Follow us down dark streets to the heart of film noir. In this course, we’ll take a trip around this highly influential genre. How did the post-WWII generation suddenly become interested in stories featuring morally ambiguous characters, plans gone horribly wrong, complex plots, and gloomy aesthetics? Where did the genre come from, why did it produce great movies during its height, and where did it go? How has film noir shaped cinema to this day, in countless ways (stories, style, cinematography, direction, etc.)?
The focus will be on the American classics, such as The Maltese Falcon, Double Indemnity, Out Of The Past, and many others. We'll also discuss international film noir, as well as more contemporary movies (neo-noir). In each session, we’ll explore one of these topics with a sample film noir movie as a centerpiece. Participants are encouraged to watch the movie of the week before each session.
