Film noir enthusiasts can celebrate Noirvember with a selection of classic and contemporary films available for free streaming through Kanopy with a Bethlehem Area Public Library (BAPL) card. Filmmaker and blogger Ron Williams, a Bethlehem resident, has provided an introduction to the genre and his top recommendations.
Williams describes film noir as a genre encompassing “fedoras, trench coats and high-contrast black and white film,” along with “seedy bars filled with chain smoking private eyes and ex-cons looking for a big score” and “star-crossed lovers with an inconvenient husband who needs to disappear.” He noted that the term, coined by French critics after World War II, encapsulates the genre’s dark themes of “insecurity, nihilism and existentialism.”
You can find a handful of film noir movies on Kanopy that are archetypal of the genre. Williams’ recommendations for classic period film noir include:
- “Kansas City Confidential” (1952): A complex heist film featuring a crew of strangers brought together for a high-stakes job.
- “Detour” (1945): A gripping tale of a down-on-his-luck piano player whose journey takes a sinister turn.
- “Too Late For Tears” (1949): A man grapples with a moral dilemma when a bag of money falls into his lap.
French Noir:
- “Symphony for a Massacre” (1963): A French noir classic filled with backstabbers, two-timers, schemers and total degenerates.
- “Le Samouraï” (1967): Alain Delon stars as a methodical assassin in this stylish neo-noir.
Neo Noir:
- “The Long Goodbye” (1973): Robert Altman’s adaptation of Raymond Chandler’s novel, featuring Elliot Gould as private detective Phillip Marlowe.
This local news story was reported with generative AI assistance.
