through fritz lang’s seeing the light m...

SEEING THE LIGHTJAMIE LIM

A STUDY OF THE SIGNIFICANCE OF LIGHTING IN FILM NOIR THROUGH FRITZ LANG’S M (1931), AKIRA KUROSAWA’S HIGH AND

LOW (1963), AND CHRISTOPHER NOLAN’S MEMENTO (2000).

Independent StudyCandidate Number: 002872-0073

Candidate Name: Jamie Yu Zhen LimTeacher Name: Sharon Lacoste McDonagh

School: Canadian International School of Hong KongFilm Studies: Standard Level

May 2014

Rationale

Film Noir can be defined by many elements of a film ranging from its plot line and archetypal characters to its use of cinematic techniques. This documentary will be exploring the genre, and will be highlighting its defining characteristic: lighting. The importance of lighting in Film Noir becomes evident through my analysis of the films Tengoku to Jigoku [(High and Low) Kurosawa 1963], M [Lang 1931], and Memento [Nolan 2000]. Not only does the lighting act as an immediate identifier for the genre, but it also enhances other aspects of the film and tie it back into Film Noir.

Word Count: 99

AUDIO VISUAL

N.B. All soundtracks from films play simultaneously with the narration, with volumes lowered to allow for the narration to be heard clearly, as their respective scenes appear on screen unless stated otherwise.

NARRATOR: Film Noir has been around since early in film.

Despite having many defining characteristics, low key lighting and harsh shadows have long been a signature of German Expressionism.

FADE IN to white screen with black text being typed up “SEEING THE LIGHT”

FADE IN to scene from M where there is a dark alley room. The door is opened by a bunch of criminals and light shines through (1:17:55 - 1:18:00)

CROSS DISSOLVE into clip from High and Low where a bunch of policemen are gathered around the radio (1:24:25:08 - 1:25:12)

CROSS DISSOLVE into black and white close up shot of a Leonard holding a needle from Memento (0:16:38 - 0:16:43)

FADE TO black

SOUND: FADE IN Whistling tune from M. Volume lowers as the narrative starts, blending in with the scene that uses the same whistling sound.

NARRATOR: Fritz Lang has been one of the biggest influences on the Film Noir era.

White text that reads “M” appears centered on the black screen. Plays for 3 seconds.

FADE IN to long shot scene of Beckert buying Elsie Beckmann a balloon and her thanking him (0:05:58 - 06:05)

NARRATOR: M tells the story of both criminals and policemen going on a hunt for serial killer Hans Beckert, whom has kidnapped and murdered several girls in Berlin.

CUT TO scene of Beckert escorting a little girl out of a store. Close up shot as he reaches into his pocket and opens up a pocket knife (0:59:25 - 0:59:35)

Jamie Lim ! Candidate No.: 002872-0073 | 1

AUDIO VISUAL

NARRATOR: Whilst not a Film Noir, this 1931 black and white film is highly reflective of the German Expressionist movement, which peaked during the 1920s.

CUT TO a high contrast, low-key medium shot scene of silhouettes of the underworld criminals plotting to catch Beckert projected on a wall (0:41:53 - 0:42:00)

NARRATOR: In M, we first see elements of Film Noir emerging from German Expressionism.

CUT TO scene in M where police are raiding the streets. Dark figures and their shadows can be see everywhere on the floors as certain parts of the street are brighter than others (0:22:08 - 0:22:18)

NARRATOR: The audience is introduced to Beckert as he preys on his next victim. Both silhouettes and deep shadows are both known features of both German Expressionism.

CUT TO low-key, long shot scene of Elsie Beckmann playing with her ball by the roadside (0:04:22 - 0:04:30)

CUT TO scene of Beckert approaching Elsie Beckmann,with his close up shadow dominating the “WANTED” poster with a dark tone (04:44 - 0:04:50)

NARRATOR: Lang’s use of an overall dark lighting consisting of dark silhouettes, shadows, and low-contrastingly lit mise-en-scène in many of Beckert’s scenes are crucial in establishing his antagonistic, anti-heroic character.

CUT TO shot zooming in as Beckert sits for a drink, with the partition wall of leaves covering parts of his face (0:54:22 - 0:54:35)

CUT TO low key, dark contrast lit long shot, of Beckert hiding as he is about to get discovered (1:19:40 - 1:19:45)

NARRATOR: Film Noir has always been visually known for its low key lighting, restricted use of fill light, and Chiaroscuro lighting.

