Alain Silver
Encyclopedia
Alain Silver is a US film producer
, film director
, and screenwriter
; music producer; film critic, film historian, DVD commentator, author and editor of books and essays on film topics, especially film noir
and horror films.
with degrees in film production (B.A.) and critical studies (M.A. and Ph.D.).
, and The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training
and on television series such as Police Woman
, Angie
, Mork and Mindy
and Laverne and Shirley. In 1981, Silver began working as a production manager and producer. Since 1984, Silver has been executive or supervising producer on a number of movies such as The Ratings Game
, The Quickie, 10th & Wolf
and The 7. Silver has also produced eleven independent features, including Night Visitor
, Cyborg 2
and Beat
, as well documentaries, music videos, and segments for the TV reality series America's Most Wanted
and I, Survived.
Silver has given lectures on production and appeared on and moderated panels for the Directors Guild of America
and various other venues such as the Slamdance Film Festival
and Cinequest Film Festival
.
or Elizabeth Ward, including The Noir Style; L.A. Noir; Film Noir Readers 1, 2, 3 and 4; Gangster Film Reader; Raymond Chandler's Los Angeles; The Samurai Film; Horror Film Reader; Film Noir: An Encyclopedic Reference to the American Style; David Lean and his Films; What Ever Happened to Robert Aldrich; More Things than Are Dreamt Of; The Vampire Film; Roger Corman: Metaphysics on a Shoestring; Steve McQueen, Frank Sinatra, and Katharine Hepburn for the Taschen Icon series; The Film Director's Team; and Film Budgeting. Silver also reviews films and has written numerous articles on Raymond Chandler
, samurai cinema
, film noir
, vampire films
, and other topics on film history and production. He has provided audio and video commentary on DVD versions of over a score of classic period film noir and gangster films as part of the "extra" features often included with DVD releases of movies such as Call Northside 777
, The Dark Corner
, Double Indemnity, Panic in the Streets, The Street with No Name
and Thieves' Highway
. He has done film noir visual presentations on the long take for Hillsdale College and "A Noir Tour of L.A." at the Los Angeles Film Festival.
He has also produced a number of soundtrack albums for Citadel Records
and Bay Cities Music. He is a member of the Directors Guild of America, the Screen Actors Guild
, and the Writers Guild of America, West
.
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
, film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
, and screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
; music producer; film critic, film historian, DVD commentator, author and editor of books and essays on film topics, especially film noir
Film noir
Film noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. Hollywood's classic film noir period is generally regarded as extending from the early 1940s to the late 1950s...
and horror films.
Education
Silver graduated from UCLAUniversity of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
with degrees in film production (B.A.) and critical studies (M.A. and Ph.D.).
Film Production
Silver entered the film industry through the Assistant Directors Training Program and was a trainee, second assistant and first assistant director on movies such as Every Which Way But Loose, The ManitouThe Manitou
The Manitou is an American horror movie from 1978 with Tony Curtis and Susan Strasberg, based on a 1975 book by Graham Masterton. The movie is based on an old legend about the Native American spirit-concept Manitou.-Plot:...
, and The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training
The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training
The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training is the 1977 sequel to the feature film The Bad News Bears.This film picks up the Bears' career a year after their infamous second-place finish in the North Valley League. However, after winning this year, they are left reeling by the departure of Buttermaker...
and on television series such as Police Woman
Police Woman (TV series)
Police Woman is an American television police drama starring Angie Dickinson that ran on NBC for four seasons, from September 13, 1974, to March 29, 1978.-Synopsis:...
, Angie
Angie (TV series)
Angie is an American television sitcom that was originally broadcast by the ABC network from February 1979 until October 1980.-Premise:Philadelphia coffee shop waitress Angie Falco starts a romance with customer Bradley Benson...
, Mork and Mindy
Mork and Mindy
Mork & Mindy is an American science fiction sitcom broadcast from 1978 until 1982 on ABC. The series starred Robin Williams as Mork, an alien who comes to Earth from the planet Ork in a small, one-man egg-shaped spaceship. Pam Dawber co-starred as Mindy McConnell, his human friend and roommate...
and Laverne and Shirley. In 1981, Silver began working as a production manager and producer. Since 1984, Silver has been executive or supervising producer on a number of movies such as The Ratings Game
The Ratings Game
The Ratings Game, is a 1984 cable TV-movie directed by Danny DeVito and produced by David Jablin.-Plot:Vic DeSalvo is a successful New Jersey trucking magnate with a desire to make it big as a Hollywood producer - but he has no talent...
