The two films are Double Indemnity (1944), often considered the quintessential film noir, and Gun Crazy (1950), a lesser-known film, but perhaps the best of the Hollywood B noirs. Using clips from the movies, excerpts from documentaries, frame grabs, behind-the-scenes photos, and other visuals, the course will address the source material for the films, their writing, direction, cinematography, the performances, the motifs of the films, and the making of the movies and their releases. In the process, we will be able to distill the common elements of noir films. The course is being taught on the basis that the students have seen Double Indemnity and Gun Crazy at least once and are familiar with them. (Both are streaming for free and/or for rent, are free on internet sites such as archive.org, and are on DVD and Blu-Ray.)
((Ron Backer - Tuesday - In-Person))