Encyclopedia of Film Noir

Geoff Mayer · Brian McDonnell

Jun 2007 · ABC-CLIO

About this ebook

When viewers think of film noir, they often picture actors like Humphrey Bogart playing characters like Sam Spade in The Maltese Falcon, the film based on the book by Dashiell Hammett. Yet film noir is a genre much richer. The authors first examine the debate surrounding the parameters of the genre and the many different ways it is defined. They discuss the Noir City, its setting and backdrop, and also the cultural (WWII) and institutional (the House UnAmerican Activities Committee, and the Production Code Administration) influences on the subgenres. An analysis of the low budget and series film noirs provides information on those cult classics. With over 200 entries on films, directors, and actors, the Encyclopedia of Film Noir is the most complete resource for film fans, students, and scholars.

About the author

GEOFF MAYER is a Reader and Associate Professor in Cinema Studies at La Trobe University. He is Head of the School of Communications, Arts and Critical Enquiry. His Previous books include: Roy Ward Baker, Manchester University Press, 2004,and the Guide to British Cinema (Greenwood, 2003). BRIAN MCDONNELL is an experienced film teacher and researcher with a PhD from the University of Auckland. He is currently a Senior Lecturer in Film Studies and Program Co-ordinator in Media Studies at the Auckland campus of Massey University in New Zealand. His previous publications include the book Fresh Approaches to Film (1998) and chapters in the Italian encyclopaedias Storia del Cinema Mondiale and Dizionario del registi del cinema mondiale. He has achieved a high profile as an international television quiz contestant. Brian's ancestry goes back to Ireland and to Maori iwi (tribe) Tuhoe.