, The Quickie, 10th & Wolf
10th & Wolf
10th & Wolf is a 2006 film about the Mafia directed by Robert Moresco. It is based on a true story of a mob war in South Philadelphia. The film stars James Marsden, Giovanni Ribisi and Brad Renfro and features appearances by Dennis Hopper, Val Kilmer, Piper Perabo, Lesley Ann Warren, Tommy Lee,...
and The 7. Silver has also produced eleven independent features, including Night Visitor
Night Visitor
Night Visitor is a horror film directed by Rupert Hitzig and starring Richard Roundtree, Elliott Gould, Allen Garfield, and Derek Rydall.-Synopsis:...
, Cyborg 2
Cyborg 2
Cyborg 2, released in some countries as Glass Shadow, is a 1993 science fiction action film directed by Michael Schroeder. It is an unrelated sequel to the 1989 film Cyborg, although footage from the original is used in a dream sequence...
and Beat
Beat (2000 film)
Beat is 2000 American drama film written and directed by Gary Walkow, concerning the period of writer William S. Burroughs's life that he spent with his wife, the late Joan Vollmer, leading up to her accidental murder in 1951....
, as well documentaries, music videos, and segments for the TV reality series America's Most Wanted
America's Most Wanted
America's Most Wanted is an American television program produced by 20th Television, and was the longest-running program of any kind in the history of the Fox Television Network until it was announced on May 16, 2011 that the series was canceled after twenty-three years, with the final episode...
and I, Survived.
Silver has given lectures on production and appeared on and moderated panels for the Directors Guild of America
Directors Guild of America
Directors Guild of America is an entertainment labor union which represents the interests of film and television directors in the United States motion picture industry...
and various other venues such as the Slamdance Film Festival
Slamdance Film Festival
As a year-round organization, Slamdance serves as a showcase for the discovery of new and emerging talent in the film industry; it is also the only major film festival fully programmed by filmmakers. Slamdance counts among its alumni many notable writers and directors who first gained notice at the...
and Cinequest Film Festival
Cinequest Film Festival
The Cinequest Film Festival is an annual independent film festival held in San Jose, California. The festival highlights the work of new film makers....
.
Writing
Silver has written and edited twenty books, mostly with James UrsiniJames Ursini
James Ursini is a teacher and writer living in Los Angeles. He received his Master's Degree in Theater Arts and a Doctorate in Film in 1975 from UCLA...
or Elizabeth Ward, including The Noir Style; L.A. Noir; Film Noir Readers 1, 2, 3 and 4; Gangster Film Reader; Raymond Chandler's Los Angeles; The Samurai Film; Horror Film Reader; Film Noir: An Encyclopedic Reference to the American Style; David Lean and his Films; What Ever Happened to Robert Aldrich; More Things than Are Dreamt Of; The Vampire Film; Roger Corman: Metaphysics on a Shoestring; Steve McQueen, Frank Sinatra, and Katharine Hepburn for the Taschen Icon series; The Film Director's Team; and Film Budgeting. Silver also reviews films and has written numerous articles on Raymond Chandler
Raymond Chandler
Raymond Thornton Chandler was an American novelist and screenwriter.In 1932, at age forty-five, Raymond Chandler decided to become a detective fiction writer after losing his job as an oil company executive during the Depression. His first short story, "Blackmailers Don't Shoot", was published in...
, samurai cinema
Samurai cinema
While earlier samurai period pieces were more dramatic rather than action-based, samurai movies post World War II have become more action-based, with darker and more violent characters. Post-war samurai epics tended to portray psychologically or physically scarred warriors. Akira Kurosawa stylized...
, film noir
Film noir
Film noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. Hollywood's classic film noir period is generally regarded as extending from the early 1940s to the late 1950s...
, vampire films
Vampire films
Vampire films have been a staple since the silent days, so much so that the depiction of vampires in popular culture is strongly based upon their depiction in films throughout the years. The most popular cinematic adaptation of vampire fiction has been from Bram Stoker's Dracula, with over 170...
