| Noir Publishing An affiliate of Tainted Coffee Press, What is Film Noir? |
What is film Noir? Well, it’s not simply a crime drama shot in black
and white within the shadows. True, it is gritty and it is about crime,
but it’s much more than that. Put simply it’s a romanticized version of
a sultry relationship between a woman and a man caught in the iron
jaws of fate after they’ve made some wrong choices, usually with the
female leading the male astray. The dialogue is always over the top,
and the characters are larger than life. Duplicity rules, the
cinematography brooding.
A regular crime drama is really rather boring and predictable in
comparison, exempli gratia, Dragnet: the crime, the chase, the
capture, as opposed to Touch of Evil, in which there are so many
twists and turns that eventuality is impossible to figure. A happy
ending is rare. Usually the ending is tragic. Even when the
protagonists walk away, into the sunset, the scars are so deep one
wonders if stability can ever reign. In noir, innocent victims are few.
The genre was created in the 1940's, quite unintentionally. The
need for cheap produced extreme lighting, a shadowy atmosphere, in
place of expensive settings that would have to be built. Symbolism
was introduced as well. An example of this may be seen in Murder
My Sweet. Mr. Marriot is in Marlowe's office requesting help. He's
dressed like a fop, presented as a homosexual, and the director
wanted to emphasize this fact by allowing the sunlight coming
through the window to emblazon the lettering, " Philip Marlowe,
Criminal and Civil Investigations", in shadow onto Marriot's chest. In
other words, he was Branded. Another salient element, of course,
soon to be a staple, was the language. It was hip. It was flippant, the
vernacular of the street, taken a few steps beyond.
"Noir" where did it come from?
The French loved these movies and tagged them Noir, meaning
dark. During the Nazi occupation of France, American movies, of
course, were banned. Afterward, however, five years of movies hit
the French cinema and Voila! Film Noir!
One of the first noir movies was The Maltese Falcon with Humphrey
Bogart, directed by John Huston. Out of the Past with Robert
Mitchum is usually considered the purest of the form.
A Touch of Evil, 1958, directed by Orson Welles is generally
considered the last "great" noir film.
I personally think China Town, in subdued color, 1974, with Jack
Nicholson and Faye Dunaway, was as good as any, perhaps even
the best of the lot.
LW Fugett.
and white within the shadows. True, it is gritty and it is about crime,
but it’s much more than that. Put simply it’s a romanticized version of
a sultry relationship between a woman and a man caught in the iron
jaws of fate after they’ve made some wrong choices, usually with the
female leading the male astray. The dialogue is always over the top,
and the characters are larger than life. Duplicity rules, the
cinematography brooding.
A regular crime drama is really rather boring and predictable in
comparison, exempli gratia, Dragnet: the crime, the chase, the
capture, as opposed to Touch of Evil, in which there are so many
twists and turns that eventuality is impossible to figure. A happy
ending is rare. Usually the ending is tragic. Even when the
protagonists walk away, into the sunset, the scars are so deep one
wonders if stability can ever reign. In noir, innocent victims are few.
The genre was created in the 1940's, quite unintentionally. The
need for cheap produced extreme lighting, a shadowy atmosphere, in
place of expensive settings that would have to be built. Symbolism
was introduced as well. An example of this may be seen in Murder
My Sweet. Mr. Marriot is in Marlowe's office requesting help. He's
dressed like a fop, presented as a homosexual, and the director
wanted to emphasize this fact by allowing the sunlight coming
through the window to emblazon the lettering, " Philip Marlowe,
Criminal and Civil Investigations", in shadow onto Marriot's chest. In
other words, he was Branded. Another salient element, of course,
soon to be a staple, was the language. It was hip. It was flippant, the
vernacular of the street, taken a few steps beyond.
"Noir" where did it come from?
The French loved these movies and tagged them Noir, meaning
dark. During the Nazi occupation of France, American movies, of
course, were banned. Afterward, however, five years of movies hit
the French cinema and Voila! Film Noir!
One of the first noir movies was The Maltese Falcon with Humphrey
Bogart, directed by John Huston. Out of the Past with Robert
Mitchum is usually considered the purest of the form.
A Touch of Evil, 1958, directed by Orson Welles is generally
considered the last "great" noir film.
I personally think China Town, in subdued color, 1974, with Jack
Nicholson and Faye Dunaway, was as good as any, perhaps even
the best of the lot.
LW Fugett.
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