Conversations with History: Institute of International Studies, UC Berkeley

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This interview is part of the Institute's "Conversations with History" series, and uses Internet technology to share with the public Berkeley's distinction as a global forum for ideas.

Welcome to a Conversation with History. I'm Harry Kreisler of the Institute of International Studies. Our guest today is Nathaniel Rich, who has just been named Associate Editor of the Paris Review. He's the author of San Francisco Noir: The City and Film Noir from 1940 to the Present.

1. Background ... loving film ... literary parents ... interest in political events ... literature major at Yale
2. Being a Film Critic ... generational observations ... conveying the experience of watching ... why film is special ... collaboration ... making a profit
3. Film Noir ... defined style ... content ... tone ... "neo-noir" ... forerunners in European cinema ... sub-genres ... the underworld surfaces in the '70s ... neo-noir use of color
4. Location: San Francisco ... beauty provides contrast ... topography ... cosmopolitanism ... fog ... classic period vs. later depiction of the city
5. Watching the Movies ... finding obscure films ... unintentional hilarity ... women as the source of evil ... dream world ... American cities ... Sutro Baths ... alternative history ... favorites

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