Cornell Woolrich from Pulp Noir to Film Noir

By Thomas C. Renzi

Extremely popular and prolific in the 1930s and 1940s, Cornell Woolrich still has diehard fans who thrive on his densely packed descriptions and his spellbinding premises. A contemporary of Hammett and Chandler, he competed with them for notoriety in the pulps and became the single most adapted writer for films of the noir period. Perhaps the most famous film adaptation of a Woolrich story is Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window (1954). Even today, his work is still onscreen; Michael Cristofer's Original Sin (2001) is based on one of his tales.

This book offers a detailed analysis of many of Woolrich's novels and short stories; examines films adapted from these works; and shows how Woolrich's techniques and themes influenced the noir genre. Twenty-two stories and 30 films compose the bulk of the study, though many other additions of films noirs are also considered because of their relevance to Woolrich's plots, themes and characters. The introduction includes a biographical sketch of Woolrich and his relationship to the noir era, and the book is illustrated with stills from Woolrich's noir classics.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 078642351X
• ISBN13: 9780786423514
• Release Date: January 2006
• Publisher: McFarland & Company
• Length: 368 Pages
• Weight: 1.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.3" x 9.0"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

A "must-read" for anyone interested in the evolution of the film noir concept in pulp and film

Cornell Woolrich From Pulp Noir To Film Noir is an in-depth examination of pulp writer Cornell Woolrich, who wildly popular in the 1930s and 1940s and the single most adapted writer for films of the noir period. Featuring a detailed analysis of twenty-two of Woolrich's novels and short stories, as well as thirty films adapted from these stories, a discussion of how Woolrich's style and themes influenced the noir genre, as well as a biographical sketch of Woolrich and a handful of black-and-white stills from Woolrich's noir classics, Cornell Woolrich From Pulp Noir is a "must-read" for anyone interested in the evolution of the film noir concept in pulp and film. An excellent presented, meticulously researched, and highly readable scrutiny of the enormous impact one man had on a writing and film genre, Cornell Woolrich From Pulp Noir is a recommended addition to academic Cinema History and Literary studies collections.