, and other topics on film history and production. He has provided audio and video commentary on DVD versions of over a score of classic period film noir and gangster films as part of the "extra" features often included with DVD releases of movies such as Call Northside 777
Call Northside 777
Call Northside 777 is a documentary-style film noir directed by Henry Hathaway. It is based on the true story of a Chicago reporter who proved that a man, who had been in prison for murder, was wrongly convicted 11 years before....
, The Dark Corner
The Dark Corner
The Dark Corner is a 1946 film noir directed by Henry Hathaway and starring Lucille Ball, Mark Stevens and Clifton Webb. The film is an example of a classic film noir and features a rare dramatic role for Ball.-Plot:...
, Double Indemnity, Panic in the Streets, The Street with No Name
The Street with No Name
The Street with No Name is a black-and-white film noir. The movie, a follow up to The House on 92nd Street , tells the story of an undercover FBI agent, Gene Cordell , who infiltrates a deadly crime gang. Cordell's superior, FBI Inspector George A. Briggs also appears in The House on 92nd Street...
and Thieves' Highway
Thieves' Highway
Thieves' Highway is a 1949 film noir directed by Jules Dassin. The screenplay was written by A. I. Bezzerides, based on his novel Thieves' Market.-Plot:...
. He has done film noir visual presentations on the long take for Hillsdale College and "A Noir Tour of L.A." at the Los Angeles Film Festival.
He has also produced a number of soundtrack albums for Citadel Records
Citadel Records
Citadel Records are an independent record label from Sydney, Australia. They were created in the early 80s by John Needham. Bands that released through Citadel include Died Pretty, Deniz Tek, Kim Salmon and the Surrealists, The Trilobites, Johnny Thunders & Patti Palladin, Harem Scarem, New...
and Bay Cities Music. He is a member of the Directors Guild of America, the Screen Actors Guild
Screen Actors Guild
The Screen Actors Guild is an American labor union representing over 200,000 film and television principal performers and background performers worldwide...
, and the Writers Guild of America, West
Writers Guild of America, west
Writers Guild of America, West is a labor union representing film, television, radio, and new media writers. The Guild was formed in 1954 from five organizations representing writers, which include the Screen Writers Guild...
.
List of Audio Commentaries
- BoomerangBoomerang (1947 film)Boomerang! is a 1947 film based on the true story of a vagrant who was accused of murder, only to be found innocent through the efforts of the prosecutor...
, with film historian James Ursini - Brute ForceBrute Force (1947 film)Brute Force is a brooding, brutal film noir, starring Burt Lancaster, Hume Cronyn and Charles Bickford. It was directed by Jules Dassin, with a screenplay by Richard Brooks and the cinematography by William H. Daniels....
, with James Ursini - Call Northside 777Call Northside 777Call Northside 777 is a documentary-style film noir directed by Henry Hathaway. It is based on the true story of a Chicago reporter who proved that a man, who had been in prison for murder, was wrongly convicted 11 years before....
, with James Ursini - CrossfireCrossfire (film)-External links:* review at DVD Savant by Glenn Erickson* film trailer at YouTube...
, with James Ursini, plus audio interview excerpts of director Edward DmytrykEdward DmytrykEdward Dmytryk was an American film director who was amongst the Hollywood Ten, a group of blacklisted film industry professionals who served time in prison for being in contempt of Congress during the McCarthy-era 'red scare'.-Early life:Dmytryk was born in Grand Forks, British Columbia, Canada,... - The Dark CornerThe Dark CornerThe Dark Corner is a 1946 film noir directed by Henry Hathaway and starring Lucille Ball, Mark Stevens and Clifton Webb. The film is an example of a classic film noir and features a rare dramatic role for Ball.-Plot:...
, with James Ursini - Hobson's Choice, with James Ursini
- House of BambooHouse of BambooHouse of Bamboo is an American color film noir shot in CinemaScope format. The film was directed by Samuel Fuller.The film is a loose remake of The Street with No Name , by the same screenwriter and cinematographer as in the original.-Plot:In 1954, a military train guarded by American soldiers...
