Neo Noir! Rebels, Revolutionaries, and the Rewriting of the Nation
Neo-noir cinema delves into moral ambiguity, alienation, and urban decay — key anxieties of post-1960s America. Influenced by global cinematic movements, political upheaval, and social change, films from this era broke with classical Hollywood conventions to reflect a nation in crisis and transition. From the sun-drenched, lawless landscapes of “Badlands” to the neon-lit streets of “Taxi Driver,” the subterranean pathology of “Night of the Juggler” to the gritty, urban cool of “Shaft,” the films in this series explore the dark undercurrents of a nation grappling with political corruption, fractured trust in authority, and the collapse of the American Dream.
“Shaft” (1971) with Special Guest Josiah Howard 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 16
Richard Roundtree stars as John Shaft, a bad mother-shut-your-mouth in director Gordon Park’s stone-cold classic. A private detective working in downtown NYC, Shaft gets sought out by a Harlem-based mobster whose daughter may have been kidnapped. Shaft takes the case and quickly finds himself in the middle of a mob war. Josiah Howard, author of Blaxploitation Cinema, will introduce the screening and answer questions afterward. Jenelle Troxell (Associate Professor of English/Co-Director of Film Studies; Union College) will moderate this Q&A. Rated R. 100 minutes (plus Q&A).
“Badlands” (1973) 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 25
Martin Sheen, Sissy Spacek and Warren Oates! Need we say more? An impressionable teenage girl from a dead-end town, and her older greaser boyfriend, embark on a South Dakota killing spree in this neo-noir classic by director Terrence Malick (Days of Heaven). Nicole de Silva (Assistant Professor of History; SUNY Oneonta) will introduce the screening and answer questions afterward. Jenelle Troxell (Associate Professor of English/Co-Director of Film Studies; Union College) will moderate the Q&A. Rated PG. 94 minutes.
“Night Of The Juggler” 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 28
“Big fan of this film… Lots of old school, sleazy NYC on display. And a crazy cop with a grudge, Dan Hedaya, chasing ex-cop on-the-run, James Brolin, through Midtown Manhattan streets while recklessly firing his shotgun with hundreds of civilians running around is what movies are all about.” – Academy Award-winning filmmaker Sean Baker.
Long unavailable, yet now rediscovered and restored, James Brolin stars as the tough ex-cop who relentlessly searches for his kidnapped teenage daughter, a young woman that a dangerous psychotic has mistaken for the child of a smugly entitled real estate developer. Dan Hedaya, playing a furious cop with a nasty grudge, is out to stop Brolin. Mandy Patinkin also appears in the film. Rated R. 101 minutes.
“Taxi Driver” (1976) 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 4
“On every street in every city, there’s a nobody who dreams of being a somebody.”
A mentally unstable veteran works as a nighttime taxi driver in New York City, where the perceived decadence and sleaze fuels his urge for violent action. This classic from director Martin Scorsese stars Robert De Niro, Jodie Foster, Cybill Shepherd, Harvey Keitel, Peter Boyle, and Albert Brooks. Rated R. 114 minutes.
