This article provides a critical analysis of three films by filmmaker Brian De Palma: Dressed to Kill (1980), The Black Dahlia (2006), and Passion (2012). De Palma uses both the thematic tropes of film noir (psychosis, sexual deviance, doubling, etc.) and its stylistic conventions (chiaroscuro lighting, urban environments, etc.) to capitalize on the LGBTQ+ community, using them to create a spectacle of difference for his viewing audience. De Palma panders primarily to heterosexual spectators by using LGBTQ+ women to entertain/titillate audiences via the conventions of noir, thereby suggesting that these women are intrinsically tied to mental illness as a result of their sexual deviance. The analysis of Dressed to Kill will focus on issues of transgender representation, whereas the analyses of The Black Dahlia and Passion will address the representation of lesbianism/bisexuality.
Book review: Myers, Garth. 2016: Urban Environments in Africa: A Critical Analysis of Environmental Politics