CUT TO excerpt of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (Wiene 1921) where Dr. Caligari is coming down the stairs and shadows overcome the high key lighting.


AUDIO VISUAL

SOUND: Soundtrack matching the films playing.

FADE OUT soundtrack, FADE IN narration.

CUT TO excerpt of Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane scene in the projector room shot at a low angle where the room is dimly lit, with only two squares of light. Mr. Ralston stands in front of one of the projectors and as he moves, his actions are illuminated by high-contrast lighting.

NARRATOR: Lang’s M encompassed the Chiaroscuro effect - an effect that consists of low-key lighting which used shadows and harsh lighting to add depth to the mise-en-scène. The Chiaroscuro effect is often applied to intensify the drama or thriller aspect.

FADE IN to close up of Beckert noticing the girl, tilting his head down, and approaching her. As Beckert’s head tilts down, there is a shadow cast on the upper half of his face by his hat. (0:52:30 - 0:52:45)

GARY MORRIS: (FADE IN) German Expression-ism is the basis of Film Noir,...

...and many classic noir films from the 1940s onwards owe it to Fritz Lang’s M for defining doom and thrill through lighting - which is typical of most film noir.

FADE IN to interview clip with Gary Morris. Bottom right hand corner reads “GARY MORRIS”, with “Bright Lights Film Journal Author & Editor” written below in smaller font.

CUTAWAY TO opening scene from Touch of Evil [Welles 1958] showing the close up of a man twisting the timer on a bomb and then a zoom out into a long shot of the man’s shadow projected on a wall as he runs down the alley to the car.

FADE TO black

SOUND: Silence. Black screen with “HIGH AND LOW” centered in white text. Plays for 3 seconds.


AUDIO VISUAL

NARRATOR: High and Low is a 1963 thriller that follows the story of a wealthy shoemaker Kingo Gondo. Gondo finds out that his son gets kidnapped and is prepared to pay the ransom...

...until he finds out that the kidnapper has actually taken his driver’s son by mistake.

AOKI (translated):Shinichi... Shinichi!

CUT TO close up scene of Gondo receiving a phone call from the kidnapper (0:18:00 - 0:18:11)

CUT TO long shot of Gondo’s son Jun walking into the house, his mother calling out his name (0:18:36 - 0:18:45)

CUT TO Gondo’s driver, Aoki, realizing his son was the one that had been kidnapped instead (0:19:22 - 0:19:27)

NARRATOR: Kurosawa himself has said to be very fond of Georges Simenon, a Belgian crime-fiction author whose writing had a great influence on Film Noir.

CUT TO scene from Kurosawa’s Stray Dog where detective Murakami holds up a gun. His intense, high-contrast shadow is projected directly behind him.

NARRATOR: High and Low is distinctively a Film Noir not just because it takes on a classic Film Noir plot line, but it also depends heavily on lighting to aid the mood.

CUT TO close up scene of policemen in a car with low key and high contrast lighting as they go through a tunnel with neon lights reflecting off the car window (2:10:10 - 2:10:20)

NARRATOR: Through lighting, final scene deals with a characteristic common to many Noir films: corruption.

Directly translated into English, the film reads “Heaven and Hell”.

CUT TO Gondo meeting Takeuchi face to face for the first time (2:18:20 - 2:19:25)

CUT TO black title slide which reads “天国と地獄” in white text.


AUDIO VISUAL

NARRATOR: Kurosawa plays with lighting so that the high key lighting is representative of heaven...

...and the low key lighting of hell.

CUT TO long shot of drapes being pulled open and light leaking in the room (0:46:52 - 0:46:56)

CUT TO long shot of Takeuchi entering the brothel (2:07:00 - 2:07:05)

NARRATOR: The initial low-contrast lighting implies that both characters are equivocated.

CUT TO low-key, low-contrast shot reverse shots between Gondo and Takeuchi (2:20:40 - 2:21:11)

NARRATOR: However, the Chiaroscuro effect at the end addresses the inhumane side of human nature as Kurosawa implies that all humans are the same and have dark sides.

The lighting enhances the conveyance of the message, by having the low-key lighting turn transit into an even darker lighting in a matter of seconds. Especially when seen on big-screen, the audience is left overwhelmed by the abrupt shift in lighting.

