Students! Free Film Noir Class Online

Every Friday in June, 2015, the Turner Classic Movies channel turns their Friday Night Spotlight on the world of film noir with “Summer of Darkness” – a series of noir movies hosted by Eddie Muller, who presents the “Noir City” film festivals in various U.S. cities, such as Los Angeles, Seattle, Chicago, and Washington D.C.

This year, in conjunction with TCM’s “Summer of Darkness”, Ball State University presents a free, flexible on-line course on the film noir genre through the Canvas Network.

The online class will begin on Monday, June 1, and run for nine weeks until Tuesday, August 4, 2015. Enrollment is open until Sunday, July 19, 2015.

The class will be taught by film noir expert Richard Edwards and includes a special video series “The Case of Film Noir”, podcasts, and other materials, as well as opportunities for social sharing. On Tuesday, August 4, the course will conclude with a live video conference with Richard Edwards and Eddie Muller. Class participants who complete all assignments will receive a customized certificate of completion.

The intent of the course is to deepen viewers’ “understanding of the film nor phenomenon – from the earliest noir precursors to recent experiments in neo-noir”, as well as to post their opinions online and test their knowledge of film with an international community of film noir fans.

A description of the class, including “Course Outcomes” and “Frequently Asked Questions”, is available on the Canvas Network website.

To enroll in the free class, click on the blue “Enroll” button, located on the webpage “TCM Presents Into the Darkness: Investigating Film Noir”.

Peter Lorre fans attending the annual “Noir City” film festivals are frequently treated to screenings of Three Strangers (1945), The Chase (1946), Black Angel (1947), among other Lorre films.

Peter’s Stranger on the Third Floor (1940) is considered the first true film noir.

TCM’s “Summer of Darkness” festival will kick off on Friday, June 5, with a showing of M (1931) at 6 am, Eastern Standard Time, and will continue with Stranger on the Third Floor (1940) at 11:30 am and The Maltese Falcon (1941) at 2:30 pm.

On Friday, June 26, Peter’s 111th birthday, “Summer of Darkness” continues with The Mask of Dimitrios (1944) at 8 pm.

Although no textbook has been selected for the class, an excellent choice would be The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre, for which author Stephen D. Youngkin interviewed many of the actors and directors who worked with Peter – Fritz Lang, John Huston, Jean Negulesco, Margaret Tallichet, Geraldine Fitzgerald, and Robert Cummings, among others.

The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre is available for the Kindle and Nook, as well as hard-back and soft-bound editions.

See you in class!