Cynical detectives, femme fatales, and a shadowy visual style with themes of crime, corruption, and moral ambiguity: This movie discussion series will focus on film noir.

Join us to discuss a range of iconic films including The Maltese Falcon, The Big Heat, and In a Lonely Place, as well as the filmmakers and novelists who influenced the genre. Together we'll explore everything from film direction and production design to acting and dialogue to noir's distinctive high-contrast visual style. 

In anticipation of the Skirball's spring exhibition Blacklist: The Hollywood Red Scare, learn how noir also served as a refuge for blacklisted writers, actors, and directors— including Dalton Trumbo, Edward G. Robinson, and Jules Dassin—and reflected the danger and unease of the Hollywood Red Scare. 

Facilitator: Theodore Rand has led previous film discussion groups at the Skirball on the films of Billy Wilder, the Coen Brothers, and Wes Anderson, among others. He is a graduate of New York University and has held technology innovation positions at Miramax, Yahoo! Media Group, Fox Networks, and the Walt Disney Company.