CUT TO scene where Takeuchi starts to break down. The guards escort him back to his cell and Gondo is left there as the screen closes down on him. When the screen closes, the overall lighting turns even darker and the back light further enhances the darkness engulfing Gondo as he sits (2:22:45 - 2:23:20)

YOICHIRO MIYAMOTO: Kurosawa produced many of his Noir masterpieces during the U.S. Occupation of Japan.

His films seem to support the view that Noir was a style widely adapted to reflect the postwar ambience of anxiety, pessimism, and suspicion.

FADE IN to close up shot of Miyamoto’s hands flipping through several of Kurosawa’s DVDs. Stray Dog, Seven Samurai, and Drunken Angel are a few that are seen.

CUT TO long shot scene from Drunken Angel of a lone man playing the guitar. The street is fully dark and the only street light on adds contrast to the dim-lit setting.


AUDIO VISUAL

SOUND: Soundtrack matching the film playing.

FADE OUT soundtrack, FADE IN narration.

CUT TO excerpt from John Huston’s The Maltese Falcon where the bird-cage elevator door is being drawn across Brigid’s face, and a shadow of the cage is cast over half her face as she sobs. Shot reverse shot to Same Spade’s reaction, with his hat shadowing half his face as well. The elevator door closes, and the lift lowers, creating a black shadow. The room gets darker, and Spade exits the room.

YOICHIRO MIYAMOTO: However, during the 1940s, Noir had not been fully recognized as a definable style. I’d say that the Noir style in Kurosawa came by accident.

FADE IN to close up of Yoichiro Miyamoto. Bottom right hand corner reads “YOICHIRO MIYAMOTO”,with “American Studies Association” written below it in a smaller font.

NARRATOR: The Noir style that Miyamoto implies has a lot to do with Kurosawa’s visual style such as lighting.

SOUND: Soundtrack matching the films playing.

FADE OUT

CUT TO scene from High and Low, where Takeuchi visits the brothel. Outside, there are three policemen. The street lights cast a harsh shadow on the males, creating a dark patch over their faces. (2:09 - 56 - 2:10:00)

CUT TO medium shot scene where Takeuchi goes after a junkie. He watches for a while, and as he proceeds closer, it looks as if Takeuchi has walked into a pit of darkness as his whole body is shadowed.(2:08:30 - 2:08:35)

FADE TO black


AUDIO VISUAL

SOUND: Silence. Black screen with “MEMENTO” centered in white text. Plays for 3 seconds.

NARRATOR: Emerging from Film Noir come Neo-Noir films such as Christopher Nolan’s Memento.

FADE IN to close up Kuleshov shot of Leonard by the fire (0:54:45 - 0:54:52)

NARRATOR: Memento follows the story of Leonard, a man suffering from memory loss, as he tries to seek revenge on the man who had raped and murdered his wife.

CUT TO flashback scene of Leonard finding his wife dying (0:40:15 - 0:40:22)

NARRATOR: Often alongside Nolan is Wally Pfister, the cinematographer for almost all of Nolan’s films.

WALLY PFISTER: Many critics have praised the way that Memento is such a bright “noir”, but it wasn’t a deliberate creative decision on my part... I probably just didn’t know how to light back then!

Seriously, though, there was no plan to have things very bright, but this was affected and dictated by our environment.

Most of the film was shot in Burbank, California. The light there is a bit harsh and smoggy at that time of year and that really defined the look of Memento.

CUT TO photos of Nolan and Pfister working together on set for several of Nolan’s films.

FADE IN to close up shot of Wally Pfister, seated in an interview chair surrounded by unlit shooting lights as he gives his interview. Bottom right hand corner reads “WALLY PFISTER”,with “Cinematographer for Memento” written below it in a slightly smaller font.

CUT TO scene where Leonard breaks into a room and waits for (0:51:30 - 0:51:55)

CUT TO chase scene between Leonard and Dodd (0:53:25 - 0:53:35)


AUDIO VISUAL

WALLY PFISTER (CONT’D): We nearly shot it in Canada, and that would have had an enormous effect on the look.

That hazy, smoggy feel has become a part of the film’s soul.

(Continued from previous page)

FADE IN to footage of Pfister being interviewed.

NARRATOR: Despite claiming not to have known how to light, Memento adopts the stylistic visuals of earlier films in Film Noir.

FADE IN to black and white flashback of Leonard using the telephone to call front desk (1:13:10 - 1:13:17)

NARRATOR: Nolan does so in blending color, representative of the ‘unreliable narrator’- which most Film Noir have-...

