Leonard Michaels' "The Zipper":
Rita Hayworth is never seen disrobed in the movie, though it is threatened more than once. The atmosphere of dark repression and mysterious forces – the mood or feeling of the movie – might be destroyed by the revelation of her body. It scared me as she began her striptease dance in the nightclub. I didn’t want everybody to see her body, or even to see that Rita Hayworth had a body. [more inside]
posted by Trurl
on Sep 5, 2011 -
14 comments
Grim Fandango, which was released in 1998, is considered by many to be one of the best Lucas Arts adventure games ever made. It tells the story of Manny Calavera, a travel agent working in the land of the dead. The game combines Aztec and film noir imagery to create a game that is wholly unique and still has a rabid fan base.
Tim Schafer, the primary writer for the original (and a mastermind behind recently critically appreciated games such as
Psychonauts through his company
Double Fine Productions [
previously])
has released the full 72 page design document that was written in 1996. [
direct pdf link]. This is great reading for those who get nostalgic just thinking about the game.
Here's the opening scene of the game to help you develop an appreciation, if you haven't done so already:
youtube link
posted by SpacemanStix
on Nov 6, 2008 -
73 comments
What's the relationship between
the rise of film noir and the national mood of post-war
(WWII, that is) America?
"Was noir simply a way of reanimating the tired conventions of the pre-war crime film? Or did we need melodramatic illusions potent enough to overcome whatever disillusions strayed briefly into our minds as we surrendered to the mighty engines of prosperity? Or was it one of those cycles - like biopics, westerns, sci-fi, etc. - that Hollywood mysteriously embraces and then just as mysteriously abandons?" Via.
posted by amyms
on Aug 15, 2007 -
8 comments
Some of you may have seen the feature film
Brick; I thought it one of the best of the year and among the better debuts I've seen in a long time. Writer-Director Rian Johnson
offers up the shooting script and original novella for free on his site. Fun for fans of noir, high school flicks, or MeFites gaggle of screenwriters.
posted by dobbs
on Oct 2, 2006 -
29 comments
