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Film Noir Almost every critic has his own definition of film noir, and a personal list of film titles and dates to back it up. (Schrader 2). The United States of America emerged from World War II drastically different from when they entered. The American society had changed in every aspect, even the American ideology differed from earlier ages. These changes had cultural impact, and in the middle of these confused times there occurred something previously unseen in the magical world of celluloid.
The forties gave birth to the American phenomenon of film noir, a film style that had a continued existence during the two first decades of the postwar era. Film Noir is a French label on an American film phenomenon. In postwar France, they got the opportunity to watch a large amount of American movies made in the forties (Naremore 16). At the same time, it became easier for them to discover similarities among these pictures. The French noticed the divergence between this film load and prewar American movies and the connection between these films and the literature called roman noir. This was dark literature, and film noir means black film.
The knowledge of this term did not get to be used in the production or among the contemporary American spectators, in fact only French critics used the term in their work until the era of noir was over. Film noir is now a more familiar term and its use is widespread, but still there are ongoing debates concerning its status (Shadoian 22). Both film critics and historians participate in the discussion on the definition of this film category. There are some critics that view film noir as a genre. It will rely upon a system of well-defined conventions and expectations like other genre defined movies. For instance the Western or the musical.
If film noir is referred to as a genre, like Flippo and Naremore and Hirsch do, there is a number of problems that arises. First, genres tend to cross periods instead of being bounded by them and the film noir is generally very closely connected with the 1940 s Hollywood. This particular criticism of noir as a genre relies upon whether one regards the more recent films as a continuation of the noir tradition or not. Furthermore, film noir tends to cross-traditional genre boundaries (Hirsch 5). There are noir westerns, gangster films and comedies to mention some. The fact that the term film noir was not familiar to the film industry and audience of the 40 s and 50 s does not necessarily work as an argument against the genre definition of noir, because it is possible to argue that the defining characters of the noir constituted a set of conventions and expectations (Tuska 12).
Still, apparently the makers of noir did not deliberately set out to actually make noirs. A critique against regarding film noir as a genre is that it will not include all the films that have been seen as noirs. However, this may also be a reflection of problems within the methodology of film criticism (Tuska 13). Other critics, like Belton and Schrader, avoid these problems by viewing film noir not as a genre, but by emphasizing the stylistic elements. Here, tone and mood are given considerable weight. With this focus on visual style, one also runs into problems.
This noir style is actually not what it seems. Instead of being subversive of the traditional or classical norms of Hollywood style film making, as many critics values it to be, the noir style was a part of the system ization of Hollywood's narration al regulation during the 1940 s (Belton 22). In film noir the family relations are not normal. In some ways the noirs are based on the absence of the family. If a family, or more likely family relations are represented they are often broken up, filled with mutual hatred or in other ways perverted (Crowther 144). The movies often concern themselves with what the loss of these family values and satisfactions can lead to.
Marriages in film noir are often described as boring and sterile or non-sexual. Because of this twisted family life, both men and women seek satisfaction outside marriage in film noir (Crowther 148). This satisfaction is not only sexual, but also an attempt to reassure and find themselves in this confused and threatening society, an escape from the frustrating routine in an alienated existence. The violation of the marriages and traditional family values often results in destruction for the violators. In this manner both pleasure and death await outside the family institution. The family represents an antithesis to the femme fatale.
However, instead of showing and offering women an alternative to the traditional family life, film noir shows what happens if one chooses to stand outside the traditional values of the patriarchal system (Hirsch 66). The dark, strong femme fatale of noir is the main female character in these movies. These women are given not only sexual powers, but also ambitions (Naremore 201). They are longing or looking for independence, often economic, and freedom, often from relationships with men. Some women that are masters and possessors of their own sexuality represent a danger to the males. Most film noir woman is because of her ambitions and independence.
A threat to the patriarchal system (Belton 88). Because of this, she gives the males a feeling of alienation from his environment, and she must be punished for this to restore the patriarchal balance. The femme fatale is promiscuous, exiting, intelligent and narcissist while her opposite is the boring, but stable wife and mother (Naremore 204). The virgin is capable of total devotion to the male, something that the sexual woman is not.
The former is described as the ideal role for women, and it fits in well with film noir movie. The men are, as well as the women, portrayed as stereotypes. As a result of this they are not allowed to live their lives in alternative ways anymore than women. The patriarchal order that is surrounding them, and that they in addition to women are trying to up heave, represents a certain set of rules they have to follow and live up to (Naremore 210).
As it seems, the patriarchy is asking for quite a bit. The struggle to keeping women in their place also keeps the men in their places. The men cannot show much emotion in order to upheaval their masculinity, (to be emotional is regarded a female virtue), and they have to work alone and be successful in what they do (Naremore 211). They have to seek meaning in activity, not in contemplation that also is regarded a female virtue. Their position within the patriarchal system provides them with purpose in life; to work, provide, protect, serve, and protect the patriarchy. The first three virtues must be seen in the context of the family and the masculine (Belton 89).
Film noir has also been regarded as a series. In this case, the noir is seen as a cycle, and viewed as an aesthetic movement. Here the cycle has been seen as lying within the boundaries of the crime film, but this creates a problem since these borders themselves are difficult to determine (Shadoian 4). All of these different views on film noir try to define and capture the essence of noir, and still I find that none of these is sufficient. However, at the same time every one of them touches something important or essential about this film term.
Maybe it would be best to simply state that all of the above describe some aspects of what one can call the film noir phenomenon. A film phenomenon with generic, stylistic and cyclic parts (Tuska 33). The noir films occurred in America during the war, and continued to be made during the forties and fifties, but it did not come out of nothing. The noirs were inspired by both literature and previous film history along with the psycho history of the period it grew out of (Hirsch 88). In America in the thirties there was a literary tradition called hard-boiled novels. These were crime novels and so called pulp fiction, and very popular.
