Kiss the Blood Off My Hands
On Classic Film Noir

Robert Miklitsch (Edited by), Krin Gabbard (Contributions by), Philippa Gates (Contributions by), Julie Grossman (Contributions by), Robert Miklitsch (Contributions by), Robert Murphy (Contributions by), Mark Osteen (Contributions by), Vivian Sobchack (Contributions by), Andrew Spicer (Contributions by), J P. Telotte (Contributions by), Neil Verma (Contributions by)

9780252038594

Hardback, published 8 September 2014

264 pages, 35 black and white photographs, 1 line drawing
23.5 x 15.6 x 2.3 cm, 0.594 kg

Nominee for Edgar® Award, Best Critical/Biographical category, 2015. A Choice Outstanding Academic Title, 2015.

"A thrilling example of the possibilities of renewed scholarly attention to the classic noir period. Its broad range of novel topics and uniformly astute analyses reframe and open up the field of film noir study in provocative and insightful ways that herald a new phase in scholarship not only of the genre but of Classic Hollywood itself."--David Greven, author of Psycho-Sexual: Male Desire in Hitchcock, De Palma, Scorsese, and Friedkin

Consider the usual view of film noir: endless rainy nights populated by down-at-the-heel boxers, writers, and private eyes stumbling toward inescapable doom while stalked by crooked cops and cheating wives in a neon-lit urban jungle.

But a new generation of writers is pushing aside the fog of cigarette smoke surrounding classic noir scholarship. In Kiss the Blood Off My Hands: On Classic Film Noir, Robert Miklitsch curates a bold collection of essays that reassesses the genre's iconic style, history, and themes. Contributors analyze the oft-overlooked female detective and little-examined aspects of filmmaking like love songs and radio aesthetics, discuss the significance of the producer and women's pulp fiction, and investigate topics as disparate as Disney noir and the Fifties heist film, B-movie back projection and blacklisted British directors. At the same time the writers' collective reconsideration shows the impact of race and gender, history and sexuality, technology and transnationality on the genre.

As bracing as a stiff drink, Kiss the Blood Off My Hands writes the future of noir scholarship in lipstick and chalk lines for film fans and scholars alike.

Contributors: Krin Gabbard, Philippa Gates, Julie Grossman, Robert Miklitsch, Robert Murphy, Mark Osteen, Vivian Sobchack, Andrew Spicer, J. P. Telotte, and Neil Verma.