In this essential study of film noir, editors Alain Silver and James Ursini select the most significant and influential articles on the movement from their highly respected Film Noir Reader series and assemble them into a single, convenient, heavily illustrated volume. Still included, of course, are many rare early articles and such seminal essays as Borde and Chaumeton's “Towards a Definition of Film Noir” from Panorama du Film Noir Americain, Paul Schrader's “Notes on Film Noir ” and “Paint It Black: the Family Tree of the Film Noir” by Raymond Durgnat. With newer studies such as “Lounge Time” by Vivian Sobchack, “Manufacturing Heroines in Classic Noir Films” by Sheri Chinen Biesen, and “Voices from the Deep: Film Noir as Psychodrama” J. P. Telotte, this collection of over 30 articles probes this most influential American film movement from varying angles: formalist, feminist, structuralist, sociological, and stylistic; narrative-thematic historical, and even from the point of view of a pure aficionado. There is something in this volume for every student or devotee of film noir. Plus like the readers that have proven an invaluable tool for academics planning a syllabus, it can serve as the most complete core text for any of the myriad of film noir courses taught throughout the world.

Despite a glut of black and white filters, the digital revolution in videography has all but abandoned the art, science, beauty, and power of cinematic lighting that literally illuminated the Golden Age of motion pictures. Film Noir Light and Shadow explores an era before CGI – a time when every photon mattered and the lighting of a set served a grander purpose than simply rendering its subjects visible. Edited by Alain Silver and James Ursini, the duo behind numerous critically acclaimed studies of other aspects of noir, this anthology presents a series of essays that examine the visual style of the filmmakers of cinema's classic period. Some focus on individual pictures or directors; others discuss elements of style or sub-groups of movies within the movement. All are sharply focused on what makes the noir phenomenon unique in American – and global – cinematic history. Aside from highlighting the innovative work of its editors and their late colleague Robert Porfirio, Film Noir Light and Shadow also shares its light with a bevy of contributors who have written and edited their own books on the subject – a list of luminaries that includes Sheri Chinen Biesen, Shannon Clute and Richard Edwards, Julie Grossman, Delphine Letort, Robert Miklitsch, R. Barton Palmer, Homer Pettey, Marlisa Santos, Imogen Sara Smith, and Tony Williams. As befits the topic, this volume is lavishly illustrated with 500 images that capture the richness and breadth of the classic period's imagery, making it an ideal companion for students of the genre, film historians, sprocket fiends, and the retrospectively inclined.

The Illustrated Compendium of Essential Modern Slang is an illustrated dictionary of the zaniest jargon, including everything from ankle-biter to zazzy! Complete with definitions, roots, and absurd usage quotes, these 300+ words are sure to make you go, What does that mean? What do your grandmother, your math teacher, your soccer coach, and your booger of a brother all have in common? They all have used slang at some point in their lives! Whether they were getting jiggy with it in the'90s or raving about the cat's pajamas in the' 20s, everyone has experienced the joy that comes with these coded exchanges. In this illustrated volume, we'll take a walk down memory lane, exploring the best, worst, and most lit terms that have ever graced the pages of the English dictionary. Need an example? We've got plenty--300+ to be exact!--including: Canary (noun): a female singer, the likes of which you might find chirping along at the front of the jazzy musical group that your mom hired for your bat mitzvah. Greaser (noun): a tough guy who is as slick as the hair products that he soaks his fro' in. Tubular (adjective): breathtaking, like the wave the dad who said it is probably cruising on. Bounce (verb): to leave quickly and suddenly before anyone can hear you use the word bounce. Tea (noun): The hot goss that your friend's been holding onto, like a literal cup of burning tea she's waiting to toss in your face when the time is right. The Illustrated Compendium of Essential Modern Slang is jam-packed with dope slang words, their origin stories, hilarious usage quotes, and a pronunciation guide so you can properly enunciate that funny word that no one understands. From millennial jargon to Gen Z lingo, this comprehensive collection of modern slang is sure to make you go cray (in a good way).

Colour and Design.

