Dark City Dames: The Women Who Defined Film Noir

Co-director of South West Silents and Film Noir UK James Harrison returns to the streets of Eddie Muller's newly revised edition Dark City Dames: The Women Who Defined Film Noir.

In the early stages of preparing for his David Lean biography, author and film historian Kevin Brownlow had a unique and very important chat with David Lean. Lean had one major condition when it came to the future book about him:

“Now” [Lean] said [to Brownlow], “I believe that a film book should contain plenty of illustrations… that’s all. Just bloody good pictures!”

And when you open Eddie Muller’s most recent (a revised and expanded edition to his 2001 book Dark City Dames: The Wicked Women of Film Noir) Dark City Dames: The Women Who Defined Film Noir, you may notice there are “plenty of illustrations”. In fact, a fantastic amount of “bloody good pictures!" can be found within.

Jane Greer (Everett Collection)

But is this really surprising? After all, recent publications by Eddie Muller, Dark City and Eddie Muller’s Noir Bar have both been beautifully illustrated, so much in fact that you’d be pondering; whether you should either be reading these books, or just looking at them. Happy to say, this is the same case with the new 'Dark City Dames'.

The book is structured around three parts. The first two parts highlights the work of known film noir stars including Jane Greer, Audrey Totter and Marie Windsor. Muller tells their noir related Hollywood stories initially in Part One and then expands on their later life's and careers in Part Two. The Third Part, entitled 'Eternal Flames', gives us a faster run through ten extra 'Dark City Dames' who have only recently become more celebrated (mainly thanks to Muller's own work and his Film Noir Foundation).

All of these sections are helped by some stunning images featuring all of these wonderful 'Dark City Dames'. These beautiful illustrations (whether poster artwork or press photographs) were sourced from Eddie Muller's own personal collection, the Film Noir Foundation’s picture library as well as some of the usual suspects such as Photofest, Getty and the Everett Collection.

You can only imagine the amount of time and effort that was set aside to make this book look so good. The bottom line; the use of illustrations throughout 'Dark City Dames' is a masterclass on how film books really should look.

Marie Windsor

And to go with the images is the author’s great and very approachable guide through the world of 1940s and 1950s Hollywood. Muller’s filmic world is very much darkness. But there is humour here as well, and the writing is as hard-hitting and fast talking as anything out of a hardboiled novel:

“I hated my performance” Marie [Windsor] confesses. She had little cause for concern: few people saw it”

The writing gives over the impression that Muller has the knowledge to type away without needing to stop and double check anything to be honest (which I'm sure he does he does double check anyway). It is a free flowing monologue which gives every bit of insight needed to showcase the stars within each chapter. It is a clear example of how knowledge and passion for ones subject can most certainly not only inform and educate, but also entertain all at the same time.

Audrey Totter (Everett Collection)

But Muller’s journey isn’t just about these ‘Dark City Dames’; the stars’ stories are impeccably intertwined with the history of some of the key Hollywood studios and the power men who ran them. Names such as Louis B Mayer, Howards Hughes, Harry Cohen and Cecil B DeMille make regular appearances throughout and Muller gives a no holds barred impression of how these men pushed their ‘Queens of Noir’ around the studio system chessboard.

Key insights on how the studio system worked their women stars is also highlighted on a number of occasions from grinding Ann Savage through the ‘cheesecake’ process to military tours either in the United States or oversees.

But another key aspect of the book is very much about the films that made us fall in love with these stars in the first place. And here lies the problem. Like any other great film book, you want to just stop; put the book down and start watching the film you have just read about.

This might be easy when it comes to a film book like Bryony Dixon’s The Story of Victorian Film (another fantastic and beautifully illustrated book) but the films mentioned could well be 10 – 60 seconds long in Dixon's book (and many easily available across the internet). But the films that Muller highlights could well be from 60 – 90mins. It is a major inner conflict (for me anyway). But, hey, that’s what all great film books should be able to do.

Peggy Castle (Everett Collection)

If there is a criticism, and its very hard to find any to be honest; there should be a list of all of the films mentioned for each ‘Dark City Dame’ in the book. But this is not what this is all about. You have to earn what you about to learn; and believe me… you will learn a lot in these pages.

There is plenty here not only for the film noir fan, but the film fan in general. Highly recommend to the hilt!

Thanks to the Hachette UK team we have a brand new copy of Dark City Dames: The Women Who Defined Film Noir up for grabs as well as a Film Noir Fest tote bag. All you need to do is send us your answer to the question below via our contact page by mid-night on Sunday 25th May to be in with a chance. Good Luck!

Question: Which Stanley Kubrick film noir did Marie Windsor star in?