Film Noir Series Explores the Dark Side of Film Making

IRVINE, Calif. – February 29, 2000 – Join fellow film lovers on a fascinating journey into America's dark underbelly to look at the historical, political, sociological and psychological aspects of film noir, in this new "Film Noir Series," presented by UC Irvine Extension in association with the Orange County Museum of Art. This four-week film series studies a unique American film genre by viewing classic films on the large screen and discussing them in detail with instructor Arthur Taussing, Ph.D., adjunct film curator for the OC Museum of Art, author, and film lecturer, who provides the intriguing commentary on the films.

The series will be held on Mondays, March 13 to April 10 (no class March 27), from 7-9:30pm at the Orange County Museum of Art, 850 San Clemente Dr, Newport Beach. Cost is $60 general; $50 for OCMA members and senior citizens; $18/ 15 individual sessions. For more information or to enroll, please call UC Irvine Extension at (949) 824-5414 or see www.unex.uci.edu.

Films to be screened and discussed include:

• I Wake Up Screaming, stars Betty Grable, Victor Mature, and Carole Landis (1941)
• Double Indemnity, combines author James M. Cain, writer Raymond Chandler and director Billy Wilder, and stars Fred MacMurray, Barbara Stanwyck, and Edward G. Robinson (1944)
• Pick Up on South Street, Sam Fuller's masterpiece starring Richard Widmark, Thelma Ritter and Jean Peters (1953)
• L.A. Confidential, stars Kevin Spacey, Kim Basinger and Danny DeVito (1997)

Declared by French film critics in the '60s and '70s to be a "true reflection" of the dark, violent side of the American psyche, film noir today is recognized as one of the most important influences on contemporary Hollywood filmmaking.