... with a black and white objective flashbacks.

CUT TO shot of Leonard looking through his polaroids(0:41:12 - 0:41:17)

CUT TO a shot of Leonard talking on the phone (0:40:00 - 0:40:03)

NARRATOR: The opening scene sets up the film’s noir nature by the low-key lighting that casts a shadows on Leonard’s face, connoting a flawed hero.

The black and white flashback following emphasizes this through the use of even harsher lighting, having both low-key lighting - a visual signature of Film Noir,...

... and high-contrast lighting - as attributed to German Expressionism-...

CUT TO opening sequence of a reverse of Leonard taking a polaroid photo, followed by a close up of his face (0:02:06 - 0:02:14)

CUT TO extreme close up vertical pan of the side Leonard’s face. A close up of keys being picked up. Front angle, close up shot of Leonard being confused. (0:02:35 - 0:02:47)

CUT TO shot of a low-lit closet. High angle long shot of Leonard sitting on the bed. (0:02:52 - 0:02:58)


AUDIO VISUAL

NARRATOR: Through his manipulation of lighting, Nolan clearly establishes Memento as a Neo-Noir film from the very beginning, and is constantly reinforced thereafter.

CUT TO reverse medium shot of Leonard throwing away the gun after shooting Teddy (0:02:25 - 0:02:33)

NARRATOR: Film Noir has come a long way since the 1940s, and many of today’s film classics owe homage to the Noir genre.

While there might be several elements to identifying a film noir, such as the archetypal femme fatale or antihero,...

...the visual style says it all. Just by mastering the manipulation of low-key lighting, harsh shadows, and the Chiaroscuro effect, directors are able to enhance the thrilling effects of their films.

Because of this, lighting is - and will remain - as Film Noir’s most prevalent identifier.

CUT TO snippets of Orson Welles’ Touch of Evil, Park Chan-Wook’s Oldboy, and Bryan Singer’s The Usual Suspects.

CUT TO snippets of character archetypes such as Memento’s Natalie, M’s Hans Beckert, and High and Low’s Kingo Gondo.

CUT TO snippets of Jean-Luc Godard’s Alphaville, David Fincher’s Fight Club, and Andrew Dominik’s Killing Them Softly.

CUT TO shot from M of Beckert running to turn off the lights in the alley room (1:17:42 - 1:17:45).

FADE TO black.


Annotated List of Sources

FilmsDominik, Andrew, dir. Killing Them Softly. 2012. Alliance Films, ! 2013. DVD.! → Used as an example to enhance the audience’s ! understanding of how light aids Film Noir.

Fincher, David, dir. Fight Club. 1999. Twentieth Century Fox ! Home Entertainment, 2002. DVD.! → Used as an example to enhance the audience’s ! understanding of how light aids Film Noir.

Godard, Jean-Luc, dir. Alphaville. 1965. Criterion Collection, ! 1998. DVD. ! → Used as an example to enhance the audience’s ! understanding of how light aids Film Noir.

Huston, John, dir. The Maltese Falcon. 1941. Dolby Digital, ! 2006. DVD. ! → Used as an example to enhance the audience’s ! understanding of how light aids Film Noir.!Kurosawa, Akira, dir. Drunken Angel. 1948. Criterion Collection, ! 2007. DVD.! → Used as an example to enhance the audience’s ! understanding of how light aids Film Noir.

Kurosawa, Akira, dir. High and Low [Tengoku to Jigoku]. 1963. ! Criterion Collection, 1998. DVD.! → This was the film that sparked my topic of choice, as I ! was intrigued by the symbolic meaning behind the use of ! low-key and high-key lighting to represent hell and heaven ! respectively.!Kurosawa, Akira, dir. Stray Dog. 1949. Criterion Collection, ! 2004. DVD.! → Used as an example to enhance the audience’s ! understanding of how light aids Film Noir.

Lang, Fritz, dir. M. 1931. Criterion Collection, 2004. DVD.! → I find that M is a classic noir that embodies both German ! Expressionism as well as film noir, hence acting as a link ! between the two for me to discuss in my documentary.


Nolan, Christopher, dir. Memento. 2000. Columbia TriStar Home ! Video, 2001. DVD. ! → Upon watching Memento, I immediately knew it was a noir ! film. I chose to analyze this film because I wanted to ! explore how I was able to identify the film’s genre almost ! instantly based on film semiotics - specifically sound.

