Driven to Darkness: Jewish Emigre Directors and the Rise of Film Noir

by Vincent Brook

Overview

Driven to Darkness explores the influence of Jewish TmigrT directors and the development of this genre. While filmmakers such as Fritz Lang, Billy Wilder, Otto Preminger, and Edward G. Ulmer have been acknowledged as crucial to the noir canon, the impact of their Jewishness on their work has remained largely unexamined until now. Through lively and original analyses of key films, Vincent Brook penetrates the darkness, shedding new light on this popular film form and the artists who helped create it.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780813548333
Publisher:	Rutgers University Press
Publication date:	09/18/2009
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	256
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Vincent Brook teaches media studies at the University of California, Los Angeles, and theUniversity of Southern California. He is the author of Something Ain't Kosher Here: The Rise of the "Jewish" Sitcom and the editor of "You Should See Yourself ": Jewish Identity in Postmodern American Culture (both Rutgers University Press).

Table of Contents

1 Introduction
2 Jews in Germany
3 Jews and Expressionism
4 The Father of Film Noir
5 Fritz Lang in Hollywood
6 The French Connection
7 Viennese Twins
8 The ABZs of Film Noir
9 Woman's Directors
10 Pathological Noir, Populist Noir, and an Act of Violence
Appendix
Notes
Bibliography
Index

Editorial Reviews

"The strength of his book lies in the careful analyses of the narratives and visual styles of their film noir works and in placing these within the biographical contexts of their creators. Their shared experience of exile explains the sinister vision of the world they captured on screen."

Shofar

Driven to Darkness is an erudite, engaging and ultimately enlightening volume that shines a spotlight on a neglected corner of American cinema history.

Hobart and William Smith Colleges - Lester Friedman

"The strength of his book lies in the careful analyses of the narratives and visual styles of their film noir works and in placing these within the biographical contexts of their creators. Their shared experience of exile explains the sinister vision of the world they captured on screen."

From the Publisher