From dress sense to the drinking dens, history to haircuts, the customs and, of course, the caps, The Peaky Blinders Compendium is a celebration of the swagger and cool of the Shelby family enterprise and the era that made their name. An in-depth, entertaining, alphabetical guide that embraces the life and style, faces and places, along with the major events and big ideas that defined the world of Tommy Shelby in the early decades of the twentieth century. This book is packed with practical guides throughout, whether you're aspiring to steep your own backroom gin or seeking to pick up a period pocket watch. Providing cultural, sartorial and historical insight, this is an essential guide for the Peaky Blinder enthusiast or anyone in search of a razor-sharp edge to their identity.

Built around close readings of 11 noir films, this book seeks to refresh our understanding of “film noir” by returning to the films themselves. Pushing against totalizing or generalizing approaches, which may have the unintended effect of flattening out significant distinctions and differences between individual approaches, Film Noir and the Possibilities of Hollywood argues for the importance of staying attuned the varied and variegated formal, aesthetic and thematic strategies at work in individual films. By focusing on these strategies, the book invites readers to consider anew the enabling possibilities of Hollywood filmmaking in the studio era.

Gotham Knights: The Official Collector’s Compendium gives you exclusive behind-the-scenes content, stunning art, and the expert strategy you need to immerse yourself in the world of Gotham Knights. Gotham Knights is the eagerly anticipated action role-playing game set in a dynamic, open-world Gotham City. Players take on the role of four playable characters: Batgirl, Nightwing, Red Hood, and Robin—each with their own unique style of combat and abilities—in their quest to protect Gotham. This immersive Collector’s Compendium is the perfect companion for the dangerous streets of Gotham City. Go beyond the game with behind-the-scenes interviews with the Warner Bros. Games Montréal team, stunning concept sketches, renders, and illustrations, along with insider details on Gotham’s secret history and the elusive Court of Owls. Featuring detailed maps, in-depth character tactics, and expert strategy for facing the city’s most nefarious Super-Villains, this compendium gives you everything necessary to be the Super Hero Gotham City needs.

The behind-the-scenes story of the quintessential film noir and cult classic, Billy Wilder’s Double Indemnity—its true crime origins and crucial impact on film history—is told for the first time in this riveting narrative published for the film's 80th anniversary. From actual murder to magazine fiction to movie, the history of Double Indemnity is as complex as anything that hit the screen during film noir’s classic period. A 1927 tabloid sensation “crime of the century” inspired journalist and would-be crime-fiction writer James M. Cain to pen a novella. Hollywood quickly bid on the film rights, but throughout the 1930s a strict code of censorship made certain that no studio could green-light a murder melodrama based on real events. Then in 1943 veteran scriptwriter and newly minted director Billy Wilder wanted the story for his third movie. With tentative approval from the studio he hired hardboiled novelist Raymond Chandler to co-write a script that would be acceptable to industry censors. Director Wilder then cajoled a star cast into coming aboard: the incomparable Barbara Stanwyck in her unforgettable turn as the ultimate femme fatale; alongside Fred MacMurray, going against type as her accomplice; and Edward G. Robinson as a dogged claims investigator. Wilder kept Chandler on for the entire shoot, and other key collaborators were cinematographer John Seitz, costume designer Edith Head, and composer Miklôs Rôzsa. With all these talented contributors, the final film became one of the earliest studio noirs to gain critical and commercial success, including being nominated for seven Oscars. It powerfully influenced the burgeoning noir movement, spawned many imitators, and affected the later careers of all its cast and crew. Double Indemnity’s impact on filmmakers and audiences is still felt eight decades since its release. Authors Alain Silver and James Ursini tell the complete, never-before-told history of writing, making, and marketing of Double Indemnity in their latest and most provocative work on film noir: From the Moment They Met It Was Murder.

Ever since HBO's slogan "It's Not TV, It's HBO" launched in 1996, so-called quality television has reached a new level of marketing, recognition, and indeed quality. With other networks imitating the formula, the "HBO effect" triggered a wave of creative output. This turn to quality set off two shifts: (a) Contemporary television staged an international resurgence of the auteur, and (b) America transformed into an "on-demand nation." The chapters in this volume analyze new television lifestyles including marginalized perspectives, fan participation, and an emerging nostalgia correlated with trash aesthetics.

The story of a gifted artist who strives to break free of his classical training and away from conventional musicianship. Upon a move to a big city, leaving behind his small town of family and childhood love, fate seems to be always one step away from him. Pluto's musical genius is discovered by everyone besides whom he wants to plays for, including a corrupt fascist government agency who wish to use music as a tool to serve their own means.