I agree with Jeff's suggestion of R. Barton Palmer's book; it's both accessible and inexpensive.  That, and E. Ann Kaplan's Women in Film Noir would make a great pair of books for an undergrad class.

I hope you'll also take a look at my book, Dangerous Dames: Woman and Representation in the Weimar Street Film and Film Noir.  I talk specifically about the Maltese Falcon, Gun Crazy, The Big Heat, The Last Seduction, and Devil in a Blue Dress, and generally about issues of gender and spectatorship.  Maybe a chapter or two will work for you...







Jans B. Wager, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of English and Literature
Utah Valley State College
800 W. University Parkway
Orem, UT  84058-5999
(801) 222-8340
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