, with James Ursini - Invisible StripesInvisible StripesInvisible Stripes is a 1939 Warner Bros. crime film about a gangster unable to go straight after returning home from prison. The movie was directed by Lloyd Bacon and also features William Holden and Humphrey Bogart. The screenplay by Warren Duff was based on the novel of the same name by Warden...
, with James Ursini - Kiss Me DeadlyKiss Me DeadlyKiss Me Deadly is a 1955 film noir drama produced and directed by Robert Aldrich starring Ralph Meeker. The screenplay was written by A.I. Bezzerides, based on the Mickey Spillane Mike Hammer mystery novel Kiss Me, Deadly. Kiss Me Deadly is often considered a classic of the noir genre. The film...
, with James Ursini - Kiss of DeathKiss of Death (1947 film)Kiss of Death is a 1947 film noir movie directed by Henry Hathaway and written by Ben Hecht and Charles Lederer from a story by Eleazar Lipsky. The story revolves around the film's protagonist, a former robber, and the antagonist, the ruthless, violent Tommy Udo...
, with James Ursini - Lady in the LakeLady in the LakeLady in the Lake is a 1947 American film noir that marked the directorial debut of Robert Montgomery, who also stars in the film. The picture also features Audrey Totter, Lloyd Nolan, Tom Tully, Leon Ames and Jayne Meadows...
, with James Ursini - The LodgerThe Lodger (1944 film)The Lodger is a 1944 horror film about Jack the Ripper, based on the novel of the same name by Marie Belloc Lowndes. It stars Merle Oberon, George Sanders and Laird Cregar, features Sir Cedric Hardwicke and was directed by John Brahm from a screenplay by Barré Lyndon.Lowndes' story had previously...
, with James Ursini - Murder, My SweetMurder, My SweetMurder, My Sweet is a 1944 American film noir directed by Edward Dmytryk, and starring Dick Powell, Claire Trevor, and Anne Shirley. The film was released in the United Kingdom under the title Farewell, My Lovely, which is the title of the 1940 Raymond Chandler novel it is based on, and also the...
- Mystery StreetMystery StreetMystery Street is a black-and-white film noir directed by John Sturges with cinematography by famed lensman John Alton. The film stars Ricardo Montalban, Bruce Bennett, and Elsa Lanchester....
, with film historian Elizabeth Ward - Nightmare Alley, with James Ursini
- Panic in the StreetsPanic in the Streets (film)Panic in the Streets is a 1950 film noir directed by Elia Kazan. It was shot exclusively on location in New Orleans, Louisiana and features numerous New Orleans citizens in speaking and non-speaking roles....
, with James Ursini - The River's EdgeThe River's EdgeThe River's Edge is a 1957 adventure, crime, and drama DeLuxe CinemaScope film directed by Allan Dwan. Based on the unpublished short story The Higher Mountain by Harold Jacob Smith.It starred Anthony Quinn, Debra Paget and Ray Milland...
, with James Ursini - Smart Money, with James Ursini
- The Street with No NameThe Street with No NameThe Street with No Name is a black-and-white film noir. The movie, a follow up to The House on 92nd Street , tells the story of an undercover FBI agent, Gene Cordell , who infiltrates a deadly crime gang. Cordell's superior, FBI Inspector George A. Briggs also appears in The House on 92nd Street...
, with James Ursini - TensionTension (film)Tension is a crime thriller film noir directed by John Berry, and written by Allen Rivkin, based on a story written by John D. Klorer. The drama features Richard Basehart, Audrey Totter, Cyd Charisse, and others.-Plot:...
, with Elizabeth Ward and actress Audrey TotterAudrey TotterAudrey Mary Totter is an American actress and former Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract star of Austrian-Slovene and Swedish descent... - Thieves' HighwayThieves' HighwayThieves' Highway is a 1949 film noir directed by Jules Dassin. The screenplay was written by A. I. Bezzerides, based on his novel Thieves' Market.-Plot:...
- Where Danger LivesWhere Danger LivesWhere Danger Lives is a 1950 film noir thriller directed by John Farrow. The film stars Robert Mitchum, Faith Domergue , and Claude Rains. At the time, Domergue was the latest of Howard Hughes' protegees.-Plot:...
, with James Ursini