Detours and the Longue Durée of Film “Noir”
Sebastian Smoliński
smolinski.sebastian@gmail.comUniversity of Warsaw (Poland)
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6161-6875
Abstract
Patrycja Włodek’s book “Wszystko noir?”. O inspiracjach i wariantach – życie po życiu film noir [“Everything Noir?”: On Inspirations and Variants – Life after Life of Film Noir] (2022) is an analysis of selected figures and aspects of film noir, combining a reflection on classic cinema with a discussion of recent works in the genre. The author limits her perspective to American cinema and looks for recurring tropes (e.g., femme fatale and homme fatale), as well as examples of thematic and narrative use of the concept of gaslighting. Particularly noteworthy is the author’s consideration of film noir as a trend embedded in specific spaces (e.g., rural-noir, Cal-noir) and open to merge with other subgenres (stoner noir). However, limiting the field of study to American cinema prevents the analysis of film noir from being more deeply embedded in a global context. At the same time, the author does not question the enduring popularity of crime thrillers and the cultural and ideological function they serve today. The book’s value, however, is its reference to a rich array of works outside the film noir canon.
Keywords:
American cinema, film noir, femme fatale, homme fatale, postmodernismReferences
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Authors
Sebastian Smolińskismolinski.sebastian@gmail.com
University of Warsaw Poland
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6161-6875
Film scholar and critic, PhD student at the American Studies Center at the University of Warsaw. Co-author of several publications, including the Spanish-language monograph La doble vida de Krzysztof Kieślowski (2015), a book about African American cinema, and a Polish-English monograph of David Lynch. Recipient of the 2019-2020 Kosciuszko Foundation scholarship for teaching the history of Polish film at Cleveland State University in Ohio. He is preparing a PhD dissertation about American film criticism and the construction of national identity.
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