The first illustrated book to capture the inimitable look and style of film noir

In The Noir Style , Alain Silver and James Ursini return to the subject for which they are famous, analyzing the look of film noir from the classic period ( The Maltese Falcon in 1941 through Touch of Evil in 1958) through to the present day. Replete with sinister and scintillating black and white photos--both interior design shots that define the look of noir, and production stills from such noir gems as Out of the Past and The Killers --this book handsomely and uniquely illustrates the graphic impact of film noir, in images that practically speak for themselves.

The accompanying text explores noir's origins while devoting individual chapters to explorations of such classic noir motifs as Night and the City and the Deadly Female . A lavishly elegant book--10 x 11 format, four-color jacket, and duotone prints throughout-- The Noir Style is the most engaging and informative addition to the literature of film in years.

Praise for Film Noir: An Encyclopedic Reference to the American Style:

"It's what you always want in a film reference book, but rarely find: comprehensive, intelligently organized, voluminously illustrated, and possessed of its own distinctive voice." --Lawrence Kasdan