Joan Crawford in Film Noir: The Actress as Auteur (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781476691473)

Joan Crawford's contribution to film noir during the 1940s and 1950s, though rarely discussed in its totality, is one of her most impressive and far-reaching career achievements. Several of her noir and noir-tinged efforts contain arguably her best acting work, and all bear her personal stamp. These aren't conventional film noirs, they are Joan Crawford noirs: highly distinctive films that extended the boundaries of noir content and brought added depth and dimension to the noir style. Unlike most actors who routinely adapted to the needs of particular film projects and directors, she approached each film, first and foremost, as a Joan Crawford vehicle, often exerting great control over multiple production functions and at times operating as a de facto producer. Examining these films as a collective and relatively cohesive body of work, this book highlights what Crawford aspired to achieve in her art, how--when the circumstances were right--she could deliver superb results, how she helped expand the possibilities for noir, and why the best of her efforts speak across the decades with such intensity and authority.

Author: David Meuel
ISBN-10: 1476691479
ISBN-13: 9781476691473
Publisher: McFarland and Company, Inc.
Language: English
Published: 02/22/2024
Pages: 225
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.70lbs
Size: 9.10h x 6.00w x 0.60d

Review Citation(s):
Library Journal 04/05/2024 pg. 1
Booklist 05/01/2024 pg. 12