Nostalgia Noir

Abstract

Since no classic noir ever portrayed a time period other than the time in which they were produced, Nostalgia Noir carries extra post-classical weight. Nostalgia Noir recreates a preceding movement, most commonly the classic noir era. Chinatown (Roman Polanski 1974) single-handedly created and dominates this group. In it we see a film set in 1937, but focused on the time of its release. Similarly, L.A. Confidential (Curtis Hanson 1997) recreates the 1950s as a response to the 1990s. The Nice Guys (Shane Black 2016) represents a growing interest in the 1970s—a first wave of Nostalgia Noir recreating an earlier movement of neo-noir. Nostalgia Noir acts as a consideration of the noir past, reflecting the darker aspects of our collective memories.

Appendix

Nostalgia Noir Film List

Note: Set in the period of classic noir (late-thirties to 1960), unless otherwise noted. If based on a novel, titles are the same unless noted.

• Badlands (1973), d. Terrence Malick

• Chinatown (1974), d. Roman Polanski

• Thieves Like Us (1974), d. Robert Altman (Also Remake Noir)

• Farewell, My Lovely (1975), d. Dick Richards (Raymond Chandler adaptation, also Remake Noir)

• The Brink’s Job (1978), d. William Friedkin

• True Confessions (1981), d. Ulu Grosbard

• The Postman Always Rings Twice (1981), d. Bob Rafelson (James M. Cain adaptation)

• Philip Marlowe, Private Eye (1982 and 1986), HBO TV series

• Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid (1982), d. Carl Reiner (parody using clips from classic noir films)

• Hammett (1982), d. Wim Wenders

• Poodle Springs (1998), d. Bob Rafelson (Chandler adaptation)

• Crime Story (1986–1988), TV series, Chuck Adamson and Gustave Reininger, creators, Michael Mann, producer (set in the early 1960s)

• Private Eye (1987–1988) TV series, Anthony Yerkovich, creator

• The Two Jakes (1990), d. Jack Nicholson

• Miller’s Crossing (1990), d. Joel Coen

• The Hot Spot (1990), d. Dennis Hopper (adaptation of Charles Williams’ Hell Hath No Fury [1953])

• A Rage in Harlem (1991), d. Bill Duke (Chester Himes adaptation)

• Barton Fink (1991), d. Joel Coen

• Devil in the Blue Dress (1995), d. Carl Franklin (Walter Mosley adaptation)

• The Last Man Standing (1996), d. Walter Hill (adaptation of Kurosawa’s Yojimbo)

• L.A. Confidential (1997), d. Curtis Hanson (James Ellroy adaptation)

• This World, Then the Fireworks (1997), d. Michael Oblowitz (Jim Thompson short story adaptation)

• The Man Who Wasn’t There (2001), d. Joel Coen

• L.A. Confidential (2003) TV pilot

• Black Dahlia (2006), d. Brian De Palma (James Ellroy adaptation)

• Hollywoodland (2006), d. Allen Coulter

• Mulholland Falls (2006), d. Lee Tamahori

• Lonely Hearts (2006), d. Todd Robinson

• The Killer Inside Me (2010), d. Michael Winterbottom

• Gangster Squad (2013), d. Ruben Fleischer

• Mob City (2013), TV mini-series, Frank Darabont, creator

• Inherent Vice (2014), d. Paul Thomas Anderson (set in the 1970s)

• Public Morals (2015), TV mini-series, Edward Burns, creator/director (set in the early 1960s)

• The Nice Guys (2016), d. Shane Black (set in the 1970s)

• Free Fire (2016), d. Ben Wheatley (set in the 1970s)

• Live By Night (2016), d. Ben Affleck

• I Am the Night (2019), TV mini-series, Sam Sheridan, creator

Nostalgia Gangster Films (Not Neo-noir, as They Belong to Another Established Genre—the Gangster Film)

• Dillinger (1973), d. John Milius

• The Untouchables (1987), d. Brian De Palma

• Bugsy (1991), d. Warren Beatty

• Hoodlum (1997), d. Bill Duke

• Road to Perdition (2002), d. Sam Mendes

• American Gangster (2007), d. Ridley Scott

• Public Enemies (2009), d. Michael Mann