consider any Hitchcock films as noirs because they are, of course, Hitchcock films first and foremost. But I’m more amenable these days to recognizing how many noirs he made— and I’d include, for instance, Spellbound and Psycho in addition to those you mentioned (among others)

[therewillbeblus]

Psycho is one of the greatest noirs, because in its own way it bests Kiss Me Deadly at both recontextualizing and exploding the genre into horror by doing it earlier and nastier

[Lowry_Sam]

It feels like if you select a Hitchcock to add to your noir list, then you think of others to add & end up not knowing where to stop. The first title that comes to mind for me is Rebecca, which always seemed like the perfect double feature with Laura. But then Rebecca is very Gothic too & I'd have to start thinking about all those (particularly British) Gothic ghost & mystery titles to add (which I actually prefer to many of the American police procedurals that end up getting thrown into noir lists). Then the mid career titles come to mind most: Suspicicion, Shadow Of A Doubt, Spellbound, Notorious, & maybe Strangers On A Train.

[brundlefly]

Film Noir: the Dark Side of the Screen: Hirsch

Hirsch mentions Rear Window as noir. I've never thought of it as such. Hitchcock never jumps to the top of the noir category for me but I do recognize Shadow of a Doubt, Strangers on the Train and The Wrong Man as noirs. I guess some will consider others as well. Maybe the darkness of the genre in Hitchcock films seem to be camouflaged by the Hitchcockian humor and prettiness of his films

While thought-provoking, couldn't the initial connection simply be due to Woolrich? Though IIRC there's a big difference between the story and the film, and perhaps in there's the gap between noir and Hitch.

[The Curious Sofa]

I'd certainly place Vertigo ahead of Rear Window when considering which of Hitchcock's films best align with film noir. Vertigo's cynical outlook, plot, and archetypes (the flawed protagonist who becomes an unwitting patsy, the femme fatale who draws him into a murderous scheme, the corrupt villain pulling the strings) hit key noir elements, even if its Wagnerian romanticism and lush, hazy Technicolor do not.

While Hitchcock's background in German Expressionism and his thrillers from the 1940s and 1950s place some of his work within the noir tradition almost by accident, it's a bit of a stretch to include Rear Window. It lacks the narrative and formal characteristics typically associated with film noir.

[FrauBlucher]

Interesting that Hirsch finds The Big Sleep overrated. He very much is all in on Fritz Lang as the elite Noir director without saying so directly.

The book came out in 1989 which made me think that 35 plus years later Noir could have gone threw another cycle or two of analysis that’s different than Hirsch’s perspective

[domino harvey]

Interesting that Hirsch finds The Big Sleep overrated. He very much is all in on Fritz Lang as the elite Noir director without saying so directly.

The book came out in 1989 which made me think that 35 plus years later Noir could have gone threw another cycle or two of analysis that’s different than Hirsch’s perspective

He discusses many noirs in his recent (excellent) book on the 50s, particularly Storm Warning. You will never be able to guess his choice for best noir of the decade, though

Spoiler

Sudden Fear! Which I like, but c’mon man

[FrauBlucher]

I like that very much too but it wouldn’t make my top 10 of 50’s Noir

As for Lang’s 50s Noirs I think his early 50s (50 to 54) output is stronger than his mid to late 50’s Noirs, like Beyond a Reasonable Doubt and While the City Sleeps, which Hirsch is very found of

[Peacock]

Behind The Pink Curtain is back in print at long last, for those of us who missed it before. Hardback with updated content.

[bearcuborg]

J Hoberman’s new book Everything Is Now: The 1960s New York Avant-Garde--Primal Happenings, Underground Movies, Radical Pop is only $3 for the ebook, limited time offer I’m sure.

[domino harvey]

I’ve been working on a full list of Praeger Film Library (sometimes known as the Praeger Film Paperback series, though many titles had hardback editions) titles, which was a series of books curated by Ian Cameron in the late 60s/early 70s with a distinct square shape. As far as I know, there’s no centralized resource for this info… until now. Here’s what I’ve been able to confirm were part of the series, and please let me know if I’ve missed any titles:

Lindsay Anderson: Elizabeth Sussex

Antonioni: Ian Cameron and Robin Wood
Two editions:
- Vitti cover: through Blow-Up
- Zabriski Point cover: through ZP

the Apartment and the Fortune Cookie: Two Screenplays by Billy Wilder and IAL Diamond
(Not a critical edition)

the Apu Trilogy: Robin Wood

Bergman: Robin Wood
(Republished, expanded, and in print from Wayne State University Press)

