Out of the Shadows: Expanding the Canon of Classic Film Noir

Film noir was a cycle in American cinema that first became prominent during World War II, peaked in the 1950s, and then tapered off as a definable trend by 1960. Over the years, a group of films from the period emerged as noir standards, beginning with Stranger on the Third Floor in 1940. However, because film noir is too wide ranging, it cannot be kept within the narrow limits of the official canon that has been established by film historians. Consequently, several neglected movies need to...