TCM: Dark City: The Lost World of Film Noir by Eddie Muller

Dark City
The Lost World of Film Noir

Revised and Expanded Edition

by Eddie Muller

TCM and Running Press

July 2021

Hardcover ISBN: 9780762498970

272 pages

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Published in 1998, Dark City: The Lost World of Film Noir put Eddie Muller on the map. What would soon became a best seller and one of the definitive books about the genre, opened many doors for Muller. He programmed noir screenings for film festivals, started the Film Noir Foundation, an organization dedicated to the preservation of film noir, and eventually became the host of Noir Alley on Turner Classic Movies. The book that started it all is now back in print in a beautifully designed, revised and expanded edition.

"Film noirs were distress flares launched into America's movie screens by artists working the night shift at the Dream Factory." — Eddie Muller

In telling the story of film noir, Eddie Muller imagines all of the stories, their literary origins, the subsequent films, the players involved and the era in which they were born, as a single place: Dark City. Muller traces the origins of different film noir tropes and themes, giving each its own Dark City address. Each chapter is a stop at a different address where the reader learns about a particular theme and how it was used in film noir. Sprinkled throughout are mini biographies that provide crucial background information as well as context. Everything flows together with seamless transitions and Muller's special brand of noir infused language.

The addresses in Dark City include:

Sinister Heights — Corruption

The Precinct — Crime and Punishment

Hate Street — Murder

The City Desk — News and Reporters

Shamus Flats — Private Eyes

Vixenville — Femme Fatales

Blind Alley — Mysteries

The Psych Ward — Mental Illness

Knockville Square — Heists

Loser's Lane — Deranged Men

The Big House — Prison Dramas

Thieves' Highway — Criminals on the Run

The Stage Door — The last days of Film Noir

Interspersed throughout the book are inserts with expanded biographies which are mostly about movie stars with a few exceptions. Each appears where it makes most sense in context of the discussion happening at that point in the book. These are fantastic biographies that range from 1-4 pages and offer more than the mini biographies that appear in the body of text.

Subjects include: John Garfield, Gloria Grahame, Joan Crawford, Ben Hecht, Robert Mitchum, Belita, Joan Harrison, Robert Ryan, Sterling Hayden, Barbara Payton, Ida Lupino, Tom Neal, Desert Fury (1947) and Steve Cochran.

This new edition includes additional chapters, restored photographs and a new layout. Kudos to the team who worked on the design of this book. The pages are beautifully laid out. Whenever an insert appears it's at a natural point in the text where you don't have to stop mid paragraph in order to read another section. That's very difficult to do but worth it for a better reading experience.

Eddie Muller does a fantastic job of immersing the reader into the world of film noir from all the fascinating information, context galore and stylish language that puts you right into the heart of Dark City. 

Here are some of my favorite lines from the book: 

"[Orson Welles] changed the grammar of motion picture storytelling and set the cinematic syntax for film noir: the quest for truth in morally ambiguous terrain, the cynical take on the corrupting influence of power, the off-kilter visual style."

"Power-mad women are smart enough not to bloody their own hands. That's what men are for." 

"In Dark City, psychiatrists are as corrupt as gangsters, misusing their power over mind to dominate the hapless and disturbed."

"The blurring of moral distinctions was part and parcel of noir."

"In the wake of the studios' Communist purge, social criticism was out. Films could no longer suggest that people did bad things due to economic pressure."

My only minor quibble is with the use of some words to describe female characters. However, we're dealing with some nefarious characters in many of these stories so the usage is not completely out of context. The book itself is quite large which makes it perfect for flipping through to look at photographs but not as easy for someone, like me, who read the book cover to cover. It made me want to invest in an ergonomic book stand!

Dark City by Eddie Muller is evocative of a long gone era of filmmaking that still captivates film lovers today. It effectively transports readers into the world of film noir with its fine use language, images, context and information. A must have for film noir fans.

Thank you to Running Press for sending me a copy of Dark City for review.

This is my third review for the Summer Reading Challenge.

