Loading...

Course Description

This course shall explore the development of crime jazz through the study of (paintings, illustrations, and photographs), time arts (films and radio plays), sonic arts (film scores and jazz music), and narrative forms (short stories and novels), as well as the social, economic, technical, and aesthetic upheavals that informed this uniquely American style. Discussion of the existentialist attitude of these works, spawned by the isolation and alienation of post-war America, shall include examples of the groundbreaking way in which violence, crime, gender roles, race, and sexuality are depicted in this style.  Students shall compare and contrast novels and short stories with their realizations as classic noir films.  

The sinister visual, narrative, and sonic landscape of mid-20th century America.

 

Course Outline

The combination of streamlined jazz with crime shows is where the jazz and film noir connection became firmly rooted in the popular consciousness.  Despite being small screen productions, these programs, with their assortment of hard-boiled detectives and private investigators, were direct descendants of film noir.  The use of jazz in these shows was, as with their big screen counterparts, often to underscore violence, sexual desire, and the notion of the “outsider.” Therefore, they were able to become entrenched in their audience’s memories in a way that would not have been possible for comparatively seldom-seen films of the classic noir period that featured jazz, such as Phantom Lady (1944), The Big Combo (1955), or I Want To Live! (1958).

 

Notes

Ages 18+

 

Loading...
Thank you for your interest in this course. While we currently do not have a section open for enrollment, we invite you to join us the next time the class is offered. To ensure you don’t miss out, please complete a Course Inquiry and we’ll be sure to notify you as soon as the next enrollment opens.
Thank you for your interest.