Park, Chan-Wook, dir. Oldboy. 2003. Tartan Films, 2003. DVD.! → Used as an example to enhance the audience’s ! understanding of how light aids Film Noir.

Singer, Bryan. The Usual Suspects. 1995. Polygram, 1995. DVD.! → Used as an example to enhance the audience’s ! understanding of how light aids Film Noir.

Welles, Orson, dir. Citizen Kane. 1941. Turner Home ! Entertainment, 2001. DVD. ! → Used as an example to enhance the audience’s ! understanding of how light aids Film Noir.

Welles, Orson, dir. Touch of Evil. 1958. Universal Studios Home ! Entertainment, 2008. DVD.! → Used as an example to enhance the audience’s ! understanding of how light aids Film Noir.

Wiene, Robert, dir. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. 1920. Image ! Entertainment, 1995. DVD. ! → Used as an example to enhance the audience’s ! understanding of how light aids Film Noir.

ReferencesClarke, Lisa. “Film Noir: Shadows and Silhouettes.” Australia ! Broadcasting Corporation: Open. 15 Aug 2013. Web. 28 Nov ! 2013. ! → A source that backed up my claims on how silhouettes and ! shadows cast in Film Noir could impact the overall tone of ! the film.

Edgar-Hunt, Robert, John Marland, and Steven Rawle. The Language ! of Film. Switzerland: AVA Publishing SA, 2010. Print.! → The textbook that has acted as a foundation for all the ! filmic terminology and concepts used and explored in my ! Independent Study.


Empire Magazine. “Christopher Nolan: The Movies. The Memories. ! Part 2: Wally Pfister on Memento.” 2010. Web. 29 Nov. ! 2013. ! → I chose to incorporate Pfister’s interview with Empire ! Magazine into my documentary script as I felt that Pfister ! brought up an interesting point about Memento being a ! brighter noir film, and it gave balance to my arguments.

FilmmakerIQ. “The Basics of Lighting For Film Noir.” 2013. 29 ! Nov. 2013. Web.! → This source aided my definition of chiaroscuro lighting ! and helped clarify the different types of lighting specific ! to Film Noir.

Floratis, Matthew. “Can Black And White Still Matter? A Look At ! Kurosawa's High And Low.” Screened. 1 Dec. 2011. Web. 28 ! Nov. 2013.! → The article that triggered the question of how lighting ! could act as motifs in films. This was the source that ! inspired the discussion of the last scene in High and Low.

Mayer, Geoff and Brian McDonnell. Encyclopedia of Film Noir. ! Westport: Greenwood Publishing, 2007. Print.! → The introduction to Film Noir elucidated my understanding ! of how German Expressionism influenced the genre.

Miyamoto, Yoichiro. “Transnational Noir: The Case of Akira ! Kurosawa.” All Academic. American Studies Association. 24 ! Jun. 2012. Web. 7 Dec. 2013. ! → I used Miyamoto as an interviewee because I especially ! loved the line, “Noir style in Kurosawa came by accident”. ! This source also helped me define the context in which ! Kurosawa was producing his films in.

Morris, Gary. “Fritz Lang’s M.” Bright Lights Film Journal. Jul ! 2000. Web. 28 Nov. 2013. ! → I !thought it was integral to have someone explain German ! Expressionism and M’s impact on Film Noir. I chose to have ! Gary Morris as an interviewee because the way he phrased ! things made sense and added as a very nice transition into ! my next film during the documentary script.


Schmidt, Torben. “Christopher Nolan’s Memento - Analysis of The ! Narrative Structure of a Noirish Revenge Film.” Johann ! Wolfgang Goethe-University. 2003. PDF. ! → This essay has a section where it talks about the ! significance of the colored scenes and black and white ! scenes in Memento. I was not consciously aware of this ! choice despite having watched the film, and therefore ! thought it was something worth including as it was a fresh ! idea to me, and hopefully to my target audience as well. I ! also tried to tie it into my overall topic more strongly by ! linking it back to the use of lighting.

Spicer, Andrew. Historical Dictionary of Film Noir. Plymouth: ! Scarecrow Press: 2010. Print.! → This was the source where I had stumbled upon Georges ! Simenon’s influence on Kurosawa.

University of Washington. “German Expressionism in Film.” 2011. ! PDF. ! → This resource aided and clarified my definition of German ! Expressionism.


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