The Private Eye
Detectives in the Movies
Published on 1. April 2013
Book
Paperback/Softback
224 pages
978-1-78023-102-0 (ISBN)
Description
Since the early days of cinema, the private eye has been one of its most memorable characters, often viewed as a romantic hero, a 'lone wolf' who confronts and tries to make sense of a violent and chaotic modern world. In The Private Eye Bran Nicol challenges this stereotype, offering a fresh take on iconic figures such as Sam Spade, Philip Marlowe and Jake Gittes, and a cogent reappraisal of film noir.
Analysing a wide range of films, including classics such as The Maltese Falcon, The Big Sleep, Chinatown, and The Long Goodbye, Nicol traces the history of the private eye movie from the influential film noirs of the 1940s, through innovative 1970s neo-noir cinema, to the presence of the private eye in movie mythology today. He reveals that although these films are exciting thrillers, they are nevertheless preoccupied by 'domestic' issues: work, home and love. Rather than fearless investigation, Nicol argues, the private eye's job is really about unveiling the private lives and private spaces of others, an achievement which comes at the expense of his own private life.
Combining a lucid introduction to an under-explored tradition in movie history with a novel approach to the detective in film, this book casts new light on the private worlds of the private eye.
Analysing a wide range of films, including classics such as The Maltese Falcon, The Big Sleep, Chinatown, and The Long Goodbye, Nicol traces the history of the private eye movie from the influential film noirs of the 1940s, through innovative 1970s neo-noir cinema, to the presence of the private eye in movie mythology today. He reveals that although these films are exciting thrillers, they are nevertheless preoccupied by 'domestic' issues: work, home and love. Rather than fearless investigation, Nicol argues, the private eye's job is really about unveiling the private lives and private spaces of others, an achievement which comes at the expense of his own private life.
Combining a lucid introduction to an under-explored tradition in movie history with a novel approach to the detective in film, this book casts new light on the private worlds of the private eye.
Reviews / Votes
With his fedora and old overcoat, wisecracks, hard drinking, womanising and dislike of authority the private eye is an instantly recognisable figure in 20th-century cinema. Bran Nicol investigates the history of the private eye in film noir and more recent private eye movies, such as Robert Altmans 1973 masterful movie The Long Goodbye, and argues his role is to unveil private spaces, private lives, hidden selves . . . An insightful survey of an iconic hero of the silver screen. * <i>The Guardian</i> * we also enjoy it because the private eye movie is one of the great entertainment genres of the last century, and it isnt quite dead yet. Nicols book will provide the seasoned noir-ist with more clues to hunt down, or introduce the curious novice to a new film universe. * <i>Prospect magazine</i> * a valuable introduction to a busy corner of film studies * <i>TLS</i> * Nicol takes a left-field approach to the history and cultural life of a familiar figure, examining the tensions between public and private that make the detectives particular brand of masculinity so problematic and so enduring. Full of stills, The Private Eye provides an ideal introduction to the cinematic sleuth, working particularly well as a counterpart to more stylistically focused analyses of film noir and neo-noir. The volume complements and extends other work on gender and sexuality in the crime film, and unearths new ways to think about the simultaneous quests for personal, romantic, and investigative fulfilment that characterise the detective film. * <i>Viewfinder</i> * Nicols work is well-researched and does an excellent job of intersecting various theories. By focusing on the character of the private eye, Nicol gives clarity to this one dimension in the ongoing discussion of film noir. * <i>Literature Film Quarterly</i> * It is fun to read . . . and absorb Nicols thoughtful ideas about films, heroes, and society. . . . Private eyes in the movies are heroes, but Nicol points out that they are seldom seen that way by their on-screen companions. * <i>Columbus Dispatch</i> * With a keen touch for cinematic detail, Bran Nicol focuses on the private in classic Hollywoods conception of the private eye. Not the male heroism usually associated with this stock figure of film noir but rather his partial vision is exposed to our view his subjective engagement in a world that has rendered him homeless. After reading this compelling chronicle our conception of the solitary detective, sacrificing his life for an idiosyncratic sense of moral right, has changed forever * Elisabeth Bronfen, University of Zurich *More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Illustrations
108 illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 198 mm
Width: 120 mm
ISBN-13
978-1-78023-102-0 (9781780231020)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
07/2013
Reaktion Books
€19.49
Available for download
Person
Bran Nicol is Professor of English Literature at the University of Surrey, and the author of Iris Murdoch: The Retrospective Fiction (1999), Postmodernism and the Contemporary Novel (2002), Stalking (Reaktion, 2006) and The Private Eye: Detectives in the Movies (Reaktion Books, 2013).
Content
Introduction 1 History: The Private Eye Film 2 Seeing: Literature, Film and the World of the Private Eye 3 Working: The Private Eye and the Spaces of Noir 4 Policing: Gender and Desire 'in the Private Eye' Conclusion References Bibliography Acknowledgements Photo Acknowledgements Index