Film noir, which flourished in the 1940s and 50s, reflected the struggles and sentiments of post-war America. This book contends that the genre, with its emphasis on dark subject matter, paralleled the class conflict in labor and union movements that dominated the period. By following the evolution of film noir during the years following World War II, the author illustrates how the noir figure represents labor as a whole. In the 1940s, both radicalized union members and protagonists of noir films were hunted and pursued by the law. Later, as labor unions achieved broad acceptance and respectab ... More

Film noir, which flourished in the 1940s and 50s, reflected the struggles and sentiments of post-war America. This book contends that the genre, with its emphasis on dark subject matter, paralleled the class conflict in labor and union movements that dominated the period. By following the evolution of film noir during the years following World War II, the author illustrates how the noir figure represents labor as a whole. In the 1940s, both radicalized union members and protagonists of noir films were hunted and pursued by the law. Later, as labor unions achieved broad acceptance and respectability, the central noir figure shifted from fugitive criminal to law-abiding cop. Expanding his investigation into the Cold War and post 9/11 America, the author extends his analysis of the ways film noir is intimately connected to labor history.