Reid Hall, Grande Salle (4 rue de Chevreuse 75006)
A film series presented by Professor Richard Peña and the Paris Center every Monday and Wednesday in July
Rain-slicked streets receding into the moonlight; steel-eyed women clad in raincoats resembling suits of armor; sudden bursts of violence, unpredictable, irrational. These are just a few of the elements we tend to associate with that kind of cinema we’ve come to call film noir. But what precisely is a film noir? Until recent years, no one ever thought they were making a film noir, as it was a category invented by critics and applied retroactively. And what are the differences and similarities in the use of the term film noir as we discuss its presence in distinct national cinemas? Screening a chronological panorama of films drawn from France and the U.S., on each Monday and Wednesday in July, Professor Richard Peña will offer a series of approaches to film noir, examining the history and development not only of the films but also of critical approaches towards the movement. Most evenings, he will be joined by leading French scholars, critics and filmmakers who will offer there own views on this most elusive of cinematic subjects.
