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Film Noir

Film Noir. German Expressionism. Overly stylized Wildly non-realistic set design Geometrical designs embedded in sets Highly contrasted colors “Intellectual” Topics Insanity Betrayal Madness. Plot.

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Film Noir

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  1. Film Noir

  2. German Expressionism • Overly stylized • Wildly non-realistic set design • Geometrical designs embedded in sets • Highly contrasted colors • “Intellectual” Topics • Insanity • Betrayal • Madness

  3. Plot • Crime viewed from within (POV of criminal—often story told using voiceover/flashback narration) • Violence/plot twists to create anxiety

  4. Plot • Shifting alliances between characters • Often no clear moral structure (crooked cops, bad court system, no sense of justice) • Lack of clear plot resolution

  5. Character— “Protagonist” • Male (with few exceptions) • Alienated by society or obsessed with something • Usually a figure on the fringe of society/edge of the law (detective or corrupt/leisurely millionaire)

  6. Character— “Femme Fatale” • Beautiful and dangerous, predator and prey, sexually strong and smart • Driven, independent, selfish, shows traits that are positive when shown in men • Gets the protagonist “into bed and into trouble” (the Black Widow effect)

  7. Character— Criminals • Often depicted sympathetically—victims of circumstance or fate OR… • Driven by perverse desires which they do not fully understand

  8. Character— Victims • Often not innocent themselves, deserving their fate

  9. Character—Lawmen • Ambiguous moral status—often corrupt

  10. Visual Motifs • Opposition of light and shadow (creates instability and claustrophobia) • Low-key lighting (generates stark shadows)

  11. Visual Motifs • Deviation from traditional 3-point lighting* *3-point lighting= key light, back light, and fill light

  12. Visual Motifs • Chiaroscuro—extreme contrast of light and dark, but with a 3 color palette • Created by Venetian blinds, bars, grates; suggests imprisonment or entrapment

  13. Visual Motifs • Use of mirrors, shadows, and portraits of women to create a duality • The dark city setting often depicted as a labyrinth, or an external decay to match that of the characters

  14. Visual Motifs • Deep focus lens for greater depth of field (foreground dominates background) • Wide angle lens accentuates “bulk”—creates visual grotesques in close-up

  15. Visual Motifs • Use of props/framing to divide the visual field creates claustrophobia, alienation • Use of vertical lines in architecture creates imbalance

  16. Visual Motifs • Minimal camera movements—action is pushed by the actors’ emotions • Often rapid cutting between different angles to create imbalance

  17. External Factors in the Popularization of Film Noir: • German Expressionism (many directors were German expatriates) • Men returning from WWII came home to a changed country (imbalance/role reversal)

  18. External Factors in the Popularization of Film Noir: • Influence of “pulp fiction” with crusty detectives and slang-heavy dialogue • Cold War politics, McCarthyism (“The Red Scare”)

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