The film noir, or black film, is known as a popular phenomenon in American film-making. The era of the film noir began during, and following the war, becoming a common part of the American movie culture in the 1940's and 1950's. Later in the 70's, 80's and 90's, the conventions of film noir grew popular once again in what is considered the post-noir, or neo-noir era. The film noir encourages realism, and depicts dark images and a fatalistic perspective of the world. Notorious for it's American crime and detective films, film noir displays evil, ambiguity, pessimism and paranoia. The plot includes scenes of crime, corruption, murder and predominantly a mysterious femme fatale. Basic Instinct, can be categorized as a neo-noir film, as it includes these conventions of the film noir genre, primarily the daring and devious femme fatale, Catherine Tramell.
From a technical viewpoint, Basic Instinct uses the common techniques in noir films. One of the most popular techniques of the film noir genre, that is evident within Basic Instinct, is the use of low-key lighting and shadows. In the scene where Catherine is brought to police headquarters for investigation, she is questioned in a dark room, where the spotlight is on her. The purpose of this type of lighting is to highlight the character and differentiate her from the background. The use of this lighting is effective, as the audience's attention is drawn directly to Catherine Tramell, and encourages us to deeply analyze her character.
Another technical aspect of the film noir genre, is the use of long, vertical and high-angle film shots. The purpose of this technique is to leave an unsettling impression, creating a mood of alienation and loneliness (Hordnes, 1999). An example of this would be the long, vertical, outdoor shot of Nick's apartment building. It is a metaphoric image of a prison, or his world as a prison, emphasizing the fatalistic view of the world.
