Film Movements

Film Noir

Film Noir, or Black Film, is an American film movement. It is characterized by dark and plain crime movies. They have a specific feel, one that never turns out well for the main character. The visual aspect of Film Noir comes from German Expressionism, but the content of each story is purely American. Film Noir films always take place in rooms full of smoke or dark alleyways. Also, there is usually a large amount of narration by the main character. The rain always pours and the women in all the films will either love you death or be your death. The world of Film Noir was and is a harsh one where characters must choose between a meaningless life inside the law, or fulfill his or her dreams by stepping just over the line set by the government. Although Film Noir officially started sometime before, the “classic era” of the Noir period is thought to be from 1940-50. Also there is a Neo-Noir period, but this paper will not go into that movement. True Film Noir is a dead breed but its themes and structures can still be found as it is the predecessor of today’s modern crime movies. Film Noir, because of its complex structure, helped increase the intricacy of films. Although the movement is not credited for any technological advancement, it did increase the use of lighting to set the mood.

Although some of the greatest movies come out of the Film Noir era, they were mostly B list movies. Either they did not cost a lot of money or they wanted to look like they did not cost a lot of money. Also, there were very rarely any huge stars in Film Noir cinema. A large group of great directors came out of the Noir period. These included Alfred Hitchcock, Jules Dassin, Edward Dmytryk, John Huston, Fritz Lang, Otto Preminger, Robert Siodmak, Orson Welles, and Billy Wilder. Some of these directors, such as Hitchock, went on to direct other genres and throughout other movements, but most of them stayed with Noir-esque films. There are a good amount of famous and well-known Film Noir films as well as directors. The most famous film from the period if probably Double Indemnity, which is about an insurance salesman, Walter Neff, who has an affair with Phyllis Dietrichson. Phyllis proposes to kill her husband and make it appear an accident so they can get the insurance money. The killing goes as planed until another insurance agent becomes suspicious. This film is a perfect example of a woman killing and a man going outside of the law to live the life he desires. Most other Film Noir films follow a similar structure. Although the period has officially passed, some people that it has not passed, but merely transformed into more modern, nearly unrecognizable films.