The American hard-boiled fictions represented a completely different world and a different kind of detective than those found in English and earlier detective stories, both content and style were differentiated. This kind of fiction added a new tradition of realism to the detective fiction (Hirsch 57). The hero was as much an anti-hero, the action was taken down on the streets, it was violent, and the language was cut short and it was often marked by verbal wit. Instead of upper class detectives, we are now introduced to the proletarian tough guy detective that are walking the mean streets, and often he finds himself on the edge of law and crime (Shadoian 3).
Contemporary America is described as an urban and industrialized area where people are in the hands of naturalistic drives. Many of these works were adapted to the screen, such as the works of Hammer, Chandler, Cain and McCoy to mention some, and many of the authors were hired by Hollywood as screenwriters. Obviously, this hard-boiled fiction had a considerable influence on the film noirs (Crowther 11). This is one of the most significant similarities between American film noir and German Expressionist cinema: not only did it have many of the same directors and writers and cinematographers in common, but it was also a response of sorts to a national crisis. (Tuska 55).
Another thing that influenced the noir was the film traditions of German expressionism of the twenties and French poetic realism of the thirties. The German expressionism was a expressionistic and conventionalized film style, where the aesthetics were marked by distortions and exaggerations (Tuska 59). It had a worldwide influence and the filmmakers of America sought to integrate this popular stylistic style in their own movies. The French poetic realism was a film style where poetic conventionalization was combined with realistic topics and milieus (Belton 101). In addition, the American gangster movies were an inspiration for the film noir.
All of these movie styles have in common the description of a dark and fatalistic image of the world. This is something we find in the film noir as well. From these movements the film noir could gather inspiration, and alongside this, Hollywood received quite many might s with roots in these movie milieus in Europe during the prewar years (Belton 102). The might s took jobs in different parts of the American movie industry, both as technicians and as directors. They also contributed to the society and heritage that film noir emerged from.
I love film noir. Noir for me is like one of those appallingly seductive women of deceitfully angelic appearance that decorate most of them. Besides the women, what is it that lures me to noir? (Flippo 2). There are many traits of film noir.
Film historians and critics have trouble agreeing on precisely what film noir is. Is it a genre, a movement or a style? Some say all three. Others claim it is definitely not a genre. Purists claim that true film noir cannot be in color, which would exclude almost all of the neo-films from the 1960 s to present (Shadoian 3). Extreme definitions limit the film noir canon to fewer than ten films, while other listings include hundreds.
To qualify as true noir, a film must contain most or all of the following (Flippo 2). + Required: Hard-boiled, cynical, disillusioned characters who are nevertheless usually likable + Required: Dark, shadowy, contrast images filmed in black and white (a contribution of German Expressionism) often at night and usually in a gritty urban setting + A male protagonist facing a moral dilemma and / or some kind of threat + An alluring, sassy, independent and usually dangerous woman (who often suffers for independence) + Often: A crime or detective story (Cain, Chandler, Hammett) + Flashbacks a wavering past and present, inextricably linked + A voice-over narration (probably why I dislike the narrator-less so-called directors cut of Blade Runner) + Crisp, often witty dialog, sprinkled with great one-liners + Often: A German, Austrian or Austro-Hungarian director of the German school (Curtis, Lang, Mat, Preminger, Siodmak, Ulmer, Wilder, et al) + A healthy dose of paranoia or, at the very least, a strong sense of insecurity, betrayal, or being trapped + Angst, American style + Required for pure film noir: NO successful conclusion. A happy ending turns a film noir into a film gris or a melodrama done in noir style (Flippo 2). Observers tend to define film noir in three different ways: (1) a genre similar to westerns, comedies, or horror; (2) a film movement tied to an historical period, generally 1940 - 1959 (some end the period in the mid- 1950 s) or (3) a cinematic visual style with a unique look (Flippo 2). However, I think what most attracts means many others to film noir is its clever ability to entertain without the usual sugar coating no sappy sentimentality, no typical successful conclusion. Noir exposed the dark underbelly of life and showed us that people of character flawed as they might beaten live there. Moreover, even their most banal chatter sounds better than most peoples deep thoughts. (Tuska 45).
Unlike the conventional detective or crime story, a film noir narrative revolves around why there was a crime and not who committed it. In fact, we usually know who committed the murder early on (Crowther 99). The mystery is why. The perpetrator is almost irrelevant but his motivation is not.
The theme of a true noir is always a moral dilemma brought about by someone who is either misleading himself, being mislead by others, or both. Noir attempts to delve into that. Nevertheless, not all film noirs deal with a crime or a criminal (Crowther 100). One of the essential ingredients of genuine film noirs opposed to the watered down, diluted version that has the look but not the toughness is the brutal truth. And ambiguity. No pat answers.
Life is not so simple in a good noir. At the fadeout, its not obvious how things might continue. We just saw an interesting tale, but the true ending is up in the air. It is the human struggle against Fate. - (Tuska 23). Film noir did not just pop up out of nowhere.
It arose when and where it did (in the USA of the 1940 s and 50 s. ) because it was the time and the place. Certain conditions fell into place to spawn film noir. World War II was a key element. The advent of gangsters and racketeering in the 1920 s and 30 s was another. These two major elements brought about a new look on movies and an end to Pollyanna attitudes, a mood reflected in noirs dark look.
Technical developments were also important. Faster film stock (to film those dark scenes) and more mobile camera dollies made it possible for the camera to capture scenes that would have been difficult or impossible earlier.
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