Film Noira brief introduction

In 1946, five American movies were released for the first time in France:

The Maltese Falcon (1941)

Murder, My Sweet (1944)

Double Indemnity (1944)

Laura (1944)

The Woman in the Window (1944)

Because these films were suddenly all playing in France, film critics there saw them as closely related to each other. They came up with a term to describe these movies:

f i l m n o i r(“black film” or “dark film”)

But what is film noir?This, it turns out, is a very difficult question to answer.

In one of the best books about noir, More Than Night: Film Noir in Its Contexts, James Naremore writes: “It has always been

easier to recognize a film noir than to define the term.”

Naremore:

“Whatever noir ‘is,’ the standard histories say that it originated in America, emerging out of a synthesis of hardboiled fiction and German expressionism.”

“Noir” can refer to:

• a type of plot

• a style of cinematography

• a style of production design

• a way of speaking dialogue

“Noir” has been said to be:

• an era or time period

• a genre

• a style

Things can be said to be “noir” or “noirish”: actors, costumes, sets, cities…

Noir plots often involve crimes and criminals.

Noir protagonists are often not-entirely-innocent people trapped in bad circumstances. Sometimes, they’re people who seem good and law-abiding at first, but then reveal themselves to be more complex.

Noir stories generally involve psychological and physical violence.

Noir settings are usually places one might call “gritty”.

Cinematographymay be the most essential element in determining whether a film is noir.

3-point lighting

Low-key lighting and high-key lighting are

fundamentally about contrast.

HIGH CONTRAST LOW CONTRAST

low key high key

Though most of the classic films noir are in black and white, the concept of high-key and low-key also applies to color. For instance, take a look at these two photographs:

source: http://www.diyphotography.net/lighting-high-key-and-low-key

high key low key

high key low key

As you can see, in color photography, tone is as important as contrast in distinguishing high and low key. High key lighting is vivid, vibrant, and often perceived as happy. Low key lighting is governed by darkness and often perceived as

something less than happy.

Artists will recognize that low key lighting can produce the effect known as

chiaroscuro

“The Matchmaker” (1625)by Gerrit van Honthorst

“The Calling of St. Matthew” (1599-1600)by Caravaggio

Italian: literally “light-dark”

Film noir is full of low-key lighting.

Cat People (1942)

Decoy (1946)

Touch of Evil (1958)

Cinematographer John Alton (1901-1996) has frequently been cited as

the defining cinematographer of noir.

The Amazing Mr. X (1948)

The Big Combo (1955)

T Men (1947)

T Men (1947)

He Walked By Night (1948)

Raw Deal (1948)

Reign of Terror (1949)

Border Incident (1949)

Devil’s Doorway (1950)

But cinematography alone does not create film noir.

After all, we’ve seen moody, low-key lighting in films pretty much from the beginning of

cinema. The Germans perhaps perfected it in the 1920s, but it was also used in plenty of Hollywood movies that are not noirs — for

instance, gangster films.

Scarface (1932) Angels with Dirty Faces (1938)

So what makes noir noir?

police story violent death

criminal psychology

criminal adventuresconvoluted

harsh

misogynistic

voiceoverflashbacks

fragme

nted s

tory

somber

pessim

istic

disgust with humanity

fatalistic

nihilisticcruelty

irrational

moody

dream-like

erotic

savage

sadistic

neurotic

violent

femme fatale

brutal

low-budget

bizarre

Words that often appear in discussions of

film noir

The Last Noir?

1955 1958

Neo-Noir