A Guide to American Crime Films of the Forties and Fifties

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By Larry Langman and Daniel Finn

ISBN: 0-313-29265-5

ISBN-13: 978-0-313-29265-1

DOI:

408 pages, photographs

Greenwood Press

Publication: 10/30/1995

List Price: $127.95 (UK Sterling Price: £75.00)

Availability:

Media Type: Hardcover

Also Available: Ebook

Trim Size: 6 1/8 X 9 1/4

Subjects:

Series Title: Bibliographies and Indexes in the Performing Arts

Series Number: 19

Reviews:

Incisive, crisp, and effective plot summaries are the heart of the filmography; the description of White Heat, is a model of its kind. A valuable addition for academic libraries supporting film programs or popular culture collections.
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Choice
In an illuminating introductory essay, the authors trace the development of each of these genres and in so doing they demonstrate how the various styles were colored by the changing mood of the 1940's and 1950's. This enteraining guide willappeal to scholars, students, and film buffs alike.
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ARBA

Description: The only comprehensive guide to the crime films of the forties and fifties, this volume focuses on the major events that shaped and molded the genre: war, alienation, drugs, and organized crime. The body of the work offers over 1,200 entries that feature concise summaries, analyses, and credits. The volume is a continuation of the author's earlier work, A Guide to American Crime Films of the Thirties (Greenwood, 1995). The book includes those stars that the public had already embraced as gangsters in the thirties such as James Cagney, Humphrey Bogart, and Edward G. Robinson and brings them into a new era in which they are transformed into enforcers of the law. This work will be of interest to scholars, students, and film buffs alike. The work demonstrates the shift from the simpler gangster modes of the 1930s as it takes the reader forward to the more sophisticated films of the late fifties. Although the book is organized alphabetically, the introduction alerts the reader to the major social phenomena that influenced the genre of these decades. Also offered are credits that cover titles, release dates, distributors, directors, screenwriters, and major players. The 1,200 entries include detailed plot summaries and thematic analyses as well as relevant information on sources, remakes, and sequels.

Table of Contents:

Preface
Introduction
Abbreviations
The Guide
Appendixes
Bibliography
Index

LC Card Number: 95-32991

LCC Class: PN1995

Dewey Class: 016


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