| Kommentar |
In the last years classical film noir has become something of a mine for modern movies -- be it nostalgic detective movies such as L.A. Confidential (1997), experimental postmodern movies such as Memento (2000) or Lost Highway (1997), or Science Fiction movies such as Bladerunner (1982). This class will explore the tradition of film noir in America. We will be looking at the sources or inspirations of classical film noir (German expressionist cinema, modernist art, hard-boiled detective fiction and the cultural-historical developments of the 30s, 40s and 50s); at classical film noir movies such as The Maltese Falcon ( 1941), Double Indemnity (1944), The Big Sleep (1946), Sunset Boulevard (1950), The Night of the Hunter (1955), as well as certain aspects of these movies: the hard-boiled detective, the femme fatale, the narrative structure, the filmic techniques, the political, ethical and psychological implications. We will also look at some neo-noir movies and reflect on the reasons for the persistence of film noir in American cinema.
Readings:
. Raymond Chandler: The High Window (1942)
. A reader with texts to be read for class will be available at "Sprintout", Georgenstraße, S-Bahn Bogen 190.
Requirements:
The requirement for the class is presence and participation. The MAP consists in an oral or written presentation, which uses more than one media: you can do that in-class, out of class, or in turning in a Powerpoint presentation. |
