Film Noir - Analysis

Film Noir Analysis

Summary of “Film Noir”

Film noir is a term used to describe crime drama movies from Hollywood that are often focused on sex, crime, and corruption. Film noir movies were mostly made from the early 1940s to the late 1950s in the United States, and they were usually filmed in black-and-white. The term "film noir" comes from the French term for "black film." Film noir movies include many different genres of movies, such as gangster movies, police movies, and detective movies. Film noir movies were often filmed so that there were many dark shadows in the movie, even on characters' faces. The Hollywood film noir movies were influenced by German film directors such as Fritz Lang, who used dramatic lighting techniques. Another influence on film noir movies was 1930s French books or movies about heroes who would die at the end of the story or stories with sad endings. Film noir movies were also influenced by crime fiction, such as the detective and crime stories by Dashiell Hammett, James M. Cain, and Raymond Chandler.

History of Film Noir

Film noir Began in America during the Second World War, it continued to be made during the following years around till the fatties. A lot of the work was originally inspired by both literature and pervious film history that came before film noir itself along with social history of the periods before it. In America there was a traditional circulation of a type of novel named hardboiled novels. These novels were crime orientated ones and other being pulp fictions orientated. The American hard-boiled novels represented a completely different world and an altered kind of detective that were found in a lot of earlier kinds of literature. Both its content and style were differentiated; this kind of fiction added a new tradition of realism to the detective fiction. The hero was usually the opposite, more as so an anti-hero, a lot of the action hit the streets in a more violent way then before, this kind of genre change. Its language was also cut short and it was often marked by verbal wit. Instead of upper-class detectives however we were introduced o the tough guy that walked the mean streets, often the character would find him on the edge of law and crime. Contemporary America is described as an urban area where people are in the hands of naturalistic drives. Many of these works were changed in a way to work in film such as the works of Hammet, Chandler, Cain and McCoy. Many of the original authors were hired by Hollywood as screenwriters; obviously this hard-boiled fiction had a considerable influence on the film noir movies.

Film Noir traits

Locations/Setting/Story

The location in which a Film Noir is based in is really important when trying to set the tone of how your movie is, a lot of the time Film noir’s are based in quite popular cities (Places like New York, san Francisco etc.) in the time period of around 1940’s and 1950’s around the time of the war. Most scenes would be set in urban areas like dark alleys, damp streets and in police building, mainly the main detective’s office. These are some of the main traits that establish a film noir setting; usually some establishing shots of the city are used to open up the film with opening credits and a voice over on top describing the life in which the character has lived in the city shown. The introduction to the film noir also helps when trying to display the main story of the film. Usually it begins inside a police office building with a witness or client, usually the femme fatal of the film, explaining that a crime has happened and that the detective is the only one who can help. These crimes that usually happen revolve around things like gangsters, murder, drugs etc.  Having these cliché’s presented to the viewer what kind of film they are about to watch and having these common features across makes it so people know how to feel when watching.

Having Films set in particular places is used because people are familiar with what these places are like, making them feel more believable when in film. Having a film noir set in a country side rather than a big city creates the film to be less interesting as the big city is thought to have more stuff going on thus making it more engaging to the viewer. Another thing is when setting up the location of murders or unsettling areas; these are commonly set in quite dangerous areas or areas to be thought as dangerous. In the city, these are thought to be places like dark narrow alley ways and under bridges all set a night for when the murder happened. This is to create a somewhat un easy feeling for not only the characters but the viewers, using this character and viewers connection the immures the viewer into the films world. The only lighter areas are ones which are either in the day and in buildings like police departments and homes. This is to give the idea of safety, using places like police stations and houses are to make things feel safe and once a character step’s out of one of these comfort zones it starts to become darker and dangerous.

Commonly some of the same story plot lines are used to give a full of consistence between stories that happen and that are more believable. Some stories try to create something outside the normal expectations like Amnesia to people like the femme fatal as a plot twist or a double cross between someone in the film. However, these twists are only to give an unexpected change in plot but through a lot of the same codes and conventions they can be slightly foreshadowed by the way that come of the characters act, their outfits or their speech. They would act in a way that would make them seem suspicious or shady in a way which becomes one obvious to the viewer making it a surprise to the characters in the film.

Lighting/visuals

Lighting is a very important feature when talking about Film Noir; it is a key essential aspect of how each scene show look and is presented. Because most Film Noir movies where in black and white, the director had to use shadows and lighting rigs to give the best possible looking image instead of relying on nice looking colour schemes. Using the light in a Film noir setting would normally consist of using somewhat metaphoric visuals such as people coming from the shadows suggesting that they are bad because the colour black symbolizes death and negatives.

The lack of being able to show a lot of important scenes without colour is a real problem because there can be very important aspects that can only be shown through colour. This is when the director decides to use the different shades and shadows to his advantage. Several ways of drawing someone’s eyes to something important is commonly used by light, whether it’s a singular light in a dark room being projected onto something significant or if is the darkness taking over something that was once light. It’s important to see that using the light to highlight an object or person is crucial when trying to bring the viewers’ attention to something you want.

Sound/Music/Dialogue

The music in Film Noir movies can be the quintessential thing that deferrers one Film Noir classic to another. Film Noir’s Slow smooth beat down jazz is what keeps the tone of Film Noir movies. It can establish emotions directly to the viewer to present an ever stronger feeling that is happening in the scene and can be catchy enough to have people remember that film for years. The main genre of music in Film Noir Movies usually comes under orchestra and jazz, mixing the both to create quite a relaxed feeling with the jazz and then turning it into a terrifying or sad moment with the orchestra, And often with these timely tunes you would be accompanied (Usually at the start of the film) with a voiceover by the main protagonist, informing you of the troubled pasted he’s had to induce and live with until this day. He would also tell you how the city is filled to the brim with crime and death, letting you know what kind of stereotyped city you will be seeing. 

Camera/Editing

A lot of camera angles are done purposefully in Film noir movies to either present something quite important to the viewer with lighting or character etc. and also to subtly hint about a hierarchy with character positioning. The first some is very straight forward, some came angles would begin as a close up on a character doing something, maybe cleaning a room or on a phone. The director will then use this as a chance to creatively show the killer and have the character on screen die thus beginning the hook to the movie. Starting with the close up shot they can introduce the killer in multiple ways yet in film noir movies there is on particular and common way that they do this and this is by using the shadow lighting effect to be zoomed or focused on. With this shot it draws not only the camera but the viewer back from the reality they have been presented with the character on the phone or cleaning the house to a much more dangerous place which makes the viewer quite uncomfortable. This is why most film has a small amount of character development at the beginning of the film, to make these effects have a harder impact on the viewer. This slow zoom or change in focus is a great way for the film director have people focus on the bigger picture in the film noir world and can be used form much more than just revealing a killer. The next quite common camera angles used side by side one another are called low and hierarchy. These cameras angles and commonly used, in and out of film noir movies, to present a higher achy to the viewer. This can be done by placing on character upon the top of a balcony looking down onto another character symbolizing that the one on the balcony more powerful than the one at the bottom. There are other ways besides using the camera to present this but this way it is clear to the viewer and the director that this was done intentionally to present this kind of imagery.