In the dark, every sound is magnified: car tires screeching, the wind whistling, footsteps slapping the pavement.

Suddenly, a shot rings out!

Fortunately, the gunshot occurs on a movie screen, located outdoors in a Bangor park.

Welcome to “Noir Beneath the Stars,” the latest series to be mounted by the River City Cinema Society. The group will be offering free showings of six classic noir films at sundown Fridays, starting July 9, in downtown Bangor’s Pickering Square.

The lineup, gleaned from a list of about 50 possibilities, is “The Big Sleep” July 9, “The Thin Man” July 16, “Mildred Pierce” July 23, “The Third Man” July 30, “Strangers on a Train” Aug. 6 and “The Asphalt Jungle” Aug. 13.

Film noir, meaning “black film” in French, is a genre coined by French film critics to describe the dark look and themes of many American crime and detective films after World War II.

Why choose film noir for the series?

“What would be more appropriate for a downtown night event?” Kathlyn Tenga-Gonzalez, artistic director for the society, asked.

“They have a broad appeal, and they are also films with other connotations for adults,” added her husband, Jorge Gonzalez. “Also, they look great on the big screen.”

The society will be screening the film on its “Cinema to Go,” which uses a DVD digital projector to show the film on a 15-foot-by-11-foot portable screen. While this may sound like a home theater, Gonzalez explained, “The screen is going where the fountain is, so this is more like a drive-in.”

Instead of cars, however, moviegoers should bring lawn chairs, as there are only a handful of benches at the square. Popcorn, soda and water will be available as concessions, thanks to a grant from Sam’s Club.

It will be the first time the society has used its equipment outdoors, and there will be a test run beforehand to adjust sound and color. Organizers are hoping for good weather, as no rain dates are planned. All films will be shown with subtitles, to compensate for any traffic noise.

The series is being sponsored by a number of businesses and individuals who are taking part in the society’s “Adopt a Bogie” campaign. As such, sponsors receive credit on-screen and on series posters, and also get their own 6-foot-tall cutout of Humphrey Bogart to display (in fact, the cutouts are taller than the 5-foot-8 actor).

Tenga-Gonzalez said that Bogies would be available to adopt throughout the series.

“Noir Beneath the Stars” is the lat

est project of the society, founded in 2002. It has imported art and foreign films in conjunction with Movie City 8 in Bangor, and has used the “Cinema to Go” to show films at the Union Street Brick Church and the Bangor Museum and Center for History, both in Bangor, and the Brewer Middle School. The society has brought a total of about 65 hard-to-find films to the area.

Also coming up Saturday, July 10, the society is hosting a satellite event of the Maine International Film Festival and showing two of the festival’s films at the Bangor Opera House. At 4:30 that afternoon is “Parallel Lines,” an American road trip movie with a twist. At 8 p.m., actor Ed Harris, who is being honored by the festival, will introduce “Walker,” a film directed by Alex Cox (“Repo Man”) which is an indictment of U.S. intervention in the affairs of other countries (a question-and-answer session with Harris will follow).

The society hopes to expand its use of “Cinema to Go” in the near future.

“Its purpose is to have portable cinema, to bring to other communities that don’t have a regular cinema,” Gonzalez said.

“It’s a good idea for fund-raising or a community event,” Tenga-Gonzalez added.

Eventually, the society would like to have its own film center. But its current priority is “Noir Beneath the Stars.”

“It’s going to be a challenge, but we’re always up to a challenge,” Tenga-Gonzalez said. “We have been able to overcome most of the hurdles we’ve faced.”

For more information, call 942-0306 or access www.rivercitycinema.com. Dale McGarrigle can be reached at 990-8028 and dmcgarrigle@bangordailynews.net.

Noir Beneath the Stars

Where: Pickering Square,

downtown Bangor

When: Sundown on six consecutive Fridays, starting July 9

Schedule: July 9, ?The Big Sleep?; July 16, ?The Thin Man?; July 23, ?Mildred Pierce?; July 30, ?The Third Man?; Aug. 6, ?Strangers on a Train?; Aug. 13, ?The Asphalt Jungle.?

Admission: Free

Contact: 942-0306, www.rivercitycinema.com