Bunuel: Raymond Durgnat
(Multiple editions, differences unknown)

the Films of Robert Bresson: Various

Claude Chabrol: Robin Wood and Michael Walker

Dames: Ian and Elisabeth Cameron
(Profiles of actresses who frequently play women of indiscriminate character)

Directors For the Seventies: Various
(Unknown focus, described as sequel to Second Wave [see below] - this was announced on the back of one of the books but I couldn’t find a copy to confirm it was published)

Allan Dwan: the Last Pioneer: Peter Bogdanovich

Feuillade: Andi Engel
(Announced several times, but I can’t find a copy to confirm it was released)

John Ford: Peter Bogdanovich

Franju: Raymond Durgnat

Samuel Fuller: Phil Hardy

the Films of Jean-Luc Godard: Various
(Multiple editions, differences unknown)

the Heavies: Ian and Elisabeth Cameron
(Profiles of actors who frequently play villains)

Laurel and Hardy: Charles Barr

Fritz Lang in America: Peter Bogdanovich

Arthur Penn: Robin Wood
- At least two editions:
- Bonnie and Clyde cover, through B+C
- Alice’s Restaurant cover, through production of Little Big Man

Roberto Rossellini: Jose Luis Guarner

Second Wave: Newer Than New Wave Names in World Cinema: Various (see below)
- Dusan Makavejev: Robin Wood
- Jerzy Skolimowski: Michael Walker
- Nagisa Oshima: Ian Cameron
- Ruy Guerra: Michel Ciment
- Glauber Rocha: Michel Ciment
- Gilles Groulx: Robert Daudelin
- Jean-Pierre Lefebvre: Jean Chabot
- Jean-Marie Straub: Andi Engel

Stroheim: Joel W Finler

Francois Truffaut: CG Crisp

Jean Vigo: John M Smith

[domino harvey]

I picked up the Hirsch book.

Here's a Letterboxd list of all the films Hirsch lists in his filmography for the book - I've seen all but four (and two of those are 'Scope films with no circulating widescreen copies, so I can't 100% it at the moment anyways)

[Never Cursed]

I picked up the Hirsch book.

Here's a Letterboxd list of all the films Hirsch lists in his filmography for the book - I've seen all but four (and two of those are 'Scope films with no circulating widescreen copies, so I can't 100% it at the moment anyways)

Which two?

[domino harvey]

‘Scope titles: Lure of the Swamp and the 3rd Voice
Unseen but I have a copy: Cry Terror and Sudden Danger

[andyli]

Has anyone read the recently published Every Man for Himself and God Against All: A Memoir? I wonder how it compares with Herzog on Herzog or something more specific like Of Walking in Ice. I always enjoy his writing as much as his filmmaking. I'm eyeing for this one if there's enough new ground to cover.

There is also an audio book version on Amazon read by the maestro himself.

[uncut_gem]

I read it.
It’s basically nothing new if you’ve read his previous books, listened to interviews/commentaries etc.
However die hard fans might want to still check it out

Probably more interesting than the fictional book he released a few years ago (even the title is forgettable).

[Noiretirc]

I'm sorry if this has already been mentioned elsewhere in the forum, and I missed it.

Does anyone have any thoughts on Hitchcock - All The Films?

https://londongrip.co.uk/2024/12/alfred ... lan-price/

I know this won't exactly be an in-depth / academic book. But I love the idea that everything is there, in one attractive looking tome.

[domino harvey]

Funnily enough I was just looking at that book a couple weeks ago. It is structured like those old TV series guides from the 90s, with summaries, graphics, side bars, and themed sections. How useful that is will depend on what you are looking for in a book, I guess. Seemed like something I’d find at BN’s sale section for $9.99, so I passed at the current price without investing too much time in it to begin with

[FrauBlucher]

Film Noir: the Dark Side of the Screen: Hirsch... I finished this. It was a good read. I like the way he breaks down all the themes, narrative and visual expressions within Noir. Definitely a good book for a beginner. It was released 1981, but there was a new forward written. It doesn't say when though. I do feel like he mostly focuses on a handful of well known noirs until the forward when he includes a bunch of other lesser known films. I know 1981 is pre-home video so it made it tougher which is probably the reason he neglected some of my faves Detour (sorry Domino) and Force of Evil amongst some others.

I just started James Naramore's More than the Night: Film Noir in it's Context. I can tell right off the bat that it will be much more of an academic journey through noir

Naramore's book was released 1998. Has the analysis for noir changed since then? If so, any recommendations?