Inspired by the new book Hollywood Noir’s Women Performers, co-authored by R. Barton Palmer and LeMoyne College’s own Julie Grossman, this series looks at classic crime films and melodramas through their female stars. From Gloria Grahame to Joan Fontaine, Joan Leslie, Ida Lupino, Marilyn Monroe, and Joan Crawford, film noir has been populated by vibrant (and sometimes violent) female performances. Looking at not just individual films but these actress’s careers, we may see how these skilled and charismatic performers not only enhanced the genre of film noir, but helped define it.
Dates and Titles:
August 26: In a Lonely Place (Nicholas Ray, US 1950, 94 min., 35mm)
September 2: Born to Be Bad (Nicholas Ray, US 1950, 94 min., 35mm)
September 9: The Hard Way (Vincent Sherman, US 1943, 109 min., 35mm)
October 21: Clash by Night (Fritz Lang, US 1952, 105 min., 35mm)