Book Review: Dark City: The Lost World of Film Noir (Revised and Expanded Edition)

When I first began watching film noir, Eddie Muller's DARK CITY: THE LOST WORLD OF FILM NOIR was an indispensable guide.

I was initially slow to embrace film noir, finding it, well, dark; my gateways into the genre included films with favorite musical stars, Betty Grable in I WAKE UP SCREAMING (1941) and Alice Faye in FALLEN ANGEL (1945), which I saw in 2006-2007.

In 2007 my dad sent me a softcover edition of the original 1998 edition of DARK CITY to support my developing interest; I know the exact year because the Amazon packing slip remained in the book as a bookmark! I was later able to have Eddie sign my copy in 2011.

From those early years I watched more and more of the noir genre, attending my first Noir City Hollywood Festival in 2010 -- and every year since! I've also attended several editions of the Arthur Lyons Film Noir Festival in Palm Springs and additional screenings at venues such as UCLA's Billy Wilder Theater and the late, lamented Leo S. Bing Theater at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

DARK CITY was there with me every step of the way, the first reference I turned to as I became acquainted with dozens of new films over the past decade and a half.

Twenty-three years after the book's original release, a revised and expanded edition of DARK CITY: THE LOST WORLD OF FILM NOIR has been published by Running Press and TCM.

The first question anyone is likely to ask is: "Do I need the new edition if I own the original?"

The answer is a resounding "Yes!" The new version is a beautiful hardcover with glossy pages, more photographs, and four additional chapters. Previous chapters have also been supplemented with discussion of more films; for instance, the chapter "Sinister Heights" incorporates a new discussion of I WALK ALONE (1947).

As Eddie writes in his author's note for the new edition, the 1998 book was written in the waning days of repertory theaters, and it was difficult to hunt down many of the titles he needed to see when researching that edition.

Since then, thanks in part to the Film Noir Foundation he founded, many films have not only been rescued, they're now readily available for home viewing. Titles included for discussion in the new edition include WOMAN ON THE RUN (1950), TOO LATE FOR TEARS (1949), and THE MAN WHO CHEATED HIMSELF (1950), to name just a few.

There are other additions to this version as well; as a huge fan of THE HUNTED (1948), one of my favorite things in the new book is a two-page spread on "Belita, Ice Queen of Noir."

Readers will recognize much of the original book within the new edition, but a close comparison shows that the book has been rewritten/re-edited, not only to include more content but to improve and update the writing.

In terms of the actual content, I think most film fans are already aware that Eddie Muller is second to none in his knowledge of film noir; he also excels in sharing that knowledge and drawing new audiences to the film noir genre.

I know from personal experience that the book will be enjoyed by those new to the genre as well as those familiar with most of the titles he discusses; I've been each type of reader myself over the last 14 years!

The book retains its original rectangular shape, which Eddie told me in a recent discussion he felt was very important, allowing a more "cinematic" presentation of the photographs. And the photographs in this book are absolutely spectacular! Those familiar with the original book will notice that the new edition retains many of the photos, but presents them this time around in much more impressive fashion, on heavy, glossy paper.

For instance, this photo from THE BIG SLEEP (1946), which takes up roughly a quarter of a page in the original...

...becomes a full-page glossy spread in the new edition:

The book also improves on the original with its inclusion of color photographs, as well as beautiful color posters on the inside of each cover. A sample of an inside cover is below.

DARK CITY: THE LOST WORLD OF FILM NOIR (REVISED AND EXPANDED EDITION) is most highly recommended.

DARK CITY is 272 pages including a bibliography and index. As mentioned, the book utilizes heavy, shiny paper, which shows off the photographs to great effect. The book weighs in at a little under three pounds.

Thanks to TCM and Running Press for providing a review copy of this book.

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