well then, you haven't learned much about film noir from your time in the dark room, have you?  actually, finding your way out of here is no harder than leaving disneyland -- you simply have to pass through the souvenir shop as you exit. no touristy schlock in the dark room store, though. we offer only the finest-quality merchandise, if you know what i mean.

if you love film noir, you really should get your hands on the essential books recommended below, which can be purchased online (at low prices, from amazon.com) with a single click.  all the movies explored in the dark room are also listed here (most available for purchase) -- and i've highlighted the ones that really must be part of any noir video library.  (payment can be made easily with a credit card over amazon's secure internet connection, or delivered by pre-arranged agreement in a brown paper bag deposited in a phone booth on the other side of town in the dead of night.  and make sure you're alone.  no funny stuff.)

have fun.  and when you're really ready to leave, you can exit, as usual, through the door at the bottom of the page...

3 key noir books

i am deeply indebted to these three beautifully designed, insightful, and entertaining books for all the exciting ideas they've exposed me to over the years, the terrific movies they've helped me discover, the occasional striking image they've unwittingly provided for the dark room (gulp: thanks!) -- and especially for providing such absorbing company during those long, dark, rainy nights in the naked city (seattle/los angeles/gotham)...

Film Noir: An Encyclopedic Reference to the American Style edited by Alain Silver and Elizabeth Ward click to buy at 20% off: $23.16 oversized paperback This indispensible guide to film noir didn't come along until 1979, which will give you an idea of how recently the study of noir has developed. It offers plot synopses, credits, and analysis of more than 300 important films noir, from the classics to the obscure, the formative years to the neo-noir of the '60s and '70s.  There's also a concise introduction that puts noir in context. Chances are, if it's not in here, it's not noir.

Film Noir Reader edited by Alain Silver and James Ursini click to buy at 20% off: $16.00 trade paperback This amazing volume collects just about every historically important article about film noir ever published! Until this came along, you would have had to spend days in the library searching for all this stuff -- and even then you'd be lucky to find some of these gems.  Highlights include: an English translation of the 1955 essay that started it all, "Towards a Definition of Film Noir" by Raymond Borde and Etienne Chaumeton; the landmark 1972 Film Comment overview by Paul Schrader (who would soon write the screenplay for Taxi Driver); case studies of Phantom Lady, The Killers, Kiss Me Deadly, and others; pieces about the overwhelming influence of noir in the '80s and '90s, from Blade Runner to Taxi Driver to Miami Vice (!); and a thoughtful, provocative introduction that puts it all in perspective.

The Dark Side of the Screen: Film Noir by Foster Hirsch click to buy at 20% off: $14.36 oversized paperback More than just the most beautiful coffee-table book of stunning film noir images, Dark Side actually has writing to match. Hirsch covers it all, from the influences of Expressionism, Neo-Realism, gangster pictures, other visual arts, and the hard-boiled pulp fiction of Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett, and James M. Cain; to special chapters devoted to noir's stylistics, narrative style, and treatment of "the city at night." Some of the stills are so striking that you'll find yourself seeking out  the movies just so you can behold these incredible images in action.

Wanna do some other shopping?  You can check amazon.com's entire multi-million-title stock from right here...

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special shameless plea:

please help jeeem defray just a wee tiny fraction of what it costs to build and maintain jeeem's cinepad by occasionally heeding one of those tiny tidbits of impassioned, authoritative consumer advice that you'll find sprinkled here and there around the cinepad like runaway dust bunnies.

c'mon, trust me:  treat yourself to books and movies you simply must experience before you die!   all you have to do to immeasurably improve your quality of life is to effortlessly click on an enthusiastically recommended cover or title and voila! you can instantly order it from my pals at amazon.com.  more than just an acclaimed trailblazer in 24-hour web shopping, amazon is also the world's largest independent bookstore, specializing in consistently low discount prices, incredibly fast and attentive service, and unbeatable convenience.  what's not to love? (jeeem has been a devoted customer since the early days.)  give it a shot: it's quick, it's easy, it's fun, and it's an unbeatable deal for all of us. 

don't forget:  i've got to pay rent and utilities to keep the cinepad roof over my head!

the dark room video store

opening soon: inside you'll discover
a comprehensive listing of the movies featured in the dark room
PLUS
the (glass) key to all the place's hidden mysteries and treasures...

buh-bye!  thanks! come back again soon!