The New Deal for Artists (1981)

"One of the horrors of a society... is the break with the past, a lack of continuity. Young people know nothing of the past. For that matter even people who lived in the past have forgotten it... the New Deal, The Arts Project, is a good case in point. It's as though it never existed." — Studs Turkel

Time threatened to erase the history of the WPA (Work Progress Administration) and the impact its artists had on the culture of 1930s America and beyond. Part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal, the WPA helped create jobs for many Americans during the throes of the Great Depression. This included unemployed artists who were paid $23.86 a week to create art. Jobs were created for actors, directors, musicians, painters, dancers and photographers. Through their different art forms, these creators told the story of an America that was enduring great strife. Theatrical productions played out social dilemmas for audiences, photographers captured the devastation of the Dust Bowl, painters made an impact by creating murals in public spaces, writers documented American life for present and future generations. Black and indigenous communities as well as other minority groups were encouraged to participate. The work of WPA artists stirred up political sentiment that went on to the scrutinized by communist fear mongers who took action to erase their work. 

Photo courtesy of Corinth Films

Image courtesy of Corinth Films

Photo courtesy of Corinth Films

Photo courtesy of Corinth Films

Just in time for the 40th anniversary, Corinth Films has released director Wieland Schulz-Keil's The New Deal for Artists (1981). In the late 1970s, Schulz-Keil had made a 4 hour film for German television about the United States during the Great Depression. A 90 minute section of this longer film, focusing just on WPA artists, was released for American audiences with narration by Orson Welles. The New Deal for Artists examines a time when artists were documenting and disseminating a pivotal moment in our nation's history. We take social documentary for granted these days but back then it was a new concept. The documentary interviews artists, historians and politicians including John Houseman, Studs Turkel, John Randolph, Nelson Algren, Will Geer, Howard Da Silva and even our beloved Norman Lloyd. Film history buffs will appreciate the fact that this documentary offers extensive background on the Federal Theater Project which Houseman, Welles and Lloyd were involved with.

The film has been remastered for DVD and digital. The DVD release includes a 12-page booklet with original essays by Armond White and Ed Rampell.

The New Deal for Artists (1981) is a remarkable documentary, a veritable time capsule of an era when the US government paid artists to capture American life. It fights against obscurity simply by existing. A must watch for anyone interested in cultural history.

The New Deal for Artists (1981)

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TCM: Summer Movies: 30 Sun-Drenched Classics by John Malahy

Summer Movies
30 Sun-Drenched Classics 

by John Malahy

Foreword by Leonard Maltin

TCM and Running Press

Hardcover ISBN: 9780762499298

June 2021

208 pages

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Summer Movies: "an underappreciated category of movies — those that depict the experiences, traditions and delights of the summer season." — John Malahy

Summer is my favorite season and there is just something really special about movies set during this time of year. Whether they depict the joy (or stress) of vacation and travel, different rites of passage, reconnecting with nature, transitions in life or the imminent danger that sometimes comes with hot weather, there is something unique about these films that make them highly watchable all year round. 

In Summer Movies: 30 Sun-Drenched Classics, author John Malahy spotlights 30 summer themed classics from Lonesome (1928) to Call Me By Your Name (2017) (which just happened to be two of my top favorite movies). Each film is selected not only for its summer setting but also for its cultural impact. Each film is presented with 6 pages including an article, photos, stats, Vacation Inspiration which offers advice on how to turn the film experience into a real life vacation, and a companion film. Movie plots are summarized for the main titles which can be either a nice refresher if you've seen the film or give a bit too much away if you haven't. The Make It a Double Feature section was the highlight for me as Malahy perfectly pairs an often lesser known film that ties in beautifully with the featured one. There are lots of gems to discover there. 

Some of the films featured include: Moon Over Miami, State Fair, Key Largo, Rear Window, The Seven Year Itch, Picnic, Gidget, Parent Trap, The Endless Summer, The Graduate, Jaws, On Golden Pond and much more.

The author has a way with words that makes this book a delight to read and the design of the book is just absolutely stunning. It's a compact size which makes it the perfect book to pop into your summer tote bag and bring with you to the beach.

Summer Movies features an introduction by Leonard Maltin. The lack of diversity in the book is addressed in the opening chapter (I really appreciate that this was addressed!). The book offers a light dose of both trivia and context with some wonderful images and quality design. This is another winner from the TCM and Running Press line of books!

This is my second review for the 2021 Summer Reading Challenge.

Thank you to Running Press for a copy of the book for review.