Film Noir: The Evolution Of Film Noir

Evolution of Film Noir

“Black Film”, is the translation per-se, to the meaning of Film Noir. The specific mood of film has been argued as unable to label and identify with a specific genre, therefore, arguably, it has morphed into it’s own self-proclaimed genre. It is a mood, a style, a point of view, a tone of a film. A genre by definition of Foster Hirsch is, “determined by conventions of narrative structure, characterization, theme, and visual design.” Stimulating enough, Film Noir contains all three characteristics in fullness. Typically associated with criminal activity, antiheroes, and paranoia, it takes on a distinct style of filmmaking, yet still functions within a repetitive narrative and visual structures. Classic noir film settled

The fallout of this Republic was said to be because the people of France were, “a profoundly divided people living in a terribly dangerous universe” (Glenn 34). Historians have noted that although there were several contributing factors that lead to the weakening and ultimate demise of the Republic, the Algerian Conflict was the straw that broke the camel 's back. This conflict brought an unforeseen guerilla warfare onto post war France that tore apart the political system. Additionally, another impact that the Algerian Conflict brought with it was the return of Charles de Gaulle, a man who occupied an executive position who took advantage of his favor with civilians and the military, thus giving him a way to introduce his own form of government. De Gaulle proposed a presidential model who would have more centralized power and for every seven years would be elected by popular vote. Gaulle’s return combined with the establishment of the Fifth Republic ensued a drastic political revolution that was the inspiration for Jean-Luc Godard’s second feature film, Le Petit Soldat 1962. The films is an account of the events that occurred 1958, two years prior to when it was shot. The dark plot line of the attempted assassination of an Algerian sympathizer and the torturing of a character involved with the French National Bureau, Godard’s film was banned in 1960 and would not be screened again until 1963, however, the significance of the film would still not hold the same during that time. When interviewed about the taboo of making a film on modern pretences, Godard replied with, “Why not make something current, why do you have to consider present events as something taboo?” He continued with, “I spoke of what concerned me, a Parisian in 1960 belonging to no party...And what concerned me was the problem of war and its moral repercussions” (Glenn 40-41). His stance would continue