WHILE THE CITY SLEEPS

“There are eight million stories in The Naked City” — this one screens tonight at 6 at the Kansas City, Kansas, Public Library (625 Minnesota Avenue, 913-551-3280). Equal parts police procedural and melodrama with shades of documentary, director Jules Dassin’s 1948 film counts the Law & Order and CSI franchises among its direct descendants but performs most ably as a postcard of New York City in all its postwar brilliance and bustle. The real star here may be William H. Daniels, who won an Academy Award for his spellbinding black-and-white cinematography. The Naked City launches the library’s “City in Darkness: A Film Noir Series,” which includes Robert Wise’s heist drama, Odds Against Tomorrow (January 14); the Cold War intrigue of Samuel Fuller’s Pickup on South Street (January 21); and Billy Wilder’s classic Hollywood noir, Sunset Boulevard (January 28). Admission to all screenings is free. See kckpl.lib.ks.us/Calendar.htm for more information.

Thu., Jan. 7, 6 p.m., 2010