Rating: 
Summary: Fun and Fascinating Journey Through Classic Noir Film.
Review: "Dark City" is a journey through the world of classic film noir, from World War II to 1960, guided by pop culture critic Eddie Muller. This isn't a book of film theory, but a guided tour of this deliciously cynical genre that was the unique product of a disintegrating studio system, volatile politics, and simultaneous post-war disillusionment and hubris. "Dark City" is Muller's attempt to make these films vivid and irresistible for a new audience. In this, he succeeds. Throughout the book, he refers to "Dark City" as if it were a place to which we might travel to take in the stark scenery and odd inhabitants. By the time I finished this book, I felt as if it is. -A peculiar place born of circumstances long past, that is gloriously preserved in movies.
"Dark City" is divided into eleven chapters, each addressing a sub-genre of film noir. Truthfully, there would be a lot of overlap if you wanted to be strictly accurate in categorizing noirs. But "Dark City"'s organization is a very effective method of introducing the reader to these films by pointing out common themes. Notice that the chapter titles name figurative places located within Dark City: "Welcome to Dark City" is about crime dramas, "The Precinct" about films that feature law enforcement officers, "Hate Street" about murderous suburbanites, "Shamus Flats" about private detective films, "Vixenville" about femmes fatales, in "Blind Alley" the events of life are beyond human control, "The Psych Ward" features films that took place in V.A. hospitals, "Knockover Square" is about heist flicks, "Loser's Lane"'s characters are sociopaths, "Thieves' Highway" introduces us to noirs that make use of the nation's new interstate highway system. Each chapter describes 30-40 films, in varying degrees of detail. Some film descriptions are so thorough as to be spoilers, so be warned. Muller doesn't approach every chapter the same way. "Shamus Flats", for example, discusses the novelists on whose hard-boiled fiction much film noir was based: Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler, and Mickey Spillane. "Hate Street" talks about some of the actresses who made names for themselves in this sub-genre: Joan Crawford and Barbara Stanwyck. There is also a "Poster Gallery" that showcases 8 pages of classic noir poster art. And Muller's "Afterward" is perceptive and interesting. Muller places the demise of classic film noir in 1960, with the culture-shattering debut of Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho", instead of the traditional 1958, with "A Touch of Evil". I think this makes a lot of sense, and Muller presents a strong case for "Psycho" being classic noir's demise.
"Dark City" is aimed at the casual fan and noir buff, not the film student. It's very readable, lacks any real discussion of theory, and gives us just enough context to understand where the films' writers and directors were coming from, without more analysis than they might have given themselves. Muller's love for these films is infectious. Reader's are certain to discover some lost cinematic treasures in the pages of "Dark City", which they will thoroughly enjoy. Definitely recommended to fans of classic noir who are not yet connoisseurs.
Rating: 
Summary: Moderately informative, visually entertaining
Review: A book for the film noir afficianado, more so than the noir novice. It's breezy text is far more useful for reminiscing than acquainting oneself with the world of film noir. The breadth of this book is amazing, amittedly-many films are covered from popular items to obscure masterpieces. "Covered" is a relative term ... we read snippets of "behind-the-scenes" info and some interesting historical stuff that adds context to some of the films, but none of them are definitively summarized. Just quickly swept through to keep the pace as jaunty as a Sam Spade voice-over. (This seems cute at first... wears a little thin around four chapters in. Especially the flogging of the "Dark City" structure of the book.) The author is obviously truly in love with the smokey world of film noir... but this doesn't amount to a book you can read cover-to-cover. Rather, what we have here is a nice coffee table book for noir hipsters. A great addition to any cool restaurant or coffee shop also... what with the many excellent pictures of gritty and glamorous noir scenes. Just look elsewhere if you're seeking to educate yourself.
Rating:
Summary: The Film was Never So Noir and Reading Such Fun
Review: Eddie Muller has written a superb book on film noir that is as dark and funny and tough as the films he wrties about. Dark City truly does explore the Lost World of Film Noir in a way that makes the entire genre come alive. This is the best noir book I have ever read and it should be effective and fascinating reader for almost anyone, whether they are used to exploring the Dark City or are just thinking of moving there. His analysis of particular films and stars is brilliant and will keep the reader going back and forth to the video store to keep up with the author and this funny, bleak world. I eagerly await Eddie Muller's book on women in noir and a chance to return once again to the Dark City.
