Description
Book SynopsisTrade Review"This is a readable, engaging book. . . . Recommended." --
Choice"Miklitsch's book is gripping. . . . So the many facets of the individual versus the system or the one system against another one (in that case a mob/gangster syndicate) get a lot of attention." --
PopCultureShelf"Alert to the aesthetic, political, industrial, and historical provocations and subversions of 'gangster noir,'
I Died a Million Times provides an excellent overview and analysis of this subgenre and reminds us of film noir’s rich hybridity. Full of truly superb readings of well-known and less familiar classic noir films, Robert Miklitsch’s book, written with striking verve, will engage, delight, and inform scholars and movie fans."--Julie Grossman, coauthor of
Ida Lupino, Director: Her Art and Resilience in Times of Transition"
I Died a Million Times is an enjoyable and informative read for film noir aficionados and casual movie fans alike, offering a cogent analysis of ’50s gangster noir as a cinema of social commentary." --
Arts Fuse"Scholars of cinematic history and aficionados of gangster folklore will be riveted." --
Library JournalTable of ContentsAcknowledgments
Direct Address: To the Reader
Preface: Gangster/Noir
Introduction: From the Syndicate to the Classic Heist Picture
Organized Crime as “Big Combo”: The Octopus
The Syndicate Picture: Bright City Confidential
The Syndicate/Rogue Cop Film: The Racket
The Rogue Cop Film: Dragnet v. “Bloody Christmas”
“Gangster with a Badge”: On Dangerous Ground
The Heist Picture: Neo-Gangster Noir
The Proto-Heist Film: High Sierra and Beyond
Part One
1 The Syndicate Film
711 Ocean Drive: California Dreaming
The Captive City: Underworld, USA
The Big Combo: Between Men
2 The Brothers Rico: Sunshine Noir and the ’50s Syndicate Picture
3 The Phenix City Story: History and Fiction (Film), Civil Rights, and the Last Days of Pompeii
Part Two
4 Where the Sidewalk Ends: Theft, Adaptation, Prototypicality
0 5 The Rogue Cop Film
The Prowler: Car Culture/Cadillac
The Big Heat: Something/Nothing
Shield for Murder: Dirt/Castle Heights
6 Touch of Evil: Good Cop/Bad Cop
Part Three
7 The Asphalt Jungle: The City under the City
8 The Heist Film
Armored Car Robbery: Striptease
The Killing: Jigsaw Puzzle
Plunder Road: Near Mint
9 Odds against Tomorrow: Race, Space, and Sputnik Noir
Conclusion: Post-’50s Syndicate, Rogue Cop, and “Big Caper” Films
Neo-Gangster Noir Syndicate Picture: Underworld U.S.A.
The Post-’50s Rogue Cop Film: Cape Fear
Post-Classic Heist Movie: Ocean’s 11
Notes
Index
