Films noir exploded in the 1940s and '50s with dark visuals, morally conflicted characters, and fatalistic stories shaped by the Depression, WWII, and early Cold War fears. This course is led by career journalist and professor Dennis Foley, a 1973 graduate of Saginaw Valley College. He will provide historical and social context on the films' production and themes, which have influenced movies for decades and resonate today. Oct. 14 - The Asphalt Jungle," the essential "caper" film that influenced all that followed Oct. 21 - "Kiss Me Deadly," Mickey Spillane's brutal detective Mike Hammer pursues "the great whatzit" in a paranoid, Cold War noir Oct. 28 - "Touch of Evil," a tale of corruption, violence and obsession in a border town, starring Orson Welles and Charlton Heston Nov. 4 - "B" picture gem, "Gun Crazy," in which a young man and woman obsessed with guns join to rob banks in a precursor to "Bonnie and Clyde"

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