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.
