Scarlet Street is a 1945 film, produced and directed by Fritz Lang. The film, Scarlet Street, clearly represents the idea of film noir. Fritz Lang took the initiative to remake the 1931 film La Chienne. During this time the production code was being heavily implemented and this lead to the banning of Scarlet Street from hitting the theaters because it was a story about love and murder which went against the production code (New York Times). This film was released through Universal Pictures. Film noir was a newly emphasized genre that emerged in Hollywood but took elements of the German Expressionism. Directors chose to put their own twist on film noir and used heavy shadows, like German Expressionism, but they also used dialogue that was snappy.
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Scarlet Street shows these moods along with the themes of betrayal and fate or fatalism. Throughout the film Chris is betrayed by Kitty but does not know as much until the end. Chris gives all he has to Kitty and confesses his love to her, only to find out that she was using him for her money. Lang also used another form of betrayal and that was how Chris betrays Kitty. Because Chris had no idea that Kitty was betraying him and manipulating him into giving her money, Chris takes a turn at the end of the movie and murders Kitty. Chris comes off as someone that has never done wrong and him becoming a murderer is seen as betrayal. Especially after he confesses his love to Kitty. On the flip side, the theme of fate can be seen when Chris is picturing his life with Kitty and how he thinks everything is going to end perfectly. One scene about fate that stuck out to me was when Chris was working and was told that a detective was there to see him. That detective turned out to be Adele's late husband, Homer. Homer supposedly died when he attempted to save a woman from falling over a bridge but come to find out he never died and ended up running off with this woman. Chris quickly realizes that since Homer is still alive then legally he is not married to Adele. Fate sets in and he quickly builds up a plan to get Adele and Homer back together, so he can be with his one true "love", …show more content…
The film embodies the themes, elements, and moods to be considered a film noir. There were stock characters like femme fatale and the anti-hero, exaggerated lighting, plot twist, fatalism, and betrayal. All of which are components to the film noir genre. Scarlet Street was a film that got a lot of publicity after it had been banned from the theaters due to not following the production code of the time. This also made the film a classic of its time along with Fritz Lang being named a famous auteur of the time. During this time of this film Hollywood was more worried about the quantity of movies that were being produced rather than the quality of their movies. Scarlet Street was a very well rounded, structured, and made movie for its time. The use of film noir became so popular and classic that it is still used today. Although Scarlet Street was a remake of a previous film, that does not make it any less of a success. Many films still today are being remade to fit with the new culture and generations. Overall, film noir has made a lasting impact on U.S. Hollywood films and Scarlet Street was just one of those films that was made during a time of such demand for this type of
Scarlet Street shows these moods along with the themes of betrayal and fate or fatalism. Throughout the film Chris is betrayed by Kitty but does not know as much until the end. Chris gives all he has to Kitty and confesses his love to her, only to find out that she was using him for her money. Lang also used another form of betrayal and that was how Chris betrays Kitty. Because Chris had no idea that Kitty was betraying him and manipulating him into giving her money, Chris takes a turn at the end of the movie and murders Kitty. Chris comes off as someone that has never done wrong and him becoming a murderer is seen as betrayal. Especially after he confesses his love to Kitty. On the flip side, the theme of fate can be seen when Chris is picturing his life with Kitty and how he thinks everything is going to end perfectly. One scene about fate that stuck out to me was when Chris was working and was told that a detective was there to see him. That detective turned out to be Adele's late husband, Homer. Homer supposedly died when he attempted to save a woman from falling over a bridge but come to find out he never died and ended up running off with this woman. Chris quickly realizes that since Homer is still alive then legally he is not married to Adele. Fate sets in and he quickly builds up a plan to get Adele and Homer back together, so he can be with his one true "love", …show more content…
The film embodies the themes, elements, and moods to be considered a film noir. There were stock characters like femme fatale and the anti-hero, exaggerated lighting, plot twist, fatalism, and betrayal. All of which are components to the film noir genre. Scarlet Street was a film that got a lot of publicity after it had been banned from the theaters due to not following the production code of the time. This also made the film a classic of its time along with Fritz Lang being named a famous auteur of the time. During this time of this film Hollywood was more worried about the quantity of movies that were being produced rather than the quality of their movies. Scarlet Street was a very well rounded, structured, and made movie for its time. The use of film noir became so popular and classic that it is still used today. Although Scarlet Street was a remake of a previous film, that does not make it any less of a success. Many films still today are being remade to fit with the new culture and generations. Overall, film noir has made a lasting impact on U.S. Hollywood films and Scarlet Street was just one of those films that was made during a time of such demand for this type of