books by Alain Silver

books by Alain Silver

books:

Alain Silver

Alain Silver, James Ursini

Limelight Editions, 2007

Film libraries will consider it a 'must'
The rise of the popular gangster film genre began in the early 1930s to reflect the real history and rise of gangsterism in American society, producing early classics which would be released back to back, were modeled on newspaper and real-life situations, and which ...

Film Noir

Alain Silver, James Ursini

Taschen, 2004

Great for the Film Noir Novice!
I am new to film noir, and I really enjoyed this book. Although it seems simply laid out, there is a lot of information in the book. When I bought the book, I didn't want to learn about every last noir film that has been made. I just wanted an overview of the genre ...

Film Noir Reader 4: The Crucial Films and Themes (Film Noir Reader)

Alain Silver, James Ursini

Limelight Editions, 2004

Some Solid History & Some Silly Dogmatizing.
As Alain Silver explains in the book's Introduction, "Film Noir Reader 4" is different in purpose from the previous Film Noir Readers. It focuses on key films and key themes, rather than attempting to be inclusive or comprehensive. In that spirit, Silver has included a ...

Film Noir: An Encyclopedic Reference to the American Style, Third Edition

Overlook TP, 1993

the indispensable gets more indispensable
This book is the bible of film noir, and the 1992 revisions of the 3rd edition make it even more useful than before. Want to know who plays every bit part in one of your favorite films noirs? The info is here. Want to know when shooting started? When it was released ...

Film Noir Reader

Alain Silver, James Ursini

Limelight Editions, 1996

Collection of Film Noir Essays, Including Some Essentials
I'm including reviews of both "Film Noir Reader" and "Film Noir Reader 2" in the same review until Amazon gets the two books unlinked. FILM NOIR READER (1) "Film Noir Reader" is a collection of 22 essays about film noir, written between the mid-1950s and ...

The Noir Style

Alain Silver, James Ursini

Overlook Hardcover, 1999

Noir Gold!
Alain Silver has already written the definitive book on the subject with his (and Elizabeth Ward) `Film Noir: An encyclopaedic reference to the American style' and now with `The Noir Style' he has written the definitive book about the look of these movies. Most ...

The Samurai Film

Alain Silver

Overlook TP, 2006

The Best Book for the Best Samurai Films
Well-known and respected film critic Alain Silver has written what should be the definitive work on the (true) samurai film. These are movies made in Japan, and the best ones, the ones that are more than just action films, have something to say. These great directors ...

The Vampire Film: From Nosferatu to Bram Stoker's Dracula - Third Edition

Alain Silver, James Ursini

Limelight Editions, 2004

A very fun book!
"The Vampire Film" is an astounding reference book for those interested in vampire films. The descriptions of the films are great, including an excellent section on the vampires of Hammer films. The filmography at the book's end is great!

Film Noir Reader 3: Interviews with Filmmakers of the Classic Noir Period (Film Noir Reader)

Alain Silver, James Ursini, ...

Limelight Editions, 2004

Enjoyable, Informative Interviews w/ Classic Noir Filmmakers
This third book in the "Film Noir Reader" series contains 18 interviews with filmmakers of the classic film noir period. Most of the interviews were conducted 1975-1977 by Robert Porfirio for his doctoral dissertation while he was an assistant professor at California ...

Horror Film Reader

Alain Silver, James Ursini

Limelight Editions, 2001

Great overview of the horror genre
This is a very interesting portrait of a much abused genre. The essays a quite wonderful, with the essay on Polanski's Repulsion worth the price of the book alone. I discovered many movies from reading this book, and I am still on the hunt for some of them. But the ...

Hepburn (Movie Icons)
Alain Silver

Taschen, 2007

From birth, Katharine Hepburn seemed destined to become a symbol of the modern woman on stage, on screen, and in the world. Fiercely competitive, private, and independent, Hepburn was one part Olympic athlete Babe Didrikson, one part Amelia Earhart, and two parts Greta Garbo. Although often paired with the greatest actors in Hollywood--Humphrey ...

More Things Than Are Dreamt Of: Masterpieces of Supernatural Horror
Alain Silver, James Ursini

Limelight Editions, 2004

For centuries, perhaps from the beginning of time, people young and old have been drawn to the genre of supernatural horror, first on the printed page and then on the screen. From fairy tales to Freddy Krueger, the appeal of the genre rests on the all too human search for something above nature, something unkown and unnameable. This search has ...

Frank Sinatra (Movie Icons)
Alain Silver

Taschen, 2008

Long before he was Chairman of the Board, Frank Sinatra was a child of the jazz age and its free-wheeling approach to life. In the course of a meteoric rise from singing waiter to the world's first pop star, Sinatra relied on his own version of keeping it simple: "I'm not one of those complicated, mixed-up cats. I'm not looking for the secret to ...

McQueen (Movie Icons)

Alain Silver

Taschen, 2007

Just Another McQueen Movie Fan
I own several books related to Steve McQueen. So I was pleasantly surprised that this small "coffee table" book contained several photos I had not seen before in this format. I thought the quality of the images was satisfactory and the price was fair. I have found ...

L.A. Noir: The City as Character

Alain Silver, James Ursini

Santa Monica Press, 2005

Explore the dark side of the City of Angels!
Due to the ever-increasing popularity of film noir, the amount of books on the subject seems overwhelming at times. Thus, it's up to writers/historians like Alain Silver and James Ursini to shed new light on the neglected categories of film noir. This book focuses on ...