Film noir

Nearly every attempt to define film noir as a genre has established the visual style as the coherent thread that ties these diverse films together. Some scholars have however also pointed out that film noir could be perceived as a movement rather than a genre, mainly because it is generating a world view that is not yet understood and is shaking the foundations of the established, and therefore normal perceptions of the social order (Place, 1998, p. 49). Many critics point to the fact that like other film movements, “film noir emerged from a period of political instability (1941-58)” (Hayward, 2013, p. 149). I want to argue that for fully understanding gender politics of film noir and subsequently Nordic Noir, it is important to recognise how…

Film Noir is a style of filmmaking, portrayed by elements such as skeptical heroes, blunt lighting effects, perpetual use of flashbacks, complex plot lines, and an underlying experimental philosophy. The genre was most popular in American crime dramas of the post-World War II era. It has become an iconic movement in the history of film-making working its way into our society by displaying the meaning of the darker side of the American dream. In 1941 ‘The Maltese Falcon’ was released and is…

With the 1990s noir heroines, the female protagonists experienced another cultural change in gender roles. The 1990s noir more angry female protagonist rose to the surface while third-wave feminism was impending, and as discussed before, following up as a kind of critique to the second-wave. The third phase of feminism destabilized the earlier constructs, and an appealing sexuality while also being self-reliant and clever, was not considered to identify with male oppression (Genz & Brabo, 2009,…

Film noir is a cinematic style that deals with the dark world of crime and intrigue. It conveys a mood of disillusion and resignation proceeding from moral ambiguities between good and evil. This direction of film is clearly represented in the classic movie “The Maltese Falcon,” by John Huston. In this film it is also clear to the audience that the main character, Sam Spade, portrays an anti hero, which is a character in a story, usually the main character who does not demonstrate heroic…

Film Noir started when American film change its context to a much darker subject matter due to the aftermath of World War II. Based from the article of Christopher McColm, McColm gathers information to review the book “Blackout: World War II and the origins of Film Noir” whose author is Sheri Chinen Biesen. In the book, Biesen argues that the term noir emerged during the war era. Noir authors used the concept of post-war American angst to relay to the audience that noir fiction tends to…

Film Noir includes dark, suspense-filled and thrilling mysteries. They are usually ambiguous, pessimistic and emphasize the isolated feel of the modern cities. The usage of low-key lighting and dark colors to create high contrast on screen is very common. Low-angle shots and Dutch camera angles, which are shot with tilted camera angles, are used to portray tension. Instead of showing a person directly, they commonly used disorientation and showed people reflected in a mirror. Film Noirs take…

Film Noir is also recognized for its prevalent and prevailing themes. In particular this refers to the narrative and the setting that creates the tone and mood. The setting in Film Noir was influenced by the corruption of the War and the aftermath. The storyline surrounds the male protagonist, who is depressed due to his horrible past and meets the femme fatale, who is undeniably sexy. This causes a turning point in his life. The negativity mood that influenced these narrative conventions come…

Film noir, a genre of darkness, of shadows, of hardboiled loners and bottom-feeders. The term noir was coined by French film critic Nino Frank in 1946 that literally means “Black Film”. This essay will discover how film noir is affected by the context of history as well as its course of evolution to reach its state nowadays. This would collectively enhance my degree of understanding of this influential genre of filmmaking. The origin of film noir dates back to the 1930s, the great depression…

Film Noir, launched just before USA’s entry into the World War II and peaking during the Cold War, was a hybrid of glamour and grittiness, exposing a seamy underside of America during the mid century. Film Noir was cast with wised-up men and wordly women who might not have had the right answers, but certainly had all the right moves. More than often, they held mixed motives and malign agendas. The name ”Film Noir” was coined by french film critics whom, after the trade-blockade following the…

typical 1940s film noir. Chinatown preserves so many of the conventions of film noir, while also putting a completely different spin on them. By 1974, movies were no longer following the production code and Chinatown took advantage of the new MPAA rating system by adding more complex, realistic issues and scenes that the previous code would not have allowed. Chinatown has become the poster child for neo-noir films due to Polanski’s ability to add a modern spin to the rigid standards of 1940s…