Book description
Film noir is a classic genre characterized by visual elements such as
tilted camera angles, skewed scene compositions, and an interplay
between darkness and light. Common motifs include crime and
punishment, the upheaval of traditional moral values, and a
pessimistic stance on the meaning of life and on the place of
humankind in the universe. Spanning the 1940s and 1950s, the classic
film noir era saw the release of many of Hollywood's best-loved
studies of shady characters and shadowy underworlds, including Double
Indemnity, The Big Sleep, Touch of Evil, and The Maltese Falcon.
Neo-noir is a somewhat loosely defined genre of films produced after
the classic noir era that display the visual or thematic hallmarks of
the noir sensibility. The essays collected in The Philosophy of
Neo-Noir explore the philosophical implications of neo-noir
touchstones such as Blade Runner, Chinatown, Reservoir Dogs, Memento,
and the films of the Coen brothers. Through the lens of philosophy,
Mark T. Conard and the contributors examine previously obscure layers
of meaning in these challenging films. The contributors also consider
these neo-noir films as a means of addressing philosophical questions
about guilt, redemption, the essence of human nature, and problems of
knowledge, memory and identity. In the neo-noir universe, the lines
between right and wrong and good and evil are blurred, and the
detective and the criminal frequently mirror each other's most
debilitating personality traits. The neo-noir detective -- more
antihero than hero -- is frequently a morally compromised and
spiritually shaken individual whose pursuit of a criminal masks the
search for lost or unattainable aspects of the self. Conard argues
that the films discussed in The Philosophy of Neo-Noir convey
ambiguity, disillusionment, and disorientation more effectively than
even the most iconic films of the classic noir era. Able to
self-consciously draw upon noir conventions and simultaneously subvert
them, neo-noir directors push beyond the earlier genre's limitations
and open new paths of cinematic and philosophical exploration.
""Much has been written about neo-noir's distinction
from classic noir... but the 13 new essays in this anthology
rejuvenate the discussion. Conard and his contributors see to it that
these essays are accessible to nonacademic readers." --Library
Journal" --
Mark T. Conard, assistant professor of philosophy at Marymount
Manhattan College in New York City, is the editor or coeditor of many
books, including The Philosophy of Film Noir and The Simpsons and Philosophy.
