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S. Patrick Cunningham's avatar

An excellent exploration. I never thought of Bonnie & Clyde as noir, but it certainly fits (at least my much broader definition of noir anyway). I appreciate that you noted the importance of set design and wardrobe, and minimized the importance of having a detective in every movie.

What are your thoughts on the noir genre of fiction? The roman noir, if you will?

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Linda Cocuzzi Richter's avatar

Thanks for your question, an excellent one as I had to look up "roman noir." I guess the first writer who sprang to mind was Patricia Highsmith; did you ever read any of her Tom Ripley novels? It's easier to look at Poe and see the descriptives used, and repeated in the Karloff/Lugosi films. But what about Frankenstein by Mary Shelley? I'm thinking of roman noir as looking into the deep dark heart of a man. Conrad's Heart of Darkness. The film, The Bride Wore Black. Apocalypse Now (which is really Heart of Darkness.) Here's one although rather old - Billy Bud. Remember when Billy Bud transfers to the ship with Claggart, he leaves behind a ship called "The Rights of Man" if I recall correctly. Am I on the right track?

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