ENGL 23043 - Noir

Course Credit: 1
(CMLT, FILM)
NOIR Experience has taught me never to trust a policeman. Just when you think one’s all right, he turns legit. This comment, from the film Asphalt Jungle, encapsulates the cynicism and moral decay inherent in the sub-genre called film noir. Viewing films from the 1940s and 50s such as Double Indemnity, The Blue Dahlia, Out of the Past, and Leave Her to Heaven, we’ll explore the dark worlds of cinematic noir. We’ll interrogate the origins of the stylish sub-genre, and we’ll investigate how and why classic noir was adapted by Hollywood to produce films like Chinatown, Blade Runner, Blood Simple and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. [AH]