The Art of Noir

Film noir is about style, even more than it is about crime. The poster art from the noir era has a bold look and an iconography all its own, a sizzling marriage of sex and violence, the sinuous figures of femme fatales appearing alongside the granite features of the era's tough guy stars. During noir's golden age, poverty-row studios commissioned these arresting illustrations for even the lowliest |B| thriller. The more than 250 dazzling posters, lobby cards, and other promotional material range from familiar classics to rare archive films.