Rating:
Summary: The Film was Never So Noir and Reading Such Fun
Review: Eddie Muller has written a superb book on film noir that is as dark and funny and tough as the films he wrties about. Dark City truly does explore the Lost World of Film Noir in a way that makes the entire genre come alive. This is the best noir book I have ever read and it should be effective and fascinating reader for almost anyone, whether they are used to exploring the Dark City or are just thinking of moving there. His analysis of particular films and stars is brilliant and will keep the reader going back and forth to the video store to keep up with the author and this funny, bleak world. I eagerly await Eddie Muller's book on women in noir and a chance to return once again to the Dark City.
Rating:
Summary: a wild ride through the sinister streets of Dark City
Review: Eddie Muller's Dark City is a must for any lover of Film Noir! Who can resist a book with such chapter headings as "Sinister Heights," "Blind Alley," and (my favorite) "Vixenville." Eddie Muller has advoided the pitfall of Nicholas Christophers's "Somewhere in the Night" in fashioning a prose, while not only witty, has great pace and never stalls into leaden analysis. Muller also provides small bios of noir icons as Robert Mitchum, and Lizabeth Scott among others.He also put a great deal of care into the design of the book and the movie stills.This book was a real treat and I can't wait to read the author's next book.
Rating:
Summary: a wild ride through the sinister streets of Dark City
Review: Eddie Muller's Dark City is a must for any lover of Film Noir! Who can resist a book with such chapter headings as "Sinister Heights," "Blind Alley," and (my favorite) "Vixenville." Eddie Muller has advoided the pitfall of Nicholas Christophers's "Somewhere in the Night" in fashioning a prose, while not only witty, has great pace and never stalls into leaden analysis. Muller also provides small bios of noir icons as Robert Mitchum, and Lizabeth Scott among others. He also put a great deal of care into the design of the book and the movie stills.This book was a real treat and I can't wait to read the author's next book.
Rating:
Summary: Dark City Should Be On Every Coffee Table In America
Review: Eddie Muller's noir compilation, Dark City is one of the finest books ever written about American cinema. The pages are filled with descriptive images that embody the essence of the greatest chapter in Hollywood film making- noir. If jazz is America's cultural contribution to music,then American film noir stands as the pinnacle contribution to the medium of motion pictures. Muller's book, Dark City is an enlightening testament to the creative genius of directors, actors, actresses, and cinematographers associated with the creation of noir film making. Muller explores over one hundred of these dark films with interesting insights about the themes, scripts, lighting, and camera work that marked so many of them as classics. Muller cleverly divides the book's chapters into separate realms, where the danger of noir themes often thrived. The chapter "The Precinct" features expositions on Detective Story, Where The Sidewalk Ends, and On Dangerous Ground. "Shamus Flats", a section devoted to private investigators, critiques films such as: The Maltese Falcon and Out of the Past. These and other chapters are augmented with captivating black and white stills. Photographs of actors and actresses on lobby cards, movie posters, and frame shots adorn every page. What differentiates Dark City from other literary works written about cimema, is Muller's chilling and revelatory research on the private lives of the people marked by noir. In many instances the dangerous fiction of celluloid noir crossed into reality for many of its players and creators. Readers will absorb the mysterious details Muller exposes about noir stalwarts such as: Gene Tierney, Robert Micthum, Lizabeth Scott, Tom Neal, Ava Gardner, Dana Andrews, and Gloria Grahame to name just a few. Muller's writing style is witty, engaging, and stroked by a geniune infatuation for this mesmerizing cinematic art form. Any writer that describes Marie Windsor's bust as being able to "suppport a double run of pinochle" can pull up a lazy boy and a six pack for an all night noir feast with me anytime. Every noir enthusiast should own this exceptional book.
