Examples of Film Noirs

The Maltese Falcon (1941)

John Huston

Marking the remarkable directoral debut of Huston, this film is cited as being one of the defining film noirs. Starring noir titan Humphrey Bogart and fe

mme fatale Mary Astor, the story follows Sam Spade (Bogart), a coldly detached private investigator and his quest to protect his client, solved a double-homicide he is suspected of committing and the hunt for a rare statuette, the titular Maltese Falcon. The film is known for its use of odd camera shots, often giving an arresting, inventive angle. The coherent theme of prison surrounding Astor is also notable, such as the Venetian blind-effect and bars as she is taken to be executed.

Touch Of Evil (1958)

Orson Welles

The fifth Hollywood film by Orson Welles, and notably his last. The film was, at the time, a box-office failure and critically slated as 'sleazy pulp-fiction trash' and 'an outrageous affront to social sensibilities', although it is now noted as the 'last great classic noir'. Starring Charlton Heston, Janet Leigh and Orson Welles, the film follows a Mexican narcotics officer building a case against the Grandi crime family, as well as investigating corruption in his superior officers. He encounters

a large amount of trouble when the Grandi family decide to strike back, aiming for his new wife, whilst Captain Quinlan begins to see what officer Vargas is up to.

The film is based on Badge Of Evil by Whit Masterson, although major plot points vary from the novel. This novel had already been made in to a film twice prior to Touch of Evil's release.

What makes a Film Noir?

The conventions and codes of a film noir are reflective of the social atmosphere at the time. Film noir encompassed the darkness of the time, catalysing it in its visual and narrative styles, taking on the heart of darkness left by the Second World War. Abraham Polonsky cited it as "An extraordinary, horrible war. Concentration camps, slaughter, atomic bombs, people killed for nothing. That can anybody a little pessimistic."

Film noir possessed a very defining visual style, according to Duncan "When I think of Film Noir, I think of stillness and silence. I think of a pure black screen with tiny pinpricks of white trying to break through". Low-key lighting, shadows (including distortion of characters i.e. Venetian Blind chiaroscuro), stark lighting contrasts and deep-focus cinematography. The manipulation of cinematography was frequent, including unconventional camera angles and panning techniques as well as the simple juxtaposition of key elements in the composition of the shots. The visuals are, succinctly, gloomily shadowed and disorienting.

The narrative conventions of film noir are vast. The storylines of film noirs are generally similar, often taking ideas or entire narratives from the hard-boiled 'pulp' fiction of the era. The films were not expensive to make, reflected by the recycling of sets and storylines. The films adopted bleak, despairing and often melancholy moods, following a protagonist (often something of an anti-hero) on his journey, mixing with the corruption of the police, the greed of the criminal underworld and the vast darkness of everyday society. The heroes were often morally ambiguous, sardonic and simply hard-done-by. They were characterised by gruff, brooding and even sinister portrayals by actors of the era, such as John McGuire and Fred Macmurry.

The Femme Fatale is a notable trademark of the film noir. She is the hero's downfall, appearing as a beautiful, duplicitous women. She starkly contrasts the 'right girl', the love of the hero's life, a reliable and understanding woman, the femme fatale offering nothing but lust and in some cases financial gain. The femme fatale, literally 'deadly woman', double-crosses the protagonist in her own desperation. She is known to have already made her choice, and has no account for who falls in her attempts to fulfill it.

Narrative conventions included elliptical, often non-chronological storylines. Convoluted, complex narratives were commonplace, involving twisting plotlines with flashbacks, sharp acerbic dialogue and first-person protagonist narration.

Film Noir: A History

Paul Duncan cites Film Noir as the tone of films which "explore the dark side of post-war society", in that they "showed how it corrupted the good and the beautiful".

Film Noir was named by French critic Nino Frank in 1946, literally meaning "Black Film". It is said to have taken large influence from German expressionism , aided by the influx into Hollywood of European writers, filmmakers and academics. Its names derives from how dark, shadowy and downbeat the visuals and themes are. One of the first Noir-labelled films was Fritz Lang's 1931 magnum-opus 'M'.

The style is thought to become so successful as

it took on the darker depression in society duri

ng and following the War. The shadows of Nuclear war are also prominent, given America's role in the Cold War. The threat of mass-destruction casting over the life of each everyday American. The prominence of McCarthy's 'Red Scare' is also vital, fuelling the core messages of Film Noir's narratives of betrayal and deception.

The style is said to have ended its 'Golden Age' in 1958, with Orson Welle's 'Touch of Evil'. However, the ending of classic noir gave birth to the Neo-Noir, film noir which encompassed the current climate, deliberately rejecting the audience from narrative involvement. Whilst film noir built itself upon the audience's relationship with the protagonist, its successor actively pushed viewers away with unconventional camera angles and narrative constructs.

Examples of neo-noir include Frankenheimer's 'The Manchurian Candidate', Siegel's 'Dirty Harry' and even Ridley Scott's 'Bladerunner'.

Introduction & Film Noir Coursework Brief

Hello!

My name is Rhys Waterman, and this is my blog for AS Media, which I am studying at Suffolk New College. Our coursework assignment is to produce the opening sequence for a contemporary film noir. Our aim is to produce a modern film noir thriller, bringing the genre in to an up-to-date setting but maintaining the core values, themes and conventions of a traditional film noir. We need to consider our audience, as well as the entire release and distribution process.