This is a delayed response to James Prather's inquiry about Frank Krutnik's
book on masculinity and film noir.  I've not had occasion to use that book yet,
though I like and have used his co-authored book (with Steve Neale) on film
and tv comedy.  A book that I find essential in teaching film noir (and my
course on feminism and film) is the 1978 BFI anthology edited by E. Ann Kaplan,
 _Women in Film Noir_.  Richard Dyer's essay on _Gilda_ in that does touch on
some issues of masculinity in film noir.   You might also want to check the
"course files" that the Journal of Film and Video used to publish.  I know that
 there was one on film noir in the early 1980s.  While it wouldn't have the
 latest literature on the subject, it might give a good bibliography of key
 essays, other than those in Kaplan, or other perspectives.
 
 Ramona Curry   [log in to unmask]
 University of Illinois