Art Hist In-Person: Understanding Film Noir

Dim the Lights! Understanding Film Noir
Four In-Person Sessions
Thur., Jan. 23, 30, Feb. 6, 13, 2025, 6:30-8:30 pm MT

Film noir is a term describing one of the most fascinating and creative eras of movie making. It began during the Great Depression, thrived through the 1940s-50s, re-emerged as ‘neo-noir’ and has continued even to this day where it’s now considered the most impactful art form in the history of cinema. Beginning with German Expressionism, it shifted rapidly from the original melodrama birthed in the silent era into a new definition of the term. Usually relying on hardboiled crime stories with evil lurking in the shadows, a low-key, revealing quality of what is actually true ensues―deeply psychological beneath the veneer of the crime. Join film buff Paul Turelli as he examines pulp fiction and screenplay writers such as Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett, Dorothy Hughes and Stanley Kubrick. Consider the classics such as Casablanca, Double Indemnity, The Maltese Falcon, The Big Sleep and Vertigo along with many others and their celebrated stars. Turelli also explores films that left an indelible mark on history, notably Blade Runner, Taxi Driver and Chinatown. See how pulp fiction literature, unique lighting and cinematography, and the use of femme fatales and mysterious plot lines continually dominate our viewing. “If you’re a fan of movies, this class is for you,” Turelli says. “I promise it’ll be a lot of fun.”

Paul Turelli holds a master’s degree in history and has taught courses on The Beatles, Laurel Canyon, Bruce Springsteen, the blues and female songwriters, along with general history, film and literature.