Stephen Whitty: Film Noir

More of an attitude than a genre, film noir began in Hollywood in the 1940s—though it wasn’t named until the French critics rediscovered it in the 1950s. Full of rain-swept streets, femme fatales and doomed heroes, film noir continues to influence filmmakers today. We’ll look at both the classic originals and modern homages, with stories and clips from films like Double Indemnity, Nightmare Alley, The Asphalt Jungle and Body Heat. STEPHEN WHITTY is a writer and critic for the Star-Ledger, the New York Daily News, nj.com and Fortune.com, as well as a college lecturer, film festival host, interviewer and juror.