The Chracteristics of Film Noir

(c) PBS American Cinema

Hey, there! Here is another post about American Cinema! I have blogged about other episodes of American Cinema such as The Film School Generation (9th episode) and The Classic Hollywood Style (1st episode). You may read them if you want.

PBS American Cinema Episode 4: The Film Noir
(c) American Cinema

In this post, I will talk about the fourth episode of PBS' American Cinema - 100 Years of Filmmaking, The Film Noir. Film Noir is a kind of film genre which, in French, means Black Film. 

What are the characteristics of Film Noir? Let's find out.

• Film Noirs are black & white, dark, and often raw.
• In Film Noir the only law is the rule of faith and usually everybody dies at the end.
• Characters in Film Noir live their lives in the edge: their lives on streets, shady characters, crooked cops, twisted love and bad luck. Film Noirs reflects the darker side of human nature.
• General sense of jeopardy in life is present in all Film Noirs. Which is the representation of the anxiety caused by the system.
• Film Noir is unendurable, yet you just have to endure it.
• Film Noir poses the question "Why me? Why is this happening to me?" and the answer is that there is no reason at all.
• Film Noir is concerned with errors and confusions. We don't know what's going on but we do know there is something bad out there.
• Best Film Noirs are the ones where the character suffers more and he becomes deeply entwined with the nightmare.

  

  scene from Detour (1945, PRC)
  photo from PBS American Cinema
• Film Noir Narrative Structure: character, in the beginning, has a stable job, relationship and her woman leaves for Hollywood, then we will follow her, he will be picked up by some kind of messenger which suddenly dies mysteriously the the hero will take the identity of the dead person, which is the most desperate thing that happens in Film Noir. Then, she picks up a woman, who apparently knows his true identity and eventually, traps him.
• The more the character tries to eradicate the situation, the worse the situation gets.
• Film Noir is snappy, smelly and disreputable.
• In Film Noir, somebody kills somebody and he is not in jail or anything.
• Film Noir hits people so hard because it is a tale of survival in a completely naked fashion.
• Film Noir is full of difficult emotional things and explosions of emotional dramas and anxiety.
• Film Noirs have protagonists who identify themselves as morbid.
• No matter how bad they are, nobody walks on anyone.
• Film noir is a riddle; a puzzle.
• Film Noir is very much in tune with the quality of desire.
• We see emergence of psychological phenomena in Film Noir.
• Male is endangered by a sexy, strong woman.

  

  photo from American Cinema episode 4: The Film Noir

• Females are much more independent
• Females are smart, Powerful, and sexual.
• She uses her sexuality to get what she's after, and that is what is something for herself.
• A classic femme fatale is a woman who gets man into bed, and into trouble.
  
  

  

  The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946, MGM/ Turner)
  photo from American Cinema episode 4: The Film Noir

• Light source becomes part of the content of the scene.
• Film Noir uses lights in a dramatic way.
• If there is no light, there is no release, there is no escape.
• The unique use of lightning techniques created a quick way to create effective pattern on a blank wall.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  

  photos from American Cinema episode 4: The Film Noir

• Sets have functional funtiture
• The walls tend to be plain. This created a dramatic sense of isolation.
• Uses lightning technique to alter the state psychologically.
• German influenced.
• Trilogies
• False perspective
• Light and dark contrasts

  

  photo from American Cinema episode 4: The Film Noir

• Tilted angles
• Showing a characters in environment. So the deep focused, foreground and background focus gave a tremendous sense of environment.

  

  photo from American Cinema episode 4: The Film Noir

• Shooting on locations is a must for Film Noir, because Film Noir is reality.
• Film Noir use real city
• Characterrs are sort of short fishes fishes in the aquarium where different sorts of things are happening.
• Undergrounds are representations of modern hell.
• Violence and sexual elements became more graphic
• We don't make Film Noirs anymore, but some Film Noir elements are still there. The shadows are still deadly, the murderers still walk on the streets, violence still shares the same bid. Life does not change, but people do change.

  

  photo from American Cinema episode 4: The Film Noir

  Film Noir is one of the most artistic genres. The use of lights and shadows to convey meanings and emotions is both artistic and clever. Female characters were presented in a new light. They became the dominant power. They were not after love, they were after something else. They were dangerous and manipulating, and they play with men using their sexuality and intelligence. Even though Femme Fatale is not a total positive representation of women, I like how femme fatale shows that you cannot easily make a fool out of women. The mysterious and dark quality of Film Noir makes people focus on these kinds of films. Film Noirs are able to get attention easily because of they mysteriousness quality they have.

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Source:
Schon, J. (Director). (1995). The Film Noir [documentary episode]. In S. Alpert (Producer) American Cinema- 100 Years of Filmmaking. Arlington: PBS.