Topic: Analytical Paper of “kiss me deadly”
Description:
Write a 2-4 page analytical paper in which you respond to the question below. Your paper should include a clear argument that is supported by evidence from the movies you have watched and the readings you have studied (see the course reading, “Argument”).
QUESTION: In what ways, if at all, is Kiss Me Deadly (1955) a classic example of “film noir”?
Sources for Section Two: The Cold War and Film Noir
The three readings below are chapters in an anthology: Alain Silver and James Ursini (editors), Film Noir: Reader, published by Limelight Editions (New York) in 1996.
1) Raymond Borde and Étienne Chaumeton, “Towards a Definition of Film Noir” (1955), pages 16-25.
2) Paul Schrader, “Notes on Film Noir” (1972), pages 26-35.
3) Robert G. Porfirio, “No Way Out: Existential Motifs in the Film Noir” (1976), pages 77-93.
The two readings below are chapters in an anthology: Alan R. Pratt (editor), Black Humor: Critical Essays, published by Garland Publishing (New York) in 1993:
4) Bruce Jay Friedman, foreword, Black Humor, pages 19-24.
5) Time magazine, “The Black Humorists,” pages 3-9.
The two readings below are chapters from books with a single author:
4) David Ruth, “introduction,” in Inventing the Public Enemy: The Gangster in American Culture, 1918-1934, published by the University of Chicago Press (Chicago) in 1996.
5) Elaine Tyler May, “Explosive Issues: Sex, Women, and the Bomb,” in Homeward Bound: American Families in the Cold War Era, published by Basic Books (New York) in 2008)
The two readings below are articles in journals:
1) Mark Osteen, excerpt from “The Big Secret: Film Noir and Nuclear Fear,” published in the Journal of Popular Film and Television; Volume 22; Issue 2; Summer 1994; pages 79-90. (Although the reading for class is an excerpt from Osteen’s article, you can simply treat the reading as a regular, complete journal article).
2) Steven Belleto, “The Game Theory Narrative and the Myth of the National Security State,” published in American Quarterly; Volume 61; Issue 2; June 2009: pages 333-57.