Film noir Essays

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

Those that believe Casablanca is not film noir usually perceive Film Noir as a genre. Noir is not a genre; Noir transcends genres and behaves more accurately as a style of cinema. As styles go, there can be variations of them as we see now with Post-Noir and Neo Noir, noir elements in a different time period of film technology which makes these films slightly different than the style of classic film noir. Themes of cynicism, impending doom, loss, jeopardy of life accompanied by visuals dominated

the most notable films of classic noir directed by Otto Preminger was released in nineteen forty-four. The film consists of the basic elements of film noir; McPherson, the detective played by Dana Andrews, Laura Hunt, the femme fatale played by Gene Tierney, Waldo Lydecker, the criminal played by Clifton Webb. With these elements story of a murder takes action. It’s a murder mystery filled with suspects and a plot twist that makes the audience wonder what is happening. The film begins with Waldo

Both the film noir and the female Gothic film cycles address the changing tides of the woman throughout the 1940s. As the social implications of wartime America emerged in cinema, exploration of the female’s role outside of the home and as a part of a moving and shaking society became key. Women began to emerge as highly competent and counter to their previous role as the subservient doe of a housewife. Females rose to status in their new role as the “working-woman,” embracing previously male-occupied

Film noir emerged out of the bleakness of World War II, at a time when the world was in a dark place, filled with disillusionment. The time was ripe for a harsh, cynical view of life with a bent towards the dark side of human nature. With it's moral ambiguity, harsh camera angles and lack of harmony in space, the films produced in this era expressed the psychological drama of war and post war America. Deeply flawed, brooding and angst ridden characters who usually met a bad end permeated the style

THE LOST FALCON IN FILM NOIR In written literature, writings that mention about crime is classified as “Noir Fiction”. From the second half of the 19th century, in cinematography, this genre is simulated as “Film Noir”. The audience will encounter with a crime throughout the film which is made by using this specific genre. Main characters in this genre are a criminal who is mostly a man, a female and a detective. Criminals are mostly coldblooded and ruthless. This behavior disorientation can

Throughout the film noir genre we have explored the role of the femme fatale characters who use their womanly charms as weapons to manipulate men and achieve some higher goal. There acting skills to appear vulnerable and helpless, along with her manipulative nature creates a cold hearted master over men, disguised as a damsel in distress, which our heroes cannot resist. This femme fatale character is portrayed perfectly by Norma Desmond in Billy Wilder’s film Sunset Boulevard but is also challenged

be film noir on it’s, because it has the classic detective story, but it’s more of a neo-noir on it’s own, where a detective Jake gets caught up between lies, deceits, corruptions and murders. The film takes place in 1937 which is almost the time of Film Noir films, but not quiet. Chinatown has the look of film Noir, but with the trademark black and white and dark lighting gone. Neo-noir films are shot in colored, but has the style of a classic Noir. The style of Chinatown as a neo-noir film has

Film Noir: The dark side Background Film noirs came to prominence during and after the World War II and lasted through the ‘Golden Era’ till 1960. Film noir can be defined as a film movement and not just a genre of film because it emerged at the time of political disturbance (1941-1958) – Second World War and Cold War. Feelings of fear, mistrust, and ambiguity, loss of innocence, pessimism and paranoia are evident in noir films, reflecting the disruption and disillusionment prevalent in the American

Film noir, or neo-noir is cinematic term used to describe the heavily stylised Hollywoods crime films set in the 50s and 60s alongside The Great Depression. These generally black and white texts emphasise cynical attitudes, sexual motivations and dark themes, using the monochrome element to reflect the mood of the film. Whilst not defined by the conventions of setting and conflict, distinct characteristics of the sub-genre include recurring dark themes and dark tone. Showcasing the classic elements

