Featured Films
Into the Dark
1937
The Forgotten Masterpiece
Dowling examines the proto-noir featuring Elisha and Lana Turner as bit players in a genre where they would both craft legendary careers.
1940
Stranger on the Third Floor
The true first film noir – 60 minutes of saturation in German Expressionist acting, direction, photography, set design, and music.
1941
The Maltese Falcon
The film that launched the great expeditions into the dark of noir by John Huston, Humphrey Bogart, Peter Lorre, Sydney
Greenstreet, and Elisha Cook Jr.
1946
The Big Sleep
Bogie and Bacall at their most magnificent, and Elisha as Harry Jones in the most compelling seven minutes of bit-player
1947
Born to Kill
A film so dark, even by tough noir standards, that critics refuse to recognize it as the masterpiece that it is.
1956
The Killing
The noir that gave Stanley Kubrick the discipline to temper his arthouse elitism and become one of the greatest cinematic auteurs in history.
What's Inside
More Than Film History
25
Films Reviewed
250+
Photographs
∞
Sly Humor
Throughout, Dowling’s sly humor and sharp cultural analysis make this more than just a film history book — it’s a reverential applause for Elisha, the actor named after a miracle worker.
A treat for cinephiles who understand the essence of the bit player in noir. Entry through a different door of perception for cinema students. Essential reading on the journey into the heart of noir.