The low-key lighting, the language, the sex, and the cynicism. The femme fatale and the hard-bitten private eye hiding a heart of gold. Crimes of passion and cold blood. Film noir is stylish, gorgeous, and brutal all at once. AFI Silver annually celebrates this remarkable genre with the Noir City film festival, and this year’s event runs from October 17 to 29.
That means America’s top expert on the category, Eddie Muller of the Film Noir Foundation, will be in town at AFI Silver’s restored historic theatre. We’ve snagged him for a special program on the history, aesthetics, and lasting legacy of this Hollywood-grown cinematic movement. He’s collected clips from classic favorites and some hidden gems to illustrate his talk.
Afterward, gather in the historic theatre’s lobby to sip a glass of champagne, browse film noir artifacts from Royal Books, and get your gorgeous hardcover copy of The Art of Noir signed by Muller.
And if you just can’t get enough noir, stay for the 7 p.m. screening of the newly restored (thanks to the Film Noir Foundation) Woman on the Run (1950), starring Ann Sheridan and Dennis O'Keefe.
Journalist, author, and film scholar Muller, a self-described “noirchaelogiost,” has produced numerous fiction and nonfiction books on the world of noir, including Dark City: The Lost World of Film Noir and Dark City Dames: The Wicked Women of Film Noir.
Please note that the ticket prices Member + Film and Non-member + Film include a ticket to the 7 p.m. showing of Woman on the Run.
Other Connections
What films are on the czar of noir’s list of essentials? Eddie Muller chooses 25 must-see movies for film noir fans.