Introduction: Film noir is a well-known cinematic term that is generally used to deal with the briefing of Hollywood crime drama and is more particularly used to place an emphasis on the cynical attitudes that also deal with the sexual provoking activities. The time period of noir in the Hollywood history is generally marked as the extending period of the time of 1940 to 1950s. The Film Noir is the time period that deals with and is associated with the low-key and black and white visual styling

Film noir was rooted in a specific period of time during the 1940s and 1950’s after the great depression and post-war. Directors created a plot, which concentrated on cynical attitudes and sexual motivation. Many of theses films were low-budget movies made by upcoming directors. They used low-key lighting to focus on the scene because the set was not very nice. It was usually in block apartments or back alleys. Also, the low-key lighting was used to emphasize on the shadows and the faces of characters

Following the events of World War I, and subsequently World War II, Hollywood experienced a rather existentialist movement. The style of noir was able to capture the public’s anxiety and dread following the wars. The film noir and existentialism share similar characteristics consequently film noir is a great way to express existentialist ideas; since film noir as a style exemplifies the basic beliefs of existentialism naturally. One of the fundamental principles to existentialism is the Absurd.

exemplary in film noir by utilizing his stark visual style and moody representation of human characters, and has a history of making great classics such as Metropolis (1927), M (1931), Fury (1936), and The Big Heat (1953). Lang came to America to escape the rise of Nazi power in Germany in 1934, he was part of the German expressionist, and could skillfully direct drama-thrillers and epic science fiction dramas with ease, as noted by Foster Hirsch in his book, The Dark Side of the Screen: Film Noir, “Of the

acclaimed, but darkest film noir story about Hollywood and what happens behind the scenes written by Billy Wilder. It shows the true deceitfulness, emptiness, the price of fame, greed, narcissism, and ambition it really takes to be an actor or actress during the 1950’s in Hollywood. Norma Desmond was one of the main characters and she showed viewers how easily they can perceive their characters on screen for their real life and get them twisted. In the 1950’s fans of the film wanted the actors to be

impressionism and cubism, surrealism and realism took literature to an opposite direction, and film has evolved over the years through cultural and artistic development such as expressionism, auteurism and film noir (House, p.61). The 1940s and post World War II gave rise to a new style of American film, these films appeared pessimistic and dark in mood, theme, and subject. The world created within these films were portrayed as corrupt, hopeless, lacked human sympathy, and “a world where women with a

Film noir stemmed from American and English hard-boiled detective novels, originating in 1925 (Borde and Chaumeton 15). These intriguing books captivated readers and remained popular for many years. A popular noir writer is Dashiell Hammet, whose work inspired the widely known film noir The Maltese Falcon (1941), which was a book originally written by Hammet in 1929. Around 1940, film noir became well-liked during the Great Depression (15). Several films were released between 1940 and 1942, including

know today as film noir can result in a convoluted mess. Film noir itself is not necessarily a genre in the same way the western or musical is. Film noir is characterized by shadowy cinematography, thematic elements, and a generally somber and cynical mood. The notable films generally accepted as the characteristically noir include White Heat, Double Indemnity, The Big Heat, Detective Story, The Maltese Falcon and several others. Modern viewers might be familiar with noir-inspired films like Chinatown

Learning from Movies － A Case Study of Film Noir Film noir is a term that describes a style of Hollywood crime movies characterized by cynical attitudes, moral ambiguity, and low-key, black-and-white visuals. The genre’s classic period was the 1940s and 1950s. A typical film noir story often takes place in urban settings at night. The protagonist is usually morally ambiguous, cynical, disillusioned, or flawed. He may be a private detective, a cop, a gangster, a war veteran, or a petty criminal. As

The Courtesans of the Noir Era In film noir and hardboiled literature, the femme fatales are one of the major archetypes of the genre. According to Ron Hanson, “If the women is the victim, it’s not really film noir.” This kind of woman manipulates men by any means necessary to gain power, a sense of independence, or just plain greed. Either way, this style does not display any sort of damsel in distress motif that previous audiences were used to. There is a digression from a loving and doting housewife