Rating:
Summary: A Walk on the Dark Side
Review: Engagingly designed with hundreds of gripping film stills and an eight-page mini-movie lobby of full-color posters, Dark City: the Lost World of Film Noir is a solid and entertaining introduction to the film genre that darkly offset the atomic-age cultural flashpoint of America in the mid-Twentieth Century.
Rating: 
Summary: Praise for "Dark City: The Lost World of Film Noir"
Review: Here's just a small sampling of the praise for Eddie Muller's "Dark City: The Lost World of Film Noir": From Washington Post Book World, June 16, 1998 "...Muller succeeds to an amazing extent. Midway through DARK CITY, unable to resist any longer, I set off to my local [video store] to take home as much noir on tape as my credit card could handle.... Even if you aren't a film buff, you'll probably find DARK CITY compelling. It's a handsome book, lavishly illustrated with movie still and full color reproductions of lobby posters. What really makes you want to see the films, though, is the text. Muller's plot summaries and insider accounts of moviemaking are fitting companions to the brooding images that accompany them." From The Dallas Morning News, July 7, 1998 "Cineastes and just plain old movie lovers, rejoice! A slickly written paperback from the author of GRINDHOUSE.. takes readers on a guided tour of the gritty, bitter dramas that jarred our illusions like a slap across the face. A film noir fan before he could tell Richard Widmark from Richard Conte, Muller set out to resurrect films such as FORCE OF EVIL, TRY AND GET ME! and NIGHT AND THE CITY for another generationÐand succeeds." From UNCUT (UK), July, 1998 "Muller's work would rate four stars for employing the phrase 'hot java facial' in reference to THE BIG HEAT alone. Almost unbelievably, though, there are other reasons to read this book... Muller's particularly good at tying in the noir echoes surrounding these films and their makers in real life... The guy's got moxie in spades." From Total Film (UK), August, 1998 "[Muller's] success is mainly due to his his admirably meticulous research and all consuming, but never swamping, passion for the subject matter. For this is a scorching expose of the seedy, passion-fuelled underworld, and a rather timely appraisal of the McCarthyite era's shady cinematic output. ... DARK CITY has all the weight and power of a .45 slug and all the bite of two fingers of sour mash, straight up. Four stars."
Rating:
Summary: "We're sisters under the mink."
Review: I read an article in the newspaper about the SF 2004 Film Noir Festival. It sounded like the sort of thing I would love to go to, but long hours in the salt mine just wipe out that sort of entertainment for me. Eddie Muller, the author of "Dark City: The Lost World of Film Noir" was interviewed in the story, and he also hosted the film festival. I really liked what he said about the genre. As a result of the article (and my inability to attend the festival), I ordered his book. I was aware--vaguely--of the meaning of the term film noir. I had a sense of what it was all about. But, after reading this book, I can say that the amount I knew about film noir only scratched the surface of this absolutely fascinating subject. While I was aware of many of the 'big' titles--"Double Indemnity" and "The Postman always Rings Twice" for example, I had simply no idea that so many B titles existed. This invaluable book gave me many leads to look into. I have to add, though, that I am horrified at how many titles are no longer available. Muller writes in a hard-boiled detective style that I found took some getting used to. But after a couple of pages, I consumed the information. Muller's book is divided into chapters that are organized thematically. The chapter, Vixenville, for example, concentrates on some of the female film noir stars and covers some of the more infamous female roles in the genre. The book is also loaded with short bios of many of the stars--including Barbara Stanwyck, Gloria Grahame, Joan Crawford, Ida Lupino, Gene Tierney, and Rita Hayworth. Also included are brief overview of the careers and influence of some of the film noir novelists (Cain & Raymond Chandler)--along with many behind-the-scene anecdotes. While examining the careers of some of those involved in the world of film noir, Muller also touches on the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) and its impact on Hollywood. Muller also offers his theory of how film noir began and how it ended. "Dark City: The Lost World of Film Noir" is an oversized book--complete with many gorgeous photographs, a poster gallery, an index (and believe me, you'll use it) as well as a bibliography. This really isn't a book that you can sit down and read cover-to-cover in one sitting. It's a resource to return to repeatedly--displacedhuman.
|
