Neo-Noir: The New Film Noir Style from Psycho to Collateral

Ronald Schwartz

Bloomsbury Publishing PLC, Aug 4, 2005 - Performing Arts - 157 pages

According to many critics, the era of "Film Noir" ended with the 1958 release of Orson Welles' classic Touch of Evil. The style was not dead, but rather had been transformed, and two years later, Alfred Hitchcock ushered in a new era of "Noir" films with the release of his 1960 masterpiece, Psycho.

Film scholar Ronald Schwartz examines the most significant representatives of this cinematic style, beginning with Hitchcock's shocker and concluding with Michael Mann's Collateral (2004). Schwartz provides in-depth analyses of over thirty of the best "Neo-Noir" films and explains the qualities and characteristics of the "new noir" style. He also explains how it differs from "Film Noir" of the forties and fifties.

As this study reveals, the new style significantly impacted American film after 1960. In this chronological guide, Schwartz examines such landmark films as The Manchurian Candidate (1962), Point Blank (1967), The French Connection (1971), Chinatown (1974), Taxi Driver (1976), Body Heat (1981), Blood Simple (1984), Fatal Attraction (1987), The Grifters (1990), Reservoir Dogs (1992), The Usual Suspects (1995), L.A. Confidential (1997), Memento (2000), and Mystic River (2003).

The book also includes an alphabetical filmography, listing over 650 films that in plot, style, or subject matter reflect the diversity of the genre. This reference work will be a valuable resource for film scholars and fans alike who wish to further explore the ever-evolving aspects of "Neo-Noir" cinema.

Contents

• 109 minutes BW: 3
• 99 minutes BW: 8
• 126 minutes BW: 11
• 93 Minutes BW: 16
• 99 minutes Color: 19
• 102 minutes Color: 21
• 104 minutes Color by Deluxe: 23
• 131 minutes Color: 26
• 99 minutes Color: 30
• 113 minutes Color: 33
• 118 minutes Color: 37
• 97 minutes Color: 41
• 116 minutes Color: 44
• 111 minutes Color: 49
• 119 minutes Color: 53
• 114 minutes Color: 56
• 105 minutes Color: 60
• 110 minutes Color: 64
• 110 minutes Color: 68
• 138 minutes Color: 72
• 113 minutes BW and Color: 78
• 88 minutes Color: 80
• 100 minutes Color: 82
• 131 minutes Color: 85
• 116 minutes BW: 88
• 135 minutes Color: 91
• 110 Minutes Color: 93
• 116 minutes Color: 95
• 106 minutes Color: 98
• 118 minutes Color: 100
• 137 minutes Color: 102
• 119 minutes Color: 104
• Afterword: 107
• An A to Z Rated Filmography of NeoNoir Films 19602004: 109
• Conference Notes and Other Sources: 137
• Video and DVD Sources: 143
• Select Bibliography: 145
• Index: 149

About the author

Ronald Schwartz is a retired professor of Romance languages and film (City University of New York). He is the author of several books including Nomads, Exiles, & Emigres: The Rebirth of Latin American Narrative, 1960-1980 (Scarecrow, 1980), Spanish Film Directors: 21 Profiles (Scarecrow, 1986), Latin American Films, 1932-1994 (2005) and Great Spanish Films Since 1950 (2008).

Bibliographic information

• Title: Neo-Noir: The New Film Noir Style from Psycho to Collateral
• Author: Ronald Schwartz
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC, 2005
• ISBN: 081085676X, 9780810856769
• Length: 157 pages
• Subjects: Performing Arts / Film / General; Performing Arts / Film / Genres / Crime; Performing Arts / Film / Guides & Reviews; Performing Arts / Film / History & Criticism