Blackout: World War II and the Origins of Film Noir

by Sheri Chinen Biesen

Book Overview

Challenging conventional scholarship placing the origins of film noir in postwar Hollywood, Sheri Chinen Biesen finds the genre's roots firmly planted in the political, social, and material conditions of Hollywood during the war. After Pearl Harbor, America and Hollywood experienced a sharp cultural transformation that made horror, shock, and violence not only palatable but preferable. Hard times necessitated cheaper sets, fewer lights, and fresh...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0801882184
• ISBN13: 9780801882180
• Release Date: November 2005
• Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press
• Length: 264 Pages
• Weight: 0.98 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.2" x 9.0"