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Film Noir

He is shrouded in darkness with shadows created by the closed Venetian blinds cutting across his face giving him a tortured look possibly echoing his personal life. As Phyllis walks down the stairs the camera focuses on a chain that she has on her ankle this is implying that she is a wild woman. Instead of the camera coming to the foot of the stairs to capture Phyllis walking down them it is positioned from Walter's point of view in the lounge, this means that the camera captures her behind the banister of the stairs. The banister is constructed of vertical posts giving rise to thoughts that Phyllis is behind bars; her home is like a prison.
             The way in which noir cinematographers positioned their lights is also .
             important. Traditionally lights were placed in what is called a "three-quarter lighting" set-up. This means that the key light was positioned about forty-five degrees in front and above the actor and the fill light was close to the camera and placed near to the ground. This lighting arrangement was used as it accentuated the actors" features producing the most charming and beautiful image. To the noir cinematographers this was unacceptable as it would be totally contradictory to the mood that they were trying to create of paranoia, intimidation and danger. Therefore, they positioned their lights in every imaginable way to create the most conspicuous and unusual shadows and outstanding use of light and dark. Sometimes they would totally remove the fill light thus creating areas of total black and they would add lighting to create bizarre highlights often on the face of insane or menacing characters making them look even more threatening. This can be seen in the film "In a Lonely Place" (Nicholas Ray, 1950) where Humphrey Bogart's character is lit on the left of his face, flooding the right in darkness thus creating an ominous and deranged feel to his character. Sometimes a "kick light" would be introduced.


Essays Related to Film Noir

1. Paranoia and Entrapment in Film Noir

These movies, known as film noir, looked at the darker side of human nature and were marked by a distrustful, fatalistic view of the world. ... Life was rough, and the classic film noirs reflected this. ... Classic film noir developed during and after World War II, taking advantage of the post-war ambience of anxiety, pessimism, and suspicion in America. Film noir acted as a "dark mirror" to post-war America and reflected its moral anarchy of the "American dream". ... A second representation of paranoia and entrapment in film noir is Billy Wilder's Double Indemnity ...

  • Word Count: 1145
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

2. What is film noir

What is film Noir? ... The French film critics termed these films Film Noir. ... Which is fairly descriptive of what film noir is. ... Kerr reflects in Out of What Past Notes On The B Film Noir' on The curios cross generic quality of film noir. ... The films I have chosen to focus on are typical of film noir they all contain distinctive techniques and aspects that define film noir. ...

  • Word Count: 4729
  • Approx Pages: 19
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

3. Film Noir Styles in Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver

Many of the thematic elements in "Taxi Driver" are borrowed from other movies which exhibit distinct film noir qualities. In his essay, "Notes on Film Noir," Paul Schrader, who wrote the "Taxi Driver" screenplay, outlines his view of film noir as a genre. ... Schrader discusses the effects of war and postwar disillusionment as it pertains to film noir. ... Like many of the protagonists in film noir, the protagonist of "Taxi Driver" is a pessimistic, hard-boiled, morally ambiguous character. ... The cinematography of "Taxi Driver" is also very heavily reliant on techniques pioneered by film noi...

  • Word Count: 1980
  • Approx Pages: 8
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

4. Film Noir

Film Noir Film noir is said to have begun in 1919 with Robert Wiene's film, The Cabinet of Dr. ... Film noir is unique in comparison to other film genres in history. ... Film Noir is a broad genre and has been used for years. ... The production of noir films all follow specific methods. ... Film noir is based around anxiety. ...

  • Word Count: 1070
  • Approx Pages: 4

5. Film noir

As the way I understand it film noir is not a genre, but rather a style or tone of a film. ... Before the comparison of the film can begin it is important to describe some of characteristics of film noir. ... Film noir is marked by expressionistic lighting and skewed camera angles. ... A film that was shown in class called Double Indemnity fits many of the noir characteristics, and is recognized as one of the great noir films. ... The classic noir film Double Indemnity differs a great deal from the gangster film The Public Enemy. ...

  • Word Count: 1165
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Grade Level: High School

6. Film Noir

Film Noir (literally 'black film or cinema') was coined by French film critics who noticed the trend of how dark and black the looks and themes were of many American crime and detective films released in France following the war. ... Strictly speaking, however, film noir is not a genre, but rather the mood, style or tone of a film. The themes of noir, derived from sources in Europe, were imported to Hollywood by emigre film-makers. ... Primary Characteristics and Conventions of Film Noir: The primary moods of classic film noir are melancholy, alienation, bleakness, disillusionme...

  • Word Count: 1859
  • Approx Pages: 7
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

7. Film Noir and The Maltese Falcon

"The Maltese Falcon" is considered to be a classic film noir. Based on the film's characters and cinematography, what aspects of the movie are clear representations of film noir? Draw information on the characteristic features of film noir from the module "Crime Culture in Fiction and Film" as well. "The Maltese Falcon" is a considered a classic film noir because it embodies all the characteristics of one. ... In a film that is considered a film noir, the prey may turn into the predator or the hero may turn out to be the villain. ...

  • Word Count: 699
  • Approx Pages: 3
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

8. Film Noir Reflects The Depression

These changes were greatly reflected in the sub-genre, or the mood of film noir, also known as black film. ... One example of this in film noir is Double Indemnity. ... Film noir features many films with murderous wives that seduce men to get what they want. ... In film noir family is just as evil and corrupted as anyone else. ... Crime and Corruption were often the main focus of film noir. ...

  • Word Count: 974
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Grade Level: High School

9. The Lady from Shanghai: a film noir

Film Noir is a name bestowed on a number of films produced after World War II. ... To be considered a film noir the main character must be an average man. ... The easiest element of a film noir to identify is its confusing plot. ... Film noirs were found in many movie's throughout the 1940's. ... This proves that the lady from Shanghai is among those films considered to be film noirs. ...

  • Word Count: 517
  • Approx Pages: 2
  • Grade Level: High School

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