Abstract
The use of a vivid color palette makes Eighties Noir visually distinct. Steven Saunders (2009) called it “Sunshine Noir.” Ronald Reagan’s presidency signaled the end of the 1970s and the beginning of a new era. These neo-noirs demonstrate a reaction to President Reagan’s vision of America, calling into question the status quo of the political climate. The core films representing the period include Manhunter (Michael Mann 1986), To Live and Die in L.A. (William Friedkin 1985), and Blue Velvet (David Lynch 1986). Unlike the other genres of the time that reaffirmed the status quo, Eighties Noirs contend that you are not safe.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Borde, Raymond, and Etienne Chaumeton. 2002. A Panorama of American Film Noir, 1941–1953. Paris: Les Editions de Minuit, 1955. Trans. Paul Hammond. San Francisco: City Lights Books.
Butler, Jeremy G. 1985. Miami Vice: The Legacy of Film Noir. Journal of Popular Film and Television 13 (3): 127–138.
Campbell, Joseph. 1959. The Masks of God: Primitive Mythology. New York: Penguin.
Croteau, David, and William Hoynes. 2003. Media and Society. 3rd ed. Thousand Oaks: Pine Forge.
Hirsch, Forster. 1999. Detours and Lost Highways: A Map of Neo-Noir. New York: Limelight Editions.
Jameson, Richard T., ed. 1994. They Went Thataway: Redefining Film Genres: A National Society of Film Critics Video Guide. San Francisco: Mercury House.
Jeffords, Susan. 1989. The Remasculinization of America: Gender and the Vietnam War. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.
Mulvey, Laura. 1975. Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema. Screen 16 (3): 6–18.
Parshall, Peter F. 1991. Die Hard and the American Mythos. Journal of Popular Film and Television 18 (4): 134–144.
Rainer, Peter. 1994. On Psychonoir. In They Went Thataway: Redefining Film Genres: A National Society of Film Critics Video Guide, ed. Richard T. Jameson, 26–30. San Francisco: Mercury House.
Reagan, Ronald. 1985. Second Inaugural Speech, January 21.
Sanders, Steven M. 2007. Sunshine Noir: Postmodernism and Miami Vice. In The Philosophy of Neo-Noir, ed. Mark T. Conrad, 183–201. Lexington: University Press of Kentucky.
Schiff, Steven. 1994. Body Heat. In They Went Thataway: Redefining Film Genres: A National Society of Film Critics Video Guide, ed. Richard T. Jameson, 31–35. San Francisco: Mercury House.
Shary, Timothy. 2002. Generation Multiplex: The Image of Youth in Contemporary American Cinema. Austin: University of Texas Press.
Silver, Alain, and James Ursini, eds. 1996. Film Noir Reader. New York: Proscenium.
Simon, Roger. 1987. ‘Primary Sensory Intake:’ Film Noir, Postmodernism and Manhunter. Spectator 8 (1): 4–8.
Stanfield, Peter. 2002. ‘Film Noir Like You’ve Never Seen’: Jim Thompson Adaptations and Cycles of Neo-Noir. In Genre and Contemporary Hollywood, ed. Steve Neale, 251–268. London: BFI Publishing.
Thompson, Anne. 1986. Industry: The Eleventh Annual Grosses Gloss. Film Comment 22 (2): 64–67.
Williams, Linda Ruth. 2005. The Erotic Thriller in Contemporary Cinema. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Appendix
Appendix
Eighties Noir Film List
-
American Gigolo (1980), d. Paul Schrader
-
Angel of Vengeance/Ms. 45 (1981), d. Abel Ferrara
-
Cutter’s Way (1981), d. Ivan Passer
-
Bad Boys (1983), d. Richard Rosenthal
-
Body Double (1984), d. Brian De Palma
-
Streets of Fire (1984), d. Walter Hill
-
Miami Vice Season One (1984–1985), prod. Anthony Yerkovich, Michael Mann
-
Jagged Edge (1985), d. Richard Marquand
-
Year of the Dragon (1985), d. Michael Cimino
-
To Live and Die in L.A. (1985), d. William Friedkin
-
52 Pick-Up (1986), d. John Frankenheimer (Elmore Leonard adaptation)
-
At Close Range (1986), d. James Foley
-
Eight Million Ways to Die (1986), d. Hal Ashby
-
Manhunter (1986), d. Michael Mann (adaptation of Thomas Harris novel, Red Dragon)
-
Blue Velvet (1986), d. David Lynch
-
The Morning After (1986), d. Sidney Lumet
-
No Mercy (1986), d. Richard Pearce
-
Best Seller (1987), d. John Flynn
-
The Big Easy (1987), d. Jim McBride
-
Dead of Winter (1987), d. Arthur Penn
-
Someone to Watch Over Me (1987), d. Ridley Scott
-
House of Games (1987), d. David Mamet
-
The Stepfather (1987), d. Joseph Ruben
-
Cold Steel (1987), d. Dorothy Ann Puzo
-
Frantic (1988), d. Roman Polanski
-
Betrayed (1988), d. Costa-Gavras
-
Masquerade (1988), d. Bob Swaim
-
Call Me (1988), d. Sollace Mitchell
-
Dead-Bang (1989), d. John Frankenheimer
-
Sea of Love (1989), d. Harold Becker (original screenplay by Richard Price)
-
Black Rain (1989), d. Ridley Scott
-
L.A. Takedown (1989), d. Michael Mann—TV movie/series pilot
-
Cat Chaser (1989), d. Abel Ferrara
-
Dead Calm (1989), d. Phillip Noyce (Charles Williams adaptation)
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2020 The Author(s)
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Arnett, R. (2020). Eighties Noir. In: Neo-Noir as Post-Classical Hollywood Cinema. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-43668-1_4
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-43668-1_4
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-43667-4
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-43668-1
eBook Packages: Literature, Cultural and Media StudiesLiterature, Cultural and Media Studies (R0)