{"product_id":"out-of-the-past-adventures-in-film-noir-9781578062904","title":"Out of the Past: Adventures in Film Noir","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor both the film buff and the general moviegoer a handbook that unlocks the secrets of a hundred \u003cem\u003enoir\u003c\/em\u003e movies \"\"Gifford knows his \u003cem\u003enoir\u003c\/em\u003e. The essays are better than some of the films he writes about.\"\" - Elmore Leonard  For a tour of \u003cem\u003enoir\u003c\/em\u003e cinema this handbook is the perfect companion and Barry Gifford is an ideal guide. His choice selection of films exposes the menacing, moody, and oftentimes violent underbelly of this dark movie genre that occupies a favorite niche in American popular culture. Some are classics, some are little known and seldom seen, but all, once viewed, are deeply remembered by aficionados of \u003cem\u003enoir\u003c\/em\u003e. Gifford's roll call of unforgettables includes these, and more: \u003cem\u003eThe Asphalt Jungle\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eBody and Soul\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eBody Heat\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eCharley Varrick\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eChinatown\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eThe Devil Thumbs a Ride\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eD.O.A.\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eDouble Indemnity\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eHigh Sierra\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eKey Largo\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eKiss of Death\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eMean Streets\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eMildred Pierce\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eMr. Majestyk\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eOut of the Past\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eThe Strange Love of Martha Ivers\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eStrangers on a Train\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eWhite Heat\u003c\/em\u003e, along with several \u003cem\u003enoir\u003c\/em\u003e classics from Europe -- \u003cem\u003eRepulsion\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eThe Hidden Room\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eShoot the Piano Player\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eThe 400 Blows\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eOdd Man Out\u003c\/em\u003e. Gifford identifies the directors and names the many \u003cem\u003enoir\u003c\/em\u003e stars, the greats and not-so-greats who were cast in the indelible roles of hoods, B-girls, psychopaths, grifters, gumshoes, waifs, tarts, femme fatales, mobsters, molls, and ex-cons. In an introduction novelists Edward Gorman and Dow Mossman applaud Gifford's selections and his insights: \"\"The movies discussed here range from the lowest of the B's to the biggest of the A's, and this book is going to make you want to run out and locate every one of them (and good luck to you; finding \u003cem\u003eThe Devil Thumbs a Ride\u003c\/em\u003e could take you a lifetime). Through Barry Gifford's eyes we begin to see their similarities and their value. What Andrew Sarris did for the mainstream film in \u003cem\u003eThe American Cinema\u003c\/em\u003e, Barry does here for the crime film.\"\" With a connoisseur's insight and an offbeat sensitivity perfectly tailored to his subjects, Gifford's brief essays cover a hundred of the \u003cem\u003enoir\u003c\/em\u003e buff's favorites. His highly polished impressions take the reader through five decades of \u003cem\u003enoir\u003c\/em\u003e to find both the heart and the art of the plotline. Barry Gifford is a poet, novelist, and playwright. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. Among his books is \u003cem\u003eHotel Room Trilogy\u003c\/em\u003e (University Press of Mississippi).\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"University Press of Mississippi","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51770500874583,"sku":"9781578062904","price":31.46,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9781578062904.jpg?v=1758725400","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/out-of-the-past-adventures-in-film-noir-9781578062904","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}