One of the intriguing aspects of film noir is the opportunity to analyze the genre.
The fact that film noir with its attendant themes of despair and hopelessness, came
to prominence as the Cold War began to influence American attitudes of the late 40s
making the genre indeed fertile ground for interpretation. And judging by the spate
of recent books on the subject there is no shortage of opinions. Some, like Dennis
Broe’s Film Noir, American Workers and Postwar Hollywood, simply drift to far afield
for my interest. The activities of the HUAC and the political aspects of the Hollywood
Blacklist era are well documented and one can choose from abundant sources to form
their own opinions. So it was that I had modest expectations in reading Jonathan
Auerbach’s Dark Borders- Film Noir and American Citizenship. Auerbach, is a professor
of English at the University of Maryland and has written several books on film and
cinema.
The book’s introduction, which is titled “The Un-Americanism of Film Noir” - seemed
to reinforce my presumption that I was in for another refresher course in Cold War
politics and less on the nuances of film noir. But if you have an abiding interest
in film noir, and sort through the political elucidation you will find Dark Borders
has a lot to offer. While most books on film noir take a rather broad approach
in their examination of the genre, Auerbach chose a core of films to study in order
to link the book’s overriding theme. By concentrating on a handful of films, he
provides a comprehensive insight to each one, and therein lies the strength of the
book. Some of the films Auerbach examines are well known; Out Of The Past, Key
Largo, Double Indemnity, while others; Ride The Pink Horse, The Chase, Secret Behind
The Door, are more obscure. He also discusses ancillary noirs that he deems relevant
to the topic. In either case there is an abundance of background information.
As you might expect, film noirs having to do with Mexico figure prominently, but
Auerbach also gives equal weight to Cuba, of which its noir connection has generally
gone unrecognized. I was glad to see the recognition of This Gun For Hire, of which
Auerbach devotes a chapter. This is a film that was far more influential in starting
the noir cycle than is generally acknowledged. Even the well circulated noirs Double
Indemnity and Out The Past benefit from Auerbach’s detailed perspective.
Whether or not Auerbach makes the case for his central theme is up to the reader
to determine. There are certainly political cogitations that I don’t necessarily
agree with, but they were not of sufficient distraction to deter my enjoyment and
appreciation for what Auerbach has put forth in further defining film noir. Film
noir fans
