Film Noir

About Film Noir Hollywood’s classic film noir

period is generally regarded as stretching from the early 1940’s to the late 1950’s.

Film Noir is a cinematic term used to primarily describe stylish Hollywood Crime dramas.

Characteristics Emphasise Low-Key lighting and unbalanced compositionsMostly shot in gloomy greys, blacks and whites. deep focus or depth of field camera workJuxtaposition of elementsOminous shadows and skewed camera anglesUrban Night scenes with deep shadows, wet asphalt and dimly lit with low rent apartments.Alienation of Protagonist by framing

Femme FataleSome of the characteristics: Mysterious, Duplicitous, double-crossing, gorgeous, unloving, predatory, unreliable, irresponsible, manipulative and desperate, seductiveOften leads the main person into compromising dangers and deadly situationsArchetype of literature and artAchieves hidden purpose by using her beauty, charm and sexual allure

Deeply Influenced by German Expressionism which is an Artistic movement of the 1910’s and 1920’a that involved theatre, photography, painting, sculpture and architecture as well as cinema. Plots and Themes often taken from adaptations of American Literary worksMost of the early film noir films were detective thrillers because of this

Cinematic sources

MelancholyAlienationBleaknessDisillusionmentDisenchantmentPessimismAmbiguityMoral Corruption

Moods of Film Noir EvilGuiltDesperationParanoia

Heroes or Anti-Heroes, corrupt characters and villains included: detectives or private eyes, cops, gangsters, government agents, a lone wolf, socio-paths or killers, crooks, war veterans, politicians, petty criminals, murderers.Were often morally-ambiguous low-lifes from the dark and gloomy underworld of violent crime and corruption

Characters in Film Noir

Orson WellesJohn HustonBilly WilderEdgar UlmerDouglas SirkRobert SiodmakFritz LangOtto PremingerHenry Hathaway

Famous film noir directors

Howard Hawks

The Falcon Takes Over – Irving Reis The Big Sleep – Howard Hawks In a Lonely Place – Nicholas Ray The Asphalt Jungle – John Huston Key Largo – John Huston Laura – Otto Preminger The Lady from Shanghai – Orson Welles The Woman in the Window – Fritz Lang

Some Film Noir Films