Film Noir Codes And Conventions

Back in Lesson Two, we discussed how film noir evolved from the Romance genre, and focused on obsessive love and femme fatales. The term “film noir”, however, is considered a cinematic term to encompass a whole genre of Hollywood crime dramas. There has been debate over the years about whether film noir is it’s own genre, or whether it’s simply a “style” of film, but I personally prefer to think of it as it’s own genre. The main reason for this is that there are so many different types of subgenres, it mimics other genres out there - so how can it be just a style? As we continue on with this section, keep this in the back of your mind, and decide for yourself.

The film noir era is considered to be from the early 1940s to the late 1950s. Though there are many later films that embody the spirit of film noir (which we will discuss in a few moments), the main reason this era is so short is that the classical film noir was filmed in a low-key black and white visual style. This style of filmmaking isn’t used much anymore, unless the film is a specific homage to the classic film noir. …show more content…
The initial films were rooted in crime fiction published during The Depression. The term “film noir” wasn’t actually coined until 1946 - until then, they were simply referred to as “melodramas.” That didn’t seem to encompass all that film noir can be, however - these films are far more than just