Film Noir Explained Clearly

A Girl and a Gun: The Complete

Guide to Film Noir on Video

by David N. Meyer (Author)

 

Summary of the book at Amazon.com:

From "Double Indemnity" to "La Femme Nikita", this comprehensive video renter's guide covers films both classic and modern, foreign and domestic. Each entry includes a concise plot summary and complete screen credits.

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Amazon.com customer reviews:

A Wild Ride Through Cinema's Dark Side
By A Customer on April 28, 1998

David N. Meyer's A GIRL AND A GUN (The Complete Guide To Film Noir On Video) is the book for which many of us have waited years!! Thoughtfully written, stylishly presented, and wonderfully irreverent, A GIRL AND A GUN is a perfect companion to Meyer's previous video guide, the indispensable THE 100 BEST FILMS TO RENT YOU'VE NEVER HEARD OF. Many among us have heard (and even used) the phrase "film noir" without having a real grasp of the meaning of the term. Meyer brings home all of the moodiness, the danger, and the claustrophobia that envelopes the genre - and that's just in the first 25 or so pages, as he explains how these elements come into play in the films he discusses in the body of the guide itself. The synopses of each film (and Meyer's choices are impeccable) are prefaced by Meyer's "mood guide" (summing up the vibe in a few words); a set of clever icons (explained at the outset of the guide) which indicate "at a glance" which of the classic noir elements are contained in the film under discussion; and the usual background details (year, director, country of origin, etc). A quick-n-dirty plot summary is followed by a more in-depth discussion of the film - a discussion, I might add, not of the dry-as-dust, academic cinema-snob variety, but a witty, rollicking, pop-culture-signpost-identifying discourse by someone who DIGS *MOVIES* (as opposed to those who "revere the cinema" but never leave their homes, except to go to Blockbuster or a theatre). This book, like Meyer's previous, is a blast. No true movie fan's home should be without a copy. And if you're a fan of the "dark side" of the movies, A GIRL AND A GUN is the book YOU TOO have been waiting for!!

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Best Book on Film Noir
By AWXB@aol.com on May 1, 1998

Being in the film industry I have seen many of the greats in film history go down the drain while the box office blockbusters rein. Meyer's first and second books bring the art of film making back into perspective. He offers up "the" guide that supercedes the the majority vote (Those guys that loved "Titanic" and "Dances Like Wolves"!) and brings us back to the true artistic talant of Hollywood. Funny, insiteful, and concise. Get it!

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Comments by the Blog Author

The introduction and its definition of film noir itself are priceless.  Some of the reviews done by David Meyer are brilliant, and a few of them, including his summary of Mildred Pierce, made me laugh until I was hoarse. 

 
Meyer’s review of Double Indemnity is another wry masterpiece.