Films
Double Indemnity
Fred MacMurry and Barbara Stanwyck meet and fall in love in this noir classic. The only problem? They’ve got to do something about her husband.
Sunset Boulevard
Gloria Swanson is an aging silent film star trying to seduce William Holden in this Hollywood noir.
Laura
A detective (Dana Andrews) falls in love with the woman who’s murder he’s investigating (Gene Tierney) in this chic noir film.
The Usual Suspects
After a truck is hijacked in New York the police bring in a group of conmen for questioning. The conmen decide it is time to take things into their own hands. Starring Gabriel Byrne, Kevin Spacey and Kevin Pollack.
LA Confidential
1950s Los Angeles is the backdrop for this noir tale about three detectives in a corrupt police department. Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, and Kim Basinger star.
Books
Farewell, My Lovely by Raymond Chandler
Chandler’s famed hero Philip Marlowe operates in 1940s Los Angeles. This adventure has him traveling through the seedy LA streets looking for an ex-con’s missing girlfriend.
Out of Sight by Elmore Leonard
An escaped convict and a federal marshal begin an unlikely romance after he kidnaps her. The two try to have a relationship in the outside world.
The Black Dahlia by James Ellroy
Ellroy’s detective novel was inspired by the real life Black Dahlia murder that occurred in Los Angeles in the 1940s.
The Postman Always Rings Twice by James M. Cain
Cain’s first novel is often considered to be the father of all noir fiction. The story centers on a forbidden romance between a drifter and the wife of a local thug.
The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith
Highsmith’s Ripley is an unlikely conman, with little of the charisma that we’ve come to expect from our anti-heroes. Nonetheless, the story of stolen identities is a compelling read.
This event is part of The Big Read, an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services and Arts Midwest.