The History of Film Noir Essay - 1018 Words

The History of Film Noir Film Noir literally means ‘Black Film’. This term was first coined by French film critic Nino Frank, who noticed a trend in the darkness of themes in many American films that constituted wartime cinema. Classic film noir developed during the 1940’s during and after World War two, taking advantage of the post war zeitgeist of anxiety, pessimism and suspicion. Mistrust, fear, paranoia, and bleakness is obvious in noir, it reflects the cold war period when the threat of nuclear annihilation was ever present. The categorisation of noir is very difficult to propose, The term ‘Film Noir’ was not recognised in the industry or by the audiences in the 1940’s, for example it†¦show more content†¦The classic characteristics of a Male personality in a film noir is moody, melancholy, cynical and hard hearted. He will almost always fall for the heartless, double crossing, mysterious and manipulative ‘Femme Fatal’ He will also be involved with the other classic noir characters including : petty criminals, sociopaths, gangsters, villains and the innocent ‘girl next door’ character. Some of the first film noirs are as follows Ã… ¸ Maltese Falcon (1941) Ã… ¸ Murder, My Sweet (1944) Ã… ¸ Double Indemnity (1944) Ã… ¸ Laura (1944) Ã… ¸ The Woman In The Window (1944) When Kathie Moffett (Greer) shoots her admirer, Whit Sterling (Douglas), a big time gambler, and absconds with $40,000 of his money, Sterling hires a private detective Jeff Bailey (Mitchum) to find her. Bailey leaves New York and catches up with Kathie in Mexico. Kathie denies taking the money and after falling for her charms, Bailey notifies Sterling that he could not find her. The film has a fair amount of double crossing Bailey double crossing Stirling and Kathie double crossing both men. She is the classic ‘Femme Fatal’ I have decided on a ten minute scene in which Jeff Bailey meets Kathie Moffett for the first time. The scene begins with a voice over from Bailey, he tells us (the audience) that he will wait in a cafà © until he finds her. The cafà © he choosesShow MoreRelatedFilm Noir: A Style Spanning Genres Essay1016 Words   |  5 Pagesobjets d’art, including film – and the recognition or dismissal of film noir as a genre has been argued since the term was coined. While the term itself is valid, film noir as a genre is a misnomer. More properly, film noir should be considered a style unto itself, but definitively not genre, defined by the very definitions of the words â€Å"style† and â€Å"genre†. We will limit our subject matter here to the classic film noir period of 1941-1958, recognizing that all modern noir variants seek to emulateRead MoreCharacter Analysis Of The Film Casablanca811 Words   |  4 PagesIn the 1942 film, Casablanca directed by Michael Curtiz, is a classic film noir. A film noir or black film, is characterized by the tone of dark e lements, physically and psychologically, the element of crime, and the element of World War II and post-war disillusionment with influences of German expressionism. This film captivates the classic film noir characteristics thematically through Rick Blaine’s behavior, the characters and atmosphere, and the significance of the one setting used through theRead MoreFilm Noir And Scandinavia s Nordic Noir925 Words   |  4 PagesIn conclusion, Nordic Noir evidently both challenges and confirms the gender politics that were introduced in film noir. 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Even though the glory days of film noir have long passed and given way to big budget productions, their influenceRead MoreBaz Luhrmann s The Great Gatsby934 Words   |  4 Pagesthis semester, we have watched a variety of films. These films have taught us more about certain times of history as well as how the movie’s production has been changing over time and improving. We have watched a variety of movies in class from the, silent ones to some modern films in which we can see a big the differences between them. Watching these three films I feel like would be entertaining, but as well it would be teaching more about the art of film and expand our learning in class. Baz Luhrmann’sRead MoreA Comparison Of Film Lighting In The Film Bound And The Stranger715 Words   |  3 Pages1996 and The Stranger 1947 Between 1940 and 1959, Hollywood produced many crime films characterized by low key lighting, night time urban streets and shadowy images. This genre is known noir film which later evolved to neo-noir. The production of noir films was influenced by low budgeting and German Expressionism. Bound and The stranger are both noir film. Bound is a neo-noir film produced in 1996. Neo-noir is a noir film updated in content, style and visual element. Bound is centered on Violet playedRead MoreComparing Films Made From Books: Never Let Me Go and Shutter Island677 Words   |  3 PagesGo The novel and film of Never Let Me Go both portray the ennui that results from living in a dehumanizing society in which a persons fate is predetermined. The plot outline clearly borrows from canonical texts like Aldous Huxleys Brave New World and George Orwells 1984. However, Never Let Me Go differs in that it is more deeply indebted to the coming-of-age, bildungsroman form. Although the book and film adaptation share a number of commonalities (it is a testament to the film that it is ableRead MoreMovie Analysis : Going Cukor 1620 Words   |  7 Pagesminacious turn. - - - I naturally feel at kin with the French journalistic styled terminology called; film noir, - I adhere to spicing up ordinary narratives, especially remakes of a theatre production - Gaslight originally was a screen play. Any attempt to experiment with narrative (s) is a desideratum to the good, regardless of the outcome the consensus is always... progressive... even film failures have a place whereby the diligent director can ponder professional incompetence and frame byRead MoreBilly Wilders Double Idemnity1367 Words   |  6 Pagesof the best representatives of the film noir era in Hollywood as it contains all the main characteristics of the genre. The general darkness present throughout the movie is embodied in the plot which reveals the moral bankruptcy of the main characters. It is also present in the mise-en-scene choices such as the dark costumes and modest lighting with the great emphasis on shadows (Allyn 1978, p. 117). The main character’s voice-over, another important film noir characteristic, brings this darknessRead MoreChristopher Nol An American Film Director, Screenwriter, And Producer And Auteur.847 Words   |  4 PagesLaksamana Riadi Jeff Crum Film 1 6 December 2015 CHRISTOPHER NOLAN Christopher Nolan is considered an English-American film director, screenwriter, and producer and Auteur. Nolan is a man of talent who is known as one of the smartest, most creative, and successful directors in the film industry today.He is widely recognized after his first successful feature movie Following(1998),a noir thriller film.Which was recognized at a number of international film festival.Common themes and actors can be