Film Noir

Introduction
Film Noir is a genre of Hollywood-made films in the 1940ies and 1950ies, crime-drama
with overall dark themes and gray characters. It was named by French critics, noir meaning
black in French, primarily because it was shot in black and white technique, but also because
of its pessimistic atmosphere. It was largely influenced by German and Russian expressionism of
the 1920ies and 1930ies, when refugee directors found their new home in Hollywood. Originally,
when film noir was filmed, it was considered pulp fiction and was not really considered a genre
of its own, it was actually considered a melodrama. It was one of the first instances for a movie
to be shot from a narrators perspective, which is considered a film noir invention.
Themes
As mentioned, film Noir has dark themes and a very cynical world view, and it is
sometimes referred to as morbid drama. During the entire plot, audience is kept under pressure,
hastily expecting a happy end that does not happen. Low key filming with high black-white
contrast is a technique adopted from renaissance painting: chiaroscuro. In most noir films, there
is a murder as a plot focus, whether the main character is the investigating detective or is a
mislead, unfortunate killer. It is usually set in an urban area, New York, Chicago or Los Angeles,
in bars or clubs, back alleys and taxies, and it is usually a rainy night where the plot takes place.
All of this makes up for a grim atmosphere where even the characters themselves emit
pessimism and depression. It has been proposed by critics that this atmosphere reflects the spirit
of the era: World War II is taking place, and after it has ended, it left alienation, social anxiety
and paranoia. This tone has been named by many critics as hopeless1.
Characters
There are a few typical characters in a film Noir. The main character is usually a good guy gone
bad, an anti-hero, wearing a fedora and a suit, smoking a cigarette, seen mostly as a tall, upright,
mysterious shadow in the night. He is usually involved in some sort of a moral dilemma, being a
private eye, a police detective or an involuntary accomplice, and his essence is that he doesnt
1 Schrader (1972), p. 54 [in Silver and Ursini].

operate by the book, follows the rules and moral codes of his own, and is suspicious about
generally accepted ethics, a lonely wolf against the world. One of the biggest stars in Noir films
is Humphrey Bogart.
Female characters, on the other hand, can be either damsel in distress or a femme fatale. Damsel
in distress is the male ideal of the time: a proper lady, beautiful, respectful and lovable, in
desperate need of male protection and help, who is involuntarily drawn into the situation.
Femme fatale, on the other hand, is a gorgeous, dramatic, mysterious and self-sufficient, and in
the opinion of some critics, it reflects mens fears of female independence gained through their
husbands and fathers absence during the World Wars. Usually seen with a low neckline red
dress and high heels, attire considered a little indecent at the time, original femme fatale was
Marlene Dietrich.
Moral dilemmas of the characters are reflected in the words of famous film critic Roger Ebert,
such characters are usually learning a lesson that theyre weaker than they thought they were
and theyre capable of evil that they didnt think they could commit.
Legacy of Film Noir
As T.S. Elliot had said, paraphrased, art is most valued by whether it is capable, and how
much, to upset us. In that sense, Film Noir has served its purpose. As Neo Noir is being made,
Sin City being one of the best representatives and one of the most popular movies of today, we
can see the significance of film noir. Even though its artistic values might have been questionable
in the period it was made, today it stands as a unique form of typically American art art that has
upset its audience. Art that has forced its audience to reflect on issues mentioned.

Glossary
As defi ned by Merriam-Webster Dictionary & Thesaurus:

Anti-hero - a main character in a book, play, movie, etc., who does not have the usual

good qualities that are expected in a hero

Fedora - a type of soft hat for men that has a wide brim
Femme Fatale - a very attractive woman who causes trouble or unhappiness for the men
who become involved with her; a woman who attracts men by an aura of charm and

mystery
Pulp Fiction - a magazine or book printed on cheap paper (as newsprint) and often
dealing with sensational material; also : sensational or tabloid writing often used
attributively <pulp fiction>; cheap art;

Literature

Books:

Stevo Ostoji, Fedor Hanekovi: Knjiga o filmu, Zagreb 1979.

Web-sites:

Filmsite written and edited by Tim Dirks, film critic. http://www.filmsite.org/filmnoir.html

Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary and Thesaurus - http://www.merriam-webster.com/
Open Culture a site for promoting a free distribution of cultural and educational media
- http://www.openculture.com/2014/02/roger-ebert-lists-the-10-essential-characteristicsof-noir-films.html
RogerEbert.com a website tribute to Roger Ebert, an American film critic http://www.openculture.com/2014/02/roger-ebert-lists-the-10-essential-characteristics-ofnoir-films.html
Wikipedia, free online encyclopedia, article on Film Noir http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_noir