Crime Films
$37.00
USDFocusing on ten films that span the range of the twentieth century, Thomas Leitch traces the transformation of three figures common to all crime films: the criminal, the victim and the avenger. He shows how the distinctions among them become blurred throughout the course of the century, reflecting and fostering a deep social ambivalence towards crime and criminals. The criminal, victim and avenger characters effectively map the shifting relations between subgenres (such as the erotic thriller and the police film) within the larger genre of crime film.
- Exceptionally broad coverage of crime films, including lesser known genres like lawyer film and crime comedy
- Synthesis of earlier critics' work on specific crime subgenres in film and literature
- nontechnical language making it suitable for undergraduates
Reviews & endorsements
"Leitch makes his case, and provides a structure through which any crime film--and, really, any film with a criminal, victim, and avenger--can be studied. Such a structure is never more valuable than now." Erik Lundegaard, Film Quarterly
"No film critic writes more clearly, in a style unencumbered by jargon. Even the photo captions are unusually perceptive and amusing. Highly recommended." Choice
Product details
August 2002Paperback
9780521646710
400 pages
229 × 152 × 22 mm
0.59kg
79 b/w illus.
Available
Table of Contents
- 1. The problem of the crime film
- 2. Historical and cultural overview
- 3. Critical overview
- 4. Fury and the victim film
- 5. The Godfather and the gangster film
- 6. Double Indemnity and the film noir
- 7. Basic Instinct and the erotic thriller
- 8. Murder on the Orient Express, Blue Velvet, and the unofficial detective film
- 9. Chinatown and the hardboiled detective film
- 10. Bullitt and the police film
- 11. Reversal of Fortune and the lawyer film
- 12. Fargo and the crime comedy
- 13. What good are crime films?
