Film and Talk with Scott Stelle, d.a.i. Tübingen. Join us for a monthly multimedia exploration of popular literature and film. Most film noir masterpieces are translations of hard-boiled thrillers. The works from this genre, aside from gritty realism, contain a political subtext that exposes the dark underbelly of American society. One quickly gathers from reading investigative journalism that law, commerce, and politics undeniably deal with intrigue and lies, while thrillers – though technically a fiction – dramatically depict these worldly struggles in a more straightforward, true-to-life or humorous manner.
Ernest Hemingway, The Killers (1927: film, 1946): Two professional killers are in town to kill “the Swede”. And even though he knows they’re coming, the victim doesn’t flee. Insurance investigator Reardon comes to town to make sense of it all and discovers a complex and treacherous story behind
the crime.
George Higgins, Cogan‘s Trade (1974: film: Killing Them Softly, 2012): Johnny „Squirrel“ Amato is feeling smart for pushing a former business associate and an Australian ex-pat heroin addict to rob a poker game protected by the Mob. Soon enough, he has a hitman on his heels – hired to restore the
order of the local underworld economy.
Elmore Leonard, Freaky Deaky (1988: film, 2012): America in the 1970s: A young woman accuses an eccentric millionaire of rape, a bomb squad Sergeant is being transferred to vice, and a group of hippies is using their bomb-making skills to scare the millionaire. Chaos ensues as events unfold…
John Pearson, All The Money in the World (1995: film, 2017): 16-year-old John, grandson of the world’s richest oil tycoon, gets kidnapped. His grandpa sees no reason to pay $17 million, though, leaving his mum with limited options and his grandson in the hands of impatient kidnappers.
• In English
• Location: d.a.i. hall
• Admission: free
• Further dates: Fr. 8.5., Fr. 12.6., Fr. 3.7.
