Tech-Noir: The Fusion of Science Fiction and Film Noir

by Paul Meehan

Overview

This critical study traces the common origins of film noir and science fiction films, identifying the many instances in which the two have merged to form a distinctive subgenre known as Tech-Noir. From the German Expressionist cinema of the late 1920s to the present-day cyberpunk movement, the book examines more than 100 films in which the common noir elements of crime, mystery, surrealism, and human perversity intersect with the high technology of science fiction. The author also details the hybrid subgenre's considerable influences on contemporary music, fashion, and culture.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781476609737
Publisher:	McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
Publication date:	12/05/2022
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	272
File size:	18 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Paul Meehan is the author of several books on science fiction, film noir and horror films, and a contributor to the Noir City Sentinel, the journal of the Film Noir Foundation and to The Palgrave Handbook of the Vampire. He lives in Denver, Colorado.
Paul Meehan is the author of several books on science fiction, film noir and horror films, and a contributor to the Noir City Sentinel, the journal of the Film Noir Foundation and to The Palgrave Handbook of the Vampire. He lives in Denver, Colorado.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments     
Preface     

1. Things to Come Seen Through a Scanner Darkly: The World of Tech-Noir     
2. Metropolis of the Homunculus: The German Silent and Early Sound Period, 1916–1932     
3. Mad Doctors and Mobsters: American Sci-Fi/Horror Films, 1932–1949     
4. Atom-Age Noir: Tech-Noir and Film Noir in the Atomic Fifties, 1950–1961     
5. Eating Soylent Green in Alphaville: Genesis of a Subgenre, 1961–1979     
6. Blade Runners, Terminators and Neuromancers: Cyberpunk Cinema, 1980–1989     
7. Masters of the Matrix: The Triumph of Black Tech, 1990–2006     

Conclusion
Genre Splice: Night and the Mega-City     
Filmography     
Chapter Notes     
Bibliography     
Index     

Editorial Reviews

an engrossing, exhaustive, and somewhat exhausting ride through decades of film...a beautifully organized discussion of the melding of the two genres”—Scarlet; “a straightforward and painstakingly detailed history...Meehan’s enthusiasm for the major films is contagious”—Science Fiction Studies; “well written”—Critical Mass.

From the Publisher

"well written"

Critical Mass

a straightforward and painstakingly detailed history...Meehan's enthusiasm for the major films is contagious

Science Fiction Studies

an engrossing, exhaustive, and somewhat exhausting ride through decades of film...a beautifully organized discussion of the melding of the two genres

Scarlet