Out of the Past: Adventures in Film Noir

by Barry Gifford

Book Overview

For a tour of noir cinema this handbook is the perfect companion and Barry Gifford is an ideal guide. His choice selection of films exposes the menacing, moody, and oftentimes violent underbelly of... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 157806290X
• ISBN13: 9781578062904
• Release Date: December 2000
• Publisher: University Press of Mississippi
• Length: 196 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.0" x 7.7"

Customer Reviews

Barry Gifford's Enthusiastic Take on 118 Noir-ish Movies.

"Out of the Past: Adventures in Film Noir" is a collection of essays by novelist, screenwriter, and noir aficionado Barry Gifford. Gifford is a man who relishes a hard, twisted look at American culture and its underbelly. He wrote the novel "Wild At Heart" and the screenplay "Lost Highway", both David Lynch films. In "Out of the Past", Gifford shares his thoughts on 118 film noirs, classic and neo-noir, made 1933-1988. Actually, many of these films could hardly be called noir, and I don't think that Gifford claims that they are. Some are sci-fi, horror, or plain drama that manifest a noir world view. Most essays are dedicated to a single film, but a few discuss groups of films that have something in common. Most films are American. Three are French. The essays are in alphabetical order by film title, and may also be located using the index in the back of the book. These are Barry's Gifford's personal reactions to the films that he loves, so the essays don't all follow the same format. Gifford writes about what strikes him, which sometimes involves analysis of characters, themes, and styles. Sometimes he includes some history. The essays in which Gifford relates personal anecdotes are among his best. Books of essays are usually dry, but Gifford's writing is energetic and sometimes even colorful. It's easy and entertaining to read. The essays are a little light on analysis for my taste, and Gifford's (inconsistent) tendency to refer to characters by the actors' names annoyed me. But if you find most film noir books too dry or academic, Gifford's essays are for you. These are his "adventures in film noir". Gifford is great at singing the praises of obscure movies, too, so "Out of the Past" will give you some DVD/video rental ideas.

Unique approach to film noir critiques

Gifford is multi-talented, having published poetry, fiction (both short and novel-length) and non-fiction, as well as collaborating on screenplays based on two of his novels (Wild at Heart and Perdita Durango, aka Dance with the Devil) and on a screenplay based on a play he wrote (Hotel Room).He's a noir kinda guy in pretty much all his writing and here he dives into over 100 films with short (i.e., about two pages max) writeups of some of his favorite movies, some of which are typically film noir and some of which are not. For example, you wouldn't usually call Island of Lost Souls, 1933 with Charles Laughton, film noir, but Gifford here is driving home his perspective which deals with the dark side of the cinema--those films that deal with corruption and desperation in all their manifestations.Probably the most valuable aspect of this book is that you find out something about films that very few other reviewers write about. The original title of this book (this is a revised version, published in 2000) was called The Devil Thumbs a Ride and Gifford here supplies some pretty trenchant comments about that film (with one of the most evil characters in film noir ever, done up right by ultra tough guy Lawrence Tierney) and other obscure yet important works in the genre. Cul-de-Sac by Polanski is included--hard to find, but definitely one of the director's better films. The Mean Season (which I found weak) is included. Shack Out on 101 (has anyone actually seen this film?) is included. Invasion of the Body Snatchers. You get the idea.Gifford obviously does not confine himself to suspense/mystery, but embraces films in all genres and lets fly with some strong opinions about all of them. You may not agree with everything he says (I sure don't!) but what he has to say is intriguing and definitely worth a look.

Punchy Prose to Motivate any Film Buff

Novelist, playwright, essayist, and screenwriter (Lost Highway) Gifford here presents a newly titled edition of his 1988 book The Devil Thumbs A Ride. The book is a guide to approximately 120 films "about corruption and crime," which, if not exactly noir, are at least noirish in their bleak and melancholy outlook. These range from 1933's The Island of Lost Souls to 1988's House of Games, although the majority of the films are from the '40s-'50s. That particularly rich period of the early '70s is also well-covered, with essays on Badlands, Chinatown, The Getaway, Get Carter, and Mean Streets. The chief joy, and distinguishing feature, of this book is that Gifford writes about each movie with the enthusiasm and expertise of a real fan and the crisp prose of an accomplished writer. Rarely does he indulge in the obvious observation or criticism, rather he's at his best when he gives it to the reader straight, capturing the tone of the film in a punchy paragraph. He'll also motivate you to take a second look at apparent junk (Elvis' 1958 King Creole is the best example) with a new perspective, and rent forgotten or overlooked gems like 1978's Straight Time, and 1980's Tom Horn. Each entry gives you an incentive to watch the movie, although be forewarned--he does tend to give the entire plot. Sometimes the essays focus on the careers and roles of leading and supporting actors rather than the film itself, subjects Gifford makes as compelling as the actual films. The one pity is that this new edition doesn't include any films released since its original publication (films like One False Move, Reservoir Dogs, and The Limey come to mind, as well as recent remakes of classics like The Getaway and Cape Fear). Gifford does toss in a few British and French films to make things a little more inclusive, but it would be nice to see him move further afield with something like Kurosawa's 1949 film, Stray Dog or even Chungking Express. But this is perhaps more a case of being greedy than an actual criticism of what is there.

Criticism The Way It Should Be Done

This is a reprint of Gifford's 1988 book The Devil Thumbs a Ride and Other Unforgettable Movies. There's a new entry on Mamet's "House of Games" and the author has removed his review of David Lynch's "Blue Velvet", possibly because of his subsequent collaborations with the director on "Wild at Heart" and "Lost Highway." Gifford writes pithy, enthusiastic reviews of over 100 noir movies, and he makes you want to see every one. There's no pedantry or showing-off here; just witty, informed opinions that really matter. He's also a real writer (of poetry and fiction), not just a critic, so each short essay can be just as entertaining as watching the movie itself. Film buffs should order this immediately.