Film noir had a lot of influences that affected the visual and thematic styles of films. History had an impact on these influences. The 1920’s German Expressionism had an early impact on film noir. Then in the 1920’s and 1930’s technology grew rapidly and the film industry was able to manipulate light and create a visual story. The events of the 30’s and 40’s drastically changed society and had the greatest impacted on the film industry. From 1929-1939 The Great Depression had hit America. When the Great Depression occurred it changed America and the cultural norms in society. The government had changed drastically during the depression and had taken more control over society and the economy. During this time the idea of the American Dream
